best bibi jones: January 2010

The art of body painting is not a new phenomenon

In fact we are fond of painting our bodies since prehistoric times. In past we were used to paint our bodies with materials like natural dyes, paints and pigments. In some cases we used ash, and clay, too.

The markings that the people make on their bodies are thought to have magical powers with which one could ward off evil spirits or the tribal enemies. Such was the thinking in past. The painting of bodies was also coined with celebrating of auspicious occasions like New Year or a dance party. Same practice can still observed in the indigenous populations of the countries like New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific Islands, and certain parts of Africa.

In India the women and men are fond of using Henna. It is a colour extracted from a plant of Henna; it is also known as Mehandi. This type of body painting with Henna has been a fashion in India and the Middle East since many years. People paint their hands and legs and other parts of body with Henna during auspicious ceremonies like weddings. The use of henna or Mehandi has become popular in the Western countries, too, since last two decades.

The art of body painting is not a new phenomenon in the countries of South America, too. People here have been using indigenous materials to paint their body and body parts. They use wet charcoal and other materials available in the local surrounding. In some parts of America, a material known as Huito is used to paint the bodies and faces. Huito is a black dye, and it takes weeks to fade away.

Amazing Street Painting Art

When people speak of African American Art, normally they are referring to a racial phenomenon, with paintings, sculptures, graphic arts, and crafts all rolled into one product. The truth is that just as the Blues influenced all American music, Art by persons of African descent has help to shape the cultural and social traditions of American Art. Of course, young people today are heavy into hip-hop, but the Blues is still going strong. If young people do not want to listen to the Blues they should at least know that the city of Memphis is keeping the Blues alive. They all need to visit Beale Street in Memphis at least one time. Memphis was the place where blues performers first brought the Blues to national attention and the Blues is still going strong.

Because people of African descent had to evolve with the weight of Slavery and Jim Crow on their shoulders, it is amazing that African American Art has grown to be such a force in the world of art. African American Artist, despite the adversities, has made outstanding creative contributions to the American Society. Racial bias for a long time prevented the majority of African Americans Artist from receiving recognition and acceptance, yet as early as the eighteenth century Blacks worked in the field of painting and woodcarving. In the latter part of the nineteenth century a number of African American Artist became distinguished painters and sculptors.

What most people don't realize is that the people of African decent who were brought to America were genetically equipped to work in the creative art fields. Most African bought to America came from West Africa. This section of Africa was highly developed in the arts. As a daily part of cultural life, wood-carvers, metalworkers designed the images, totem animals and other objects that were so important tribal life. The designers and weavers of the African appeal could have given any of the "fashion big boys" a run for their money. In tracing the roots of American Art, it is acknowledged that concepts flowed from Egypt to Mesopotamia, Greece and finally to Rome. Westerners seem to forget that Egypt is in Africa, and the biggest influence on Egypt was sub-Sahara Africa.

African American Art has followed the path through cotton patches of the South and to the city streets of Harlem, New York. Most of the African American "greats" passed through Harlem. At that time it was called: "The New Negro Movement". It is said that the blooming of African American social thought happened in Harlem during the 1920's to 1930's. Literature, theater, dance, painting and sculpture all begin to have a profound influence through out the United States and even around the world. There are too many outstanding artist associated with the Harlem Renaissance to list, but I will leave you with a short list and you can do further research:

o William H. Johnson Painter

o Sargent Claude Johnson Sculptor

o Jacob Lawrence Painter

o Lois Mailou Jones Painter

o Archibald Motley Painter

o Romare Bearden Painter

body art painting or Amazing Body Painting

I'm standing in my studio, watching ten women painting in silence with exquisite focus and concentration, and the energy is just humming. All of a sudden I hear a groan from one of the women and the words "Oh no, I hate it. It's so ugly". I smile, feeling a sense of great relief and dread.

Relief because another woman has just blindly stumbled into her gateway to creative freedom. Dread because I know the resistance and arguments I am going to be coming up against as I try to talk her out of destroying what she deems ugly and to even to begin to take the radical step of accepting what she has created with curiosity and compassion. I have to be quick here because women are nothing if not stealthy and crafty and will waste little time in eradicating the evidence of what they consider unattractive art.

This is a class in what's known as intuitive painting or process painting. The purpose of this kind of painting is to learn to listen deeply to yourself and to then courageously express what you find,without censoring anything,in a spirit of spontaneity, surrendering to the creative process.It's very different from typical art classes where the primary focus is on developing technique and ending up with a pleasing product. This type of class uses art and painting as a way to get more in touch with the inner world of soul and psyche. The focus is exclusively on exploring and expressing that internal process.

This road is difficult for most women, because even though many of us have done some kind of self investigation and recognize the value inherent in that search, we are still fighting an uphill battle against a very strong cultural bias that teaches us to place the greatest value on what is outside of us. We are taught that feelings and an inner life are fine as far as they go, but what is truly worthwhile is how we look, what we own, who we know, and where we find ourselves on the economic and status hierarchy.

The mysterious stirrings of our soul, the needs of our hearts, the messages from our bodies,and the genius of our intuition, are STILL, even after all of the battles for liberation that we have fought, denigrated and considered trivial and unimportant, unrealistic and immature. But in the world of the process arts the realm of psyche and dreams, imagination and feelings are staunchly defended as sacrosanct and even given center stage.

The women in my painting class know the rules of intuitive painting, one of which is that they are not to destroy anything or cover up what they have done just because they don't like it or have a negative reaction to it. They know what they are attempting here is an exercise in radical self acceptance which means embracing everything that comes out of them especially if it makes them uncomfortable because there's "gold in them thar hills" of the psyche that they can mine to great advantage if they are just willing to stay with the discomfort. But the urge to disavow the abomination of a perceived ugly painting by making it disappear can be overwhelming.

There are four words in the English language that you should never use in reference to a western 21st century woman if you don't want to get your teeth knocked out. Those four little words are ugly, fat, bitch and selfish.

Each of these four words addresses an issue of great importance for a woman, and what they all have in common is that they are keys to unlocking the door to our forbidden feminine power. And one thing you can count on is that each of these four issues will show up eventually if a woman seriously gives herself over to making her own art. Which is one reason that women often shy away from the creative process.

