Pat Taub
Friday the 13th
Today is Friday the 13th, a date long regarded as signifying bad luck. However, this wasn’t always the case. In the Neolithic period, when many societies were goddess worshipping, Friday the 13th was sacred. It was known as “Venus Day,” because it represented the 13 lunar moon cycles and the average female has 13 periods a year. When patriarchy took over, women-centered practices were made pejorative, transforming Friday the 13th into a negative. Let’s honor the original Friday the 13th and celebrate our Venus energy today!
An early 20th century image of women celebrating Venus Day with a Goddess dance
Plant-Based Diet
This week I met with a few friends in one woman’s lovely city garden. Our conversation was dominated by the recent IPCC report on climate change, which detailed a very short window for halting climate change. Two of the women discussed their climate-friendly plant-based diets, which eliminate beef and other foods toxic to the environment. They both said they feel much healthy after switching to a plant-based diet. I was so inspired that when I got home, I ordered a book on converting to a plant-based diet. A big challenge! I’ll keep you posted.
A New Read
I just started reading “Whereabouts,” the new book by the acclaimed Indian writer, Jhumpa Lahiri, author of “Interpreter of Maladies.” It reads like diary entries, where each chapter is just a few pages, describing the daily observations of the narrator, a single middle-aged woman living in a small Italian city. One review dubbed it a study of urban isolation, suggesting the narrator has a sad, lonely life. While I recognized her loneliness, I was moved by her thoughtful explorations of daily life.
Talented Granddaughter
My very artistic granddaughter, Jane, 17, painted her white sneakers, transforming them into highly original mosaics. She also sews some of her clothes, makes jewelry and now has gotten into intricate eye make-up. How will she surprise me next?
Jessica Reznicek
I want to give a shout-out to Catholic Worker, Jessica Reznicek, who in an effort to stop a pipeline being constructed in Buena Vista, Iowa, set fire to heavy construction equipment at the pipeline’s site. For her action she received an 8-year prison sentence. While no one was injured, Reznicek was labeled a “terrorist,” an undeserving label in my opinion. She was simply desperate to call attention to a pipeline, which will cause irreparable environmental damage.
Jessica Reznicek
