PRACTITIONER'S SPOTLIGHT
Namaste' Sacred Arts

Welcome to The CRANE!

Yes, this has been a long time coming. There is much to do and we will do what we can. It would be great to have more hands and more resources to make everything move more smothly and make it possible to get more work done on your behalf. While we work on that, your support and good thoughts are appreciated. We appreciate the new support we have attracted due primarily to our high web standing and Wellness Expo 2006.

Soon to follow this newsletter will be:
· the release of our updated w advertising information
· an invitation to be a part of the organizing team for Wellness Expo 2007 which is already underway! You will have the opportunity to workshop with Susun B. Weed!

The IHHN continues to receive request for people from around Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky to come visit our facilities, and yes, we can envision the time when the Indiana Holistic Health Network's Sara Leah Center will be in existence as a retreat center housing our office, and as place for a variety of healing and wellness arts activities offering workshops year around! We are still working toward achieving financial balance so that we can maintain this organization and meet its day-to-day needs.

Support the IHHN, become an advertiser or sponsor, make a donation of something listed on our Wish List. Support our site advertisers and sponsors, and consider making a tax deductible donation today! We are a non-profit and your monetary donations are tax deductible. Our resources determine what can be done on your behalf to develop and maintain this directory. For information on making your tax deductible contribution toward the continuation and support of the Indiana Holistic Health Network, or toward the building of the Sara Leah Center, please contact us at:mail.ihhn@gmail.com.

As always, may we each know the blessings of a peaceful heart, a healthy body and the circle of a loving, supportive community of friends and family. May you evolve further toward your greatest intentions!

Blessings,

P.CC. ., Editor, and the IHHN Crew

When I left home and headed to Chicago to start college, I met a young
man who became a life long friend. In the tradition of great college
friendships, we shared many meals and study sessions late at night at
a local restaurant. On one of these nights, stumbling home after too
many onion rings, we talked about love. My new friend was gay and
came out of the closet to me that night. He said, "Amy, there is so
much hate in this world that what difference does it make who I love,
as long as I am loving and not hating."

Speaking of hate, the Indiana General Assembly is at it again. A new
anti-gay-marriage resolution has just left the Indiana State Senate
Judiciary Committee and is heading to the senate floor for a vote.
Senate Joint Resolution 007 (SJR 7) reminds me of the
anti-miscegenation laws of the 20th century in which many US states
forbade the marrying of blacks and whites. Anti-miscegenation laws
were overturned in 1967 by the US Supreme court in the landmark
decision Loving v Virginia. The Indiana General Assembly wants to
revive the discriminatory laws of the Jim Crow era by defining
marriage as a union between one man and one woman and then expressly
forbidding any unmarried couples from receiving legal benefits that
would be awarded to married couples. (To read the amendment go to
http://www.in.gov/legislative/ and search for SJR 007)

All unmarried couples could lose the right to adopt children, the protections of domestic violence laws, and the protections of any contractual care agreements they have made with their partners.
Companies and Universities in the state of Indiana may lose their right to offer domestic partner benefits, benefits that allow our state to attract and retain the best and brightest minds in education, research and business.

My husband and I have absolutely no interest in denying our gay and
lesbian friends, neighbors and co-workers the same benefits of marital
union that we enjoy and take for granted. Furthermore, we fail to see
how restricting marriage to straight couples only, and then refusing
to give all unmarried couples benefits will in any way protect or
sanctify our marriage. In fact, the very act of amending the
constitution to take away any citizen's rights in the name of saving
marriage makes a mockery of the entire institution of marriage.

I urge all Hoosiers not to allow this to happen in our state. Don't
let the voices of bigotry and zealotry overtake common sense. All
heterosexual men and women should speak out against SJR 007. We need
to march on the state house, call our legislators, and tell our family
stories to churches, friends, co-workers and neighbors. The voices of
the majority of the people who do not want to see the state
constitution amended to deny civil rights to the people of Indiana
must be heard.

In Indiana, do not allow hate to win over love.

To find your legislators go to this website:
http://www.in.gov/apps/sos/legislator/search/
To learn more about how this amendment would affect Indiana go to:
www.stoptheamendment.org

Reprinted with permission of the Herald Times. Amy Cornell is a Bloomington, IN based writer and can be reached at amylcornell@gmail.com

We need Congress to save NPR and PBS once and for all.