These words have extremely negative connotations for a woman and have been used to denigrate and control us for a very long time.The charge around them is so intense that as soon as we hear them we throw up our hands, recoil into a place of shame, close our eyes and back away from them as if they were Kryptonite and we were Super Girl. Since we are unwilling to be curious and explore them, we never get to see that in actuality these four words describe very positive qualities and archetypal energies that we desperately need if we are going to be complete, whole, actualized and effective feminine creators of our own lives.

One of the biggest internal obstacles to reclaiming our power is a potent archetype at work in most women's psyches that can be called the Inner Good Girl. The Good Girl lives for approval and she garners that approval by keeping women small and safe and non-threatening. She is not interested in growing up and is content to remain eternally young. Ultimately, she is the one that keeps a woman from being able to develop and flourish as someone who is strong and potent,gutsy and capable of taking authority over her own life. And the Good Girl never wants to risk being fat, selfish, ugly or bitchy.

If a woman takes her creative life seriously, if she makes a commitment to herself and devotes herself to her creative work, she will eventually reach a crossroads where she has to confront the Inner Good Girl and the list of Good Girl rules if she wants to continue creating with passion and authenticity.

We all know what those rules are.Smile, smile, smile, be sweet and nice, never get mad (or even annoyed),look pretty (which of course includes being thin), smell good, be clean and neat and always be pleasing and accommodating. Don't be loud and stay in the background. What you think or feel is not really all that important. Don't upset anyone. And never, ever make another person uncomfortable. In the Good Girl world perfection is an attainable goal and you need to work relentlessly, tirelessly, exhaustively, to be the absolute best mother, daughter, wife and friend you can be, all the while berating yourself because you inexplicably and continuously fall short of the mark.

When a woman starts her creative life she brings these same attitudes and expectations to her art. She only allows herself to paint pretty paintings that are perfect in every way. Paintings that are nice and make people smile. She is unwilling to risk disturbing or intense color or imagery; nothing that is too strong or stands out too much. But painting in this way eventually leaves her feeling bored and stifled. Pretty can be wonderful as part of a larger repertoire, but if it's all you are allowed to do it eventually becomes both a noose and a cage.

At a certain point in her creative process a woman needs to be willing to ditch the Good Girl by breaking the Good Girl rules. But breaking those rules leads a woman into the territory of the shadow side of the Good Girl, the dreaded yet fascinating BAD GIRL!

The Bad Girl is alive and well in most women's psyches and is the part of us who is sick and tired of the long list of restrictions that hem in her wild and juicy self. She is feisty and bold, full of audacity and unafraid to go for what she wants. She is adventurous and courageous, and enjoys the excitement that comes with taking positive life-affirming risks.

But our relationship to her has a strong shame and shadow element so she often gets expressed in way's that end up hurting us. She is the one who eats the whole container of the mint chocolate chip ice cream in one sitting, who doesn't return necessary phone calls to annoying family members, who spends money that she doesn't have on clothes or shoes, and who has inappropriate relationships with men or women that aren't good for her.What I am presenting here is a way to reclaim the Bad Girl energy, through painting, that is affirming and positive. To recognize that what we have been calling bad are disowned parts of ourselves that need to be brought back home.

THE SELFISH GIRL: Unafraid of putting herself first, of being needy and proud of it, of nurturing herself, of conserving her own energy, of filling her own well, willing to have limits, making her own self care her first priority, willing to be her own good mother, willing to take time just for herself, willing to confront and overcome her guilt about taking care of herself.

This is the first Bad Girl to show up when a woman attempts to have a viable creative life, and the first one I see when a woman walks in the door of my studio to attend a painting class. I hear over and over again from these women how much they have lost themselves in taking care of everyone else. How tired they are of putting everyone else's needs first and that they have come to this class because they want to do something that has no visible benefit to anyone else.

For a woman to be creative she needs to be willing to take time just for herself. She needs uninterrupted periods when she is able to enter her studio, sit down at her computer or her easel, and see what wants to come. She needs to let herself get dreamy, do nothing, stare out the window, and be seemingly unproductive. During these interludes in which she drops into a creative trance she is inviting the muse to enter her and inviting the often secret and mysterious movement of her soul to express itself.

In these moments, she begins to face herself through her art. She is able to get quiet enough so that she can listen deeply and start to ask some essential questions such as "What do I think? What do I like? What do I really want? What moves me, brings me pleasure, makes me feel alive.?" It is a me, myself and I time, a time that needs to be treated as sacred and inviolable in order to allow those creative juices to flow unimpeded and to eventually turn into a raging, rushing river.

However, it's usually not long before the telephone rings or someone taps (or sometimes pounds ) on the studio door with the cry of "I need you! And I need you RIGHT NOW!" It could be a friend, a child, a mother a husband, a work obligation, or a pipe that has just sprung a leak. All of a sudden, somebody else's needs become more important than her need to be creative, and the woman is faced with the eternal female question." Do I once again close the door to my studio and turn my back on the needs of my own soul? Do I once again prove how reliable, dutiful, compassionate , caring, self sacrificing, available, loving, responsible I am, at the terrible price of my own creative self? Knowing that I have the small, and getting smaller consolation of being able to say "Well at least no one is going to be able to call me selfish!"

THE UGLY GIRL: Willing to buck the tide, to be her own unique self, to not always conform , to step away from the need for approval, to be willing to risk censure, to step outside of the box of what is acceptable as a woman in this culture, willing to be weird, different, unique, outrageous, bold.

The most common lament or desire that I hear from my women painting student's is "But I just want my painting to be beautiful."

For most women, beauty is a need, a deep irrational hunger, and an unconscious compulsion. Our identification with the need to be beautiful is so great and so ingrained that we rarely, if ever, question it. Beauty is the key to the magic kingdom of well- being, happiness and success. It is the source of our value, the guarantee of love, our only legitimate access to power, and on a very deep level has meant survival itself. Because so much is at stake, the pressure a woman feels to be beautiful and to create something beautiful is enormous.

