Grow a Row
Whole Life Network Release
Western Colorado Food and Ag Council,
(WCFAC) formed in 2006 to address the problems of food waste (produce left in
fields or taken to the dump) and need (hungry people in our community.) Private
citizens, local farmers, social services and local government are cooperating
to find solutions to these problems of food production and distribution.
WCFAC formed a strong partnership with
Sharing Ministries, a Montrose food distribution charity, that feeds over 3000
people per month. In its first year, WCFAC harvested, collected and donated
over 5,000 pounds of produce for Sharing Ministries and other food banks!
Projects for this summer include:
Continuing and expanding upon the 2
gardens dedicated to growing for the food banks. One of the dedicated gardens
is hosted by Sandy Brown in Montrose. (Sandy is one of the bakers at the
Montrose Farmers Market.) WCFAC needs volunteers to help prepare beds, plant,
weed, harvest and deliver what is grown. The start date for these activities is
early May. For the Montrose food bank garden, please contact Betsy at 249-9725.
Home gardeners are invited to Grow- a- Row
in their gardens to donate to those in need. Contact WCFAC to find out what
varieties are most needed. Call 970-250-8173 or email food & ag@paonia.com.
WCFAC has a greenhouse with start-up plants for the Grow-a-Row gardeners. The
first 50 people who sign up will receive plants.
Excess harvest from local producers will
be collected and transported to Sharing ministries and Christ’s Kitchen.
Other projects for this year are:
WCFAC will help local farmers with
marketing and value-add products.
The “Buy Fresh, Buy Local’ campaign will
be launched this year in cooperation with Valley Organic Growers Association
and the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union.
WCFAC needs volunteers for the dedicated
gardens, Grow-a- Row gardeners, field and orchard pickers, administrative
support, promotions and transportation. Help make this project a successful,
ongoing community effort that will make each of us proud.
Contributions may be sent to WCFAC at P.O.
Box 571, Hotchkiss, CO 81419
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***Starred Review*** for Boice’s Latest Book
Review written by Blanche Angelo, Livermore, California
Menopause with Science and Soul, A
Guidebook for Navigating the Journey, by Dr. Judith L. Boice, ND, LaC.
On the continuum of menopause books, this
title lies somewhere between Susun Weed’s New Menopausal Years and Christiane
Northrup’s The Wisdom of Menopause with its blend of spirituality, holistic
health, and user-friendly women’s health advice. Defining menopause as a journey rather than a phase, or, worse
yet, a crisis, naturopathic physician Boice outlines strategies to help women
develop healthful habits and make informed choices that will enrich every
aspect of their lives. Whether
discussing phyto-estrogens, hormone-replacement therapy, or nutrition, Boice
maintains her spiritual focus by emphasizing transformation and including
personal reflections that reveal diverse menopausal experiences. In the chapter on bone health, Boice
compares the physical support provided by the skeletal system to the moral
support provided by our belief systems, still succeeding in delivering an
especially lucid explanation of how high-protein diets affect calcium
levels. Moreover, this book has the
power to motivate even the most skeptical readers to meditate and practice
creative visualization. Recommended for
large public libraries and health collections.
Editors note: Dr. Judith Boice has written
several other books including Mother Earth: Through the Eyes of Women
Photographers and Writers. See the Whole
Life Directory on the back page for contact information.
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The Power of Belief Systems
Copyright © Marian Jamison, 2007.
Now it is possible to
explore what you really believe, where your belief systems originate, and how to align with those that empower you at a cellular level.
Definition of Belief
System:
A system of information that has an implicate order
of growth and controls thoughts, words, feelings and actions.
ORGAN TRANSPLANTS: FIRST AWARENESS OF
CELLULAR MEMORY
Cellular memory first gained recognition
when people with organ transplants began to experience memories of behaviors,
personality traits, food cravings and interests they had not experienced before
in their lives. Upon closer investigation, they discovered they were having
experiences that belonged to the donor, which was an indication that cellular
memory patterns were being passed from the donor to the recipient.