Can you help out by signing this petition to Congress? It's really easy-just click the link below:

http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?referring_id=-
2446640-Xqaz1P

It is important, in this day and age, to resurrect "love and forgiveness" in our individual lives and in our larger community. Too often, we become overly busy in our lives and we often forget how to be effective listeners and to show loving actions with our fellow neighbors and people on the street in simple ways. Our work is designed to help facilitate individuals in finding their place of inner silence and in discovering the gifts that each person has to share with others. The more we can find this place of "true peace" deep inside us that highlights the importance of "remembering" who we are, listening deeply to others, loving and practicing forgiveness in the world . . . bringing it to light in our personal and collective lives, the more we can transform the world.

Currently, Namaste' is participating in a nationwide initiative promoting the "Mystery of Love" PBS documentary and hosting a series of dialogue sessions to "put love into action" in Bloomington. This project is in collaboration with the Community Justice and Mediation Center in partnership with the Independent Production Fund, Active Voice, and the national Campaign for Love and Forgiveness -initiated by the Fetzer Institute. The dialogue series will occur in January and February 2007. For more information , please contact Lisa-Marie Napoli at 812-219-9310 or lnapoli@indiana.edu.

TOWER, MINN. - For those who believe in spiritual forces, the story of the sacred scrolls of the Bois Forte Chippewa offers a wonderful affirmation. For those who believe we walk alone, the story offers an amazing coincidence. In September, members of the northern Minnesota tribe gathered at Spirit Island on Nett Lake for a ceremony. There, according to witnesses, a drumkeeper named Shane Drift recounted his recent dream that forgotten stories and songs of the tribe would somehow "come back to us." Read All

WORRIED ABOUT BREAST CANCER?
Susun Weed

THINGS STRONGLY IMPLICATED IN THE INITIATION, PROMOTION, OR GROWTH OF BREAST CANCER

HORMONES
Especially estradiol and progesterone.

Sources:
Your ovaries, commercial meat and milk, hormone pills, progesterone creams, steroids, cortisone.

Reduced by:
Strenuous physical activity, pregnancy and lactation, menopause, wise lifestyle and food choices, high levels of phytoestrogens in the diet.

ORGANOCHLORINES
Pesticides, herbicides, bleach, plastics

Sources:
By-products of bleaching paper, drinking and bathing in chlorinated water, use of bleached tampons, chemical farming practices, and water pollution.

Reduced by:
Eating organically-grown food, filtering drinking and bathing water, using unbleached paper, using less plastic, buying fresh (not canned) food.

RADIATION
Especially when young

Sources:
Mammograms, fallout, x?rays, cell-phones.

Reduced by:
Avoidance. Doses are cumulative.

EMFS (Electromagnetic Fields)

Sources:
TVs, hair dryers, microwave towers and ovens, computer monitors, all electrical appliances and lines.

Reduced by:
Distance; shielding does little.

VEGETABLE OILS
Hydrogenated and partially-hydrogenated fats

Sources:
Corn, sesame, canola, sunflower, soy, flax, and other seed oils; margarine, commercial baked goods and snacks.

Reduced by:
Avoidance; read labels. Use organic butter and olive oil exclusively.

EXCESSIVE USE OF ALCOHOL
EXCESSIVE CALORIES IN THE DIET

Sources:
Easy availability, peer pressure, convenience.

Reduced by:
Wise food choices, herbal infusions, hugs.

GROWING OLDER

Source:
Living long.

Reduced by:
Dying young. (Not worth it.)

Breast Health!

THINGS THAT COUNTER AND REVERSE THE INITIATION, PROMOTION, AND GROWTH OF CANCER.

CONSUMPTION OF PHYTOESTROGENS

Sources:
Red clover infusion, lentils, miso, tamari, roots.

A DIET RICH IN RED CLOVER INFUSION, POMEGRANATES, ROOTS
A DIET RICH IN CABBAGE FAMILY PLANTS, GRAINS, AND BEANS

Sources:
Semi-vegetarian diet.

HIGH DIETARY INTAKE OF CAROTENES

Sources:
Dark leafy greens, orange and yellow produce.

HIGH DIETARY LEVELS OF VITAMIN C COMPLEX

Sources:
Six to eight servings of fruits and vegetables daily.