Our whole relationship to beauty shows up painfully and clearly in the painting process. While she is painting, there is always some beauty standard- whether she is aware of it or not- that a woman is trying to live up to. Maybe the ideal is of a painting that is neat and flawless where no mistakes or messiness, no drips or uneven lines are allowed. Or the idealized vision may be one of a painting that is balanced and symmetrical, a paragon of elegance, grace, and impeccable good taste. In this version of perfection, all the colors must match, and can only be in the range of muted pastels with the overall effect being soothing and pleasant, like a well put together design in a home and garden magazine.

Whatever the ideal, the energy put into achieving it is relentless. When I watch a woman paint I am always amazed by the passion she has for endlessly fussing over and fixing her paintings. Spontaneity is out of the question. She just takes it for granted that her painting must be well thought out, planned, and organized , and under as much of her control as is humanly possible. She is used to not trusting in her own innate beauty, and expects that the quest for beauty will entail nonstop work. She never questions the ceaseless dieting and exercising, the hours spent shopping for just the right outfit and the worrying over her skin, her hair, her nails. She always has and always will fall short of the beauty mark and just assumes that beauty is something she will continually struggle for and rarely, if ever, achieve.

The really sad thing is that she sees nothing wrong with this fretful and anxious approach to her self and to her artwork.This ceaseless and ultimately hopeless striving for the unattainable ideal is just the norm. It's really the only thing she has ever known.

These narrow constraints of beauty that a woman finds herself tangled in are always some variation on the Good Girl creed. These socially accepted standards are based on a definition of beauty that is related to being nice and non threatening, to not standing out too much and conforming to an established norm that is pleasant but not powerful. Beauty is related to compliance and convention, to following the rules and to fitting in. The Good Girl beauty ideal means that it's not OK to just be herself, warts and all. She needs to clean herself up and make herself acceptable.

When a woman is painting, the Ugly Girl often sneaks in as a mistake or imperfection, a smear or a smudge, something messy or uncontrolled.When the woman tries to clean up the mess, she finds with increasing horror that the muddle only continues to grow. She is constantly having technical calamities. The paint drips or runs, she can't control her brush, chaos reigns, and it seems like there is nothing she can do to make it stop.

She is desperate to get back to pretty. In risking spontaneity, she has found, to her horror, that she has created something that appears harsh or loud or imperfect. Or,even worse, something grotesque or malformed. She frantically tries painting more safe images, more flowers, rainbows, peaceful landscapes . But the flowers develop sharp edges and dark colors and grow completely out of control , the rainbow colors become wildly fluorescent , and the landscapes becomes populated with darkly mysterious shapes and figures .

At this point she has stepped out of the confines of charming and attractive, and into an unfamiliar landscape of the wild, the untamed the unkempt and disheveled. This is often the beginning of a relationship to the inner Wise Old Woman archetype, also known as the Witch. This is the face of the deep feminine that doesn't care about appearances . After all, the Witch walks around with missing teeth and warts, and obviously doesn't care what other people think. This is an awakening of the aspect of a woman's soul who is no longer a slave to approval and who has begun to walk down the long road away from woman as product and commodity.

THE FAT GIRL: Willing to be big, be visible, to come out of hiding, to be a woman and not a little girl, to take up space, to be hungry, to say what she wants, to know what she wants, to be full of herself, to be too big for her britches, to be a full adult, unafraid to say yes! A fat girl isn't afraid to take up space and to take her place in the world.

In my studio I offer high quality paper that is of ample size, but students can tape the sheets together to make even larger paintings. It's a heady time when a woman can let herself spread out and take up some real space,when she can make a HUGE painting, one that can sometimes cover an entire wall.

Creating a giant painting is a dizzying and terrifying prospect, and a woman often needs lots of encouragement and permission to take this step. In fact I usually need to nudge her a little. She will start with saying something about MAYBE needing to go a little bigger with her work. She feels something pushing on her, wanting to come through, and so she will ask if it's OK to use two pieces of paper instead of one. I generously offer to get the paper for her but come back with four pieces of paper, instead of the asked for two. No matter how "nice" she is, at this point she is more than willing to make a fuss, to strenuously object about how it's too much, she could never fill up that much paper, she doesn't have enough to express, she couldn't possibly take up that much room in the studio.

But as I continue to calmly pin the four pieces to the easel, nodding supportively, yet ignoring her increasingly frantic protestations, I see the gleam in her eye. She wants this opportunity to take up space, to proclaim herself in living color, to be unmistakably seen, but is trained to not give voice to this desire. I watch her as she struggles with the forbidden excitement of the challenge, the possibility, the sheer daring of it. The door to a secret longing is creaking open on long unused and rusted hinges, opening to her hunger to be big, to be bold, to be outrageous, to be visible as completely and utterly herself.

THE BITCHY GIRL: Willing to be fierce and powerful; unafraid of her own anger, unafraid to speak up, to take a stand, to have limits and boundaries, unafraid to say NO! Unafraid to combat abuse, refuses to be treated badly, willing to break connections and walk away from toxic relationships if it means protecting your own wild and precious self.

Another major crossroads occurs in the painting process when a woman realizes how angry and enraged she feels and she lets herself express it on paper for everyone to see. However, the feeling of anger is so taboo and so threatening that it will usually sneak in the back door as just a little color. Some red or black appears on the page and then slowly or by "accident" grows larger than the woman had intended .

As this continues , the artist begins to feel a little uncomfortable. She will stand back from her now unruly painting with a puzzled frown and turn to me , saying something like " That looks awfully angry," followed quickly by, "You know, I'm not really angry. I don't get angry. A little frustrated maybe, but never angry." This is a very precarious moment in the process. I have had women actually walk out of the room to get away from this intimation of anger, put on their coat and announce that they really must leave now. I am generally able to coax her back to the painting for the rest of the class, but once she leaves I will often never see her again. The reality of her own angry feelings is just too scary, the prohibitions too strong, and all I can do at this point is hope for her that someday she will be able to feel safe enough to take that deep plunge into her own passionate and furious heart .

For the woman who is ready to take that terrifying yet thrilling dive, admitting that she is indeed angry can allow an amazing intensity of feeling to come flooding out. All the years of saying yes, yes, yes when she wanted to say no, no, NO to unreasonable demands, to abuse, to putting her own needs on a perpetual back burner, come out on the paper in a frenzy of paint , of color, and of image.