ISOLATION AND DECODING OF CELLULAR MEMORY
In order for a person to make changes in
their life, the change must come at a cellular level. In other words, the
primary focus of intervention must be the isolation and decoding of the
causative cellular memory patterns, since virtually, every thought, word,
feeling and action gets encoded at that level. For instance, we hear the tone
of someone’s voice or the look on his or her face and we remember why that
person is so enduring to us. Or, we smell a familiar fragrance that reminds us
of people who used to wear it. Or, for those of us who are Baby Boomers, we see
running water and remember the lyrics from the old Hamm’s beer TV commercial
song, “From the land of sky blue water.” These experiences are held in
cellular memory.
SYMPTOMS OF LIMITING BELIEFS
Most of these memories are benign, which
means they do not contribute to a dis-eased state. Not so with emotions such as
anger, fear, frustration or resentment. When we have a reaction to something
that was triggered by an old memory, it is based upon the stories we created
and the beliefs we linked to that memory that are locked into our energetic
make-up, causing us to attract to us what is of like vibration. The most common
symptom of limiting beliefs are self-sabotage, weak resolve and procrastination—the
three greatest enemies we have for getting more of what we want in life.
Because these patterns evoke a stress response, they become a risk factor for
pain and disease.
STRESS AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
It is no secret that stress can affect a
person’s immune system. A research study found that under extreme periods of
stress, a person produces too much neuropeptide Y that gets released into the
bloodstream, which prevents TH1 cells from attacking pathogens even after
they’ve been identified by the immune system.
SELF-EXAMINATION OF CORE BELIEFS
While there are several ways to reduce
stress, the most effective stress buster is to examine core belief systems that
block our ability to effectively resolve stress. Stress in and of itself is not
bad. In its most positive form, it can be a catalyst for making sure we are in
resonance with empowering beliefs so we are always attracting into our lives
those people and situations that serve us. When it is unresolved, however, it
sets up a vibration that becomes destructive to our health and well-being.
REVOLUTIONARY FOLLOW THROUGH TECHNOLOGY™
Belief Systems Training
provides a skill set developed by Marian Jamison called Follow
Through Technology™ for identifying limiting beliefs that throw us out of
sync with our essential nature. By shifting resonance at a cellular level to
align with empowering beliefs that support our conscious intentions, adverse
life events transform themselves into vibrant states of health and well-being.
BELIEF SYSTEMS TRAINING
Marian Jamison is a Belief Systems
Specialist who does private consultations to help people make changes in
their personal and professional lives at a cellular level. She also provides
people with a skill set to do this work for themselves. Introductory Belief
Systems Training classes are held Sundays, 10:00 – 11:30 AM at the Seven
Winds Institute in Montrose, CO. Requested Donation: $10. Study groups meet
Saturday afternoons, 3:00-5:00 PM. Prerequisite: Attendance at an introductory
class.
For private consultations,
Call: 970.240.3577 or 480.529.1136
Email:
MarianJamison@BeliefSystemsTraining.org
URL: www.CancerFreeSociety.org/BST-MJ.html
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Remembering Aztlán
a Column of Poetry, Culture & Spirit by Art Goodtimes
PLOTS … As a lover of
novels, I devour plots. The weave and interplay of princess and shining knight,
place and period, loyalty and betrayal. Usually with an array of intriguing
characters, some masked in dual roles that only get revealed at the storyline’s
denouément … But in the real world, whether it’s the paranoid complexity of
Thomas Pynchon’s V or the cold rationality of Ayn Rand’s Atlas
Shrugged, it’s hard to believe that people could actually plan and carry
off massive social deceptions, undetected, let alone plots of a nature far more
insidious than Hitler-Mussolini fascism, Japanese Imperial militarism or
Russian-Chinese communism … I have trouble overcoming an innate American
skepticism in reading the borderline delusional ravings of TVNewsLIES.org or the
purported actual words of Osama bin Laden ("I was not involved in the
September 11 attacks in the United States nor did I have knowledge of the
attacks. There exists a government within a government within the United
States. The United States should try to trace the perpetrators of these attacks
within itself; to the people who want to make the present century a century of
conflict between Islam and Christianity. That secret government must be asked
as to who carried out the attacks.”) … Who would plan for annihilation of
one’s own citizens as collateral damage, I ask myself, as sacrificial hearts
opened on the stone altar of Halliburton, Blackwater, Aegis Defense Services?
