Teen Leadership Council

For the Love of Dance0
glogirl posted in Rituals And Traditions on February 14th, 2006

Welcome. Please check your baggage at the door. During your journey, common beliefs about sexiness, body image, and womanhood will be jumbled and rearranged by drops, shimmies and turns. You are entering an age-old tradition, with roots in the heart of feminine expression and spirituality. Welcome to the world of Belly Dancing.

I started my journey seven years ago, on a whim to "try something different". Little did I know that this impulse would drop me into a deeper sense of my feminine nature. This worldly tradition of movement enticed my body to feel its natural power and sensuality. The sharp movements hammered down walls of separation from myself and other women. The undulations unearthed negative beliefs about my body, slowly replacing them with acceptance. Shimmies reverberated through an underworld of feminine nature and brought forth soulful expression. This tradition has rocked my world.

(more…)

Coming of Age0
glogirl posted in Rituals And Traditions on February 14th, 2006

For millennia, young people have had to prove that they are ready to join the adults of their society. Sometimes this means killing an animal or an enemy; sometimes it is as simple as a party or ceremony where the young person is declared an adult. The age of the child varies but, usually, it is between 12 and 16.

As life expectancy increases, the age at which a person moves from childhood to adulthood is also increasing. In the time of the Roman Empire, girls were often married by the age of 13, and they were mothers several times over by the time they were twenty. Romeo and Juliet, the most celebrated lovers ever, were sixteen and fourteen, respectively, when they wed. The thought of marriage at such a young age is deeply shocking to our modern sensibilities, but was a logical process when the life expectancy was in late thirties or early forties.

(more…)

Insomnia1
Admin posted in Rituals And Traditions on February 10th, 2006

A chill breeze gently stirs the curtains of the window I left open. She shivers in her sleep and pulls the covers up, huddling in them like a rabbit in its den.

It is very quiet. It usually is. We don't make much noise; making noise is a good way to alert our prey to us, and that's a good way to lose meals. People are cleverer these days. They do not fall victim to us so willingly, though it is easy enough to find a good meal among those who no longer believe. They are plentiful. She is one of them, and a pretty one at that: pale, perfect complexion, rich auburn hair. (more…)

Rituals And Traditions2
Admin posted in Rituals And Traditions on February 10th, 2006

tradition
n 1: an inherited pattern of thought or action 2: a specific practice of long
standing custom
ritual
n 1: a ceremony

The dictionary definitions of the words "ritual" and "tradition" are straightforward and specific, however, we at The Platypus have come up with our own definitions and interpretations. Rituals and Traditions, throughout time, have been humanity's means of expression. Many of these ceremonies or routines stand the test of time because they hold the eminence of all that is important and meaningful to us - hence this issue of The Platypus. So, take a look at what we have to say, you'll probably find something that catches your mind's eye.

(more…)