For one woman it comes out as a bright red background, with black words painted simply and starkly to read "I AM SO PISSED OFF!'". For another , it is a large image of a woman with wildly flying red hair, bellowing open mouthed and brazen " What the $#%@ about me!!!"

A 60 year old woman, who has been married to a Methodist preacher for 40 years, surprises herself by painting a warrior goddess in hot pants, with a Colt 45 in one hand and a cake spatula (to be used as a whacking weapon when necessary) in the other.

The paintings sometimes depict images that are recognizable out of myth, such as a snake haired Medusa, and sometimes are expressed as a whirl of color and chaos, populated by weird, otherworldly creatures sporting very large, VERY sharp teeth. But what they all have in common is that they jump off the page with the ferocity of emotion portrayed. There is no mistaking the intent behind these paintings which is some version of " I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

I RECENTLY READ an article in a marketing journal that was warning advertisers away from using the words power or powerful in ads directed towards women. The writer of this article was not questioning the issue of women's fear around power, just stating an obvious ( to him) fact that women won't buy things that are associated with the language of power.

We have a long history as women around being disempowered and victimized, and we have internalized this fear of power, of our own power, for way too long. We are living in times of great change and uncertainty and it is critical that we reclaim our birthright of strength, authority and creative vision to take advantage of the opportunity that we have to recreate the world as a place where our most treasured values can survive.

There are many ways to face and to heal this power wound, and approaching it through our creativity is just one of them. But it's a good place to start. As my women student's and I have learned over many years, it's quite possible to experience courage, transformation and self love by wielding the business end of a paintbrush. And breaking our long allegiance to the Good Girl and allowing the Bad Girl an honored place in our lives is not only healing, but makes life a lot more interesting and fun!

Female Body Painting | Amazing

Honored killing is about violence against females, a serious and complex social-mental health problem when there is zero tolerance for female bodies. It does not matter where this act of crime takes place; it is still a problem of the world and it needs the world's attention.

Once in a while we hear this disturbing news about killing our female human beings because their families are suffering from rigidity, an illness that has always been the reason for violence, terror, and injustice.

The motives for the killings are to keep the families Honor, which indeed it will be gone by the act of murder itself. There is no honor in killing anyone and there is no honour in fearing female bodies. What kind of a man or a what kind of a family can hurt a female and call it an honor?

Honored killing is a corrupted action that is occurring only because there is lack of proper education in communities who are most in need of attention.

These individuals, groups, and communities see a connection between their honor and the female body they feel they own. What is really going on for these people? Are they hallucinating? Are they really thinking they own their female members? Where does this harsh thinking come from?

This female body in these communities resembles a beautiful sculpture, a painting, a piece of furniture, a pair of shoes that in all times have to be in the sight of its owner. Not owning this thing, means not having it, means not being in control of what you can have and control if nothing else in this world is controllable: The female body. It is unfortunate that these families have no honour to be part of the human community and respect the rights of their female members. Who they think they are?

Why female body is dangerous and threatening for these families anyways?

How come female bodies cause this much of fear and anxieties for some men? Didn't they enter the world through this female body in the first place? Why can't they respect females?

The answer can be found in a black box where there are layers of self-centredness, lack of knowledge, illiteracy, social poverty, and fear of losing something that does not belong to them: The female bodies.

Honored killing is about showing ownership; a distorted and sickening belief that has to be cured.

These men really believe they keep their honor by covering, hiding, controlling, disabling, torturing, and killing female bodies.

What is painful is that many of these female victims could be saved if there were enough parenting and family education in those communities. Still, we have to prevent future killing of women within the parameters of honored killing.

What these men cannot see or it does not go to their brain is that female bodies are not a piece of furniture to own, these female bodies are not only bodies, they are human beings and they have a voice, an independent idea of how they want to live their lives, and a right to live with dignity.

Honored killing is a symptom for mental health issues and a serious illness that has to be identified, prevented, and helped with proper education.

Killing of female human being is an illness that only exists among people who are unhealthy enough to not tolerate a diverse world where females bodies are big part of it.

Honored killing is a dishonored and dark side of the usual violence against women and it has to be stopped. This has to go to the agenda of all communities who still have one epsilon of honer.

My name is Poran Poregbal and I am a clinical counsellor. I would like to promote peace, happiness, respect for differences, and multiculturalism. I believe that we have to expand our understanding of mental health by viewing the cultural values into our ways of dealing with the world. I like to emphasize on helping our youth as well as our next generations to integrate within whatever cultures they live in.

Indonesian Women Body Painting

Below are extracts from the literature of the Summit Lighthouse concerning the incarnation of Satria Piningit as the Comte de Saint Germain :

"Upon his ascension from the Rakoczy Mansion in 1684, Ascended Master Saint Germain entered the Great Silence (nirvana) where his beloved twin flame Portia, the Goddess of Justice--whose name he had inscribed in The Merchant of Venice--had long been waiting his return. Not long thereafter, the beloved Sanctus Germanus was given the dispensation by the Lords of Karma to function in the world of form as an ascended being having the appearance of an unascended being.

"The archives of France contain evidence that English, Dutch, and Prussian statesmen of his (St.Germain's) time regarded the Count as an authority in many fields. He was hated by some while loved and held in awe by others. As one of his friends said, `He was, perhaps, one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived . . . His heart was concerned only with the happiness of others.' The master alchemist (St.Germain) spoke French, German, English, Italian, Portuguese, and Russian so fluently that he was accepted as a native wherever he went. According to a contemporary account, `the learned and the oriental scholars have proved the knowledge of the Count St.Germain. The former found him more apt in the languages of Homer and Virgil than themselves; with the latter he spoke Sanskrit, Chinese, and Arabic in such a manner as to show them that he had made some lengthy stay in Asia.' (Compare this to local ideas that the Knight wanders often as an austerity--"Lelono broto") The Comte de Saint Germain composed, improvised, accompanied on piano without music `not only every song but also the most difficult concerti, played on various instruments,' and played the violin `like an orchestra.' His compositions remain today in the British Museum and the library of the castle of Raudnitz in Bohemia. He painted in oils with colours of gemlike brilliance, a `secret' which he himself discovered. It is said that from 1737 to 1742, Saint Germain was at the Court of the Shah in Persia, there exhibiting his extraordinary knowledge of precipitating and perfecting precious stones, particularly diamonds. According to the memoirs of Madame du Hausset, Saint Germain once removed a flaw from a large diamond, which belonged to King Louis XV.

