The Transforming Energy of Deadman Falls

For years, I have wanted to return and visit Deadman Falls. Finally, a Location Scouting assignment had me venture back up the beautiful Deadman Valley, past wondrous Hoodoos within a colourful landscape.

Listening to the constant noise of water pouring over the cliff while sitting grounded on a rock, I could sense something energizing. I could sense the electricity in the air from the hydro energy of suspended water particles descending rapidly into the chasm. I had this same sensation a few times before when under or very near waterfalls. It is very energizing! Therefore, I decided to rename Deadman Falls to Women Alive Falls!

A friend and I enjoyed the magic and energy of the Waterfall. We found we could easily walk out in low water to sit on a large rock directly above the 200 ft drop of water.

We discussed the shifting of perceptions: such as the duality of danger~anxiety to beauty~peace and the connectedness~separateness (from nature) as we sat on our daring perch. The lessons from observing Dualities teach us and reveal conflicts and struggles within.

Synchronising ourselves within the present moment of any environment can reveal personal myths and allow us to tap into the Power of the Universe! All we need to do is be centred and feel the energy!

No exaggeration~ the Deadman Falls viewing area is rustic and dangerous. The parking areas have tire grooves from 4x4 vehicles. Therefore, I can just imagine the huge mucky mud puddle during wet seasons! Presently the surrounding forest is tinder dry and there are lots of dead wind fallen trees. It is a hazardous time for forest fires.

When we are able to Trust, we can tap into our intuition and experience intimacy with nature. These experiences enhance our Depth Perception by consciously choosing to be 'in the moment’.

 Shapes shift, our perceptions are enhanced, and we notice our senses are acutely aware of

colors, sounds, temperature, smells, and other small nuances.

Do you focus or react?

Can you feel the physiological reactions within your own body?

 This Wisdom of Nature in the external landscape can have a healing or harmful impact on our inner landscape depending on how we choose to perceive. In many situations in life, we can become conscious of the multiple dimensions or choices of how we react to the situations or experiences that we are facing.

We can become aware of our patterns of interaction depending on whether we feel connected or separate from the natural environment that we find ourselves within. (This could even be just a patch of grass or a plant in the room).

My friend Janet Whitehead and I made an Offering of Gratitude to the Nature Spirits of the Chasm.

Janet is a certified Life and Business Coach Extraordinaire.

Her Coaching is available by phone, Skype or in person.

In addition, she is a Creative Muse Group Facilitator.

She has recently published, "The Demise of Noshud Hafta" 2009

 - an empowering storybook illustrated in clay.

As well, her excellent Work (Play) books are for sale and much more!

Janet L. Whitehead http://www.musingsandmud.com/

Janets Blog: http://www.musingalong.wordpress.com/

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“When we look at water in nature it is certainly an element that integrates a lot of things. It is artist, it is landscape architect, it is also in a certain way, engineer. Always water has enough space and time in nature. No matter where we look, our landscapes_ the shapes and forms – are very much influenced by water. Water is the ultimate landscape architect. We always see the borderlands between air and water and the shapes that the water leaves behind such as the wave patterns in sand after the tides have gone out. There is potential creativity in this water. No one snowflake is equal to another. Varied and dynamic, water is always changing. It lives in the beauty and artistry of little details such as a falling raindrop. And when we look at close-ups of water, we see that it is so magic and full of surprises. The magnified structure of water even resembles the early forms of life itself.

-Herbert Dreiseitl Pg xxi, ‘Waterworks’ a Foreword in the book,

‘Deep Immersion~ The Experience of Water’ by Robert Lawrence France PhD 2003.

Apparently, people hike up Deadman’s Creek down from the Valley road. I was told you have to scramble over boulders and watch for falling objects too. However, there are Pictographs at the base of Deadman Falls and other discoveries too!

This photo looks back at the main viewing ledge. The cliff edge is eroding and there is evidence some trees have been removed. (This must have been a rather precarious feat!) The ledge slopes towards the edge, which could trigger Vertigo for some people.It is magnificent to view the Falls despite the limited view without crouching down or clinging to a tree to peer further over the edge. However, this is what keeps British Columbia wild!

Directions: From Kamloops, BC take Hwy 1 west. Just past Savona and up the hill is the turnoff to the right onto Deadman Valley Road. It is mainly well maintained unpaved graded road. The waterfalls are 59.2 kms from the highway. The Deadman Waterfalls are up and beyond the turn off sign to the Vidette Lake Resort and about 5 km and a wee bit. Look for the Orange Pylons on the right hand side of the road.

If you are interested in exploring this beautiful area, follow the link to the Vidette Lake Resort. I have stayed here in the past and certainly enjoyed the quietude and the discovery of the ‘Centre of the Universe’. http://www.videttelake.com. A great fishing resort, for families or individuals looking for nature adventures!

Most of all respect the people and fragile nature of the landscape in the area.

SLOW DOWN ~ We Are Moving Too Fast

(HWY 5A Nicola Valley to Kamloops, BC Sept 2008)
~ I'm back!! I needed to take time to take care of little things in my life~

Recently Chief Shane Gottfriedson stated,

"What’s happening is our ancestors are telling us something”, he said. “By them revealing themselves, they‘re telling us that we have to slow down.".. It’s a fast world we live in and we have to be respectful of things that are happening all around us. “With how fast the world is developing, it’s time that we slow things down and we take care of all the little things in our lives.” (As reported in the Kamloops This Week newspaper in April 2009)

Presently in my region, an expansion of the Trans Canada Highway has come to a standstill. The particular section in question is near Shuswap Lake and locally known as a killer highway. As required, the provincial government must do an archaeological assessment on the land. As a result, remains were discovered of a first nation’s ancestor along with her tools from an estimated 2500 years ago. After First Nation communities discussed the circumstances, it was decided that her remains would be ceremoniously reburied to be left undisturbed.

