Penthesilea's Wish [Vol.2]

Chapter Thirty-six

When Daniela returned to the sofa and sat again before the laptop softly buzzing into the room, she was determined to learn everything the website could teach her. It was, after all, about a subject she had become passionate about. The magnitude of just how rare this opportunity was, griped her to be fully attentive. She eagerly read on . . .

Our celebrated discovery of this Amazonian preservation was learned most astonishingly through women-centered research. And it all began in the 1990's, focusing on Eurasian nomadic cultures. The initial studies were sponsored by university-led teams of archaeologists. However, an unprecedented discovery was made at the conclusion of that decade by a privately-sponsored international team of exceptional women historians and archaeologists among which began an underground movement to revive what had already been centuries in the making.

Daniela tacitly understood this to be Dr. Vasiliou and her all-women team initiating in Athens . . .

When officially revealed publicly, our organization is certain to impact the foundations of history, mythology and even current medical science. Those original findings, and the exceptional work which has been done in this new century, will soon go 'viral' publically on the World Wide Web. It will further accelerate our efforts to put into place a network of real change throughout the world and specifically for the betterment women everywhere.

Presently our organization, through the most technical and broad means of communication is still secretly and silently reaching across oceans and continents. In its current and most organized form, the society, known as 'The Penthesilea Sisterhood' (or PS), has taken its name from perhaps the most dynamic and forward looking queens known to have ruled the Amazons at the peak of their strength and influence. Her name was Penthesilea.

This secret society, formally known in the ancient world as "Adelphes Amazones"-"The Amazonian Sisters," continued as such through the Middle Ages and Renaissance Period. It was then to carry its secret nature and enthusiasm into the Victorian Era where it was rejuvenated and gained even more focus socially. The nineteenth century in England was an age rich in philanthropic societies and concerted efforts for the improvement of humanity in the face of the Industrial Revolution. Imperialistic policies spreading across the world were causing much hardship, especially for women. Such societies, secret and otherwise, often were inspired by academics as a carryover from the Age of Enlightenment and the revolutionary currents which were fomented there.

These 18th and 19th century societies, primarily controlled and attended by men, fought to combat the exploitation which negatively impacted the lives of so many people world-wide. Many of them, taken up by women, had a truly universal focus, as does our society today. The Penthesilea Sisterhood, grasping the inertia which had already been established by women concerning their own plight since ancient times, was established in this context to enhance and improve the lives of females everywhere.

In 1832 our secret society had moved quietly through European circles both high and low with regard to economics, politics, and education. It was fostered by women working academically on their own, outside the male-dominated university system. It embraced as well the social welfare institutions which were only beginning to document and then target first hand the inequalities and discrimination women faced not only in areas of poverty and oppression but even in the most affluent cultures of the Western world.

Many early pioneers of the women's suffrage movements were secret members of the 'Penthesilea Sisterhood,' gaining for it momentum in the twentieth century. And it was there where our efforts became a wellspring of energy and guidance. Our causes and the ongoing secret expansion took hold beneath the currents of public attention and media and maintained the confidentiality our society still enjoys today. Our early members often worked silently parallel to more public mainstream efforts towards the emancipation of women. Tremendous gains were made during these last two centuries to take stock of the magnitude with which women have continued to be mistreated and disallowed progress in societies. A focusing on solutions to take them out of poverty in developing nations all over the world, as well as the means to combat the denial of their rights and privileges, has been the organization's work and concern. Through this momentum the more evolved societies found traction over these years in women's rights. Today, more than ever, the physical and societal mistreatment of females worldwide has taken front stage in our focus, as that is where it is now needed the most. This crisis for women, who find them selves under siege and the targets of violence, only now is being fully recognized in the media, sadly has reached epidemic proportions. Counteracting this violence now remains tantamount to our current efforts and ongoing projects, particularly in the developing world.