.. And yet how can one explain the mysterious collapse of Building 7, the 600
foot steel skyscraper housing offices of the IRS, the Secret Service, the CIA,
the Securities Exchange and Guilani’s Emergency Command Center. Never struck by
a plane, nevertheless Building 7 collapsed in a heap of twisted metal in 6.5
seconds – a near impossible structural failure (unless aided by demolition
explosives set from inside) … Who would have imagined a protracted war in Iraq
and “48,000 private military contractors” operating on the ground five years
into the second Christian millennium? … "Logic is the art of
non-contradictory identification," wrote Rand. But poetry, as we learned
at last year’s Talking Gourds Festival (in Doug Stanton’s Wittgenstein
workshop) is the art of ambiguity. Getting to truth by juggling multiple
elephants, cartwheeling pinpricks of reality defined amid the background chaos
of possibility. Poetry, unlike science, gives one an intuitive wave-like
gestalt feel for the field/pattern of things. What the Chinese call li …
I’m a poet. I love a cloud of energies sailing into shape, billowing into
storms, tossing off lightning and thunder with equal élan. For me, logic and
science narrow truth down to the tiniest point, the charmed mathematical string
whizzing in and out of existence. The ultimate micro. Whereas the poet likes to
think big picture. And out of that contradictory umwelt comes a
different kind of clarity, if not THE TRUTH.
CLUB 20 … Patty
Limerick, award-winning historian at the University of Colorado’s Center for
the American West, came up with a great name for these many collaborative
groups where folks from different views and perspectives talk, discuss and
argue out the issues, at Club 20’s spring meeting in Grand Junction last month.
I have been calling them “tables of trust”, which has a nice, almost foo-foo
sound to it. She called them “sites of managed contention.” And that’s exactly
what they are … The good news is that, in keeping with the recent blue wave of
political change in Colorado, progressives are on the upswing, and it was
evident at Club 20. The progressive caucus I’ve helped organize boasts Routt
County as newly-liberal bastion, with Commissioner Diane Bush as voting rep and
Steamboat Springs Councilmember Towny Anderson her alternate – both long-time
progressives. Gunnison was represented by Commissioner Paula Swenson, a Dem.
Plus, there’s Pitkin, San Juan, and San Miguel counties that have been liberal
stalwarts for some time … As for awards, former Nucla Mayor Mary Helen
deKoevend received the Dan Noble award for best political leader of the year,
and former Western Colorado Congress president Charles Kerr of Grand Junction
got the Johnson-Theos Bridge-builder award. Mary Helen certainly deserved an
award for her unstinting service to the West End in so many capacities for so
many years. But to think that Club 20 would award a leader of the Western
Colorado Congress with an award was mind-boggling, but perhaps a sign of the
changing times on the Western Slope, where traditional enemies have been
learning to work with each other, if not fully agree with each other.
THE 23RD QUALM
… (Written by a retired Methodist minister) … Bush is my shepherd; I dwell in
want. He maketh logs to be cut down in national forests. He leadeth trucks into
the still wilderness. He restoreth my fears … He leadeth me in the paths of
international disgrace for his ego's sake. Yea, though I walk through the
valley of pollution and war, I will find no exit, for thou art in office … Thy
tax cuts for the rich and thy media control, they discomfort me. Thou preparest
an agenda of deception in the presence of thy religion. Thou anointest my head
with foreign oil … My health insurance runneth out … Surely megalomania and
false patriotism shall follow me all the days of thy term, And my jobless child
shall dwell in my basement forever.
BLUE THUMB DOWN:
New research in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine in summer 2006
shows that consumers of dairy products containing residues of rBGH recombinant
bovine growth hormone are five times more likely to have fraternal twins than vegans.
The researchers showed how rGBH increases ovulation in humans and persists in
the human body … Monsanto’s controversial hormone has been banned in almost
every industrialized country on the planet due to scientific evidence
indicating that the milk from injected cows contains more pus, antibiotic
residues, and IGF-1, a potent cancer tumor promoter … Some countries, like
Canada, also banned rGBH on animal cruelty grounds after finding that
rGBH-injected cows suffer far higher rates of certain disease conditions.
