ARTICLES
Encore!
Friday Night Forum! Encore!
Network
Members Prepare for Steps
Meditations:
Soapbox of the President
Calling
All Angels!
Connections
On KVNF May 22: Prospects of Peace, Part 3
Remembering
Aztlán
Letter
To A Young Activist During Troubled Times
Letters
to The Whole Life Network
Health
In The Stars
What
on Earth can we do?
Enjoy
Earth Day -- North Fork style!
Rocky
Mountain Holistic Health Center Announces Alternative Care
Assistance Grant
All
About Herbs: Demystifying Earth’s Gifts
Member
Profiles: Kathy Gates/Women’s Spirit Retreat
Encore! Friday Night Forum! Encore!
Whole Life Network Release
"Back by popular demand" may be really trite, but the
literal translation of the familiar saying really applies to
The Whole Life Network's speaker series, Friday Night Forum.
Beginning May 16th and every Friday night after, you can catch
presentations from some of the Western Slope's most respected
teachers, healers, and spiritual leaders during The Whole Life
Network Friday Night Forum.
The Soul Garden, ‘That little hole-in-the-wall holistic
café’ owned and managed by Heidi Hotsenpiller, is partnering
with The Whole Life Network in Friday Night Forum. If you have
not yet experienced Soul Garden cuisine, made with
predominately organic, locally grown ingredients, you are in
for a treat. Located at 833 S. Townsend Ave. in Montrose, The
Soul Garden, which catered the great lunches and cookies at
The Whole Life and Learning Expo in Delta, receives great
reviews.
At the first reinvigorated Friday Night Forum, The Whole
Life Network will supply nourishment for the mind as The Soul
Garden supplies nourishment for the body. The Lady Chefs of
The Soul Garden have created a new evening menu for the summer
which includes Portabella Mushroom Sandwiches, Organic Veggie
Crepes smothered in Mushroom Sauce, Thai Tofu Salad, and
Turkey and Braised Apple Sandwiches, with sides of Fresh
Steamed Organic Veggies, Sweet Potato Fries or Organic
Greens.
The programs will start around 6:30 (the kitchen opens at 5
p.m.). Here’s a look at the outstanding line-up of teachers
who will be speaking free of charge:
• May 16: Laurel Ann - Visionary Counseling - "Zodiac Clues
to Natural Health"
• May 23: Polly Cady - Chirography
Association - "World Peace and Your Role in It"
• May 30:
John Wrench - LifeBalance - "Using Magnetics for Better
Health"
• June 6: Cheryl Adams - Murphy's Shooting Star -
Letting Go to Find Peace of Mind"
• June 13 (and the
remainder of the summer): TBA
The Whole Life Network encourages those attending Friday
Night Forum to arrive early and stay until closing. The Soul
Garden venue is informal, providing us with opportunities to
meet the speaker, to mingle with all of the other guests, and
for networking as we will be sure to see acquaintances and
neighbors.
Support and attend Friday Night Forum. Make a date to come
and have dinner, enjoy a great dessert, or choose from
delicious organic coffee, tempt-me-twice teas or natural sodas
as you listen and learn from our inspirational speakers. Most
of all, just come, have a great evening, and share the peace,
joy and love.
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Network Members Prepare for Steps
Whole Life Network Release
The 16th Annual Steps to Awareness festival, whose theme is
‘World at Peace,’ will take place in Telluride, Colo., at the
Sheridan Opera House May 30, 31, and June 1.
Steps will feature vending booths, psychic/spiritual
readings, healers, all kinds of alternative health products,
original jewelry and clothing.
According to Joshua Hayward of Light Source Institute,
healers and teachers including many Whole Life Network members
scheduled to attend include Julia Gillett, Laurel Ann
dePontbriand, Mark Naseck; Mark Kimmel; Alan McAllister; Doug
Cranstoun; Anne Hill and Jon Powers; Polly Cady; Gary Duncan;
Robert (Chi) Sullivan; Dr. Judith Boice; Father Joshua; Kris
Holstrum; and others. In addition, Hayward said live music
will be provided by David and Tamara Hauze.
For more info call Josh or Esther at Light Source
Institute, 252-3577, or http://wholelifenet.org/newsletters/info@LightSourceInstitute.com
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Meditations: Soapbox of the President
By Larry Lemser
As announced in this space last month, The Whole Life
Network is bringing back the successful Friday Night Forum
series; however, several new twists will be made to the
previous format.
