Take a Look in the Mirror: What Do You See?

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Take a look in the mirror -- no, not the little mirror above the basin in the bathroom, but that full length mirror in your bedroom. Oh, and one other thing: Take off all of your clothes. Do you like what you see? Unless you are a professional model, a bodybuilder or the star of a yoga video, you probably don't. In fact the very sight of yourself in the buff can cause reactions ranging from mild discomfort to total disgust.

What does this have to do with spirituality, you may ask? A lot! Those feelings of discomfort and disgust are all part of that fear-based ego system that gets in the way of our spiritual development. It is one more way of getting us so focused on the physical that we undermine our spiritual growth and present joy. By the way, I'm not talking about severe obesity here that can be detrimental to your health. I'm talking about the fact that skinny or stout, most of us are uncomfortable with our body. Just tune in to the weight-related segments of the Oprah show and you will see what I mean. As pleasing in appearance as the spiritually oriented Oprah is today, her real ideal is how she looked when she posed for that Vogue magazine cover.

Obviously, Oprah is not alone. No matter how good we look, we believe we could look better. And there are plenty of folks out there who are ready to convince us that this is the case -- from significant others to the people who manage advertising and the media.

Now, however, there are some voices of hope -- at least for women who, after all, bear the brunt of the "gotta have a perfect body" assault . The leaders of this movement were recently featured in People magazine. They have a nifty Web site, too, at www.realwomenproject.com. The site is certainly worth a visit and a bookmark.

The Web site is the Internet home of the Real Women Project, an innovative and multi-sensory approach to women's health issues as they relate to a narrow definition of beauty. The project uses sculpture, poetry, music, video and storytelling as springboards for dialogue and education. The whole idea is to promote self-acceptance as the foundation for mind, body and spirit health.

The founding mothers of the project are two ob-gyn physicians, Dr. Barbara Levy, 46, and Dr. Donna Brooks, 67, and a psychotherapist, Cathy Conheim, 56. Their dream is that every woman will "experience a glimpse of her own beauty and gain the inspiration to express herself more fully in the world."

The project includes workshops, lyrical songs from the Real Women Real Beauty CD and a book entitled A Waist is a Terrible Thing to Mind--A Wake Up Call. The centerpieces of the project, however, are the amazing and hauntingly beautiful sculptures that redefine the definition of female beauty. The sculptures, created by T.J. Dixon, are used as ice-breakers and conversation starters during project workshops.

They are also the central feature of RealWomanProject.com. You can see the sculptures and meet the women who posed for them by going to the section "Who are the Real Women." The section tells you that the Real Women sculpture models "embody the sometimes difficult, always interesting stages that women pass through as they journey through life." To meet the individual models and read an accompanying poem, all you have to do is click on one of the sculptures in the collage at the top of the page or on the first name of a model. Here are some examples:

· Deb at 44: "Exulting in every ounce of her flesh, Deb lets her sensuous shoulders and arms sing their own brash song of delight at being present just as she is..."

· Juliana at 27 with Iris Roxana at 2: "Iris Roxana relaxes in the pillow world of her mother's middle, in this pillow world that ripples and breathes..."

· Tabor at 59: "Tabor is ready, whatever life asks. Her feet will not miss a beat..."

The site also invites visitors to tell their own tales in the section, "Will You Share Your Personal Story." The e-mailed entries are read and underscored by music. Visitors can listen to these stories as well as to sound clips from the Real Women Real Beauty CD, via Real Player 8. Unfortunately, during my visit to the site there seemed to be a glitch. Even though I have Real Player 8, I couldn't get this aspect activated. I'm going back to the site soon to check this out though. I definitely recommend this site. The sculpture section alone is well worth the visit.

By the way, if you're interested in getting the book, A Waist is a Terrible Thing to Mind--A Wake Up Call, go to the publisher's Web site (www.breakthroughpress.com). Information about Real Women workshops can be obtained by calling 858-715-4669.

Space Burials

Strange, but true: Here's an interesting addition to my September and October columns on death, grieving and the after-life. The Web site is called Celestis (www.celestis.com) and it makes possible a new choice in memorial services. The site promotes "A Celestial Journey to Space for Departed Loved Ones." Celestis offers three voyages that propel ashes of the deceased into space: Earth orbit for $5,300, moon landing for

$12,500 and deep space propulsion for $12,500. The price includes the burial, a memorial service just before launch, a Web page memorial on their site and a personalized video. The next launch, by the way, is scheduled for early 2001.

Do you have a favorite spiritual or personal growth Web site that you'd like me to review? Please drop me an e-mail at Monty764@aol.com. And remember, I also want to hear your story about how the Internet and the World Wide Web have impacted your journey toward self-realization.