This is a very short quote from 1 Corinthians 13: 13, but what if we managed to be patient and kind for a whole day to the people in our lives..? Wouldn't that be a little miracle, and a welcome healing energy for the whole planet?

This newsletter and our fabulous WEBSITE www.astarte-healing.com are being produced by Simon Martin, who offered his services pro bono to Astarte. Visitors are greeted with his photo, and my recommendation. Simon is a clever young man who does his work professionally with love, creative bent and devotion.

The time will come,
When, with elation,
You will greet yourself arriving
At your own door,
in your own mirror,
And each will smile at the other's welcome.

And say, sit here, eat.
You will love again the stranger who was yourself.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
To itself, to the stranger who has loved you.

We recognise that individual emotional and sexual wellness creates wholeness in couples, which in turn creates wholesome, nurturing families and this is how a harmonious society is built, from the ground up.

Incorporation of Astarte Healing Inc is not all that far away. We have presented several names in the past which have all been refused, but this name seems to be acceptable. The step after incorporation is obtaining a Gift Deductible Status Licence, which might take 3 months or longer...but we are starting with Phase One of Astarte's presence in the world.

Phase One is a communication and education phase with this monthly Newsletter as our hub.

Phase Two begins when we have the funds to buy or lease land and build facilities. What we have in mind is truly magnificent and unique, providing a space where people get connected to themselves, others, animals and the garden and learn to enjoy themselves while contributing to others. All this as part of a heart-based, joyful healing process.

That loving feeling...If you are in a relationship, how alive is it between you? Isn't this what makes a relationship so pleasant and rewarding? As well as enduring? How precious that loving feeling is, and how it needs to be nurtured for it to stay alive!

When I look around, I see so many men and women living in mechanical relationships, largely devoid of fun, warmth, and sometimes even respect. Without fun, warmth and respect in your relationship, are you living?

So in this newsletter I will share some hints from my upcoming relationship courses for men (How to Understand Women) and for women (How to Understand Men). Men are having a tough time of it since Women's Lib and all that. Women have become much more assertive and independent, which is not the problem - the problem is that women have lost something along the way. I strongly feel that it is time for men to start feeling good about themselves again, and for women to start balancing their quest for independence and equality with some genuine new-fashioned appreciation of men.

For instance, let's take Respect: it is made of Acceptance and Tolerance. Acceptance and Tolerance helps partners to accommodate the differences that might at times be annoying. The following notes are mainly addressed to women, keeping in mind, however, that men are perfectly capable of behaving the same way...

People are attracted together because of the differences, but some of these differences have the potential of creating intense irritation. That is where a positive solution is essential - when the ego tries to convince us women that the only thing to do now is to criticise him, put him down, let him know to the core of his heart how much you detest his behaviour, which to him might be merely an expression of his individuality.

Scenario: Jim and Jill are dressing to go out for dinner with friends. He shyly takes out a favourite shirt he hasn't dared to wear since they started living together, because he knows she doesn't like it. (It has Marilyn Monroe's skirt billowing all over it) Jill: Jim, you're not going to wear that thing, are you? You know how I detest that shirt! Take it off! I'm not going to go out with you if you wear that!

Jill might not realise it, but in that one minute of bullying, she put Jim down, commanded him to do something he didn't want to do and threatened him.

Jim is now making up his mind if he is going to stand up for himself or defer to her. If he defers, he argues with himself, he will give up some of his identity. This shirt, he tells himself, is symbolic of his identity, which is now at risk.

However, it is also possible for our Jim to realise that hey, it's just a matter of a shirt, not of his entire identity, since he has plenty of opportunity to express that in other ways. Jim smiles at his lover and partner. "Boy, you know how to make your opinions known!" he grins, and puts on an elegant, classy shirt that actually suits him very well. And just because of his gentle willingness to humour Jill, she bites her lips, realising that she has gone over the line a bit here and must watch this in herself. With respect for Jim she could have expressed her opinion just as an opinion, not as a demand with a threat.

And so a situation was diffused, but how often do mole-hills get turned into mountains? What private wars are created over toothpaste, burping, snoring, toilet seats and toilet paper? A Sense of Humour is another of those immensely valuable assets in a relationship. Respect, that is, acceptance and tolerance, is a starting point, a middle point and an end-point. We can never do without it and not suffer degradation of quality.

Find out how to understand and appreciate your parnter within a relationship!

• For Men: How to Understand Women
• For Women: How To Appreciate Men

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please feel free to send it on to your friends. In our next edition, we will outline special privileges for those who want to support Astarte as a Member.

We will also introduce you to practitioners who we feel have much to offer and are aligned with Astarte's purposes.If you are a person who feels drawn to contribute to Astarte's healing presence in the world in some way, please phone and chat with us. There are lots of little jobs that could be shared around.