Muse of the Month: Aphrodite

As the February is deemed the month of love, it seems only appropriate to pay hommage to the most famous Muse associated with love, Aphrodite. She embodies all that love is, and is still considered the Goddess of Love.

Aphrodite was considered the most beautiful among the Olympian goddesses. She was born from the foam of the sea. When Cronos emasculated his father, Uranus, the blood drops that fell into the sea generated the goddess. The Zephyr gently blew and pushed her to the shore of the island of Cyprus, where she was received and dressed by the Graces, then taken to Mount Olympus.

As she was so beautiful, she refused all the gods, as she considered none of them good enough for her. Zeus punished her for her vanity and forced her to marry Hephaestos, the lame and ugly god - but she would always cheat on him.

Her most famous lover was Ares, God of War, she also loved Adonis, a young man of extreme beauty. She spent all the time going hunting with him. When he was killed by a boar, she looked for his body and mourned over him. Her delicate feet were hurt by thorns and the drops of blood turned into beautiful flowers, the anemones.

Aphrodite also loved a mortal, Anchises, and helped him and their son, Aeneas, to flee from Troy to Italy, so she might be considered the "foremother" of the Romans.

Aphrodite represented the power of love, from which no one can escape. She would bestow her blessings on those who worshipped her, but she would also be ruthless with those who despised love. Narcissus refused to worship the goddess, so she punished him, making him fall in love with his own image.

The most famous story of her manipulation was, 'Paris and the Golden Apple'. Paris had to choose the who was the most beautiful, between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, in order to decide who deserves the golden apple thrown by Eris, each of the goddesses promised him something. Aphrodite promised him the love of the most beautiful woman on Earth, Helen of Sparta. Paris and Helen's love affair is said to have sparked the Trojan war.

Aphrodite was also known for blessings she bestowed on people who truly loved, one example is of Pygmalion, a sculptor who made a beautiful statue, so beautiful that he fell in love with his creation. Aphrodite gave life to that statue, so they may live happily ever after.

So this month take time to reflect on love, and the powerful effect and reaction it can cause and the woman who used it to its full advantage... Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love ♥

Muse of the Month: Jane Austen

Despite living worlds apart, Jane Austen is as relevant today as she ever was. Her stories are timeless and will continue to be for ages to come. You can't pick up an Austen novel without feeling some connection to the characters, whether it be, jealousy, empathy or sympathy, she enthralls her readers in a way that leaves you considering your own choices and decisions when it comes to life and especially love.

I love her prose style, her humor, her perceptiveness, her memorable characters, and her scintillating dialogue. I admire her ability to create a world that rarely touches upon her contemporary world, but is nonetheless “real”, to produce romantic matches formed at a time when few men and women “can afford to marry without some attention to money,” and to conclude each work with irony, affection and reconciliation. But I especially love Austen as the foremost writer of the novel of manners.

In an era of “snark chic” and the internet’s ever-expanding venues for indulging in it, I continue to be impressed with Jane Austen’s ability to be penetrating, ironic and droll without ever sinking to coarseness of expression. Austen leaves those without manners and morals to each other – Lydia and Wickham, Lucy and Robert, Mrs. Norris and Maria Rushworth – but reserves genuine happiness as a reward of good character for those like Darcy, who, “in a cause of compassion and honor…had been able to get the better of himself.”

So when in doubt of what to do, just think...What would Austen do?

Muse of the Month: Mona Lisa

The face of the Mona Lisa epitomizes art. She is the woman with the myseterious smile. A smile that perhaps hides a secret? We do not know. People recognize her on postcards, t-shirts, handbags and prints. We may be familiar with the painting itself, but who is the real Lisa? And who is this olive-skinned beauty with the knowing smile?

Lisa Gherardini was born on June 15, 1479 in Florence, Italy. She was the oldest of 7 children, with one sister and five brothers. Her father had an old family name and made his money producing olive oil and wine on his many farms. Her mother was his third wife- the first two perished in childbirth.

Lisa married a widower named Francesco del Giocondo on March 5, 1495 and became Lisa del Giocondo. Her dowry was modest, which suggests that they married for love. It is speculated that they purcharsed a home the same year that Leonardo da Vinci painted Lisa, in 1503.