In his alchemical laboratory at the Royal Chateau at Chambord, Saint Germain was attended by a group of learned and noble students. The Count is described by Graf Cobenzl in a letter dated 1763: `Possessing great wealth, he lives in the greatest simplicity; he knows everything, and shows an uprightness, a goodness of soul, worthy of admiration. Among a number of his accomplishments, he made, under my own eyes, some experiments, of which the most important were the transmutation of iron into a metal as beautiful as gold.' The Comte de Saint Germain thoroughly understood the use of herbs and plants and discovered medicines and elixirs to prolong life and maintain health. Many of his demonstrations of mastery are described in the diaries of Mme.d'Adhemar, who knew him for at least half a century. She records Saint Germain's visits to herself and to the courts of Louis XV and Louis XVI, noting in his glowing face the appearance of a man in his early forties throughout the period. She mentions a personal conversation with the Count in 1789 in which he appeared `with the same countenance as in 1760.' In the same conversation he predicted the Revolution of 1789, the fall of the House of Bourbon, and the course of modern French history . . ."

We believe that this paper offers enough vital information to scholars and mystics to assist in correlating the information found herein with the information to be found in Javanese literature concerning Ratu Adil and Satria Piningit, or to the impressions that they have received psychically. It is of our opinion that what we have revealed here will be further substantiated through their efforts. We must also caution our readers that some individuals might commercialize the knowledge that we have revealed here for their own egoistic purposes, perhaps claiming themselves to be a representative of Satria Piningit. Please do not be fooled by this. The real knight is silent on such matters.

Messages from St. Germain

The following are messages from St. Germain, the Knight Commander, or Satria Piningit--they are extracts from the Pearls of Wisdom, published by the Summit Lighthouse:

"I am come to find my freedom fighters, those who stand for freedom and do not budge from that stance when freedoms are compromised . . . See to it that you are not the victims of tyrants, that you do not shy away from their confrontations, that you do not become cowards and say, `Well, what of it? I can do without this or that privilege or freedom or right.'

"Well, beloved ones, you cannot do without your rights. For freedom is the very core of the victory. It is the very core of life. It is the very core of the soul rising in the flame of liberation . . . let us consider championing the right of the individual to know the unadulterated truth of the Path and the Teachings of the Ascended Masters.

"I say, beloved, speak gently and tenderly and lovingly with an open heart, a loving heart, a compassionate heart--the heart of kindness that is the signet of Lord Maitreya--and speak on those subjects in which you find agreement with another. But come to the place where you are also willing to take a stand as freedom fighters, even as the wondrous saints have gone forth to fight the battles of this century and many past centuries and have laid down their lives for the honor, the freedom and the defense of their nations and their causes.

"We have won this victory (of freedom) in the United States. We must maintain that victory. And we must win it and maintain it in all nations, for freedom of religion and every one of the four sacred freedoms must be guarded.

"Blessed hearts, this is an hour to champion the cause of non-discrimination in politics and religion in America and in every nation upon earth. For there are tyrants in every nation; and where governments have not guaranteed the sacred freedoms, these tyrants have gotten away with torturing and imprisoning their own citizens for challenging them and their regimes.

"Freedom fighters all, I say to you: Fight for your own wisdom! Fight for your own education! Fight for your own desire to champion the millions and not only the few . . . Mine is the urgent message that absolute God-freedom must cover the globe, beloved.

"This is the calling, beloved. It is the calling to affirm the right of every soul to practice the religion of his choice `with malice toward none, with charity for all.' In this spirit, affirm to those you contact, `You have a right to believe what you believe.' And if it is known that some do not believe as you do and you feel prompted by the Holy Spirit to show them another way, the Ascended Masters' way, then do it gently. Suggest but do not compel. Teach by example and always with compassion.

"We are opening the door of the Aquarian Age! And we desire to open that door to a golden age!

"Let us accomplish our tasks. Let us slay the dragons! Let us go forth in boldness. If we must give all of our life-essence to champion the cause of freedom of a single person or of the millions, then we must be willing to do it . . . we will say, `I will not stand still before this injustice!' (Spoken like a true knight).

"When you say that, my beloved Portia (the Goddess of Justice, Ratu Adil) will come to you and champion you. Blessed hearts, if you would be worthy of Portia, if you would have her as your living Guru, do not allow a single injustice to pass that you do not challenge; for then you will have her as your mighty supporter. And her support is ultimate, beloved.

"Do not slacken your pace, for I am moving across the earth in all the nations of the world . . . And I come to scourge the earth! And I come to drive out those who are not of the Truth, those who are not speakers of the Truth, but out of their mouths come `unclean spirits like frogs.' And many of those who speak not the Truth occupy the top leadership positions of their nations.

"We are determined, beloved. You must have greater determination than you have ever had. It is God who reaches out to man. You must reach out to God with equal and greater fervor, for you have the greater need.

" . . . I stand as the Hierarch of the Age of Aquarius and my burdens are great in the earth and for the earth, I take on few chelas (disciples) directly, on a one-on-one basis.

"You can raise yourself up. That is a truth. You can do it in God. You can transcend mortality as I did. You can taste your immortality even while in the flesh. But you must work at it. You must focus on it. You must get out of the grave of buried problems. You must get out of the self-made grave of your dark vision of self and others . . . See Christ. Know his glory."

How to Become a Knight

After reading thus far, the question might arise: "How may I work on behalf of the Spiritual Hierarchy, the World-Teachers, Lord Maitreya, Ratu Adil and Satria Piningit? And how may I earn my spiritual knighthood?" Working for spiritual forces entails aligning oneself with the Light and all that is Good. Intense preparation is necessary. One has to purify one's being, physically, emotionally, and mentally of all dross and toxins--all subconscious patterns of hate, malice, avarice, envy, intolerance, selfishness and other negative qualities; one has to master the false ego. One has to discipline one's passions, appetites, and desires, and express the higher spiritual aspect of Self. One has to acquire a spiritual consciousness through constant meditation and awareness of one's true identity, and by doing so build a bridge of communication between oneself and superior intelligences in order to receive their directions, inspirations, and counsel.

