Women On Fire - Judith Seelig

I am posting an update on a previous post regarding the 'Women On Fire' event in 2011

Myself and other artists will be taking part in an exhibition to be held at Central Hall Westminster

Here is Judith's update.

Women on Fire meet St George

A couple of years ago I led a retreat at St George's in Windsor Castle for women in senior decision-making roles. The subject was Fire and the Feminine Principle. My theme included the reminder that some seeds require fire to germinate. Economic and environmental crises have been burning brightly since that spring. Now we have seedlings to transplant.

I have teamed up with the environmental lawyer Polly Higgins to create Women on Fire, something that was initially seen as a one-day event but that has now burgeoned into something much bigger.

First the event: Celebrating Women on Fire at Central Hall Westminster, London SW1, 10am to 7.30pm (doors open 9am) on 23rd April 2011 which is Easter Saturday and St George's Day. The date is significant. Rarely does Easter fall so late that it coincides with April 23rd, the date on which England celebrates its patron saint George, slayer of the dragon. Dragons represent evil in medieval Europe, yet wisdom, strength and hidden knowledge in the Far East.

In many cultures the earth's own energy lines are symbolised by dragons uniting earth, air, fire and water in the form of a winged, fire-breathing serpent. Dragon energy is also synonymous with risen kundalini, the phenomenon by which the human spine experiences great heat rising from beneath the coccyx to fire changes in consciousness within the skull.

Renewal is a fundamental of Easter, not only in the Christian tradition but as Eostre the goddess worshipped in pre-Christian Britain, particularly in the fourth month of the year when the sun brought renewed fire to meet the earth's abundant waters. Seven hundred and eighty nine years after April 23rd was declared St George's Day we thought we might give the dragon another chance...

About Women on Fire
PURPOSE to power women as decision makers
WHY to develop and promote confidence in female intelligence, instinct and leadership
HOW
• connecting with the fire at the centre of the earth
• using the planet as a transmitter to connect women to women, cause to cause
• developing awareness of something that's freely available to all yet impossible to appropriate
• establishing banking facilities, financial education and advice for women by women
Celebrating Women on Fire is for women of all ages, creeds and nations. It will offer ground-breaking speakers in the fields of ecology, evolution, economics, fashion, wellbeing and women's place in politics and society. More news to follow.

Judith Seelig September 2010

http://www.womenonfire.co.uk

Cyprus and the Olive Tree

I have been busy researching, writing and painting for my book 'Cyprus and the Olive tree' One of the chapters covers the history of the Olive tree or Olea Europaea, the myths and legends as well as the many different uses and beneficial properties of this amazing tree.

The olive tree is the oldest and most important fruit tree in our history, thought to have originated in Asia Minor before establishing itself in the Mediterranean. On the island of Crete, there are some beautiful Minoan fresco paintings featuring the olive tree that date back to 3500 BC. In spain, olive seeds have been found that are eight thousand years old.

In Greek mythology, the Goddess Athena created an Olive tree as a gift to aid mankind. The Gods were so impressed they named the city Athens after her. Athena is often shown with an olive branch as a symbol of peace and abundance.
The Egyptians believed the Goddess Isis taught humans how to cultivate olives and in the Islamic world, 'the value of the Olive tree extends beyond that of a food crop, since the time of Adam, the Olive has been said to represent those seeking God through Science in vibrational herbal medicine'.

The 'Tree of Life' referred to in many religious texts, is thought to be the Olive tree'. If so it is easy to understand why. The olive trees low nutritional requirements, resistance to disease and tolerance to drought and salinity, make them incredibly hardy and long lasting. They can live for over a thousand years, with some said to be between three and five thousand years old. Once established, they would have provided a continuous source of food, oil and wealth to successive generations.

I was very interested to read about the healing properties of the Olive tree, particularly the leaves. Olive leaf extract is said to be one of the best antimicrobial products available and a marvellous substitute for antibiotics. The leaves contain a compound called Oleuropein, which has 23 ingredients, including Elenolic acid. The Elenolic acid combines with Calcium to form Elenolate.

