DELTAWOMEN MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2012

Sense

C HAPTER 1

A Note from the editor

Either a woman or a man, we are all living with our senses. Some of us even lack one or two. Most of us even have our very own mixture of senses we use every day to survive. Senses are one of the most unique things that every woman owns and denes herself with. In this issue of DeltaWomen we have scientic and personal articles, poems, photographs, art and interviews just to decode the mystery of Sense in women. Elaheh Zohrevandi

C HAPTER 2

Good Sense of Defeat

by Sahar Rashidi

C HAPTER 2

Good Sense of Defeat

You may wonder how one can say that defeat has a good feeling. Or you may read the title of the article and smile to yourself. But I believe in it. Sense is often construed to mean the "Good Sense". This article means to connect energy with the mind to nd this sense within yourself.

At the moment, you may have been deserted by your family or you may have lost your invested money or you may have failed in your exams. But even if it is so, please laugh out. You will nd the good sense of defeat. When something bad happens, you may think that all the lights in the world have been turned off, and you see only darkness. When you experience defeat, you feel like luck has left you and death is your luck. You don't nd a solution to your problem. The solution plays hide-and-seek with you and life plays you. You feel like you are going up in a dark cave. You hear other creatures breathing but you don't see them; you feel afraid, you want to leave the cave. But you never know that you can even nd life in that cave. You have to look more carefully and you have to try to listen. If you do that, you will nd success.

When you believe in defeat, you want to cry or want to nd whoever shows up and that is because you don't want to accept that you did something wrong; you close your eyes. Please open them and breathe and laugh. You have to laugh to yourself and to the bitter world that you made for yourself. You were lost in the darkness of the cave. You have to sit down and think. Ask yourself why. You
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have to nd an answer. In time, you will touch the good sense of defeat because you can think and realize that you neglected something, or did something with precipitation. When you see your problem, you realize that defeat is not always bitter and sometimes actually is very sweet. You can nd your way in the cave; you will succeed in nding the daylight. Life continues.

I know that saying this is easy and that acting on it is difcult. Not everyone can do such a thing as "the perfect solution" . If you think of the effect of the small ap on the aircraft performance in a ight and how it can change the world, you realize that you play a big part in this world. When you nd the good sense of defeat, you won't be a loser. You will play a better part than before. You will know that defeat is the last step to gain success. When you are defeated, you will laugh and still be happy as you have a new opportunity to review your actions in order to reach your target.

Always laugh and change every sense with that happiness. Always expect the worst. Then, you can move freely just like a roaring river that moves through the rocks. You won't fear the rocks; they will fear your erce movements. You will split them apart, step by step. The Good Sense of defeat is HOPE.

C HAPTER 3

The Woman's Senses

by Mohammed R. Moni

C HAPTER 3

Taste " Taste this". I will not taste your fruit. Devil told my parents to taste the fruit. The witch told White Snow to taste the fruit. Falling down. lying down. I will not taste your fruit. Smell To Kirthi Gita Jayakumar, the kind heart I don't need your repellent owers That lose their fragrance in the passing hours. Sight I have my own eyes; I don't need yours. The earth grants me a spring gift, the white roses. Washed by Morning Dew; dried by Sunrays. Touch I am wild woman, never tamed, never touched. I touch who touch me. Don't be hushed. Who is soft? Who is rough? With my hand I know. You are the roughest one. Leave me and to the nature go.

The Womans Senses

Beautiful for your eyes; not beautiful for my eyes. My sight doesn't believe in yours; you big liar. My eyes freeze you if you look; you'll nd no re. Hearing I don't want to hear your more lies. Don't call us " my Dollies; my sexy Babies". Don't ruin my sitting: the morning has invited me. I want to listen to the birds' orchestra on the tree.

C HAPTER 4

In Flying Colors! Of Spring and Sense

by Laze Cndida

C HAPTER 4

In Flying Colors! Of Spring and Sense

Dear Women and Girls, First of all, it's my rst article here. Nice to meet you, I am Laze (also known as Lyeh), a Brazilian graduate in Law, passionate for writing and advocating womens and children's rights. You can call me your sister, like I always call you. We are in a beautiful month. September, in my country, means the beginning of spring. In some ways, spring has an intrinsic relation with the theme of this month, sense. The word "spring" means "revolution, changing" nowadays. And sense, according to my dictionary, has a half page of meanings, but the only one that deserved my attention was "a strong but unclear feeling". These two words, spring and sense, have a strong relation with the current moment of my life. Half of my year was cold and nonsense. After some months of sense and reections, I'm nally reaching my spring. Last month, I released a campaign in my personal blog, because of International Youth Day 2012, whose theme was