First, instead of the DMEA building, the new Friday Night
Forum will be held at The Soul Garden, a great little
restaurant at 833 S. Townsend in Montrose. Second, the
admission is free. Third, instead of once a month, you can
attend every Friday night (until further notice).
The programs will start around 6:30 PM, but you should plan
to arrive early and have dinner, or at least get there in time
to enjoy the great desserts and the beverage of your choice.
Then stay afterwards and visit with fellow Cultural
Creatives.
Your Board has been hearing from members who would like
more opportunity to network with other members and to get to
know each other socially. Since the Friday Night Forum is
happening in a relaxed setting, we now have the time and the
place to make networking work.
What else does our membership want The Whole Life Network
to provide? What will the majority of our organization
support? How can we improve and keep on improving? To find out
the answers to these questions, your Board is preparing a
phone survey. When you are called, we promise to be brief and
to hold your responses confidentially.
Thanks to those who served before us, The Whole Life
Network will soon be 15 years old. We just want to do our part
to prepare for the next 15 years.
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Calling All Angels!
By Polly Cady
Sometimes it is easier to call a friend on the phone than
it is to call our angels to help us. We believe that they
won't answer our call because we are not good enough, or they
are too far away to contact. But in reality they have been
with us since the beginning of our time on this planet. They
heard our first cry and responded. They have been waiting in
anticipation for one small clue that they will be called to
assist us in our next challenge or reward.
Their phone lines are never busy and they are open 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week. Their phone lines are never congested or
the wrong number. They don't have an answering machine on
which to leave a message, and transmission is guaranteed to
get there. They will even answer; all you have to do is
ask.
Have you ever thought to write them? Send them an e-mail?
So, it gets returned. It was heard because of the intent.
Angels are known to answer prayers and cries in the night,
and they hold you when you are lonely. They want you to know
that they hear you always and are always listening to your
problems. Ask for assistance; you have nothing to lose but a
little air time.
They are your best friend; you can talk to them about
anything and they do not judge. Ever! They do not gossip,
complain, or try to control you. Every word is heard and acted
on, as you request it to be.
It is as easy as saying, "Calling All Angels."
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Connections On KVNF May 22: Prospects of Peace, Part
3
By Joshua Hayward
There are many things we do not know. We do not know, for
instance, how much of our United States Constitution we shall
have left one year from now. We do not know how much will be
left, if any, of our First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment rights
in one year. It is significant, even ominous, that we do not
know if the Bush Administration will seek military invasions
of Syria, Iran, or other Arab countries.
We do know I’ll be hosting Connections, the radio program
of the Whole Life Network on Thursday, May 22, at Noon, on the
Midday Edition of KVNF.
"Prospects of Peace, Part 3, ‘Steps To Awareness,'" will
feature the final segment of a three-part peace series
focusing on the non-profit organization's 16th Annual
presentation of the festival. This year's urgent theme is,
"World At Peace."
Guests to discuss the intent, the nature, and the dynamics
of the event will be Co-Host Polly Cady, Executive Director of
'Steps,' Richard Thorpe, Spiritual Worker, Bill Cranstoun, and
Robert (Chi) Sullivan. Be sure to tune in to "Steps To
Awareness" to get the story on consciously becoming an agent
of peace on inner, relationship, group, community, global, and
cosmic levels. Tune in at Noon, May 22, and stay connected to
Peace.
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Remembering Aztlán
By Art Goodtimes
BACK AGAIN … Oops. Forgive me. Some personal snafus made me
miss sending in a column for April, which was National Poetry
Month. An untimely omission. So let me begin by catching up on
some events and visiting poets on the Western Slope, starting
with Colorado’s most exciting poetry festival.