Reduced by:
Oxidation from washing, heating, aging.

HIGH DIETARY LEVELS OF VITAMIN E

Sources:
Sunflower seeds, freshly ground wheat, freshly pressed oils, olive oil, nut butters, freshly-ground flax seeds.

Reduced by:
Heat, light, time.

HIGH DIETARY LEVELS OF SELENIUM

Sources:
Organically grown garlic, onions, mushrooms.

SUFFICIENT PRODUCTION AND ABSORPTION OF VITAMIN D

Sources:
Sunlight, 10 minutes daily; sardines, tuna.

ADEQUATE LEVELS OF MELATONIN PRODUCTION

Sources:
Darkness, low?calorie diet.

Reduced by:
Adequate levels of melatonin.
Alcohol, beta?blockers, lights on at night, red clover infusion, pomegranates, roots.

REGULAR, SIGNIFICANT EXERCISE THROUGHOUT ONE'S LIFE

Sources:
Active lifestyle, yoga, dance, moving!

Important: Supplemental vitamin C and E are known to promote cancer. Avoid pills. Get nutrients from whole foods, weeds, and herbs.

Breast Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise Woman Way Ó2000, Susun S. Weed

Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081

Visit Susun Weed at: www.susunweed.com and www.ash-tree-publishing.com
For permission to reprint this article, contact us at: susunweed@hvc.rr.com

Vibrant, passionate, and involved, Susun Weed has garnered an international reputation for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings, and writings on health and nutrition. She challenges conventional medical approaches with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicine. Unabashedly pro-woman, her animated and enthusiastic lectures are engaging and often profoundly provocative.

Susun is one of America's best-known authorities on herbal medicine and natural approaches to women's health. Her four best-selling books are recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians and are used and cherished by millions of women around the world. Learn more at www.susunweed.com

The Many Benefits of Meditation by Owen Waters

The hustle and bustle of today's fast-paced world almost makes you want to cry out, "Where can I find some peace and quiet?"

Meditation has become a very popular answer to the need for balance in today's fast-moving society. Meditation was designed primarily for spiritual development, rather than
mental or physical benefits. However, by nourishing the spiritual self, its benefits are then reflected throughout the human mind and body.

Spiritual benefits:

Human beings function on spiritual, mental, emotional and physical levels, with each level impressing the next. Your soul impresses your mind and helps you to choose your beliefs
about reality. These beliefs then channel your thoughts into patterns which fit into that view of reality. Your thoughts feed into your emotions, and your emotions affect the
well-being of your physical form.

It makes sense, therefore, to see that the root of the human
tree, your spiritual self, is given the best possible
nourishment.

Through meditation you contact the most real part of you. This part is the spiritual source which existed before your physical body was formed. Through contact with that reality, the essence of your soul, you become more identified with that inner you. Your inner self is who you really are. Then, you begin to realize more of your potential because you are able to identify what that potential is.

Your soul is the fountain of wisdom within you. It has access to all information in the universe because it is consciously connected to the entire universe. Your soul is your personal connection to Infinite Being.

Through contacting your inner self, you become more aware of your greatest inner joy. When you follow that innermost joy, you consciously resonate with your soul and manifest your true potential in life. This inner resonance enhances yourintuition, making you more capable of choosing the best options in life. This increases the synchronicity in your
life as you have then achieved a natural flow which is more in harmony with the universe around you.

Mental benefits:

Living in the now is a spiritual practice and a habit which requires mental attention. By focusing on the now, you bring inner issues under control. Your belief system says that you cannot change the past, and that you can only change thefuture by acting in the present. It is therefore the "now" which holds the key to effective action. When past-related
regrets or future-related worries are brought into the now, they can be experienced, examined for what they are, and then acted upon.

Meditation is well-known for producing increased mental clarity. Greater concentration and creativity are produced, as well as greater memory. The expression of creativity is one of the great natural joys in life, one which appears more and more as you follow your true path through life.

Emotional benefits:

The more you contact your inner self, the more you understand who you really are. This brings forth a balanced sense of self-esteem, one which relies upon your true self rather than the judgments of others.

Inner strength is awakened. This is a calm and self-assured strength, one which helps you face stress and anxiety with renewed energy and poise.

With stress under control, your capacity for happiness is naturally expanded.