Lisa had 6 children in during her lifetime. She outlived her husband who was said to have passed away in 1538 from the plague. In his will, Francesco provided for her future and returned to her the price of her dowry. He recorded his love and affection for his wife, stating that she had always been faithful and should have "all she needs."

In the painting itself, the position of Lisa's hands indicates faithfulness and the richness of her clothes may have been exaggerated for potential buyers.

We may not know much about the woman who has become our icon. She was a mother, wife, sister and daughter. She loved, she lived and was immortalised by human creativity. I believe that she portrays the ultimate woman, embodying all the strong roles that a woman takes on in life. Showing that even the ordinary can be extraordinary.

She remains an enigma. The brilliant strokes of Da Vinci's paintbrush have ensured that she continues to evoke wonder, admiration, and inspiration in all who lay eyes upon her.

Muse of the Month: Mary mother of Jesus

Mary was the Mother of Jesus, her life can teach lessons to everyone. Excluding Eve, Mary is the most well known woman in the Bible, and in history. Unlike Jesus, she was a human being, the difference is she was chosen for her specific purpose.

Mary was about thirteen, when she was visited by the Angel Gabriel, and told the news that she would give birth to the Son of God, Jehovah - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Her son would come into the world to save it.

In the Jewish culture, a woman became engaged in a public cermony that pledged her to her future husband. They remained betrothed for a period of time, sometimes a year, before they were actually married. Any woman found pregnant out of wedlock could be stoned to death. Mary knew this and must have been afraid when she found about her pregnancy.

Mary was willing to trust in God and surrendered her own plans and thoughts to Him. Her story is found in each of the four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Even though it was difficult for her to understand since she was a virgin, she trusted God and believed all things were possible through God.

People get side tracked when they try to do everything on their own and through their own power. Somehow in modern society surrender is looked on as a weakness. Surrender to God doesn’t take away personal power or identity, it strengthens the spirit. People are able to do things they could never do on their own. God works through us just like he worked through Mary.

Muse of the Month: Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette was born in 1755, a princess, the 15th and favorite daughter of Maria Teresa, Empress of Austria. Maria Teresa was successful in marrying strategically to better the Austrian empire. She arranged a special marriage of Marie (at age 15) to improve the relations with France and Austria. France was the most powerful nation at that time and Marie was considered the most fortunate woman in the world. Marie Antoinette had to fit the part of the most influential woman in France. When she reached the French border, she was dressed with clothing fashionable at the French court.

Marie Antoinette did not stay a French princess for very long, she married King Louis XVI in 1774 and became Queen of France. Marie was unhappy in her marriage, King Louis’ interests were totally different than hers. He loved hunting, quietness and solitude. She loved the arts, fashion, dances and the French nightlife. There was also difficulty in consummating their marriage because Louis was unable to muster the confidence he needed. This resulted in an unconsummated marriage for seven years. During those years Marie was ridiculed because of her inability to produce an heir to the throne. Finally, Louis had an operation that corrected the problem.

Marie Antoinette began to escape from her marriage. She surrounded herself with friends whom she lavished expensive gifts upon. She began to partake in a life of pleasure and carelessness, going to masked balls in Paris, gambling, and theatricals. Marie was beautiful and enjoyed being the epitome of fashion in all of Europe. Each year she overspent her clothing allowance buying expensive gowns, headdresses and jewelry. Marie also spent lavishly on the furnishings and fineries of a small private palace she had in Versaille and her rustic Viennese retreat. She used these palaces to entertain her very fashionable and haughty friends.

Marie alienated the French Court and French etiquette by her behavior. She also alienated most of the French nobility. This made enemies for her husband, Louis. By 1786 most of France hated Marie Antoinette. Scandalous stories became wide spread of Marie’s sordid private life. Marie Antoinette began to realise the terrible situation the throne was in, due to her scandalous behavior. She began to alter her lifestyle. Her status now as mother to four children, heirs to the throne may have also restrained her behaviour.

France was beginning to have hard times in the late 1780s. The harvest was poor and the people of France were entering a state of poverty. Marie Antoinette, being kind hearted, came to the aid of the people. However, her small acts of kindness to help impoverished families were over shadowed by her previous extravagant behavior. This led many to spread the tale that she said, “Let them eat cake” amid their suffering. All the people of France blamed the horrible financial state of affairs of the country on Marie’s behavior. When, in reality the huge debt was inherited from the previous King.