SPARROWS …For the third year in a row, earlier this past
winter, Jude Janett of Salida & her able Sparrows crew
hosted Colorado’s premiere Performance Poetry Festival -
Songs, Poetry And Relations Raise Our Winter Spirits. Three
days of poetry performance - lyric troubadours strolling from
café to café in downtown Salida, open readings, book signings,
auditions for next year, and individual performances from
folks like cowboy poet Peggy Godfrey of Moffat, star bard
Danny Rosen of Fruita, American Book Award winner Aaron Abeyta
of Antonito, the electrifying Katerina Canyon of Tujunga
(Calif.), Fire Giggler Mike Adams of Lafayette, activist poet
Trinidad Sanchez, Jr., of Denver, the widely published Mark
Irwin of Englewood, Ft. Collins’ performance ensemble TVS and
Two Fingers with Pamela Robinson, the grand old man of the
Denver poetry scene Ed Ward, KVNF radio queen Celeste Labadie
of Paonia, linguist and scholar Scott Nicolay of Shiprock (New
Mexico) and Seth’s Art Compost and the Word Mechanics group
from Denver … Saturday night’s showcase at Salida’s Steamplant
Theatre featured an ensemble performance with the Wilds Poets
reading a spotlight mesh of their own work, Sparrow’s Wild
Poets being Elle, Rosemerry and I along with Jude Janett and
Lawton Harper of Salida, and James Tipton of Fruita. Dancers
for the piece were Jane Whitmer and Chanda Klco, and the
musicians Mike Mazella, Bob Crosthwait, Kathleen Nelson and
Tim Rutherford … Hoochy Koochy Man included a strutting
peacock dance by yours truly - the only repeat from last
year’s performance. The Mountain Mail included photos of that
performance in their weekend insert … Attendance was
impressive. Salida’s newly refurbished Steamplant was full on
Friday, and sold out on Saturday. It appears that Sparrows,
without any help from the state arts council (which continues
to sustain crippling cuts by our Republican legislature and
governor -- Colorado ranks 50th in the nation for the per
capita amount of its arts funding), has grown into the state’s
number one poetry festival … For more info, check the Sparrows
website at <allonecaravan.com>.
HEADLESS BUDDHAS … That’s the name of the rowdy ensemble
from New Mexico that stole the show at the Sparrows auditions
this year, and who dazzled folks in Placerville in March at a
special performance for the Telluride Writers Guild … Gary Mex
Gildner was the comic sparkplug of the trio, balanced by the
talented performer Don McIver and the enigmatic Lisa Gill,
meditating for the first time with the incarnate boys.
Gildner’s book, Ears on Fire: Snapshot Essays in a World of
Poets (La Alameda Press, Albuquerque, 2002) is into its second
printing. And, no wonder. It’s a marvelous assemblage of
collected works, travel essays, explications and found magic
garnered in a round-the-globe voyage by the official Minister
of Fun at the National Poetry Slam … Lisa Gill has just
written a dazzling little journal of poetic meditations, Red
as a Lotus: Letters to a Dead Trappist (La Alameda Press,
Albuquerque, 2002). Living alone in a little trailer by an
alfalfa field with a copy of Thomas Merton’s Seeds of
Contemplation, she’s woven a delicate basket of direct address
to her dead monk muse (and the brilliant poet of Cables to the
Ace), a Dickinsonian attention to simple lyric details, and a
postmodern assemblage artist’s splash of imagery … Don McIver
& Friends (2001) is a chapbook collection of poems from
the Dec. 20, 2001, reading at the Outpost Performance Space in
Albuquerque. McIver is an accomplished performer who hosts
readings at the Blue Dragon Coffeehouse and a Spoken Hour show
on KUNM-FM … All in all, a very impressive group. Bring them
to your town (http://wholelifenet.org/newsletters/dbodinem@aol.com).
SPEAKING OF THE ACE … Check out the Merton Annual and Lynn
Szabo’s essay (#15, Nov. 2002) “Hiding the Ace of Freedoms:
Discovering the Way(s) of Peace in Thomas Merton’s Cables to
the Ace ” at
(www.continuumjournals.com/journals/index.asp?jref=21).
JANE HILBERRY … This Colorado College prof & poet was
the featured performer at the monthly Telluride Writers Guild
Gourd Circle Reading at Ah Haa School for the Arts in
Telluride April 11th. Although a quiet reader, her craft lay
in pieces that were imbued with a surprising sensuality and a
frank clarity of vision. I loved the weave of one that spoke
about the pioneer kitchen practice of sifting flour. Cranking
a handle like Betty Crocker said to do, or used to say - a
chore America’s daughters have quickly passed over in the rush
to embrace applicanced convenience. And yet a charged icon of
the ‘50s, with a pedestrian sort of now useless but still
captivating charm … I found her poems pearls strung against
the black velvet of language, gently nudging you in the your
most intimate parts. Her book is also into its second
printing: The Girl with the Pearl Earring (Jones Alley Fine
Press, Colorado Springs, 1995). It’s a chapbook gem, in its
silkscreened Amethyst felt cover from the haunting
“Photography in the Nuclear Age” and the raw brassy notes of
“Dance Hall, 1946” with its “underbeat of trombone vibrating
through her shoes” … But, an academic as well a poet, Jane has
published a most marvelous softcover coffee table lookalike,
The Erotic Art of Edgar Britton (Ocean View Books, Denver,
2001). Though it’s more than mere ornament. This is the first
major book on Britton, a mid-century painter and sculptor,
active primarily in Chicago and Colorado Springs. Hilberry
analyzes and celebrates Britton, one of Colorado’s cultural
luminaries, who studied under Grant Wood. The handsome book
with its blue Odalisque nude on the cover brims with
biography, psychology & poetry. Every library ought to
have one.