One has to be able to attune himself with his Higher Self, with his Master, with his spiritual group, with the Lord of his Ray, with the Spiritual Hierarchy, and with Shamballa and other focus points on earth of Cosmic beings. The level of one's intelligence has to be raised, and the frequency of one's holistic being accelerated. There is a saying that many are called but few are chosen. Those that are chosen are actually the individuals that choose themselves to be chosen. We have mentioned this principle before. The "chosen" volunteer selflessly for the work.

It is a vital matter to realize that nobility is not a matter of flesh and blood. We do not inherit nobility from our forefathers. Nobility is a quality that the soul has to unfold within itself. We are noble not by being born in any caste, but by simply becoming or being one's True Self.

To earn one's knighthood one has to learn the meaning of self-sacrifice, service and selflessness. The spiritual qualities that characterizes a knight one has to embody--qualities such as loyalty, harmlessness, devotion, honesty, courage, sincerity, purity, goodwill, inclusiveness, serenity, gratitude, contentment, creativity, etc. One must possess the degree of purity with which Sir Galahad embodied, and echo his words by saying: "My strength is the strength of ten because I am pure."

Endurance, humility, patience, and moral strength are also virtues that should adorn and protect every knight. All of the virtues are the knight's strength and power--the knight's weapons of offence and defense, however, underlying all of these virtues lies the knight's greatest power: Love. Without embodying Divine Love a knight is lifeless and worthless.

True spiritual knights do not care for rewards, and often prefer to work silently in the background. They never attract attention to themselves and do not care for the opinions of men. They are not attached to the world, and they seldom complain. They are psychologically centered and are the same whether rich or poor, in pain or in health--they always maintain a joyful, calm mien. Simplicity and sweetness characterizes knights of the Light. Knights are noble and express beauty in their behavior, speech, movement, gait, and thoughts. Knights are likewise sensitive to beauty in all of its forms. They are well-attuned with Nature and often differ from the ordinary person when it comes to understanding life. This particular trait makes others perceive them as quaint, strange or even irrational. Spiritual knights all have the qualities of Satria Piningit on a lesser scale; however, they still tower far above the average person in spiritual dignity.

Aside from developing a chivalric nature, it is necessary for the knight-in-becoming to study the teachings of the Ageless Wisdom, the teachings of the Masters, the Cosmic laws of the universe, and follow a path of spiritual training. The sacred scriptures of both East and West, like the Bhagavad Gita, for instance, are training manuals for the Aquarian knights.

Though a knight may possess power, he is to learn to wield it with wisdom, intelligence and love. He serves all those that require his services should the need be in accord with Cosmic law, and he ever seeks to improve his skills and abilities. He is always obedient to the still, small, voice within. It goes without saying that knights must have a growing sense of responsibility.

By training and disciplining one's threefold instrument--the physical body, the emotions, and the mind--by exercising one's will, one gradually grows aware of a higher presence living in one's heart. This is the birth of the spirit of the Christ, the inner warrior, priest, healer, teacher, and king in one's consciousness. This Christ-Consciousness will have to be nourished through selfless work. In the course of time one's threefold-flame burning in the heart will grow so beautifully and one's aura will shine so brightly that it will attract the attention of spirit beings everywhere, and they will recognize, honor, and tremble in one's presence. They will know one as a light-bearer, a keeper of the flame, a knight of the light, a son or daughter of God.

How and where does a knight work? A knight works for truth, freedom, and justice no matter in what social field or human endeavor he (or she) may find himself, no matter in what office or position. The spiritual knight no longer fights with a physical sword. He fights with a fiery tongue, and with a pen whose ink never runs dry. He knows the truth of the saying that "the pen is mightier than the sword." When he speaks all are silent. His words are few, but they carry the weight of the Cosmos. His words remain etched in the minds of his listeners forever. The knight never compels, but suggests and appeals. He is not a man of words, but a man of action. He is more of an exemplar than a preacher. Seldom will a knight justify his actions or defend himself in any way, though he will fight till death on behalf of others. Like the rest of the world, Indonesia has produced many beautiful knights, both men and women, who fought on behalf of Truth, Justice and Freedom.

The knight is forever in search of the Holy Grail, the philosopher's stone, or Cintamani--the precious jewel of Shamballa. Cintamani is the love jewel, the doctrine of the heart, or compassion, and is related to the heart-chakra. It is this divine quality that the knight seeks to unfold within his being. The true knight knows that selfishness and self-centeredness--the ways of Atlantis is over--that the Piscean way of life of greed and ill-will should no longer be sustained.

The following points are important for the would-be knight to consider:

· Recognition of the Divine Presence living in oneself and in others.

· Vigilance in guarding the senses from recording unworthy impressions.

· Obedience to cosmic laws and evolutionary principles.

· Recognition of the rights of others.

· Developing a protective attitude on behalf of Truth.

· A closer approach, attunement and obedience to one's Higher Self.

· A self-sacrificial attitude.

· Being an example to others.

· Doing one's dharma (responsibility and duty).

· Developing the joy of cooperation.

· Encouraging others to align themselves with all that is good and true.

· Understanding the past and present in the correct perspective.

The qualities that we have referred to above are rarely found in a single individual. For this reason true knights of the Spirit are rare. Knights are not easily known and recognized; and it is not an easy matter to meet one of them unless our motives are pure or karmic law decrees it. Knights tread the path leading towards human perfection. Islam calls this state, "Insan Kamil," while yogis refer to it as Sthitaprajna. Theosophy calls it "Masterhood." In some ancient traditions, warrior-priests who are on the path are referred to as "Titans" and they make "war" against the false gods.