Physical benefits:

Meditation provides a deep form of rest that works wonders for the human nervous system. This increases the human capacity for managing stressful situations and provides a sense of increased energy for handling all aspects of daily living.

Meditation brings the body, mind, emotions and spirit into harmony. Disease is a word meaning "dis-ease," literally a form of discord which reflects from the emotions onto the
physical body. Extensive research projects have produced valid claims for meditation helping control many ailments, including hypertension, anxiety and panic attacks.

With as many benefits as these, it is little wonder that meditation has become such a popular tool in helping people cope with today's fast-paced world.

The Infinite Being Meditation technique is designed for the ultimate in spiritual results, yet it reflects its benefits throughout your entire system, nourishing your mental,
emotional and physical bodies.

Make meditation your daily haven of spirituality in today's noisy world. In no time at all, your morning meditation session will become the highlight of your day.

For a full description of the Infinite Being Meditation technique, visit the InfiniteBeing.com web site or follow this link: http://www.infinitebeing.com/0405/ibmeditation.htm. AOL users click here: <a href="http://www.infinitebeing.com/0405/ibmeditation.htm"> Infinite Being Meditation.</a>

This article was written by Owen Waters, author of
"The Shift: The Revolution in Human Consciousness"

"More spiritual insights for the New Awareness can be found at:
http://www.InfiniteBeing.com"

EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/

Earth Talk Plastic Containers

"Getty Images."

Dear EarthTalk: Dairy products like yogurt always seem to come in packages of low recyclabilty (labeled “5,” which our town won't take). Why aren’t these containers more recyclable? And isn't there a more eco-friendly container these companies could use? -- John Marble, Portland, ME

The ability to recycle a plastic item rests with many factors, including its material, its usability in new products once it has been broken down into its original components, and whether or not a market is in place that can facilitate transactions of the recycled materials from sellers to buyers.

Recycling polypropylene (designated with a “5”), the material used in many food containers, is technically possible. The challenge is in separating it from other plastics, including its own many variations, once it arrives at the waste station and beyond. Because of the difficulty and expense of sorting, collecting, cleaning and reprocessing plastics of all kinds, in many places it is only economically viable to recycle a few select types. These usually include polyethylene terephthalate (PETE, designated with a “1”), high-density polyethylene (HDPE, “2”), and sometimes polyvinyl chloride (PVC, “3”).

According to the Society of the Plastics Industry, polypropylene is a “thermoplastic polymer,” meaning that it has the density and resins that give it a high melting point, enabling it to tolerate hot liquid without breaking down. As such, it is used in a wide range of food packaging applications in which the product initially goes into the container hot or is later microwave heated in the container. It is also used to make bottle caps, computer disks, straws and film packaging. Its toughness, strength, ability to be a barrier to moisture, and resistance to grease, oil and chemicals also make it a very attractive material for many uses.

Environmentally friendly alternatives to polypropylene and other plastics are beginning to be developed, however. NatureWorks, a division of Cargill, has developed a corn-based plastic called polylactic acid (PLA). While it looks and functions like other plastics PLA is fully biodegradable, given that it is derived from plant-based materials. Whether it is composted or landfilled, it will biodegrade into its constituent organic parts, though there are debates as to how long that process takes.

Another pioneering company is Massachusetts-based Metabolix, which has partnered with corporate giant, Archer Daniels Midland, to make corn plastics that the company claims will “biodegrade benignly in a wide range of environments, including marine and wetlands.”

A handful of natural foods companies and retailers, including Newman's Own Organics, Del Monte Fresh Produce and Wild Oats Markets, are already using corn plastic for some of their packaging, though not yet to replace heat-resistant polypropylene. Analysts expect such plant-based alternatives to come on stronger and stronger in the days ahead as petroleum becomes more expensive and more politically unstable. Even Coca-Cola has started experimenting with replacing its traditional plastic soda bottles with a corn-based alternative. And last October, as part of its “green” overhaul, Wal-Mart announced it would replace 114 million plastic produce containers a year with PLA varieties, sparing about 800,000 barrels of oil annually.

CONTACTS: NatureWorks, www.natureworksllc.com; Metabolix, www.metabolix.com ; The Society of the Plastics Industry, www.plasticsindustry.org.