THE TALKING GOURD
Ultimately the air
Is
bare sunlight
Where must be found
the lyric
valuables.
~ George Oppen San Francisco/Maine
© 2003 Art Goodtimes: One-time free use rights only -- all
other rights remain the author’s.
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Letter To A Young Activist During Troubled Times
Mis estimados:
Do not lose heart. We were made for these times.
I have heard from so many recently who are deeply and
properly bewildered. They are concerned about the state of
affairs in our world right now. It is true, one has to have
strong cojones and ovarios to withstand much of what passes
for "good" in our culture today. Abject disregard of what the
soul finds most precious and irreplaceable and the corruption
of principled ideals have become, in some large societal
arenas, "the new normal," the grotesquerie of the week. It is
hard to say which one of the current egregious matters has
rocked people's worlds and beliefs more. Ours is a time of
almost daily jaw-dropping astonishment and often righteous
rage over the latest degradations of what matters most to
civilized, visionary people.
...You are right in your assessments. The lustre and hubris
some have aspired to while endorsing acts so heinous against
children, elders, everyday people, the poor, the unguarded,
the helpless, is breathtaking. Yet ... I urge you, ask you,
gentle you, to please not spend your spirit dry by bewailing
these difficult times. Especially do not lose hope. Most
particularly because, the fact is - we were made for these
times. Yes. For years, we have been learning, practicing, been
in training for and just waiting to meet on this exact plain
of engagement. I cannot tell you often enough that we are
definitely the leaders we have been waiting for, and that we
have been raised since childhood for this time precisely.
...I grew up on the Great Lakes and recognize a seaworthy
vessel when I see one. Regarding awakened souls, there have
never been more able crafts in the waters than there are right
now across the world. And they are fully provisioned and able
to signal one another as never before in the history of
humankind. I would like to take your hands for a moment and
assure you that you are built well for these times. Despite
your stints of doubt, your frustrations in arighting all that
needs change right now, or even feeling you have lost the map
entirely, you are not without resource, you are not alone.
Look out over the prow; there are millions of boats of
righteous souls on the waters with you. In your deepest bones,
you have always known this is so. Even though your veneers may
shiver from every wave in this stormy roil, I assure you that
the long timbers composing your prow and rudder come from a
greater forest. That long-grained lumber is known to withstand
storms, to hold together, to hold its own, and to advance,
regardless.
...We have been in training for a dark time such as this,
since the day we assented to come to Earth. For many decades,
worldwide, souls just like us have been felled and left for
dead in so many ways over and over - brought down by naiveté,
by lack of love, by suddenly realizing one deadly thing or
another, by not realizing something else soon enough, by being
ambushed and assaulted by various cultural and personal shocks
in the extreme. We have a history of being gutted, and yet
remember this especially ... we have also, of necessity,
perfected the knack of resurrection. Over and over again we
have been the living proof that that which has been exiled,
lost, or foundered - can be restored to life again. This is as
true and sturdy a prognosis for the destroyed worlds around us
as it was for our own once mortally wounded selves.
...Though we are not invulnerable, our risibility supports
us to laugh in the face of cynics who say "fat chance," and
"management before mercy," and other evidences of complete
absence of soul sense. This, and our having been to Hell and
back on at least one momentous occasion, makes us seasoned
vessels for certain. Even if you do not feel that you are, you
are. Even if your puny little ego wants to contest the
enormity of your soul, that smaller self can never for long
subordinate the larger Self. In matters of death and rebirth,
you have surpassed the benchmarks many times. Believe the
evidence of any one of your past testings and trials. Here it
is: Are you still standing? The answer is, Yes! (And no
adverbs like "barely" are allowed here). If you are still
standing, ragged flags or no, you are able. Thus, you have
passed the bar. And even raised it. You are seaworthy.
