It was very exciting to see Barbara Streisand open the envelope for Best Director at the 82^nd Academy Awards, and hear her say, “The time has come . . .” And Kathryn Bigelow walked off clutching her golden Oscar as the first woman to ever win the honor. She also snagged a second Oscar when her film, “The Hurt Locker,” won for Best Picture.

Every accomplishment—and this was a big one—for a woman increases the potential for all women to eventually hold equal rights and enjoy equal opportunities with men.

The 82^nd Academy Awards showed us what women can accomplish. Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to ever receive an Oscar for Best Director, a highly prestigious award that should lay to rest forever the old saw that “There are no good female directors.” And this was a woman telling a war story—The Hurt Locker”—that takes place in post-invasion Iraq. Then she had to turn right around and accept a second Oscar for Best Picture.

The following day was International Women’s Day, which reminded us of how far we are from reaching a place where all women around the world enjoy equal rights and equal opportunities. Much progress has been made over the last 100 years since International Women’s Day started, but there’s still further to go. Read my Huffington Post blog about it at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-king/international-womens-day_b_490724.html.

I love going to movies, and I recently saw one I think should be nominated for Best Picture! “Avatar” was written and directed by James Cameron, who spent a decade developing the technical wizardry that’s so evident in this film. But along with the amazing high tech (especially when you see it in 3-D) is the fantastic spiritual connection his characters portray in their world of Pandora. Here, the Na’vi clan of Pandora has a highly developed culture, with rituals that embrace unity consciousness.

In the Hindu world, the word “avatar” indicates the highest embodiment of spiritual consciousness. James Cameron has done a fine job of suffusing his movie with an awareness of the Unified Field. Read my review of the movie on the Huffington Post at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-king/avatar-recalls-the-ancien_b_400489.html.

Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time putting together everything I know about healing and being a healer, and sharing my decades of knowledge and experience with listeners to Hay House radio during my weekly Wednesday radio show. On Thursday, December 10th, I’ll be expanding that information during a special two-hour teleseminar on Hay House radio that will help you tap into your potential as a healer—whether you’re interested in healing yourself and/or healing others. I’ll be covering in detail how to step up to the next spiritual level and how to develop your paranormal skills.

In this transformational journey, I’ll take you on a journey that will awaken the healer within you and teach you the basic skills you’ll need in order to enter the mysterious world of healers, sages, and shamans. You’ll want to be listening in on December 10th, from 4-6 p.m. PT. The pre-show begins at 3:45, with log-in beginning at 3:30. Sign up at here.

Triggering “Precious” Memories

And by that I don’t mean memories of “raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,” but the cruelty of a mother who is jealous of her daughter “stealing” her man.

In the well-acted movie “Precious,” the title character is a 16-year-old girl, pregnant for the second time by her father. The movie focuses on the relationship of Precious with her mother, Mary (played beautifully by Mo’Nique)—a family dynamic in which the mother constantly humiliates her daughter and treats her as worthless.

What triggered my memories of my mother’s behavior towards me was the mother who turned a blind eye toward what she knew was happening to her daughter, and did nothing to stop the abuse. The mother who was so jealous of a young child, so angry that “her man” preferred the child to her, that she treated her daughter with bone-chilling coldness.

You can read more about this in my Huffington Post blog here.

In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of domestic violence shelters, outreach programs and victim advocates on Twitter. Why Twitter? Twitter is changing how we interact with each other and the rate at which information spreads. If you have access to a computer or own a cell phone, Twitter can instantly connect you with other advocates, spread awareness, find victims help and provide opportunities to network with survivors.

A domestic violence victim myself, I buried my emotions for many years. Replaced the anger and fear with drug and alcohol addiction, promiscuity, bipolar behaviors and an eating disorder. Cancer saved my life. After the cancer diagnosis in my mid-twenties, my path to recovery gave me the chance to heal physically, emotionally and spiritually. Confronting the truth about my past and the sexual abuse I’d endured from a young age, I began to heal. Hopefully, this list will connect you with those who can help you heal or spread awareness about the domestic violence cycle.

Read the rest of this entry »

It takes courage to speak out about incest, but talking about it is a major component of healing from the trauma of abuse. It’s bottling up the secret that keeps a victim feeling “dirty,” and filled with guilt and shame. Yesterday, Oprah had a follow-up show to her interview with Mackenzie Phillips that featured more brave souls who shared their experiences of incest—women who had been afraid to speak out until Mackenzie opened the door for them.

One of the guests was Kathryn Harrison, who had written a book about her 4-year incestuous “affair” with her father, called The Kiss. When it was first written, over a decade ago, no one believed her. As more people reveal their experiences, it will become safer for victims to open up about the traumas that shaped their lives.

Watching Oprah’s show, I was once again triggered to remember some of my past with my father. You can read about it on the Huffington Post.

I just finished writing a piece on Domestic Violence; you can read more about domestic violence abuse in the resources section. I get really triggered just writing about this topic. It seems like everywhere I turn, I find more cases of Domestic Violence, not less. Recently, we’ve been focused on MacKenzie Phillips and Roman Polanski – talk about violence. Last week, I worked with hundreds of individual women at ISpa, a high end conference for the spa industry, where one would NOT expect to find victims of violence. The first day, I worked with a lovely woman in an executive position who had been badly beaten by her boyfriend – he had broken her nose.  So don’t assume that you’re safe because your partner is college educated and has a job. Domestic Violence does not discriminate; it affects us all.

Please share your stories here. We can only be safe when we refuse to be silenced.

The topic of incest has exploded into the media with the revelations of MacKenzie Phillips, the young TV star of “One Day at a Time,” about the sexual tie between her and her father, Papa John of the iconic 60s group, the Mamas and the Papas.

As the survivor of incest myself, I understand all too well both her situation and the reaction she can expect from family members who will want to deny her truth. Most of all, I want her to know that, despite what she has said about the relationship being “consensual,” incest is always the parent’s responsibility. For her to heal, she will have to know that it was never her fault.

According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, “Studies conclude that 43% of the children who are abused are abused by family members.” And despite the secrecy involved in incest, it’s estimated that over 10 million Americans are victims of incest, most of which is father/daughter. It’s important to know MacKenzie’s story so we can open the doors to a public discussion of all sexual abuse, including the shameful taboo of incest.

Many are horrified or disgusted by the depravity of incest, but as a seeker of truth you’ll want to read my blog in the Huffington Post.

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Image Source: Newsday Web site, minivan of Diane Schuler, July 26, 2009

Diane Schuler had the equivalent of ten shots of vodka and a high level of THC from marijuana in her body-all before noon on the fateful day she drove her minivan filled with kids headfirst into an SUV, killing seven people, including herself. She was driving the wrong way on a state highway, and the broken bottle of Absolut vodka found in the wreckage gives testimony to the reason so many died that day. Yet her husband (who also had a past DUI conviction) swears he never saw her drunk. She couldn’t possibly have been an alcoholic.

But who else can consume that much alcohol and pot and still believe they are capable of driving, especially with five young children in the vehicle? Only someone who denies the extent of her own addiction, even to herself. Someone who just wants to “take the edge off” a little before dealing with the stress of the day.

And more and more women are doing just that. More women are being arrested for DUI than ever before, even as the numbers for men drunk drivers is getting lower.

Read my exploration of this topic at the Huffington Post.