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.
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WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT - This content is presented to you as a free public service of Green Dove and E/
The Environmental Magazine. Support this work - make a donation today!
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MORE FROM E NEWS

COMMENTARY: Greenpeace Proposes an Energy Revolution
The day after President Bush's State of the Union Address, Greenpeace released the findings of its "energy revolution" report, debunking the President's proposals for "clean coal," "safe nuclear power" and a heavy reliance on ethanol. The report, commissioned from the German Aerospace Center, showed that the U.S. could reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 72 percent by 2050 through aggressive federal regulations and investment in renewable energy sources, from wind to solar to biomass power plants. By Brita Belli - http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3588

Top CEOs Call for Federal Action on Climate Change
The chief executives of 10 major U.S. corporations have joined together to call for immediate federal action to combat human-induced global warming, saying that voluntary efforts are inadequate to do the job.
http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3576

Car Free in America
The Alternative is Rail, Buses, Bikes and Just Plain Walking
Our shrunken, financially imperiled Amtrak system is a ghost of the network we tore up in search of modernity and the personal freedom afforded by automobiles. Our rail infrastructure now has half as many miles as existed in 1910. But cities are beginning to rebuild what was lost, turning to light-rail systems, fast ferryboats and dedicated bus corridors. By Jim Motavalli http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3570

Spic and Span
A Greener Approach to Cleaning Products
There's nothing like a cleanser that actually works as advertised, bulldozing through dirt and leaving a surface sparkling clean. But conventional cleaning products can actually leave indoor air polluted with a toxic smog of petrochemical volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and the synthetic fragrances used to mask them. Here are some ingredients to avoid in cleaning products, and safer, simpler alternatives. By Mindy Pennybacker
http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3534

It's Alive!
Yogurt's Health Secret is Live Bacterial Cultures
"Cow's milk yogurt is packed with calcium, protein and Vitamin D," says Althea Zincowski, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. People who are allergic to milk products, or very lactose intolerant, can try a non-milk soy-based yogurt. Most, but not all of the lactose (natural milk sugar) in yogurt is digested by beneficial bacteria, so the majority of lactose-intolerant people can eat yogurt unless they are very sensitive. For a more exotic flavor or animal alternative to cow's milk, there are also goat's milk and sheep's milk yogurts. By Starre Vartan
http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3533

Behind the Label
Processed Foods Serve Up Questionable Additives
Even at the green grocery store, harmful food additives lurk behind innocent-looking labels. Hundreds of shoppers who reached for "Quorn" veggie burgers, for example, became ill with severe vomiting and diarrhea. Others developed hives and had trouble breathing. Government regulators protect the public from harmful food additives much of the time, but there are obvious holes in the system. By Melissa Knopper http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3532

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First of all, everyone agreed, although it feels great to take hot showers, if your skin is dry, cracking and irritated this momentary pleasure can be very damaging. It is recommended that you take brief showers in warm water and cool those temperatures down as much as you can tolerate before getting out and patting your skin dry. Patting helps to avoid further irritation. Once dry apply an emollient rich lotion, or even better (some think) calendula oil or ointment. You can find it in most health food stores. If you are adventurous, this summer consider making your own. Or rub olive oil or some other light oil over your entire body. For additional benefit, if you are not sensitive to fragrances, add a little essential oil of lavender or sandalwood. For more information on the use of herbs and essential oils, you may want to speak with one of the Herbalist or Aromatherapist listed in our directory.

Add a small quantity of shea butter or coconut oil to palm, mix with lotion and apply. Shea butter is also good alone and is not too oily or sticky. Coconut Oil is also soothing, but oily.

Oatmeal Water is very soothing and easy to use after
1. soaking it in warm water, apply the liquid to your skin
2. or take a small cloth bag and fill it with oats and hang over faucet allowing water to flow across the bag
3. and or take an wet oat filled bag, and run it all over your body.

In some instances, you may want to consult a Nutritionist to learn about foods and nutritional supplements that may support your achieving and maintaining healthy skin.

Please send us other ideas you think our readers would enjoy hearing.

IHHN

A blog that chronicles the community engagement project of
The Mystery of Love PBS documentary

The Following Events are presented by Namaste' Sacred Arts and the Community Justice & Mediation Center in partnership with the Independent Production Fund (a New York-based production company who produced the Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell documentary series), Active Voice (a San Francisco-based organization), and The Fetzer Institute's Campaign for Love and Forgiveness.