...In any dark time, there is a tendency to veer toward
fainting over how much is wrong or unmended in the world. Do
not focus on that. Do not make yourself ill with overwhelm.
There is a tendency too to fall into being weakened by
perseverating on what is outside your reach, by what cannot
yet be. Do not focus there. That is spending the wind without
raising the sails. We are needed, that is all we can know. And
though we meet resistance, we more so will meet great souls
who will hail us, love us and guide us, and we will know them
when they appear. Didn't you say you were a believer? Didn't
you say you pledged to listen to a voice greater? Didn't you
ask for grace? Don't you remember that to be in grace means to
submit to the voice greater? You have all the resource you
need to ride any wave, to surface from any trough.
...In the language of aviators and sailors, ours is to sail
forward now, all balls out. Understand the paradox: If you
study the physics of a waterspout, you will see that the outer
vortex whirls far more quickly than the inner one. To calm the
storm means to quiet the outer layer, to cause it, by whatever
countervailing means, to swirl much less, to more evenly match
the velocity of the inner, far less volatile core - till
whatever has been lifted into such a vicious funnel falls back
to Earth, lays down, is peaceable again. One of the most
important steps you can take to help calm the storm is to not
allow yourself to be taken in a flurry of overwrought emotion
or despair - thereby accidentally contributing to the and the
swirl. Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at
once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that
is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can
do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor
suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to
know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to
tip toward an enduring good. What is needed for dramatic
change is an accumulation of acts - adding, adding to, adding
more, continuing. We know that it does not take "everyone on
Earth" to bring justice and peace, but only a small,
determined group who will not give up during the first,
second, or hundredth gale.
...One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do
to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your
soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light
of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal
fires ... causes proper matters to catch fire. To display the
lantern of soul in shadowy times like these - to be fierce and
to show mercy toward others, both - are acts of immense
bravery and greatest necessity. Struggling souls catch light
from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it. If
you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the
strongest things you can do.
...There will always be times in the midst of "success
right around the corner, but as yet still unseen" when you
feel discouraged. I too have felt despair many times in my
life, but I do not keep a chair for it; I will not entertain
it. It is not allowed to eat from my plate. The reason is
this: In my uttermost bones I know something, as do you. It is
that there can be no despair when you remember why you came to
Earth, who you serve, and who sent you here. The good words we
say and the good deeds we do are not ours: They are the words
and deeds of the One who brought us here. In that spirit, I
hope you will write this on your wall: When a great ship is in
harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But ...
that is not what great ships are built for.
...This comes with much love and prayer that you remember
who you came from, and why you came to this beautiful, needful
Earth,
Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D.
©2003 C.P. Estés, All rights reserved. Article reprinted
with permission from Estes' Permissions Dept:
ngandelman@aol.com Dr. Estés is a psychoanalyst; Member
Hispanic Journalists; Post-trauma specialist, Columbine High
School and community, since massacre, 1999-2003; Board member:
Author's Guild, New York. This article and further information
about Dr. Estes can be found at Mavenproductions.com
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Letters to The Whole Life Network
Wants to stay Connected
March 31, 2003
(On Membership Renewal): I've been thinking of cutting back
on expenses, but really enjoy staying in touch and I like the
articles (in Connections).
Cher Hanssen
West Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Enjoyed Women’s Gathering
March 10, 2003
I attended the Women's Gathering at Bill Heddles Recreation
Center, I really enjoyed the atmosphere and met some very
lovely people. I was so happy to see so many in the large
circle of Peace. Peace is my mission, for humanity and for our
Earth.
With Blessings,
Kathy Gates
(We enjoy hearing from members of the network. Write to us!
The Whole Life Network, PO Box 85, Montrose, CO 81402 or email
http://wholelifenet.org/newsletters/wlnconnections@yahoo.com
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Health In The Stars
Part IV-Health Problems Shown by the Moon In the
Astrological Natal Chart
By Laurel Ann dePontbriand
From the time of Asciepius of Greece and Hippocrates, the
“Father of Medicine (and author of the sublime Hippocratic
Oath), until around the 17th Century, most medical doctors
used Astrology in one or more of its applications in
diagnosis, treatment, medication and surgery. Hippocrates
maintained that, “A physician cannot safely administer
medicine if he is unacquainted with astrology.” H.L. Cornell,
M.D., stated in his Encyclopedia of Medical Astrology, “In my
years of practice as a physician, I have, by the use of
astrology, been able to very quickly diagnose and locate the
seat of disease, the cause of trouble, and the time the
patient began to feel uncomfortable, -as based upon the
horoscope of the patient; and this without even touching or
examining him.”
