"Dancer's are athletes of God" - Albert Einstein

This is not photoshopped - she was a real dancer from the 1920's with the stage name "Spaghetti for Bones"

Each Friday, I selected an outrageous, marvelous bedroom right out of my dreams.

 This beauty was sent in from Timothy L Martin from our GoddessLife Community - thanks @TimothyLMartin!

The New Moon in Taurus is a good time to commit to personal goals that express the positive energies of the sign of the Bull. It's time to enjoy life's simple and physical pleasures--savor good food, and enjoy activities that bring us in touch with nature and with our bodies. It's time to stop and smell the roses, and to become more aware of what makes us feel comfortable and secure. With this potent Taurus energy, we have the chance to make important changes in our lives. It's time to make some solid yet realistic plans, and to set the stage for reaping the rewards from our new beginnings, as little or big as they may be, in approximately two weeks' time after the Full Moon occurs.

The effects of this Solar Eclipse can be felt up to six months after the actual date of the eclipse. In the sign of Taurus, matters related to personal finances, values, matters of ownership, physical and material resources, personal possessions, feelings of worthiness, desire for safety and security, resistance to change, comfort, sensuality, and familiarity will be a strong focus on a personal level. This eclipse is about new beginnings regarding all of these matters.

Occurring in Taurus, this eclipse is about strengthening our sense of security. It is a time for re-evaluating our relationship with money and possessions and discovering what it is that truly makes us happy and fulfilled. It's a time for considering new ways of increasing our income or earning power. We should be concentrating on what it is we can do to increase our own feelings of self-worth. We are asked to get in touch with what it is that we truly value and want in our lives, and to part with those things or situations that are not contributing to our feelings of worthiness. This includes identifying those things that give us a false sense of security. Sometimes eclipses bring about events that force us into this position of re-evaluation. For example on a mundane level, someone might need to move to a smaller place that requires downsizing of personal possessions; another might be in the position to pay out a large sum that necessitates an adjustment of spending habits; another might need to deal with an audit or back taxes; and the list goes on.

We might evaluate where we have been complicating our lives by our love-hate attraction to predicament and conflict or by an addiction to food or comfort items and consider what truly makes us feel content and comfortable. Knowing what it is that truly - deeply - makes us feel comfortable and pleased ultimately improves our intimate relationships.

"You are the storyteller of your own life.. you can create your own legend..." - Isabel Allende 

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” - Socrates

Each Friday, I selected an outrageous, marvelous bedroom right out of my dreams.

 This beauty was sent in from a woman in our GoddessLife Community - thanks  @Sanndi Thompson

 I don't care if these are considered shoes...j'adore my new vintage 1970's "Rollers" rollerskates!

Today's quote is dedicated to all the Certified Goddess Workout Instructors:

When I grieve
With endless tears
I dance

When I’m insecure
And lonely
I dance

When I’m violated
And need to forgive
I dance

When I hear music
That tells my body to move
I dance

When my heart
Explodes with joy
I dance

Dance
Healed
Every part of my mind, body & soul

Dance
Reminds me
Of who I truly am

This is why I dance

Each Friday, I selected an outrageous, marvelous bedroom right out of my dreams.

Lunar Eclipses are about relationships and polarities. With the Taurus-Scorpio axis involved, this Lunar Eclipse presses us to look more closely at our needs, lacks, and wants in our lives concerning the balance between Taurus-ruled and Scorpio-ruled areas of life. The Taurus-Scorpio polarity deals with the balance between all that is mine (Taurus) and all that is yours (Scorpio). It also emphasizes the concept of form (Taurus) versus transformation (Scorpio). While Taurus deals with matter, personal values, material goods, possessions, and security, Scorpio rules the destruction of form, shared possessions, change, and transformation. The Sun in Taurus wants us to be happy with the simple, tangible things in life, while the Scorpio Moon draws our attention to complexities, intangibles, and mysteries. Neglecting either end of the axis will surely backfire on us. Ideally, a balance should be found between the two energies, and this is what the Full Moon invites us to do. This Full Moon is about emotional declarations. Something has been building inside of us, likely of an intimate nature, and now is the time when the energy of the cosmos fairly demands that we let it out. Over the next two weeks, we will discover what this declaration means for us. For now, we can't sit on our feelings. We need to express them. The Full Moon illuminates this conflict between collecting and sharing.