As we can see from the above, training oneself to be a knight is not an easy matter, but is a worthwhile task. The Knight Commander, or Satria Piningit will only overshadow with his electronic presence those who are spiritually prepared and are aligned to the ideals that he represents. The world needs warriors of the spirit who recognizes the enemy--they are not of flesh and blood. They are forces, powers, and principalities that cause humanity to go astray. Our fight is for freedom and justice--freedom from ignorance, and justice for all. Let us, therefore, commence our work without delay, for the battle and war of Armageddon has already begun in the mental and emotional planes. I hear Satria Piningit shout with a loud voice:

"My knights are vigilant and keen on battle. Observe your energy; watch your thoughts, speech and action. Never let negativity into your hearts and be imprinted into your subconscious mind. Remember, the great war is within you."

We should manifest a better planet and civilization for our children and grandchildren. It is ignorance to declare that it makes no difference to us what the future would be, that even if it degenerates that it does not affect us personally, for we would be long gone, living somewhere else in one of God's many mansions. Understand this--we would eventually reincarnate as our grandchildren! Thus the very sort of world that we leave to our progeny is the very type of world that we will inherit when we return to continue our soul-evolution through the means of reincarnation. Therefore, be concern, and attempt to play an important role in society to assist its spiritual transformation, for what you give is also that which you will receive. Do not sit in the back-seat in complacency, just watching others struggling for your rights, freedom and continued existence. There is no more time for twiddling thumbs. Get up and save the world and yourself through direct involvement in world affairs or through your financial and moral support. Below we quote again the Lama from "Shamballa: Oasis of Light":

"The people of earth must understand that the time of crucifixion and gentle prophets preaching to raving crowds is ended. This time the Arhats (Saints) will speak with lightning, thunder and star showers!"

Finally, below we offer a fiat composed by St. Germain and extracted from the literature of the Summit Lighthouse. It is hoped that every disciple of freedom would recite this aloud daily to program his or her subconscious mind the determination to be spiritually free.

Avatar Fashion Week Runway Body

When the first human being, in Eden or on earth, covered his body with leaves, or later with an animal skin, the fashion industry was founded at that time. Though we are not familiar with the style and attire of that time until the ancient civilizations preserved few images in the solidity of rocks, through cave paintings and through rock-cut sculptures.

Terra Cotta figurines of the oldest Harappan Age show interesting headdresses that can be compared with any modern hairstyle with a heavy look. The Dancing Girl of Mohenjo Daro with bangles in her arms is not behind any fashion sculpt of any age. While no one can deny the allure and glamour of Cleopatra; a woman with great political skills and a long nose, who crafted many fashion styles from jewelry to outfits of the great Egyptian Empire of Scissors.

But fashion is not only associated to women always! In ancient times of Cleopatra, Scissors always wore clothes that were royal, expensive, stylistic, attractive and special. At the same Egyptian soil, the Pharaohs were never behind. The great Biblical Character of Moses, if taken as an Egyptian Prince, was always a portrayed, in tales and later in movies, in a charismatic outfit.

While in the Western part of the globe, the Greeks and Romans not only marked high standards in Art, Architecture, and Warfare, but their unique and intricate concepts of a perfect and godlike human body, especially of males, supported the appealing army uniforms and court-wears.

The supernatural characters of illustrious Greek, Egyptian and Indian Mythologies did provide extraordinary range of apparel; well preserved in the form of painting and sculpture.

These ancient models are still the greatest sources of inspiration for modern day fashion designers and the origins of the evolved form of cultural trends prevailed through continents from Australia to America and from Asia to Africa.

Cultural influences are stronger when we consider the economic aspect of the fashion industry. Business needs market where it can present fresh ideas and products in every new day. Although in this global age, acculturation is very much on. But even then there are many cultural aspects that can instigate or impede certain trends. A colorful bikini is a great fashion market item in Western or secular and modern cultures, but it is almost a taboo in some rigid and fundamental areas. Contrary to that, a veil is popular in fundamental countries, but has no market in secular or modern world. However, so many fashion articles could get the status of cross-cultural ambition. Especially in ornaments, there is not much difference across the globe with exception of little diversity in shape, material and style. Earrings, bracelets, pendants, bangles and rings are always, and everywhere, in fashion since ages having big market scope in all societies and cultures.

On the individual level, fashion is not just a simple word or an uncomplicated attitude, or even an overwhelming desire. Fashion is a multifarious dogma that can influence an individual in many ways.

"As process it is [fashion] sustained through some complex amalgamation of inspiration, imitation and institutionalization, all of which seem necessary, even though the nature and degree of their fusion is, as we can infer from fashion history, quite variable." (Fred Davis. Fashion, Culture and Identity. P. 123)

Therefore, the multifaceted incorporation of fashion, where force an individual at the same time, it also institutionalize itself on many grounds. This institutionalization is not only at the academic level, but due to its capacity of holding an individual, society, or even the whole world has created a huge market for investors.

This feature has made fashion, throughout past decades, an industry with small to bulk product possibility that can be marketed all around the world. It attracted many business tycoons and groups of companies to invest in fashion industry, or to label some of their products as fashion products. This idea initially covered the clothes brand but soon after, it encompassed every utility of everyday life. From earrings to pendants, from watches to glasses, from shoes to wallets, from perfumes to hairstyles, everything was produced and marketed, exported and imported on such a huge scale that it actually influenced the economy of various countries. Apart from the individual fashion, bathroom accessories, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom décor, landscaping of gardens and lawns, furniture, automobiles, electronics or even language accents, everything got under the broad term of fashion. Products singularly and brands collectively helped and polished lifestyle across the continents. So, inevitably fashion market got vitality.

Despite quality, comfort and durability the exclusivity of a product and its luxurious look are the reasons that produce scope for a product to be marketed. That is the market policy of almost every fashion company revolves around these features.

Simultaneously, the marketing and availability of various products have developed the customers' sense of selection and exposure with a comparative buying power. Fashion is not always brand conscious; it is item based as well. Sometime, the need for a particular item may force us to go beyond the brand-range and select something less popular. This is a challenge all the famous brands have to cope with. Ian Griffiths and Nicola White, in their edited work: The Fashion Business- Theory, Practice, Image, commented on item shopping as:

"Item shopping is still very much part of our lives, but market saturation has taken its toll and replacement purchases of core product continue to decline. Added to this is the changing profile of the customer, who, through constant exposure, is becoming wiser, more astute, more confident in mixing products and consequently, likely to be less brand loyal."