The celebrated physician, Nicholas Culpeper, author of
“Astrological Judgment of Disease,” published in London in
1855, used a horoscope cast for the time a patient became ill
in order to find out the cause and nature of his illness. The
transits of the Moon were employed in charting the crisis
points because the luminary in its 28-day cycle, reaches a
square aspect of 90-degrees to its original position on the
7th day and an opposition on the 28th day. The 14th day
indicates the most critical period.
In medical astrology, the Moon is highly important because
of the direct influence upon functional health of the body.
Claudius Ptolemy writes in his “Centiloquy,” “Pierce not with
iron that part of the body governed by sign occupied by the
Moon” (meaning the transiting moon position). He was repeating
the ancient occult warning that because of the relationship
between Moon and body fluids, there is greater danger of
hemorrhage, inflammation, and other complications resulting
from surgery performed when the Moon occupies a sign ruling
the bodily areas involved. Of equal importance is another rule
forbidding surgery during the Full Moon forth night or when
the luminary is transiting Scorpio.
Anatomical and Pathological
Aries-Anatomy: Cerebellum (lower brain, skull, head) face,
upper-jaw, upper teeth. Pathology: Fevers, disorders of the
cerebro-spinal nervous system, headaches, eyes, ear, and nose
infections, facial neuralgia, toothaches, insomnia.; Herbs
association: Hops, nettles, gentian, garlic, honeysuckle,
blessed thistle.
TAURUS moon is a good place for the moon
and a well-aspected Taurus moon is usually quite healthy.
Under stress, the throat and neck are problems. Mumps is a
Taurus illness, as is strep throat (which, by the way, often
produces kidney problems via Libra, the other Venus-ruled
sign). The thyroid gland is here and goiter was a huge problem
in the days before iodized salt. All sore throats and
difficulties with the esophagus and vocal cords come under
Taurus. There is also a problem with ear aches (the Eustachian
tube leads from throat to ear). Here can be arthritis in the
neck, and blockages of veins (Venus ruled). Cervical
vertebrae, larynx, tonsils, thyroid, and salivary glands;
lower jaw and lower teeth. Pathology: Goiter, throat
disorders, croup, quincy, laryngitis, tonsillitis, diphtheria,
lockjaw, earache, health problems connected with excess
weight. Herbs associated with Taurus: Sage, thyme, plantain,
goldenrod, tansy, silverweed.
GEMINI moons are prone to bronchitis and bursitis, colds,
coughs and chronic runny noses. Here can be pleurisy,
inflammations of the pleura, the sac around the lungs, and
emphysema. Gemini deals with the body’s ability to absorb
oxygen and those with Gemini moons need plenty of fresh air,
open windows and outdoor activity. They react sharply to air
borne allergens and pollution of all kinds and can manifest
Pisces-type weird symptoms if there is an unknown pollutant in
the air. Problems with the arms and shoulders come under
Gemini, as do problems with the hands, wrists and fingers.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a Gemini problem. Anatomy:
Shoulders, arms, hands, collar bone, upper ribs, lungs,
bronchial tubes, oxygenation of the blood, nervous system.
Pathology: Pulmonary ailments, anemia, catarrh, asthma,
tuberculosis, bronchitis, pleurisy, nervous afflictions. Herbs
associated with Gemini: Lily of the Valley, parsley, caraway,
lavender, linseed tea. Saturn the planet of restriction has
been in this sign for over two years. Gemini health problems
in general have been documented at a much higher rate than
usual by medical practitioners worldwide. Saturn will be
entering the sign of Cancer in June, 2003.
The individual Moon signs and their specific astrological
health associations will be continued in the next issue of
Connections.
(Laurel Ann dePontbriand may be contacted at Visionary
Counseling 970-240-3627)
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What on Earth can we do?
Renewable Energy
By Larry Lemser
At the West Slope Renewable Energy Forum held in Delta on a
recent weekend there was a great turnout which filled every
available seat. That was just the start of the good news.
For two hours the audience was informed of advances in
solar, wind and biomass technologies that established these
energy sources as viable alternatives to current fossil fuel
energy generation. It is common knowledge that burning fossil
fuels produces by-products that are harmful to our
environment. Much of the political instability in our world
can be traced to the need to secure more of the finite
resources that remain on our planet. Yet the switch to
renewable energy has been a "tough sell" because of relatively
cheap available energy.