"Building a Better Society". My blog campaign is called "Fly Higher and Be Yourself". What do I want with it? Of course I don't want to nd the cure for our humankind mistakes. I'm sure I can't, because I'm just one woman in a billion. My goal is touching somebody else's heart and mind lost in the darkness, like I was some months ago. If it's one, ten or a hundred hearts, it's none of my business. If the message is good, we naturally will spread it to the oth er s. The message of my campaign could be used for anything. All of us have wings, like birds and butteries. But due to external reasons, we use our wings to stay on the ground or y to our dreams and beyond. In other words, we choose to get over our darkness or crying for ourselves forever, by opening our ears only to the others. A very wise woman, my mother, always tells me how the others don't like to see ourselves listening to the voice of our hearts. Some of them just want to say disgusting insults about us and drink our blood until we feel weak. If we aren't strong enough to y higher than we're used to, we can't build a better society. I know it isn't an easy task to nd our strength and get over it, but we must try. One of my most read books mentions the difference between a "nice girl" and a "powerful woman": The powerful woman loves herself rst, so she has more self-condence than the average. Based on this statement, I propose to each reader of this ezine make a simple exercise: Think about the most powerful woman that you know and then think about yourself. Do you know which is the difference between your role model and yourself ? Those "strong but unclear feelings" that don't let you listen to your heart's voice and follow your dreams. They don't make you love yourself to be stronger enough and y higher. Love, but a love for yourself and your life. It's, in my opinion, the essence of success. Material things
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come and go quickly; it's the consequence of what we do. Don't make material things the rst objective of your life. Let's y higher and...Discover our power. One more wish is union. You can take my hand and y with me. It's our spring; I call you for some action. I could let this message forgotten in a corner of Internet, but I decided to go ahead. There are lots of sisters living an unwanted reality in this world. Some of you know that you're in the bottom, but instead of getting over it, just give up. Raise your head and change your attitudes step by step. Do something nice for yourself, because I believe that you h a v e t h e p o w e r, s i s t e r ! After reading my words, I hope you can reect and think how you deserve more than you have. You deserve not to live in a cold and dark world, but see colors and owers in your very valuable life. No matter of your origin, condition or appearance, your story and your wishes are unique. Listen to your heart; you can make anything good you want for yourself possible. Let's y higher, love ourselves rst and get over it. One day, we will meet ourselves skywards, far a w a y f r o m o u r p e r s o n a l w i n t e r. I don't know if it makes sense for you, but it's the most sensible way of living the spirit of spring, the classical and poetic owers' season. To get our spring days started and make you smile, I show you a colorful drawing I made especially for this essay. See you next month.

C HAPTER 5

Sense And Sand Interview with a sand artist

by Elaheh Zohrevandi

Aref roudbari Shahmiri is an Iranian Sand Artist who lives in Sari and has a live art show at the beach every week. for more information visit: facebook.com/aref.rodbarishamir

C HAPTER 5

DW: How do you think your senses have worked for you? Aref: I never have a plan! I don't think of what I am going to do next. The art sketch appears in my head right at the moment I touch the sand. The insight denitely comes from the everyday life and the things that happen to me. You can clearly see the reection in my work.

Sense And Sand

DW: In the eyes of an artist, are men different than women in senses? Our monthly guest, Aref Rousbari Shahmiri, an Iranian sand artist is here today with a lot more to say than before. The theme of the magazine is Sense and who can talk Sense better than a sand artist. Aref: I believe that every single person, man or woman, can have their own senses. there is no limit to the way that women or men sense things. You can never say that the thing I sense can not be sensed by someone else.

DW: What are the material you use for your art? Aref: To make a sand sculpture one may use a mixture of things to improve the quality of the work and make it last longer. Some even use wood glue. But here, in this country, I make my sand sculptures with sand and water. That's it. It's a shame how people treat this art. Sometimes they make me believe that even if I turn the sand into rock, they would still ruin my art.

DW: If you were to choose a sense that you lack, what would it be? Aref: About that! I have to say FREEDOM!