At first it may sound superficial and possibly even daunting, but choosing a stage or “Goddess” name is an essential part of becoming a bellydancer and a certified Goddess Workout Instructor. The name you chose represents your empowered, enchanting, exotic, ethereal, mysterious and theatrical self.

When you become this personality, you are able to turn the faded in fabulous, the dreary into darling and the ordinary into extraordinary. This person does not take out the kitty litter, do dishes or stop at stop signs. When you assume this name you are glamorous, exciting and above all, a Goddess.

But how do you choose a stage name?

Here are some ideas for you to choose a name for yourself and if you are teaching The Goddess Workout, share this with your students so that they can have a Goddess name, too.

1) You can use your current or birth name and add a little pizzazz like Conan did or the famous bellydancer Jillina, whose given name was Jill.
2) I have included below hundreds of Arabic names – and their meanings. You can also select the ‘meaning’ of the name as your name. Or for fun look up what is the meaning of your favorite bellydancer or Arabic singer name.
3) Ask friends, teachers, mentors to ‘name’ you.
4) Look at the long list of “Goddesses” below and find one that you connect with. There are Greek, Egyptian, Celtic, Roman and Nordic Goddesses and their story and what they represent.
5) Create a name from words and sounds you like, such as ‘Serenity”.

There are no rules here. You can name yourself after a dessert, a flower, a city and you can ‘crown’ yourself royalty such as Princess Farhana. You can even have a first, middle and last name. And if you decide to change your name, no worries – my dearest friend changed her dance name to Marcilina because she decided being ‘Selena’ was too common!

Most importantly, choose a name that you adore and makes you want to dance.

I have included hundreds of Arabic and Goddess names for you to choose for yourself or your students in The Goddess Workout Teacher Training Manual for certified instructors.

Click here if you are If you are interested in becoming certified.

Click here to watch Conan learn to bellydance

"Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war." - Martin Luther King, Jr

Each Friday, I selected an outrageous, marvelous bedroom right out of my dreams.

OK, let’s just come out and say it: Katherine Hepburn was a Goddess! She is so beautiful, strong and empowered and fun! And so quotable! These are my 5 KH faves:

“If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased.”

“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun”

“. . . as one goes through life one learns that if you don't paddle your own canoe, you don't move.”

“I never lose sight of the fact that just being is fun.”

“Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything.”

 Rhinestone Booties

"What matters most is how well you walk through the fire." -Bukowski

Each Friday, I selected an outrageous, marvelous bedroom right out of my dreams.

The New Moon in Aries cycle is a good time to commit to personal goals that express the positive energies of the sign of the Ram. It's time to take action - try something new and innovative, and go at it with gusto and confidence; be assertive without being abrasive; take charge of our lives; start a brand new project; and discover our own personal courage.

This is a strong cycle under which to re-evaluate our relationship to ourselves. With this potent Aries energy, we have the chance to make important changes in our lives. It's time to make some solid yet realistic plans, and to set the stage for reaping the rewards from our new beginnings, as little or big as they may be, in approximately two weeks' time after the Full Moon occurs.

Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, and thus a New Moon in Aries is especially ripe with opportunity for new beginnings. We might consider acting on a constructive impulse and following a hunch, or taking a risk. Aries learns through experience and action, so we might treat ourselves to a little adventure now. It's also a good cycle under which to discover the benefits of expressing ourselves with authenticity - expressing ourselves as we are, without putting on airs. We might also find ways to learn how to rely on ourselves and to be happy about doing so - it will go a long way towards finding inner happiness when we know that we can be self-sufficient without blaming others for not helping us out. It's a time to revitalize ourselves through experiences that break the routine and that involve doing something new and fresh.

This year, the New Moon conjuncts Venus and Mars, both in Aries as well, which suggests impulsiveness, passion, playful competitiveness, and excitement. The desire to win, initiate, innovate, and take action is strong, particularly when it comes to creative, financial, and romantic matters.

 Cheetah Wedge!

Goddesses, I squealed when I discovered in a tucked away in a glorious "Pandora's" box a few Brand New GoddessWear Baby Pink Hot Pants/Boy Short Panties. Some of you are aware that a few years back I had a clothing line called GoddessWear. I no longer design & manufacture this line. I decided to sell them to you, my beloved GoddessLife Community.  These knickers are extremely limited and will go FAST!  And when they are gone...they are gone.