But as the song says, "the times they are achangin' ".
Right now, right here in Colorado, wind power creates
electricity at a cost competitive to coal and natural gas.
Meeting increased demand with wind power will generate more
new jobs, provide royalties for land owners, improve the tax
base, and conserve on water. That's right, wind generators
don't require water while coal and natural gas plants use
billions of gallons of water that can't be recovered.
Here's what (on earth) we can do. Write your Colorado
Representative and Senator to urge the passage of legislation
which requires utilities to gradually increase the portion of
electricity produced from renewable sources. (Renewable Energy
Standards)
Then become a DMEA "Green Power" subscriber. By signing up
for 100 - kilowatt hour "blocks" of wind generated electricity
each month at an additional cost of $2.50 per block, you will
send the message that Western Colorado wants clean,
sustainable energy. Call DMEA at 249-4572 for details on how
to subscribe.
Editors Note: We dedicate this space on a monthly basis for
ideas submitted by readers on events and projects benefiting
our world community. Co-Creators meetings are being held twice
a month. Interest has been expressed in forming new groups. If
these thoughts resonate with you, please contact Larry Lemser,
240-0234 or Marilynn Huseby, 252-1040.
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Enjoy Earth Day -- North Fork style!
From Western Slope Environmental Resource Council
Join us for the annual Earth Day celebration in Paonia on
Saturday, May 10th. For many years now, the North Fork Earth
Day celebration has taken place after national Earth Day in
April, so we can enjoy a springtime festival with a reasonable
chance of nice spring weather.
The fun begins at 8:30 a.m. With the P-Hill Scramble, a 5K
Fun-Run/Walk. Runners or walkers should register between 8:00-
8:30 am at 1st and Grand Ave.
The race will end in time for participants and spectators
to join the 10 a.m. - Fossil Fuel-free Parade. Come watch or
join the gang of live animals, costumed kids and
musicians!
Then from 11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. - Festival in the Paonia
Town Park. This will be a full day of family fun! Great live
music, kids games and activities, community information booths
and lots of delicious lunch food and snacks.
The stage will provide music and entertainment all day long
with local talent of all ages.
The Silent Auction fundraiser features a variety of goodies
so bring your wallet and be ready to bid and buy. You are
bound to find a special something in the selection of artwork,
plants, gift certificates, and more local products, all
donated by local businesses and individuals.
Fun activities for kids will go on all day.
Booths will include information and demonstrations on
energy efficient products, recycling, local environmental
issues, alternative schools, and local politics.
Also available at the fair will be local crafts.
Of course, what would a festival be without the food?
Offerings will include everything from organic vegan fare to
hamburgers made with local beef.
North Fork Valley Earth Day 2003 is sponsored by the
Western Slope Environmental Resource Council. It's not too
late to get involved!
For more information about how to get involved in this day
of fun as a volunteer, in the parade, having a booth, or
donating to the auction, call Elsie Winne at (970)
527-5307.
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Rocky Mountain Holistic Health Center Announces
Alternative Care Assistance Grant
RMHHC Release
Rocky Mountain Holistic Health Center is pleased to
announce the availability of an Alternative Care Assistance
Grant for individuals and family members who live or work in
Montrose, Ouray, or San Miguel Counties. The sliding scale
grant is based on family income and the number of family
members. The grant covers a portion or in some cases all of
the costs for individual services from alternative and
complementary healthcare practitioners. Services covered
include: chiropractic, therapeutic massage, acupuncture,
rolfing, cranial sacral therapy, counseling, energy bodywork,
and additional alternative and complementary services. To
apply, please contact Virginia Kile, grant administrator,
(970) 249-3604. Proof of income is required.
The Alternative Care Assistance Grant for San Miguel County
is funded by the Telluride Foundation. The Alternative Care
Assistance Grant for Montrose and Ouray Counties is funded by
the Rocky Mountain Holistic Health Center.
The Rocky Mountain Holistic Health Centers seeks grants and
accepts individual donations to the Alternative Care
Assistance Fund. To contribute to the fund, contact Fred
Wetlaufer, board member, (970) 209-0869.
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All About Herbs: Demystifying Earth’s Gifts
Cooling our heals
By Alan Joel
With summer comes the potential for all kinds of
overheating, which is ok, if we don’t mind laying in the shade
and panting with our old hound dog. How about some nifty ways
of staying cool instead?