The customer satisfaction is very important in the fashion industry; either it is attained by making customer needful for an upcoming product through advertising, or by providing him what he is striving for. The former caused the creative and design department to experiment with new ideas and shapes while the latter forced the quality controlled production with maintained standards.

Modern day fashion is rapid, short lived, more corporate in its structure, and psychological than ever before. Due to better and quick sources of communication and information, the international or external markets are open for every fashion company to do business, multinational companies can be found with variety of products in all the continents with complex network and appropriate marketing policies according to the socio-cultural requirements of a certain country. Especially, when we talk about the couture and cosmetics, contemporary trends are getting more and more cross-cultural due to viewership of various fashion channels on TV. This is far quicker source than the print media. So, the skills and concepts are also crossing the geographical and ideological boundaries of different parts of the world regardless of ethnic rigidity and conventionalism. That is one reason that fashion is also taken as the reflection of the progress in some developing countries. Fred Divis described clothing as a visual metaphor in his compilation; Fashion, Culture and Identity:

"As visual metaphor the clothing that is dress (one should perhaps distinguish between the two) is capable of communicating many things including something as subtle, for example, as the wearer's reflexive awareness..."

This is what has made fashion companies responsible for customer care at the same time, when they were thinking to be profitable. You can find friendly policies of such companies towards its employees, suppliers and customers. Together with the advertising campaigns, Fashion Weeks with new designs and colors, serve additionally to promote new concepts. These Fashion Weeks not only display an array of new products, but also serve to communicate with the audience visually. Dresses and accessories worn by models doing catwalk, are more lively and enthralling than the mere display on mannequins. Normally with a range of Fall, Spring, Summer and Winter collection, Fashion Weeks boost market demands and promote its associated businesses as well. Fashion Shows now have become cultural events which are happily sponsored by the corporate sector.

At modern day fashion companies, there is an underlying and long standing commitment to ethical trading, based upon the belief, that business can be both profitable and responsible. So, fashion companies believe that building meaningful long term relationships with employees, suppliers and communities is good business practice for them and is what the customers expect popular brands. This is, and always has been, the founding principle of different brands as Corporate-Social responsibility.

Fashion is not only a phenomenon for luxurious life, but this concept deals with humanity as well. True meaning of fashion is to put life at ease and to facilitate humanity with its respective life style. That is why, modern fashion companies are conscious for the fact of supporting special people of society with special needs. This phenomenon is causing fashion to be responsive towards special people.

Therefore, the market and its demands may vary from community to community. For example, the range may get different in a London store in comparison with the variety at a Singapore or China store. No doubt, in the modern world, 'East meets West' but climate, culture, sociology and psychological needs can force fashion designers and companies to provide a vast canvas for the diversity of customers worldwide. But there are few items that are evergreen. Jeans and Bags are such commodities that are always in demand and ask for the latest styles and comfort at the same time.

Modern day fashion is global, human, culture and society friendly. At one end it emphasizes collective psychology and trends of a society, and at the other end, it deals with the individual needs of customer care. Healthy trends, balanced life, and busy lifestyle are, what the modern fashion companies have to consider deeply. It is no more a matter of looking good and attractive, true fashion and accessories join comfort and trend together. Fashion companies are somehow, have become institutes that are shaping behaviors, psychology and healthy and innovative thinking. The concept of being relaxed and making others too, by wearing good looking, comfortable, trendy and eye-catching outfits in soothing or energetic colors, is the order of the modern day

Body Painting Women, human skin painting art

The most common lament or desire that I hear from my women painting student's is "But I just want my painting to be beautiful."

Body Painting Transform

Running out of face painting ideas and need to spice things up a little? I know how hard it can be to come up with new face painting ideas when you've got 'painters block' so hopefully these 5 ideas will help you out at your next face painting gig or party.

1. Glitter: Glitter can add a whole new dimension to your face painting! It can also transform your face paintings for amateur to professional! They can be pretty cheap if you know where to buy them and it's very easy to apply! They work especially well with 'princess' and 'fantasy' designs and kids love them! As with face paint, you need to remember to only use glitter and stick on jewels that are safe to put on a persons skin (eg. body glitter) Do NOT use aluminum glitter - polyester only. Aluminum glitter can hurt the eyes and skin.

There are different types of glitter - Glitter Gel, Glitter (Iridescent) Powders and Glitter Dust. I suggest you try them all out and see which one works best for you.

2. Stick - On - Jewels: Stick on jewels can also add a whole new dimension to your face painting, transforming your face paintings for amateur to pro. And they're so easy to use even kids can do it. Simply peel off the back of the jewel and stick the 'sticky' part of the jewel directly onto the skin or onto the paint that's on the skin. That's it! Also you can get plastic jewels that need to be stuck on with a little dab of paint

Body Art Sexy

In today's modern world intimate body art has become a fashion trend.

The difference between intimate body art and any other tattoo art is where the artwork is applied. Considered a great turn on and extremely sexy intimate tattoos and other forms of intimate art have become very popular.

Tattoo and skin art can be considered pretty intimate if done over the lower part of the belly or on the buttocks or breasts. An intimate tattoo does not necessarily mean applying a tattoo to one's private parts.

There is however body piercing jewelry and a intimate tattoo designs made specifically for ones "private parts".

Almost any tattoo design can be applied to what would be considered an intimate area of the body as well as a number of pierced jewelry styles that are seen only when a person is undressed. The drawback to a permanent intimate tattoo or piece of body jewelry is that after a while, when seen over and over again, it looses it's impact.

That is where temporary intimate tattoos and skin art come in. With the huge selection of non-piercing jewelry, intimate paste on body jewelry and temporary tattoos and stencils available you can create a new intimate look any time you choose.

Temporary intimate art runs the gamut from a simple tattoo to a custom made stencil design that you create to intimate body jewelry that you can apply at just the right moment.

Imagine exposing a really intimate piece of skin art in a restaurant or club. Talk about getting the night started on a hot and sexy note. Or showing off your art on the ride home after a night out. Or walking into the bedroom with your new body art exposed.

With sexy temporary body art you can easily and quickly remove it whenever you want and reapply it the next time the mood is right