Hello,
This is probably my last newsletter until the New Year, I am anticipating being closed for a few weeks in early Jan as my baby is due Jan 1st! So do think ahead, especially if ordering goods for Xmas! and as a special thank you gift to my regular customers, the first 6 orders we get after this newsletter will recieve a limited edition lavender Moon Soap!
I’m just back from a trip up north to visit family but also to connect with Jane a representative from the Shyira Trust in Rwanda- I was able to give her pads that you have bought for the women there and also get an update on the project; wonderfully they have managed to start a sewing project making their pads which I just think is fantastic! Jane was telling me what a difference it has made to the women as they have no underwear and usually the mattresses in the hospital get ruined very quickly from the blood loss after birth. So a HUGE thank you for those of you who bought pads for the project! For more info see Shyira Trust http://www.shyiratrust.org.uk/Project_maternity.htm

On another subject…I was asked about making some xmas themed pads! I haven’t had any luck in sourcing any xmassy flannelette but would recommend the red pads for a xmassy pad gift! If you want a particular set made from the red ones do email me, otherwise red pads can be found here
Red Pads  http://www.moontimes.co.uk/shop/cloth-pads/patterned-pads/coloured-cloth-press-stud/

So what's new at Moon Times?

We have plenty of Earth Pathways diaries and Moon calendars…. http://www.moontimes.co.uk/shop/category/accessories/calendars-diaries/

We have some new Natural beauty products, along side the Bella Bees balms and essential oils we have a range from Pure Nuff
Shampoos, conditioners, body bars etc….

Something for the blokes....a quick plug for my husbands website! Tom has always loved being in nature and is very lucky to work as an environmental youth worker doing bushcraft with city kids….from this he has developed some bushcraft tools that make an ideal gift for your sons or men in your life who also have a love for the outdoors- see Fire Maker http://www.firemaker.biz

I am finishing with a excerpt from Susun Weed’s article about the Wise Woman Tradition! Do scroll down for a read.
Take care, much love
Rachael and the Moon Times Team xxx

see Susun’s Website         http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/November09/healingwise.htm

THE WISE WOMAN TRADITION EMPOWERS WOMEN
by Susun S. Weed
The Wise Woman Tradition is the oldest known healing tradition on our planet. It offers a unique view of health that is woman-centered and deeply empowering to women. This is in stark contrast to orthodox - and most alternative - healing traditions, which are based on male viewpoints which disempower women.
The medicine I learned in school was based on a linear, scientific, male worldview whose truth I did not question. When this medicine failed me, as a woman and a mother, I sought alternatives. Herbs helped me take care of myself and my family, simply and safely, but I questioned the assumptions behind what I was taught. It was clear to me that alternative health care disempowers women as much, or more than, orthodox medicine does. They both actively assume that the norm on which assessment of health is to be based is masculine in gender.
Assuming that a healthy male is the definition of health may not seem like much of a problem, unless you are a woman. This core assumption has hurt, and continues to hurt, women in a multitude of direct and indirect ways, from the deeply personal to the widely political. This assumption leads to attempts to "correct" - with drugs and surgery - physical and emotional states that are normal (and healthy) for women, but not for men.
Consider: Healthy women were given DES (a hormone) simply because they were pregnant - their offspring are cancer-prone.
Millions of menopausal women have been (and are still) treated with hormones in an effort to replace what is "lost." Does this improve their health~ No. Use of hormone replacement increases the risk of stroke, heart disease, and breast cancer.
Menstruating women need some quiet time alone. Instead they are offered pink Prozac to help them overcome their "depression."
Women are advised to have their uterus (and increasingly their ovaries, too) removed since they are "not needed after menopause ... just places that can harbor cancer." It is well known that a woman's sexual response is unlikely to be as strong, and may even be lost, when she loses these vital organs. A century ago, a woman who challenged male authority could be diagnosed as "hysterical" and her uterus ("hyster") removed (often without anesthesia or disinfectants).
There is more to medicine than the male perspective. I speak for the woman-centered tradition. It offers men and women a new way to think about and create health in all stages of their lives. It empowers women to take charge of their health and their lives, to honor and respect themselves, and the earth. I call it the Wise Woman Tradition.
The Wise Woman Tradition empowers women by:
~ Focusing on simple remedies that are easily accessible
~ Sharing information freely
~ Offering compassionate listening
~ Renaming her weaknesses as strengths
~ Reminding her that her body is the body of the earth, is the body of the goddess, is the sacred ground of being.