The Hearth

A metaphor central to the work of women is the hearth, which has long been the gathering place of people around the world. It is a place of nurturing, healing, community, sanctuary and warmth. The sacred stories that connected people with the Divine Mystery called God, Sophia, Holy Wisdom, Creator,Great Spirit and many other names were told around the hearth. The hearth was and is a power place for women. Hearthtalks is a gathering place for women who are drawn here to rest, be inspired, give support, and nurture to one another.

Recent studies on women have shown that they are less likely to deal with stress in a flight or fright response, but are more likely to get together with a group of women friends. "When the hormone oxytocin is released as part of the stress responses in a woman, it buffers the "fight or flight" response and
encourages her to tend children and gather with other women instead. When she actually engages in this tending or befriending, studies suggest that more oxytocin is released, which further counters stress and produces a calming effect," explains Laura Cousino Klein, Ph.D., now an Assistant Professor of Bio behavioral Health at Penn State University.

The purpose of this blog, then, is to have a gathering of women at our virtual hearth, where we can talk together. I am not an expert at blogs. I know others of you who will stop by will have many suggestions and comments. You will have blogs of your own that we will all want to visit. If this is a helpful experience, it will have a life of its own. Hearthtalks takes its name from a very successful program that the organization, Sophia Center, I helped create and continue to nurture used to have regularly in real time around the table at our Center. Since we don't have the space for such a gathering at our present location, maybe a virtual gathering will work, too. Many women got their power back around that table by soaking up the inspiration, words of wisdom and much much more from other women which whom they shared. Are you ready to talk? There is more to come.....