GREEN THUMB UP
… The Weaver Ranch in New Mexico is experimenting with Mashona cattle from
Zimbabwe. They are smaller, efficient, docile grazers with tender and flavorful
meat, hardy to drought conditions and the chill of southwestern winters.
THE TALKING GOURD
Sanctions
On the street today, I sold
A bag heavy with gods
out of sheer hunger.
Sadiq al-Savgh
Iraq
© 2006 Art Goodtimes
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WLN In Action April 2007
Whole
Life Network Release
One Community
The immigrant integration project of
Montrose and Delta County now has a name — ‘One Community’. The planning team
is hosting three community forums to which the public is invited to discuss
questions such as:
·
What is already in place and working to
help newcomers integrate into the community?
·
What are the concerns?
·
What would the entire community,
immigrants and the native born, like to see in the future?
‘One Community’ will also be hosting
smaller focus group discussions. Please
attend a forum near you and be part of a community wide effort to build good
relationships with foreign born newcomers.
·
May 12th: Olathe, 2-5:00 pm, Olathe High School
Cafeteria
·
June 2nd: Montrose, 2-5:00 pm, United Methodist
Church, 1st and Park
·
June 23rd: Delta, 2-5:00 pm, location to be determined
For more information call 249-0397 www.commonhealth.net
Friends of the River
Uncompahgre, FORU
!!What’s good for the river is good for-U!!
Friends of the River Uncompahgre is
pleased to report that FORU will be partnering with the Uncompahgre River
Stewardship Alliance, URSA, and others to form a tri-county Uncompahgre River
Watershed Partnership. URSA has
submitted a proposal for a preliminary planning grant to the Colorado Watershed
Protection Fund. The year long planning
period will focus on building the watershed partnership, community education,
defining preliminary goals and issues of concern, coordinating existing data
and studies, and developing a watershed plan.
This will lay the ground work for application for a watershed planning
grant from the Clean Water Act Section 319 grant program in August, 2008 to do
a full watershed assessment.
The Uncompahgre Watershed spans more than
1,000 square miles in Ouray, Montrose and Delta Counties where it passes
through 5 municipalities. It includes
531 miles of perennial waterways and 21 lakes.
The Uncompahgre River is one of the few rivers in Colorado that is not
protected by a watershed plan.
Elizabeth Roscoe of the FORU Board gave a
presentation of FORU’s purpose and goals to the Delta County Commissioners
April 16th and the DMEA Board the 23rd to invite their
participation in the watershed partnership.
FORU has begun a dialogue with the
Montrose City Council about the implemen-tation of policies which guarantee
that no ground will be broken at development sites which impact the waters and
wetlands of the Uncompahgre River until all state and federal permits are in
place, the public comment period has occurred, and any needed environmental
assessments are completed and publicized.
The volunteer work day in memory of Tina
Mayfield will take place sometime in May. Volunteers will help clear debris and
dead wood at the cottonwood grove in Cerise Park where there will be a memorial
bench and plaque installed. Tina’s family
will have a dedication ceremony in July.
Check the FORU web site for the date of the work day.
FORU is accepting donations to help with
river projects. Mail to: PO Box 3592, Montrose, 81402
For more information call: 249-0397 www.foruncompahgre.org
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Peaceful Contributions for the Soul
by Kathy Gates
Happy Mothers Day to all the great Moms
out there in the universe.
Blue is a beautiful color to meditate
with. This color radiates feelings of peace, happiness and can lighten dark
moods. It can also bring content to the emotions, leaving us with a feeling of
harmony and happiness with life.
Before the sun comes up, locate your
favorite blanket and a pillow if you like and head outdoors to a comfortable
place outdoors. Sit on the earth. Get comfortable, close your eyes and listen
to the sounds of the universe as life begins to awaken. Breath in the elixirs
of healing morning air. Take in the breath as deep as you can, feel the breath
as it moves through your nostrils down to your belly. Feel it as it moves
through you, continue until you feel a sense of calm.
