"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

Mahatma Gandhi

“I have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men.”

Leanardo Da Vinci

I have loved animals since I was very young, I was raised with a Boxer named Clipper and many other dogs. When I left home I switched to cats. I have three bad boys cats named Jesse James, Billy the Kitten and SunnyBunny the Sundance Kid, they do eat meat.

I have not eaten meat or chicken for almost 40 years. Now, I do eat some seafood and fish like salmon and crab. My parents and brother stopped eating chicken and meat years ago because of my example. I never push not eating meat as I find it just turns people off. Leading by example works very well.

Hi,

I am honored by friend invites but I already have too many friends who I do not know. So, I would like to only add friends who I have met in person or who I have corresponded with through one of the tribes or email.

I love meeting new people so if you think we could teach each other a few things then send me an email before a friend invite please.

But do not bother if you do not have a photo or a filled out profile.

I may even start deleting some of my friends who I do not know.

If you already know me, then please do send me an invite, I love them.

Ann

1-26-2007

"You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist."

- Nietzsche

PHENOMENAL WOMAN

by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a model's fashion size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips
The stride of my steps
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please
And to a man
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees
Then they swarm around me
A hive of honey bees.
I say
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth
The swing of my waist
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say
It's in the arch of my back
The sun of my smile
The ride of my breasts
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say
It's in the click of my heels
The bend of my hair
The palm of my hand
The need for my care.
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Still I Rise

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

Maya Angelou

Shakti Jan has turned over moderatorship of the Bay Area Tantra Tribe that she started

She was one of my first tantra teachers and I have a lot of respect for her knowledge and wisdom.

I hope that I can do as good a job as moderator as she has done and I hope that she will continue to grace this tribe with her wonderful presence.

Ann, 12/20/06

bayareatantra.tribe.net/

“Don’t use being unhappy with your body as an excuse to not take care of your body and not cherish it. One of the nicest things you can do for your body is have sex, whether with yourself or with someone else”

When the Earth Moves: Women and Orgasm by Mikaya Heart’s

New Tribe, Sex, BDSM and Tantra for people with disabilities

tribes.tribe.net/sexbdsmta...sabilities

I have started yet another Tribe and this one may be the most important one yet.

It is for people with disabilities of any type, physical, emotional, mental, social, visible or hidden who engage in sex, BDSM and Tantra.

This is a place where you can discuss whatever you want to regarding these two subjects. How to do it, prejudice you may encounter, healing, whatever.

For the purpose of this Tribe, disabilities can be any type, physical, emotional, mental, social, whatever you or others see as a disability. Anything that has hindered your ability to function or to be accepted by others.

Sex, BDSM and Tantra are often oriented for so called "normal" people, people who do not have any kind of disability. It can be a challenge for those of us with any disability to partake of these activities.

Have you found that sex or BDSM or tantra has helped your disability improve? If so, share about it in this Tribe. Have you wanted to do these activities but your disability has hindered you, then please share.

These activities can often be healing for people with disabilities but they can present special challenges that others often do not understand.

Disabilities can often be hidden, not visible to the naked eye, the person is not in a wheelchair, has all their limbs, is not blind but is still dealing with living a disabled life but others do not realize it and assume that person to be "normal".

Chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, learning disabilities, depression, Asperger's, etc are all examples of hidden disabilities.

Anyone is welcome in this Tribe, with or without a disability, to learn how to deal with their own disability or others disabilities.

I Believe ...

I believe-
That we don't have to change
friends if we understand that friends change.

I believe-
That no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every once in a
while and, you must forgive them for that.

I believe-
That true friendship continues
to grow, even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.

I believe-
That you can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.

I believe-
That it's taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.

I believe-
That you should always leave loved ones with
loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe-
That you can keep going long after you can't.

I believe-
That we are responsible for
what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe-
That either you control your attitude
or it controls you.

I believe-
That regardless of how hot and steamy a
relationship is at first, the passion fades and there
had better be something else to take its place.

I believe-
That heroes are the people who do what
has to be done when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.

I believe-
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe-
That my best friend and I can do anything
or nothing and have the best time!

I believe-
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when
you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe-
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to
be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe-
That just because someone doesn't love you the way you want
them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I believe-
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences
you've had and what you've learned from them and less to
do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe-
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe-
That no matter how bad your heart is
broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe-
That our background and circumstances may have influenced
who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe-
That just because two people argue, it
doesn't mean they don't love each other, And just
because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I believe-
That you shouldn't be so eager to find
out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I believe-
That two people can look at the exact
same thing and see something totally different.

I believe-
That your life can be changed in a matter
of hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe-
That even when you think you have no more to give, when a
friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I believe-
That credentials on the wall do not make
you a decent human being.

I believe-
That the people you care about most in
life are taken from you too soon.

by Unknown

The Invitation

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shriveled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us to
be careful
be realistic
remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.

from the book The Invitation
by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
copyright © 1999 by Oriah Mountain Dreamer.