The Mystery of Love Dialogue Series!

The Bloomington-based "Mystery of Love Project" is coordinated by Namaste' Sacred Arts, in collaboration with the Community Justice & Mediation Center. Bloomington is one of 10 grassroots sites around the country chosen to participate in this innovative national dialogue effort. The Project is a community-based initiative that uses the PBS premiere of the new documentary, The Mystery of Love, as a springboard for conversations about the many forms of love in peoples' lives. The goal of the documentary, as well as the dialogue sessions, is to inspire people to put love into action.

Participants in The Mystery of Love Dialogue Series viewed excerpts of the PBS documentary and used them as launching points for discussion. It has been be an insightful and inspiring time.
To find out where things are with this project -

Please contact Lisa-Marie Napoli (219-9310 or lnapoli@indiana.edu).

ENJOY "The Mystery of Love Night-Out" on Valentine's Day - (this event has been rescheduled due to weather) - Contact sponsor for updates

The public is welcome to attend this free night-out where we will view excerpts of the highly-acclaimed PBS documentary, The Mystery of Love, with musical Interludes (performed by Dena El Saffar, Frances Miller, Tim Moore and others).


Please contact the Community Justice & Mediation Center (336-8677) to register.

Permaculture Activist Magazine Moves to Bloomington, IN

Geoff Lawton, Pc designer, teacher said, "You can fix all the world's problems, in a garden. You can solve them all in a garden. You can solve all your pollution problems, and all your supply line needs in a garden. And most people today actually don't know that, and that makes most people very insecure."

Bill Mollison, co-originator of the Permaculture concept reminds us, "The ultimate end to a growth economy is the same as an analagous growth: cancer. But for national economies, the victims are nature, soils, forests, people, water, and quality of life. There is one, and only one, solution,and we have almost no time to try it.

We must turn all our resources to repairing the natural world,and train all our young people to help.

They want to.

We need to give them this last chance to create forests, soils, clean waters, clean energies, secure communities, stable regions,and to know how to do it from hands-on experience".

Hello!

I'm the coordinator of Alliance for a Post Petroleum Local Economy - Bloomington (APPLE - Bloomington, IN) and the Relocalization Network (http://www.relocalize.net). I am sending you this email to invite you to join a Local Post Carbon Group. Please forward it to friendly people who INTEND to survive and thrive in the challenging times before us. Anyone who breathes is qualified to help (I hate to be limiting but one has to draw the line somewhere...oh, heck, call on your ancestors, too. The more the merrier).

This growing alliance of groups represents an opportunity to blend and strengthen the personal and organizational energies of all those in every locale who love our beautiful blue-green planet.

We are the ones we've been waiting for. It's time.

Together we can do the difficult, but necessary work, of regenerating a BLOOMING culture quickly and, hopefully, gracefully. If the current collection of idiots in Washington (and elsewhere) has done anything at all, it's been to wake a significant number of people out of their lassitude and stupor. Let's not go back to sleep.

More than at any time in the history of the planet, we need people willing to restore the garden, one yard at a time (or even two or three). We can no longer count on the "chains" of supply to meet our REAL needs, but we must be able to count on each other. In every garden lives the promise and pattern for true abundance. More is good. Growth is good. Ask any gardener.

You can see the new website created for our local group at
http://www.relocalize.net/groups/applebloomington

Take a few minutes to read the short story about The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil by Megan Quinn. This will give you a sense of what is required of us. It's fairly simple really.

Or try out Toby Hemenway's article, Seeing the Garden in the Jungle: Beyond Wilderness for a renewed perspective on forests that may remind you of some of the descriptions of Eden, our first garden.

Feeling a bit removed from that original garden? Look into Heather Flores' new book, Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard Into a Garden and Your Neighborhood Into a Community.

If you have a more technical bent, you might enjoy The Lean Economy: A Vision of Civility for a World in Trouble by David Fleming. Be sure to read the section on 'play and fun'. You might learn what it feels like to have not only the courage of your convictions, but the courage of your location.