In your minds eye visualize a deep rich
blue, like the blue at the base of a candle flame. A pure burning soothing
blue. Or a pure cooling blue. Either way it can be used to cool the emotions or
burn away negative moods or thoughts. Once you have the picture in your minds
eye, let it expand and grow. Begin to move the pure rich blue up through your
toes, feet, legs, staying with it as it continues to move through your entire
being. As it does put your intention of a desired outcome into the blue healing
substance. Get the feeling of a calming peace, letting go of all worry, doubt,
fear, anger, anxiety or any other discord carry itself right out the top of
your head on the blue substance. Let it flow out of you like a fountain. As you
do this you should feel as though your inner energy is filling with joy and
happiness. As though a cool river of water is cleansing and refreshing your
entire being. Continue to let it flow out the top of your head pouring down and
moving back up through your feet up and out again like an ongoing fountain.
Hear the sound of the fountain, serene and flowing with pure peace, pure joy,
pure happiness. Stay in your spiritual fountain for a period of time that feels
right to you. When you are finished be grateful to yourself for taking this
time to refresh and rejuvenate and release. Thank the color blue for its
healing effects. Take a few deep breaths; enjoy your content with life. Say out
loud or to yourself I feel good! Then watch as the sun rises and brings it
light to you and your world. Soak it up! Drink lots of water to cleanse any
toxins in your body.
Peace and blessings to all.
Women's Spirit Retreat is offering weekend
retreats with workshops.
Coming May 25-26-27 3 day weekend retreat-our topic is comfort.
Visit www.womensspiritretreats.com for registration info or call 970-856-7665
Coming June 15-16-17-Healing rhythm
workshop & drum making workshop with Wayne Manthey. Early registration
required, due to number of hides needed for drums.
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Goodbye Nicotine
© Anne Calzada Herbalist
Cigarettes can be an illusion. They seem
so sophisticated, smooth, cool and tough.
Remember Bette Davis and John Wayne? They
also seem so unhealthy and non-pro life. Perception is everything and the
truth; well it is what it is. I have smoked them on and off in my life
occasionally. People smoke for different reasons. Some people like the act and
ritual of smoking. Some create a smoke screen to keep people at arms length,
not taking responsibility for uncomfortable relationships or circumstances. And
sadly some people are now just flat addicted and don't necessarily want to be.
For these people, cigarettes are the ball and chain that never leaves, like a
bad guest. They are the hardest substance to let go of I am told. Even harder
than sugar which is a major revelation for me. It can be done of course like
anything else. I'm a believer!
Indigenous to North and South America,
tobacco has been used in preparations, offerings and ceremony. It is considered
a sacred plant to Native and Indigenous peoples. It carries stimulant and
depressant qualities. Used in low doses, it has been chewed and ingested for
medicinal purposes for thousands of years. It has been used for anxiety, stress
and appetite reduction. It has been used as an emetic.
Tobacco is anti-parasitic internally and
externally. In fact it has been used as a pesticide in the form of tea against
aphids, worms and other insects.
Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), the plant,
contains different alkaloids, one of them being nicotine, witch can cause
vomiting, lung paralysis or even fatality if consumed in high enough doses. Commercial
tobacco is blended and reduced that you can smoke it all day long and function.
Even the natural brands are probably not natural unless certified organic. Most
of it is grown in the Southeastern U.S. In fact there is a field of it below my
Mom's property in Tennessee. The government pays for tobacco. It earns too. It
is a multi-billion dollar operation yearly. According to the CDC (Center for
Disease Control), "total United States expenditures on tobacco were
estimated to be $88.8 billion in 2005, of which $82 billion were on
cigarettes".
We are all aware of the health risks of
abusing tobacco such as lung and heart disease, immunity reduction, reduced
circulation, impaired eyesight, gum disease, wrinkles and increased aging.
Smoking or chewing severely depletes the body of nutrients. Make sure you are
getting adequate amounts. Smokers require a higher concentration of vitamins
and minerals than non smokers do. Nux vomica homeopathic can reduce nicotine
cravings. Look for homeopathic combinations at the health food store. Nicotiana
flower essence may help to release the need for smoking on a psychic emotional
level.
Lobelia tincture can help withdrawl
cravings. It contains the alkaloid lobeline which is similar molecularly to
nicotine and replaces the nicotine receptor sites. It is an antispasmodic and a
nervine. Dosages are generally in tincture form, using 5 to 10 drops and
reducing if nausea occurs. Be wise with the use as it is an emetic, which means
that it can cause vomiting in higher doses.