These GoddessWear Hot Pants (I don't like calling them boyshorts - we are girls & hot!) were designed with love and care by yours truly. These unmentionables were created especially for the bellydancer to hug every luscious curve while you dance...or burlesque, practice yoga or wash your dishes. They are extremely well-made, comparable with all my favorite high-end lingerie stores. And come with the "GoddessLife" logo - with the signature diamond rhinestone in the middle of the "O" of GoddessLife. I have a drawer full of these drawers and the diamond rhinestone and the logo is still on each and every pair.

The GoddessWear Hotpant panties are super comfy and fit great (I always wear them whenever I perform). They are made of a cotton spandex blend and definitely stretch & hug every luscious curve. They come in small, medium and large and honestly I have long forgotten how to measure them - so if you are willing to take a chance or just want a collector's item, I suggested you snag a pair stat! The photo above is size small on top and size large on the bottom - if that helps.

***Please note that the above pic is not a professional product photo - just me & my iphone... the rhinestone isn't as shiny and it's doesn't do justice to show how awesome they are:) 

AND the pic & description below is OUTDATED & from back when all the colors and the GoddessWear Hotpants were for sale.  I only have Baby Pink in stock and please note that the logo says "GoddessLife" - not "Goddess" as shown & described in the in the pic below***

These limited edition GoddessWear Hotpants are $49.95 - which includes USPS Priority Mail Shipping to US only.

Click here to order your pair now! HURRY - these will go fast & when they are gone, they are gone.

You see, I have only one name on my Driver’s License: Dolphina (which is also the solitary name on my Social Security Card and Passport – which leads to more exotic delays). Right now, the police officers are most likely stupefied on precisely how to find me in their system – or wondering if I exist at all.

Then they return to my car and ask me what my ‘real’ or ‘last’ name is. To them, this is rare incident, but it happens to me all the time. Sometimes an impromptu bellydance performance or pulling my finger cymbals out of my glove compartment or dance bag suffices the average skeptic.

Tonight, the young officer asks me if my ID is fake (having a last name is a detail I wouldn’t neglect if I wanted to avoid attention). I can tell he is a rookie by his constant approval-seeking glances to his partner. So, I patiently pull out my bellydance business card and begin my well-rehearsed explanation (sometimes I include photos in my presentation).

He is flirty and when he inquires about the origin of my name, his partner steps closer to my vehicle on the passenger side shining his flashlight into my car. I share briefly that I was given my name after I was rescued by dolphins during a boating accident in the Caribbean. Now they are both enthralled. I am late for my date, but these are the authorities, so I continue.

“Inspired by my favorite book, ‘Walden’, I wanted to live off the land for a year without distractions and ‘find myself’.”

“That’s on my ‘Bucket List’!” interrupts the partner. “How did you do it?”

They are captivated with my adventurous life and I begin to encourage them to pursue their dreams, too. The rookie started taking notes! Or he was possibly writing me a ticket. Either way, they pleaded with me to carry on.

I share with them, “ I wholeheartedly believe in following your dreams – but I think ‘Bucket Lists’ are stupid.”

Huh?

I continue. “I adore all my ambitions, but I don’t believe life is about this ludicrous idea of ‘manifesting your dreams at some weekend workshop in Ojai’ or checking ‘skydiving’ and ‘taking Spanish classes’ off some carefully written ‘Bucket List’. Who is keeping track if you cross ‘travel to Bali’ off your list? Furthermore, I don’t know anyone’s life that adheres to an organized ‘to do list’ – life is messy, capricious and my favorite experiences are the ones I didn’t plan.”

“My philosophy is to make all of my life a living poem. But I don’t think this can be accomplished purely by completing things on a list. I believe life is about finding ways make life’s everyday activities beautiful, fun, inspiring and sacred. We all must go to the DMV, to the doctors and the grocery store. And if I can’t find a way to turn my ordinary life’s list into the extraordinary…then I am simply existing, checking things off my list. Why would a ‘Bucket List’ be any different? All lists are meaningless if I am merely trying to finish the list. And on a somber note…when you complete your ‘Bucket List – well, the game is over.”

Afterwards, there was a profound existential pause as we all nodded. Agreeing, thinking, questioning.

Then I asked, “Is there any way you could you tear up that speeding ticket? I’ve never got a ticket before and want to keep my clean record.” After a long silence I added, “It’s on my ‘Bucket List’”.

Each Friday, I selected an outrageous, marvelous bedroom right out of my dreams.

Bedroom & Spa...Santorini