If that gets your juices flowing, you'll enjoy Designing and Teaching for Change by Peter Bane who informs us that, " Reducing fossil energy consumption worldwide by 90% in the next decade is probably the minimum price of admission to a livable future. The changes the world must make cannot be mandated by any single authority, no matter how powerful, but must rather be adopted by people everywhere from a sense that these are the best approaches we can make toward preserving a livable world. Everyone must have a stake in their success."

Wondering how to tap into your creativity like never before? Here's another hint from Peter Bane's article, "My experience as a teacher of design has shown me what insightful thinkers have also pointed out-that people's potential to solve apparently intractable problems is far greater than we imagine, but, if that capacity is to be realized, people must be given respect, access to information, and a sense of the importance of the job to be done."

If that isn't enough to motivate you, read Between the Ice and Ocean: The Rising Tide by Albert Bates and find out a bit more about "the importance of the job to be done".

I don't know about you, but I need all the help I can get, so, please lend a hand (...or an arm or a leg...or even your WHOLE self). C'mon. Your grandchildren will praise you rather than curse you...and that's a good thing, eh?

Thanks,
Keith Johnson
Permaculture Activist Magazine
PO Box 5516
Bloomington, IN 47408
(812) 335-0383
http://www.permacultureactivist.net
also Patterns for Abundance Design & Consulting
also APPLE-Bloomington (Alliance for a Post-Petroleum Local Economy)
It's a small world after oil.
http://www.relocalize.net/groups/applebloomington
also Bloomington Permaculture Guild

TO TOP

Pets can enjoy the therapeutic effects of aromatherapy as much as humans can. Aside from possibly eliminating bad odors and giving your pet a pleasant perfume, essential oils also serve many practical functions such as boosting your pet's immune system, fighting off bacteria and viruses, preventing the growth of yeasts and molds and repelling insects.

Aromatherapy is used by enthusiasts, groomers and pet salons to treat mild ailments such as skin inflammations, itchy skin ear infections, rashes, bad breath, flatulence and motions sickness. Psychologically, certain oils also have a calming or relaxing effect on animals. For example lavender oil not only helps kitties repel insects but it also makes them feel sleepy or content. Roman chamomile can be used to treat an ear infection as well as soothe the nerves of a dog in pain.

Essential oils are also frequently used as home remedies. However before you attempt to use aromatherapy on your own pets, keep in mind that essential oils are always diluted before they are applied to a pet's skin or sprayed on their coat. Almond oil, olive oil and jojoba oil are common base oils to which a few drops of the essential oil is added. Usually all that is needed is about one ounce of the base oil combined with two to three drops of the essential oil.

Essential oils can also be diluted in a spray bottle and misted onto the pet or the pet's bedding. You can simply dilute a few drops in distilled water or you can use water and a mixture of aloe, witch hazel or cider vinegar. The traditional recommendation is to use 20 to 30 drops of oil per eight ounces of liquid. Any less might not be effective and any more might be toxic to the pet.

Oils can also be diluted in vodka or brandy and dabbed on the bottom of the pet's paws or on an acupressure point such as the tips of the ears. This is the technique to use if you are dealing with a panicky pet. Never feed your pet alcohol or essential oil directly.

Essential oils are also effective flea and tick repellents and are nearly as effective as sprays and powders that contain a lot of toxic chemicals. Oils such as peppermint, citronella, lavender, eucalyptus, lemon, geranium, bay and myrrh have been components of herbal flea sprays and flea collars for many years. You can easily make your own flea and tick spray by combining about 25 drops of any of these oils into eight ounces of water. Shake the mixture well and spray it on your pet, being careful to shield its eyes from mist. This mixture can also be sprayed anywhere that you suspect there may be a breeding bug infestation.

When using essential oils it is also essential for you to remember that a dog or cat's sense of smell is much more acute than our own. Signs that an aromatherapy treatment is too overwhelming for your pet are tearing eyes, sneezing, pacing or whining. Cats may lick themselves excessively and dogs may rub their head on the ground in order to escape the smell. Many pets also have allergies to essential oils. For instance, chamomile is related to the ragweed plant, which is a common allergen for both pets and humans. This is why it is so important to use a mild solution at first and use your powers of observation the first few times you use an essential oil mixture on a pet.

About the Author
Liz Santher is a aromatherapy enthusiast and freelance author.
http://www.AromaTherapySecret.com

(c) 2005 Liz Santher - All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from articlecity.com