Rise of Venus comes at a good time for women. During this era of the Me Too and Times Up Movements, women are becoming stronger, courageous and more demanding of respect. They feel empowered through sisterhood and the support of families, colleagues, even total strangers

Rise of Venus focuses on a vitally important aspect of women’s empowerment – spirituality. Particularly women’s spirituality. Now I believe, in general, spirituality is a source of strength, inspiration and self-love. Yet women’s spirituality provides more female-focused form of connection with the Divine.

Do you believe that you’re a goddess? While this term is so overused these days that it’s practically slang, consider it to be true. Within you dwells the divine creative energy and feminine power that will help you manifest your earthly desires. A few simple practices from the ancient path of Tantric yoga can help to awaken your inner goddess and expand your life into a cosmic experience.

In the West, Tantra is reputed to be a sort of sexual yoga. But in actuality, it’s a rich spiritual path that harnesses your inner-energy to ignite profound transformation. Central to Tantra is Shakti, the Goddess, the Divine Feminine energy that empowers the Universe.

I recently attended a screening of Suffragette, an important and excellently-produced dramatization of the early women’s rights movement. Based in early 20th-century Britain, the movie captures the dreary and limited life of working-class women. At that time, they had no authority over their own lives, or even their children’s, as men considered women to be inferior, feeble-minded, and too emotional to make sound decisions.

We see plenty of articles and ads that tell us how unattractive crow’s feet, heavy thighs, stretch marks and our other physical imperfections are. Well, this article is to tell you how beautiful they are. Every scar, wrinkle, missing part, or protuberance is a beauty mark and a badge of honor for who you truly are.

Your life is your greatest gift, and your presence on the planet at this time is your gift to the world. Once you understand the vast richness of your life, your wrinkles and cellulite can be perceived as wonderful adornments, and not things to be loathed and fixed.

An article in Time Magazine claims that casual sex is good for you. Citing a study conducted by NYU and Cornell, performed on college students and the effects of casual encounters on their well-being, the article reveals that zesty sessions with penetration (oral, vaginal and anal) improve self-esteem and overall well-being, compared to not having sex. This challenges the popular belief that casual sex triggers low self-esteem and depression.