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C HAPTER 6

Sensual Photography
by Effat Allahyari

Effat Allahyari is a mother of two. She is an Iranian photographer, painter and sketch artist who writes poems on occasions. She is a photographer at DeltaWomen Magazine. Her w o rk s h ave b e e n r e c e n t l y appeared in Social And Political Art. She enjoys life and her best friends are her two lovely sons, Kian and Kiarash. Her collection of photography and Poems is due to be published in 2013. To a t t e n d h e r p r i v a t e Photography classes email her: e_kian@yahoo.com

S ECTION 1

Sensual Photography

Sense of Nature

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Sense of being small

Sense of Discovery

Sense of Freedom

Sense of being loved

Sense of being real

Taste

Sense of acceptance

C HAPTER 7

PAST 5 AND BEYOND

by Marie Keith Epe

 This issue presents a collection of songs from various genres including reggae, rock, alternative rock, pop, and R&B from the early 70s to early 2000s. Songs that challenges listeners to do some ne tuning on the channels of their ve senses. Another song which goes beyond the realm of these senses is included, as it empowers womens consciousness about embracing their femininity. I C a n S e e C l e a r l y N o w by Jimmy Cliff The reggae artist Jimmy Cliff made his own rendition of I Can See Clearly Now in the 90s. It is a very positive song which uses visual afrmations such as bright, sunshinin day, rainbow and blue skies, to anticipate better days after a challenging event in ones life. The line, I can see all obstacles in my way, is a validation of all the hurdles which is an important step to recognize, before a solution can be formulated and obtained. The smooth and relaxing music is perfect as it conditions the mind to associate calmness and tranquility with colors and afrmative symbols. Heading for a long drive this weekend? Sing with Jimmy Cliff and his backup singers.

W a k e U p A n d S m e l l T h e C o f f e e by The Cranberries For those who banged their heads with Zombie by The Cranberries, another slower but head-banging track Wake Up And Smell The Coffee was released in 2001. Although a rock band, it is very interesting how Dolores ORiordan and the expert lead guitarist Noel Hogan, have written enigmatic lyrics about celebrating life, families, kids and motherhood. A line says, Shes so gorgeous, refers to ORiordans daughter, which is symbolic because ORiordan is pro-life. The song encourages listeners to persevere in times of violence, frustrations and sufferings because life can make sense after having for instance, a loving family or a child. It aims to rouse those who are not paying attention and those who are wasting their lives. It awakens listeners to make life more meaningful each day: She's only got one reason to live, this is your life/She's only got one message to give, give it tonight. For the sleepy heads out there, play this song as an alarm tone to immediately wake up and face another exciting day!

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T h a n k Y o u F o r H e a r i n g M e by Sinead OConnor Sinad OConnor made a global sensation with Nothing Compares 2 U in the 90s. Four years later, she released Thank You For Hearing Me. The song proves OConnors style of singing with pure vocals at the beginning of the song with a subtle mellow background. You will actually hear a line repeated four times with escalating notes, similar to how opera singers warm-up their voices before performing. It slowly introduced percussions on the second verse, gaining its momentum on the third, showcasing her vocal prowess on the fth and last three verses. The crescendo-decrescendo complements the verses as heard on the line, Thanks for silence with me, then brings back the chill beats until the end of the song. The rst verse can be reected as the introduction of a friend, for listening to her woes, especially coming from a very difcult childhood in Ireland. The second verse talks about this person who loved her; hence the introduction of escalating beats, symbolic of a beating heart, like what all people experience when having someone special in life. The third verse gaining its momentum represents OConnors disclosure of her strengths and weaknesses as a person, which she then supports as being accepted by her loved one on the fourth verse. However, on verse 10s, Thank you for helping me, it shows her acknowledgment to her loved one for making her a strong person despite a failed relationship.

Sinad OConnor is very transparent about her life through her song. The ironic appreciation at the end of the song is not a surprise because only the wisest people who have reached rock bottom are capable of appreciating the challenges thrown before them. The title Thank You For Hearing Me may be symbolic for OConnor on three things: (1). for her loved one who heard her woes, broke her heart, but made her a stronger person; (2). for her avid listeners who heard her triumphs or failures through her songs; and (3). for her self, because the most important compliment and achievement as a singer is to be heard and remembered for her voice and music despite the controversies she got involved with. Music, surely, withstands prejudice. Give thanks every minute, every day. Repeat.