Keep in mind that the foods we eat and the beverages we
drink, all have varying effects on us and our internal
temperature! For that reason, in warm or hot weather times, it
is useful to cut down on heavy proteins in our diet and
emphasize raw foods, natural juices, and lightly steamed
methods of cooking. Making our own vegetable juices,
particularly when our gardens start to produce is wonderful,
and these can be taken raw during the warmer part of the day,
or lightly heated for a soup stock at night. The addition of
Miso, or soy bean paste from your health food store, is great
for flavor and for nutrition.
Some foods are more cooling, and can be used to maintain
balance and comfort during the hotter times, such as tofu,
watermelon, jicama, Jerusalem artichokes, avocado, watercress,
and most of the leafy greens. On the contrary, the use of
over-cooled drinks and ice cream is not an ideal way to cool
ourselves, because that tends to chill the digestive system,
and then we are not assimilating our foods, which will cause
other problems.
There are many herbs that can be used as tinctures or teas,
whether one drinks them warm or cool. Tinctures can be added
to warm teas, and fresh herbs can be lightly brewed or
steeped, and then used warm or as an alternative to our more
traditional “iced tea”, cool or at room temperature. Orange,
lemon, or lime are cooling, or antipyretic, as they remove
heat. Licorice, cranberry, lemon balm, gotu kola, skullcap,
and valerian, are all useful in this category. Another
approach is to utilize sedative herbs to calm the nervous
system and lower the organ metabolic function, therefore
requiring less heat to be generated. All of the mints can be
used, plus chamomile, hawthorn berries, Kava kava, passion
flower, red clover, saw palmetto, St. John’s wort, wild cherry
bark, witch hazel, and wood betony, either individually or in
tasty combinations, combining herbs with citrus fruit juices,
or even home made vegetable juices, with the herbs that have
more earthy tastes. Should one wish to increase sweating as a
cooling factor, then cayenne or various of the hot or jalapeno
peppers also can be added.
One last method that is highly useful from our “magical”
energy handling bag of tricks, is to directly pull heat out of
any area of one’s body or any specific part of the body, by
looking at a color source, such as bright red for reducing
overall metabolism, or red orange for excess neural heat,
yellow orange for excess nervous energy, and then “grounding”
that area into any electrical ground. Practically speaking,
all one needs to do in that regard is to “hug your
refrigerator” so to speak, while looking at the appropriate
color and starting a flow of that energy out of your body,
until the excess is gone. Believe it or no, this can easily be
done in a minute or less, with a little practice.
Novel ways to deal with ordinary problems? Indeed so, but
why would we want to do the same things that didn’t work well
in the past, while expecting different results!!
(Alan Joel may be contacted at (970) 323-9631 or by email
at http://wholelifenet.org/newsletters/ravenwindstar@earthlink.net)
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Member Profiles:
Kathy Gates/Women’s Spirit Retreat
WSR Release
Greetings. We were all made from love, born to be loved,
and created to give love. There are many people looking for
their purpose, the true reason for being. But before we can
know this we must heal ourselves, and have an open heart.
Women’s Spirit Retreat offers sessions, Sun Bears visions:
Dancing with the Wheel studies program.
If we want to have a better world people must be in balance
and harmony. The world is made up of people along with the
rest of creation. It is the people on the earth who are out of
balance and who need to right their relationship with the rest
of creation. Sun Bear gives you a deeper understanding of how
to connect with the powers of creation. The medicine wheel has
always been an earth teaching. It does not take you to the
stars. Rather it brings you down to earth.
I have many things to share with you. This is a place of
teaching, meditations, and prayer, drumming, singing, sharing
and learning about Great Spirit/God the energy that moves in
all things. Gain knowledge through Gods gifts of nature. Here
you will get a clearer understanding that all of life is a
circle, and the circle can be seen as a wheel. The Medicine
Wheel symbolizes a way to set your life in order and make Life
easier to live. Lessons from the wheel helps us to guide our
lives and to decipher what skills we need to learn and work
on. May you be at peace, God Bless.
If you are interested in a five-day retreat during the
summer you can see the sessions for 2003 at http://www.womensspiritretreats.com/
During your stay we will be going on several tours, nature
walks and enjoying learning about ourselves and others with
Sun Bears Visions: Truly a healing place. To make reservations
call Kathy-856-7665 or you can email http://wholelifenet.org/newsletters/wsretreat@aol.com
(See the Events Calendar for Women’s Spirit Retreat events.)
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