Look for a calming tincture blend with
chamomile, oats, skullcap, lemon balm, passionflower, st. john's wort or
motherwort in them. This will help you soothe your frazzled nerves. Nourish
your lungs with rebuilding, expectorant andcleansing plants such as muellin,
plantain, peppermint, coltsfoot, hyssop, elecampange or calamus. Look for
blends in tincture form. Get juicing with carrots, celery, parsley, beets and
wheatgrass. They contain betacarotene, chloropyll, vitamins, minerals and
potent antioxidants to rebuild lung tissue and cleanse the blood. Chew licorice
sticks, cinnamon sticks or straws to help with the oral fixation. Keep your
hands busy, try knitting, drawing or take up a craft. Start exercising and
replace smoking with a good habit. Walking, running and yoga are great for the
lungs, nerves and mind. Practice singing, chanting or deep breathing
meditations. Acupuncture, hypnosis and therapy can all be of great assistance
when releasing an addiction. Research the metaphysical reasons of why you smoke.
When giving up tobacco, in my opinion it
may be better to not add more nicotine into your body in the form of gum or
patches. There are herbal and homeopathic kits available that may be of better
benefit in the quest for a smoke free lifestyle.
Remember, love yourself, you are so worth
it! You can do it!
Anne Calzada is a Certified Herbalist and
founder of Healing Heart Herbs. For consultations please call 626 5663 or email
her at annecalzada@aol.com.
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Cultivating Your
Health – A Daily Journey
by Edith D. Johnston PhD LPC
Each of us sows, tends, and harvests the
garden of life in different environments with different talents and needs. The path in the garden, as we check on the
new growth and the maturing plants, can take many directions. The path has moments of bright sunshine and
deep shadows. Every turn presents a
choice. What have you sowed? What are you harvesting? Which row will you tend today? What is your current internal and external
environment?
We each have different methods, means to
seek and find guidance, understanding, and new skills for tending and bringing
the garden to maturation. What have you
read recently? What have you heard? What have you seen? Who have you met? Where have you given of your time, talents, and resources? What have you learned by teaching?
WLN offers many opportunities through
Connections, Education Series, and the recent Expo and the many offerings by
the members. WLN is a community (a
garden) that is cultivating the internal and external environments locally and
on a greater scale.
In the environment of WLN a variety of
classes are being offered at Bill Heddles Recreation Center: Board member – Bonnie Poole’s Tai Chi on
Wednesday evenings, pilates, yoga, and a series by myself to include (but not
limited to – as we do limit ourselves in the garden) Journaling, Mandala,
Acupressure, Masks, and Flower Essences.
Look at the list of events presented in the Connections and on the web
site MontroseHealthDirectory.com.
Decide to day what new tools or cultivating you would like to do for
your garden.
Edith D Johnston PhD LPC – assisting
individuals with the transitions and growth. HowToInLife.com
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Business Member Profile
Imagine The Possibilities!
by Tobie Whitlock
Imagine yourself in a rustic cabin on a
beautiful 8.5 acre Ranch with breathtaking views of the San Juan Mountains and
a Holistic Healthcare Practitioner at your beckoned call. Whether your coming for just one session,
one day or a three to five day retreat this peaceful location is the place for
you. Come relax, collect your thoughts,
get a fresh new perspective on life and leave knowing: All that you need is
within you now!
Hi I am Tobie Whitlock a Holistic
Healthcare Practitioner whose Soul desire in life is to assist you in achieving
optimum health, a vibrant lifestyle, and to live life with passion, excitement,
enthusiasm, and wonder!
I offer a variety of services ranging from
Customized One-On-One and Small Group Retreats, Day Retreats, Vision Mapping
Parties, Guided Mediation, Dream Yoga (a Soul-Directed Coaching), Art Therapy,
Energy Healing, Massage, Healthy Foods, and Herbs for Health & Beauty.
Of all the services I offer, Dream Yoga is
my absolute favorite. Dream Yoga is
fun, inspiring and can be a great tool for any life challenge. This Soul-Directed Coaching empowers you to
live your truth through deep listening to Soul Purpose.