During the 1960's - 1970's research conducted by the Upjohn company in Michigan and published by the American Society for Microbiology, found that the active compounds Elenol acid and Calcium Elenolate inhibited the growth of every virus, bacteria and fungus they were tested against. Perhaps Olive leaf extract is one of nature's defences against the rampant 'super bugs' that are now resistant to almost every known antibiotic?

For more detailed and authoratative information, Dr Morton Walker a health writer, investigator and Author has written a wonderful book called 'Olive leaf extract' .

Here is a home made 'Olive Leave Tincture' kindly given to me, with permission to publish, by Paul Blake aka The Herb Professor. www.theherbprof.com

HOME MADE OLIVE LEAF TINCTURE

Take some freshly picked olive leaves, enough to almost fill a blender. Paul advices that the optimum time to pick the leaves is just as the flower buds are taking shape prior to opening up.

Place the leaves in a large clean bowl with 1/2 cup of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of salt, to clean off the dust and air pollutants, then rinse thoroughly with clean water.

Take the clean olive leaves and place them inside a blender until it is 3/4 full.

Pour some grain alcohol ( vodka or gin 100 proof ) over the leaves to completley cover them. (grain alcohol is an excellent extractor for most herbs)

Cover and blend until the leaves are finely chopped and the contents look like a green smoothie. If the blender is running slow, swithch off and add a little more alcohol.

Pout the contents into some clean jars, cover and leave in a cool dark place.

shake each jar once a day for 3 months, to allow the alcohol to extract all the healing properties of the olive leaves.

Take a large clean bowl and cover with a clean sheet of muslin or sim ilar material.

Pour the contents of the jar onto the cloth, carefully bring up the edges and twist to form a pouch.

Slowly squeeze and twist the pouch to release as much of, what is now the tincture, into the bowl. Discard the remaining leaves.

The tincture can be stored in amber coloured glass dropper bottles. You can make your own labels for them.

Stored in a cool dark place, the tincture has an indeffinate shelf life.

For more information on uses and dosage please visit Pauls website at www.theherbprof.com

Cyprus and the Olive Tree - Stuffed Courgette flowers

On a beautiful hot summers day last July, my son and his bandmates 'Keeffe and the Bees' along with other local bands, were invited to play at an outdoor event organised by the owners of a nearby recording studio. An impressive stage and marquee were set up in a huge garden overlooking fields and countryside. Live music, cold drinks, a BBQ, outdoor swimming pool and a field to camp in, made it more like a mini music festival.

The following day, I went over to collect my son. While he was collecting up his guitar and amplifier, I got chatting to the lady in whose garden the event took place. I couldn't help admiring her flowering courgette plants on the patio, they reminded me of the beautiful stuffed courgette flowers dish my Mother would sometimes prepare. After we discussed how the flowers could be cooked and eaten, I promised I would post a recipe on my blog. Here it is along with my new painting of a courgette flower.

Stuffed courgette flowers.

20 courgette flowers.
1 cup rice.
1 onion.
3-4 tomatoes.
1 cup olive oil.
1 tbsp tomato puree.
1 tsp dried mint.
salt, pepper, cinnamon for seasoning.

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear.
Grate the oinion and tomatoes and add to the rice along with all the remaining ingredients.
Add 1 tbsp of the mixture into the courgette flower and gently press to fill out the flower.
Take the edges of the flower and neatly fold them over.
Place the stuffed flower into a large sauscepan with the folded edge pressed up against the saucepan's edge.
Continue until the flowers make a tightly packed outer circle.
Create another smaller circle within the remaining space.
Starting a second layer, repeat the process until all the flowers have been used up. Cover the courgette flowers with a plate, this helps to keep everything in place and add 1 cup of water.
With the lid tightly on, place the suacepan on a low heat to simmer untill all the water has evaporated.
Turn off the heat, remove lid and place a clean tea towel over the pan.
Place lid over the tea towel and leave for aprox 20 mins. This allows the rice to continue cooking and expanding.
Serve as a delicious vegetarian lunch with fresh crusty bread, salad and some yogurt.