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V o i c e s T h a t C a r e by Various Artists A group of selected celebrities in the early 90s collaborated singing Voices That Care written by David Foster and company. This came out during the gulf war which aims to strengthen the military forces in the middle of their mission. Artists like Celine Dion, Peter Cetera, Michael Bolton, and so many others, rendered their voices for the cause. The choir on the background gives listeners that oomph to create a feeling of intense victory and oneness. Good and trusted friends are associated with the song which helps build lasting friendships and helps strengthen their sense of camaraderie, loyalty, brotherhood and sisterhood. It makes listeners want to hug their friends and families right after hearing the song. Send this song to a friend or sister who needs some major cheering up before she takes that quantum leap in her life.

T o u c h A H a n d , M a k e A F r i e n d by The Staples In the 70s, The Staples came out with Touch A Hand, Make a Friend. The song lets you travel back in front of those vinyl records in jukeboxes. It is a positive song about extending a helping hand to someone in need. Its message of unity is very uplifting because it disregards social classes and eradicates biases in taking the rst step to make a difference for a better world. It promotes optimistic actions for listeners, to begin internalizing the need to help, before it is reected in their conducts or attitudes. It is presented in a very inviting manner, as if the singers are in front of the listeners. It didnt only ask of its listeners to make friends, instead, it initially requires human touch in order to seal that bond of a lasting friendship. Planning of adding 10 more virtual friends? Why not visit an orphanage to make 16 kids, real and solid friends?

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S i s t e r s A r e D o i n I t F o r T h e m s e l v e s by Eurythmics with Aretha Franklin Performed in the mid-80s by Eurythmics member Annie Lennox and soul singer Aretha Franklin, Sisters Are Doin It For Themselves became an instant hit. It is an upbeat song embracing womens femininity, but it is not a declaration of coup dtat between men and women because it acknowledges, 'Cause a man still loves a woman/And a woman still loves a man. The line, Now this is a song to celebrate, the conscious liberation of the female state! encourages every woman to be proud of her gender. It announces to the world that a woman makes her own name and makes her works known, worthy of respect from any human being. It helps empower women who are continuously looked down for being a woman, for wearing an apron behind kitchen counters and for living behind the shadows of their male counterparts. At this day and age, one can easily dismiss women empowerment or gender equality because in some fortunate countries, many women are already soaring high in making their own names and enjoying unlimited freedom. Unfortunately, there are women who are continuously oppressed, forbidden to participate in politics, excluded in nancial systems or denied of their rights to be heard or to be protected from human trafcking, verbal and sexual harassments, domestic violence and rape. In fact, in reality, there are women whose voices are still silenced simply because of fear.

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C HAPTER 8

Beyond Monotony
by Leila A. Fortier

Leila A. Fortier is a poet, artist, and photographer currently residing on the remote island of Okinawa Japan. Her unique visual poetry is the specially crafted formation of abstract designs, often accompanied by her own multi-medium forms of art, photography, and spoken performance. Much of her work has been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, German, Hindi and Japanese in a rapidly growing project to raise global unity and understanding through the cultural diversity of poetry and literature.

Her work in all its mediums has been published in a vast array of literary magazines, journals, and reviews both in print and online. In 2007 she initiated the anthology A World of Love: Voices for Carmen as a benet against domestic violence and in 2010 composed a photo book entitled Pappankalan, India: Through the Eyes of Children to benet the education of impoverished Indian children. She is also the author of Metanoia's Revelation through iUniverse. A complete listing of her published works can be found at: www.leilafortier.com

There Are things that Man will never understand Of you~ Like how your eyes change Color with the seasons~ How spring opens You like the calla lily to drink its morning rain~ Summer clings to your bodys own humidity in the Sweat of trying to forget me~ How autumn makes Crisp your senses~ Adding blush to our unlived Memories~ Winter adds kisses to your thighs In effort to have you remember this Heat of longing~ There are Things that man Will Never Understand Of you, as I move Silent within your seasons Never overlooked or forgotten No season repeats between us These miles cannot evaporate The perfume of our knowing Where contemplation is Unnecessary~ Our Breath never Ceases Here ~ Beyond the connes of monotony~
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C HAPTER 9

Touch Me
by Elaheh Zohrevandi

C HAPTER 9

Touch Me

Some days I feel like I am living in a bubble, surrounded by people but never touched by anyone.

We live in such a busy, crowded world, yet its so easy for many of us to go days, even weeks or months without touching or being touched by others. I don't realize the effect of not being touched right way but it can deeply affect me. There's a real relationship between our physical health and mental strength and this relationship is so important that the lack of being touched can be seen among astronauts who live in space for months. After a very short time they start to suffer from sensory deprivation syndrome and then comes the depression.