It guides you to look at life from your
souls point of view which in turn helps you live the life your Soul
desires. For a complimentary Dream Yoga
session, in person or by phone Call Tobie Whitlock at 970-901-8733.
The Ranch is located south of Montrose on
Uncompahgre Road. This facility will
accommodate 4-6 people for Group Retreats and also offers One-On-One Customized
Retreats and individual services for people who just want a half or full day of
services. To book your Retreat now call
Tobie Whitlock at 970-901-8733.
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The Imus Initiative
by Jerry Overton
I'm always amazed at how the Spirit can
use virtually any situation for the greater good. Consider the recent Imus
incident in which Don Imus, the radio talk show host, who for more than 30
years has used the airwaves to thrash about, denigrating everything and
everybody for what seems like his own good pleasure, chose to call the young
women basketball players for Syracuse University a "bunch of nappy-headed
ho's".
And to dismiss this as just another racist
and sexist comment by yet another white male is to totally miss the point. For
although it was both racist and sexist, such a vulgar and condescending comment
was not out of the ordinary for Imus, a self-described "equal opportunity
offender" who considers no topic or person, regardless of race, sex or
creed, off limits as he uses both his position of power and influence, and his
freedom of speech to vent his anger and make such nasty assaults.
And yet, this time his comment struck
another chord with the American public, for it called into question just how we
use that invaluable freedom of our speech. And this chord struck not just the
African American community either, but in all levels of our society. Perhaps it
was to whom it was directed, a group of beautiful, talented, educated,
disciplined, well-spoken, well-mannered young women, with high moral character
who chose not to respond with an attack of their own, but rather with a
willingness to meet his assault with grace and dignity-and to even meet with
him face-to-face so he could see his mistake about who they really were.
Perhaps it was their response which gave the Spirit an opening to engage us in
ways that can bring us all to a higher level of humanity.
For Imus is not the only one who uses his
position and freedom of speech to wreak vicious attacks on whomever he pleases.
There are a host of other radio personalities who do the same thing everyday.
And we see it even in the highest ranks of our federal government, almost any
time someone disagrees with the administration's position. And there seems to
be no accountability whatsoever.
And that seems to be what's missing-that
critical sense of accountability for how we use that freedom. For freedom
without accountability is the formula for chaos in a society.
For example, we also have the freedom to
own handguns in this country. In fact, in some states anyone can acquire one
legally, with no checks at all, at any local gun show. And yet, although we
have the freedom to own one, we don't have the freedom to use it as we please.
We aren't free, for instance, to attack and shoot someone with it just because
we don't like them or agree with their ideas. There are well-known consequences
for such mis-uses of our freedom to own a gun.
So, perhaps there should be similar
consequences for irresponsible uses of our speech, especially when it does
irreparable damage to one's sense of esteem or character such as can happen
when done by persons in powerful and influential positions like radio
personalities. While there are laws regarding slander on the books,
unfortunately they aren't nearly strong enough nor enforced as they should.
However, perhaps Imus, in his most recent
incident, with no intention whatsoever to do so, has given initiative to a
spiritual awakening. Perhaps he has unwittingly given us reason to wake up to
what we've allowed a rather small group of people to do to the preciousness of
our humanity and our sense of respect and good will for one another. For now a
growing number of people in power are starting to call into question such
despicable uses of our freedom of speech and are demanding more
accountability-not just in the kind
of language used, but also in the degree of truth communicated-and they are
demanding and enforcing consequences. Imus lost his job.
And this demand is happening in various
levels of society, from mega-star rappers who trade in degrading language, to
politicians who want to say anything necessary, included outright lies to get
elected, to the truthfulness of ads on TV. And each of us has a critical part
to play in this spiritual initiative for respect, good-will, and truth-telling.
Perhaps the Imus incident has opened the
door. And now it's up to us to follow the lead of the Spirit. For we all deserve
a better world.
Copyright 2007 Dr. Jerry Overton
Jerry is a practitioner of the Emotional
Freedom Technique, a powerful tool for all sorts of physical and emotional
healing. He can be reached at 970-252-9311.
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