A woman discovers herself, when she discovers Lutetia.

It’s not difficult to admire Paris from abroad. It’s understandable that many women aspire to achieve the effortless sophistication of a Parisian woman. And it is forgivable to indulge in the culinary delights French cooking has offered the world’s platter, selectively oblivious to the inches all that butter and fluffy pastry can add to your waistline. So many flock to the City of Lights to strike a pose and capture a perfect photographic snap for posterity, in a place that epitomises perfection.

Mais arrete! Let me stop you in your tracks for just a moment. Let’s take a turn into a metaphorical alternate passage of perception. Paris is an idyllic tourist destination, saturating the world with the best hot spots, latest trends, endless must do’s and must see’s, however it’s an entirely other story to discover that your true self surfaces and is revealed in France, especially in Paris. The moment that happens, you transcend from being a mere tourist with mortal curiosity for a city, a country and culture, to what is known as entering the realm of the “Francophile”.

In a nutshell, that’s what happened to me 3 days after my arrival to Paris and has continued ever since. Some may call it an evolving obsession, I call it a perfect Love story. But the word Francophile covers both ends of the spectrum and everything in between which attempts to account for this irrational or rather, unconditional Love and desire for Paris and all things French.

It should be noted that it’s not only women who succumb to the Francophile spell. However my main exploration shall be from a woman’s perspective because it was there that I discovered who I was as a sentient, mature, joyful individual, as a woman. I didn’t even realise that despite being a strong Latina , Latin American woman, an Australian feminist and a mother of 4 children, I didn’t have a clue what it meant to be a woman. Paris was the beginning of that feminine enlightenment! Which leads me to the the name Lutetia.

Lutetia was the name of Paris, before Paris became known as Paris. The Celtic tribe known as the Parisii lived on the banks of the river Seine in the 3rd century BC. It wasn’t until the battle with the Romans in 52BC when the Celtic Gauls lost to the Romans, that Lutetia was renamed Paris.

As with all significant life changes, there is a marked before and after in this story too. Pre July 2009 was my before, and post August 2009 was my after. Before discovering what it truly meant to be a woman, and after embracing and balancing the feminine and masculine energy within me. Watching myself as if something had taken over and I evolved to become my most authentic and fulfilled self. If I’d never travelled to Paris, ahlala I would never have connected with that powerful feminine energy and unique way of experiencing beauty, that Paris and Parisians excel at.

So I’ll start here with the existential Alpha, the Genesis point of Paris -Lutetia- . To understand the impact of Paris on Francophiles, we mustn’t be afraid to go straight into the swamp, le marais, of its origins and get a little dirty, get very honest about this fascination. We must channel the heights and the depths of French Esprit. Explore the beauty of how it feels beyond the look of a chic Chanel outfit or sexy deshabille hairstyles, especially when we’re not looking so chic, or feeling so sexy.

But I digress.. Oh did I mention that Lutetia means place near the swamp? et voila….So, back to the swamp part of this story, much like the richness of wetland soil, the cultural richness and creative fertility which Paris over time developed is not to be taken for granted. Its quality continues to attract millions to it, both as temporary tourists and as permanent residents. But not even the best tour will guide you to feel the Life Force in the thriving pulse of Lutetia’s Paris. It takes courage to aim for that. It takes the sort of daring that exposes you to the most blinding Love humanity has imagined. No, I’m not exaggerating. And it must be done completely, heart in hand like a sacrifice to the gods, soul radiating, fulfilled in the expression of it’s reflective truth as it’s ignited by so many elements in the City of Love & Light!

So cheers to beginnings! To discovery and revelation! To the fertile swamp we all need to fall into before we can understand what Love is at all… Cheers to Lutetia, the humble motherland, our beloved Paris!