"Madame Deficit" became one of the names that Marie acquired. In addition, the aid that France gave to the American colonies during the War of Independence from Great Britain from 1778 to 1783, had made a huge drain on the economy. Rebellions started to break out all over the country to overthrow the monarchy. The commoners stormed the Bastille. Many members of the royal court, including close friends of Marie Antoinette, fled the country. The royal court was only 20 miles from Bastille and Marie and the King began fearing the angry mobs. Louis’ weaknesses were beginning to become a major factor in their safety. He would not leave the country and he was inefficiant in assembling troops to quell the mobs. Marie, however, did convince him to increase troops from the provinces, which they hoped would be loyal to the crown.

The mobs stormed the Palace in Versailles but Louis would not instruct his troops to fire on his own people. Women marched and demanded bread from the king. Many brandished knives and shouted how they were going cut the throats of the monarchy. Marie had wanted to flee out of the country, but Louis would not. That night the angry citizens found an unguarded entrance into the palace. Two of the Queen’s guards gave their lives to save Marie.

Marie ran from the room to escape the attackers. She had escaped with her life, but the mob was not satisfied. They wanted the King and Queen to appear on the balcony before them.They forcibly took Marie and King Louis back to Paris and put them under close watch. Finally, Marie convinced Louis to flee France. The royal family disguised themselves as commoners and escaped from Paris. The people were alerted and soon a mob confronted them on arrival at the French-Austrian border. They were forced to return to Paris.

Soon thereafter, the country voted to get rid of the monarchy. Louis and Marie were stripped of their royal callings along with anything valuable including documents, jewels, and other precious objects of the royal court. The new Republic threw the royal family into jail. Other aristocrats were imprisoned at the same. This was the beginning of “The Reign of Terror”. The royal family was under even closer guard in the dark prison cells. In December 1792, King Louis XVI was tried for treason, convicted and put to death. In January 1793, he was executed on the guillotine. On October 14, Marie Antoinette was awoken at night and faced the Revolutionary Tribunal and soon after was found guilty and beheaded.

Muse of the Month: Vivien Leigh

Lauded for her beauty and noteably remembered for performances as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, and Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire. Vivien Leigh is undoubtedly one of the best Hollywood actresses of all time.

Vivien Leigh was born on November 5th 1913 in her parent's home in Darjeeling, India. As a child she enjoyed the elements of fantasy and drama and quickly became fond of authors such as Rudyard Kipling, Hans Christian Andersan, and Lewis Carroll. At the age of six she moved to England.

Educated in a British convent school, it was there that Vivien decided to become an actress.

Her first role in 1935 was in the British motion picture The Village Squire. That same year Vivien also appearered in the movie, Things are Looking Up.

In 1938, Vivien went to the US to see, Laurence Olivier, whom she was romantically involved with at the time. In the states Vivien was introduced to the Selznick brothers, who were filming, Gone with the Wind, based on Margaret Mitchell's novel.

The role of Scarlett O'Hara had yet to be cast and she was invited to take a chance and try out. Some big names had tried out for the part, such as Norma Shearer and Katherine Hepburn. Casting Vivien Leigh was a controversial move, as she was British and many fans of the novel felt the role should be played by an American. In addition, she didn't get along with her co-star, Clarke Gable. None the less, the film became one of the most celebrated in the annals of cinema. Not only did it win Best Picture during the Academy Awards, but Vivien Leigh won Best Actress.

In 1940, she married Laurence Olivier, and graced the silver screen in Waterloo Bridge. The following year she and her husband co-starred in That Hamilton Woman.

By the time of her role as Cleopatra, her life began to unravel. She had suffered two miscarriages, contracted tuberculosis, and was diagnosed with Bipolar. However, her performance was still flawless.

Her next signature role as Blanche DuBois won her a second Oscar in A Streetcar Named Desire opposite Marlon Brando.

But in 1960, her marriage fell apart, as Olivier left her. And she died at the age of 53 after a severe bout of tuberculosis on July 7, 1967.