“A human being is a part of the whole, called by us the “Universe”, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest … a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.” ~ Albert Einstein
I feel different this New Year’s Eve. Last year I was busily putting together a vision board and my list of goals, all while willing a fabulous new year ahead.
As 2010 approaches tomorrow (or the day after for the Northern Hemisphere folks), I’m all about going with the flow. Letting go. Trusting in what lies ahead.
Sure, I know what I’d like to achieve, goals I want to reach and places I want to see. But this year, I’m going to recognise my dreams then simply turn up, kick back, relax and trust.
I’ve decided life is a journey we’re not always meant to be in full control of. An apple doesn’t force itself to grow on a tree. I just lets go and trusts that it will reach its full potential. Whether it does or doesn’t is really up to the flow, not to the apple.
So next year, starting right now, I’m going to take my lessons from that apple. Hang in there, soak up the sunshine, live as nature intended. That means seeing the blessings in everything, loving others as you want to be loved, not judging anyone or anything and being grateful for whatever comes, and goes.
With that said, sending you love and blessings for a magical 2010. Thanks for taking time to read this little blog. May the vegan love spread far and wide 
I overheard a mother telling her son yesterday to “eat that apple or you’re not going anywhere”. It made me think about the relationship with food that we develop from an early age.
Being told to sit at the table until there isn’t a pea left on the plate. Gagging as gluey strings of pumpkin tormented the back of your throat. Thinking defiantly how you’d rather sit there forever than eat those brussel sprouts.
It prompted me to turn to Dr Gabriel Cousens and one of my favourite books written by him, Conscious Eating. How, I wondered, is the body affected when you’re eating something you’re having a physical aversion to, regardless whether it’s nutritious or not?
Dr Cousens says avoid eating when you’re sad, angry or under stress, as those emotions are assimilated into your food. “Eating when you’re calm and able to focus on your food is a way to love yourself,” he says. “Remember, food is love and life is love.” I wish someone had mentioned that little golden nugget of information to my well-meaning mother.
I also wonder if being forced to eat certain foods as a child means you’re less likely to try those foods as an adult, or at least take longer to develop a liking for those peas. While I’ve mended my relationship with pumpkin, the prior is still a point of contention.
While I continue to ponder, I’ll leave you with an excerpt from Conscious Eating.
A primary, ongoing way that we all consciously or unconsciously relate to nature is through our food. Eating is an intimate way to extract life-sustaining energy from Mother Nature. In the process of digestive assimilation, the food, as part of Mother Nature, gives up its identity and takes on the identity of the one who has ingested it. We are actually assimilating the forces of nature—stored in our food—whenever we eat. Each bite we take brings us the experience of our loving connection with Mother Nature.
Food is a love note from God. Its letters are written by the rays of the sun. It says I love you and I shall take care of you and sustain you with the offerings of my earth. If we take time to read the love letter, by chewing carefully and feeling the messages that are stored in food by the sun, earth, wind, water, and even by those who have grown, harvested and prepared the food, its assimilation takes on a whole new meaning. This is a specific way of receiving God’s grace, a holy sacrament to be experienced slowly, carefully and consciously.
"The physical and energetic forces of food interact with us on physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels."—Dr Gabriel Cousens
They say addiction is a bad thing, but what happens if what you’re addicted to is actually good for you? My case in point? Sage tea. I love the stuff. I’d bathe in it if I could (and probably will now I’m thinking of it).
While my introduction to sage was the dried version you burn to clear negative and stuck energies, just as the Native Americans have done for centuries, I’d never thought about drinking the stuff. Until my Reiki master handed me a cup one day. Since then it has been a sweet love affair between drinker and drink, between herb lover and said herb. But it’s also the health benefits of this powerful lil plant that keep me within its charms.
We Westerners have taken a while to understand the benefits Sage tea, which have been well-known in the Mediterranean and Asia for eons.
Sage is most commonly used as an infusion, extract, tincture (a medicine made by dissolving a plant/drug in alcohol so says the dictionary), poultice (made into a moist clump, basically) and spice. It can be used to calm or stimulate. The tea has traditionally been used for mouth, throat and tonsil inflammations. Made strong, with a dash or lemon and raw sugar, it can help heal ulcers and skin abrasions.
Because I love it so much, I had to share some of this enthusiasm. Here are some more great benefits of sage:
• It can be used to darken hair;
• If rubbed on your teeth it can strengthen the gums;
• It can reduce fevers and nervousness;
• It’s a great digestion booster, as it stimulates the nervous system;
• It’s considered a useful treatment for typhoid fever;
• It has been known to help liver and kidney troubles;
• Sage is used to combat sore throats, measles and the common cold;
• It’s used to treat pains in joints from lethargy and palsy;
• Sage tea can also help keep excessive perspiration from, well, being excessive.
So where to buy this gem of a tea? Most good health food stores carry it. Here’s a guide for brewing the perfect cup. Oh and according to experts, you shouldn’t use a concentrated concoction of the herb if you’re pregnant.
Like anything, it’s all good in moderation. So with that in mind, the bath idea may well be taking things a wee bit too far…
Heartbreaking. Informative. A reminder for vegans. A wake up call for meat eaters.
I just came across Veganvideo.org produced by alifeconnected.org. To-the-point, yet kind and easy-to-watch (no Meet Your Meat graphic scenes here), it drives home the fact there is still hope for humans, the animals and the planet — if we all adopt a vegan diet.
“Expand your circle of compassion and the love will come back to you a thousand times.” VeganVideo.org
Travelling around New Zealand’s beautiful south island these past few days, not only gave me the opportunity to see breathtaking landscapes, but also newborn animals being reared to become nothing more than a slab of meat on a diner’s plate, or a commodity to produce clothing.
Mother sheep with their lambs were ultra-protective of their young ones, wary of humans wanting to get a close up look at their babies — little ones who clung to and played by their mother’s side. Meanwhile, doe-eyed calves that had already been separated from their mothers, craved attention, clamouring at their fence enclosure for some love and company.
It was heartbreaking to meet these life-loving animals, knowing too well their fate.
The only positive to draw from seeing these beautiful creatures was the amount of room they had to move, the fresh air they got to breathe and knowing they had been spared from the all-too-common factory farming that is well hidden from the public eye.
Doe-eyed calves, already complete with slaughter tags, craved attention and radiated love
Protective mothers guard their newborn babies