I am going to list a number of reasons why we should be touched on a regular basis.

1. Feel like you exist. We are social beings, and although we all fall in different places on the introversion extroversion scale, we all need to have that sense of connection to other members of our tribe. While some of that connection can come from having conversations with others, touch also plays an important role in human communication.

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2. Reduce that anxiety. Simply touching another person can make us feel more secure and less anxious. It can make us feel grounded and safe and not so all alone. Its not just children who could use a warm, reassuring hug to make things a little better, so if youre feeling like a bundle of nerves, go ahead and ask for a hug.

along with touching other people and pets, make time to explore different textures and touch sensations such as letting cool sand run through your ngers or taking a warm relaxing bath.

Give away some hugs, pat on the backs, handshakes and kisses away and you'll get your share of this world. 3. Bond to the loved ones. Touch is one of the ways romantic partners bond with each other and parents bond with their children. When partners and families get busy and let touch go out the window, theyll often nd that they dont feel as close and relationships suffer. Regular touch is one of the ways that we continually renew our bonds with those we love. 4. Lower that blood pressure. Studies have shown that those that get regular touch often have lower blood pressure than those that dont. Even having a pet can have benecial effects! Touch can also slow the heart rate and help speed recovery times from illness and surgery. 5. Improve your outlook. Its harder to get into a pessimistic funk when you feel the condence of being connected to others. Touch can make people feel more optimistic and positive and less cynical and suspicious. A positive, trusting attitude towards others can reduce tension in our daily lives and improve our relationships. 6. Give us the sensory input that we crave. Scientists are just discovering how truly important it is to exercise all our physical senses for proper brain and emotional development. All the various kinds of touch from buttery kisses to deep tissue massage send our brains the physical inputs it needs to make sense of the world. So,
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C HAPTER 10

Subtleties
by Denise Falcone

First do not tell me I am not sad before guilts pistol whip of rash forces fools like me to willow bend Do not tell me I am not sad as misplaced will departs in childish armor because I want it I only saw a place to rest my head I am humble. I am small. Other people matter, give them a chance recite a thousand times I told you so, I told you so, I told you so but do not tell me I am not sad.

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C HAPTER 11

Let us use our senses to give direction to the world

by Daniela Silva

C HAPTER 11

Let us use our senses to give direction to the world

How do we stand in the world we live in? How we perceive sounds, colors and places around us? How do you perceive the world, if not see him, touch him, hear him, feel the smell or taste? Are the senses that give meaning to all our lives, for color, give taste, fragrance, texture, landscape and music to various scenarios and discoveries of our existence! Much more than you realize, the senses are nothing more than: a representative system of language, in other words, facilitate and boost our communication in our relationship with the environment. The main way to detect a person in which she uses language system, is watching the way she communicates, listen / understand their language. This becomes more evident when we pay attention to gestures and predicates that she adopts. Let's look at some examples of words that highlight each of our senses:

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Visual (seeing) Focus, imagination, visualize, think, observe and illusion. Phrases visual - We have the same point of view; - You'll look back and laugh; - It seems to me; - Show me your point and view.

Kinesthetic (touch, movement) Touch, handle, rub, tangible, tension and suffering. Phrases kinesthetic - I got in touch with you; - Control yourself; - Be sensitive; - Can I get this idea?

Audible (hearing) Accent, rhythm, tone, pronunciation, comment, tell. Phrases hearing - Log in tone; - Music to my ears; - Clearly expressed; - Hold your tongue. Olfaction (smell) Fragrant, fragrance, fetid and musty. Phrases olfactory - It stinks; - I smell the cake; - The house smells clean. - This situation smells to confusion.

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Gustatory (taste) Sweet, bitter, salty, avor and taste. Phrases gustative - What acid comment! - A sweet person; - Taste for life; - A bitter reality.

From these examples, we identied our way of being, acting and representing the world. This allows us to learn and absorb information better. We search all the baggage of knowledge through the senses. Then we use the senses to make sense of our world!

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Staff

Editors
Elaheh Zohrevandi Kirthi Gita Jayakumar

Photography and Art

Effat Allahyari Laze Cndida

Contributors
Sahar Rashidi Mohammed R. Moni Laze Cndida Marie Keith Epe Leila A. Fortier Denise Falcone Daniela Silva Elaheh Zohrevandi

CEO
Elsie Reed

DeltaWomen Magazine October 2012 Sense

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2012 DeltaWomen NGO

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