This is a series of articles designed to help you integrate the principles of beauty and pleasure into your everyday life! To teach you how to embody the goddess Aphrodite in mundane ways.

So who was this Aphrodite chick? Born of the foam of the sea, this Greek goddess is the legendary epitome of love, sex and beauty. The Romans named her "Venus" and she gives her name to the planet shrouded in mist and mystery. We get the word "aphrodisiac" from her name—the plants and foods that inspire the act of love. In ancient times, people offered gifts and praises to her. Maybe in our busy lives we have forgotten to honor beauty the way we should. But it's easy to bring this awareness into our lives and change our outlook. By making choices to walk the path of beauty, we make every day more pleasurable and meaningful.

There is an explosion of interest in ancient cultures everywhere these days, but what I'm addressing in this article is how to cultivate your own personal expression of Aphrodite.

Aphrodite is the embodiment of the sort of beauty that has inspired humanity throughout the ages. She prompts us to love ourselves, and others. She whispers to us of the beauty found in unexpected places. She encourages us to ask for what we want. Walking in her footsteps, we become women who embody beauty in every aspect of our lives.

We all define beauty in different ways, but I think we can all agree, it goes further than skin deep! Beauty is about attitude; it's about confidence, and creativity, and the love of pleasure. Every woman is beautiful: whether it's her hair, body, face, hands, feet, eyes, voice, mind, soul, spirit, talent, tastes, or heart. It's not just how we look, it's what we do, and how we feel. When we start to think of ourselves as the sum of our parts, and not just "five-foot-four brunette secretary" then we can see ourselves as others see us: mysterious, complex, and fascinating! And, yes, beautiful.

The following articles describe ways to incorporate beauty and pleasure into the most ordinary aspects of our lives: cooking, shopping, fashion, grooming, home decor and cleaning, etc. And lest you think the pursuit of pleasure and beauty will empty your pocketbook or take over your life, you'll find suggestions to fit every budget and schedule. So click on the articles below for creative suggestions to free the Aphrodite within you!