The ignoring of territorial boundaries, degradation of culture, insults as well as the damage done to First Nation families’ way of life has been deplorable. Sadly, such acts of dominance will possibly continue to play out throughout our Global Community. It may well increase as we live in a rapidly changing world where change and convenience tend to be experienced as a given right, in the name of progress now that we are bumping into each other. Redefining our boundaries will be ongoing and conflict is inevitable since many dominant stories happen to co-exist in various cultures and societies on this planet. Pathetically our lack of understanding, gives way to disrespect. As a Global community, we need to cultivate Tolerance and Curiosity to help us to observe differences respectfully.

I hold deep compassion for the impact past and present societies have imposed on First Nations people and as well as other minorities. So In respect of the wisdom from local native elders, they say, ‘it is time to slow down, be respectful of the things happening around us and take care of the little things in our lives.’ Hhhmm.. maybe this could be a helpful reminder to all drivers on the road.

Therefore, wherever your personal road leads you today, perhaps you will notice times when you are quick to react or judge.

Or perhaps you will slow down with a refreshed sense of curiosity and see things in a new way.

Perhaps just like the river in our valley that has etched out a path of least resistance over thousands of years, maybe we too can find our way in the ever changing landscape as erosion and discovery continues to reveal connections to the past.

Perhaps we may rediscover how to reflect with a sense of curiosity and become inspired by the little things in life as to how to live sustainably with mutual respect for the planet and all our people.

Perhaps you may put yourself in another other person’s shoes or err... moccasins and walk a mile (Km) or two.

This updated music video celebrates life with a sense of ‘funny’ and lightens my day even more. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Feelin' Groovy~ HAPPY SPRING PEOPLE!

Where’s The Beef?

If you are able, look into the dark eyes of this Cow.
Can you imagine how it would feel to gently touch and pet this cow on the bridge of her nose? Can you sense the softness of her hair? Click on the photo for a closer look. She was just as curious about me, as I was about her. Many of her kind are destined to be herded into feedlots and meet a stressful death for our ultimate consumption. What struck me the day I met her, was how peaceful all the cows were.

Consumption of ‘meat products’ removes us from the source of supply. Consider if you will, how many cultures sacredly respect all living beings. Consider the spiritual practices that bless the animal and thank the creator before killing the animal. As well, consider how detached some humans become from killing animals for consumption or trophy.

There is discussion about the impact on our bodies from eating the meat of stressed animals. Such as the amount of hormones etc that circulate through the muscle tissue we call meat. Eating meat is not unnatural.. Mass slaughter is. Spiritually, it is considered negative to take more than you can consume or give away.

Since I met this cow in the above photo a year ago, I do find I have more compassion for my sources of meat and try to choose wisely. I am challenged by the high costs for organic meat. Consuming less really means more to me and really, the output cost is a good investment in the local economy. A few great regional ranches advertise ‘healthy practices’. However, there are also some regional political rules that hinder small operations from processing their own meat products etc. .

Back to connecting with animals ~

I have another video from Liz Mitten Ryan and her relationship to her newest friend on her ranch. I loved watching her Bull run playfully around her and soak up the loving attention of a good brushing!

Wooly Bully from Liz Mitten Ryan on Vimeo

“ We as humans suffer from an insidious malaise that is growing like a cancer throughout our species and our world. Natural System Dysfunction (NSD) is a direct result of our alienation from our natural, life-giving relationship to our source—the source of all creation and the sustenance that feeds all life. The more we distance ourselves from our natural state, the more dangerous and fragile our tenuous hold on life becomes. To avoid sounding as unintelligent as the average human being who says “Speak louder, I don’t understand your language,” the solution to NSD lies in our ability to listen to the language of nature—a language beyond words. It speaks softly, but with wisdom, instantly remembered as absolute truth, both for the individual and for the whole as one united symbiotic system and greater being. This is what the animals call the ALL (God).
Pg 23 from Sabbatical. . . resting in the power of “isness -Liz Mitten Ryan 2008
(A sabbatical is usually defined as a break or a rest from work.)

I continue to eat meat and this is not a platform to reform meat eaters. I am choosing to include a link to a graphic video that may be offensive to some members of your family. Viewer discretion is advised.

Before you choose to watch this video or any similar videos, I encourage you to consider a mindfulness activity in your choice of spiritual practise or worship. If nothing else, one idea can be to preplan a soothing activity that blesses the animals, their spirits and yourself. As well, possibly express forgiveness for the people who carry out these practises without compassion.

Maybe you will choose to light a candle and say a few words to simply release the disturbing images from your mind. Or, open the door and/or turn on the ceiling fan and let the wind in to clear the negative energy.

The healing intention of Ecopsychology is to consider spending time focused on something in nature. Such as a plant, a tree, your pet, a sunset, step outside and listen to the wind, rain, and Breathe. The point is to notice what happens for you as you do this. It may be subtle or quite profound. Notice... feel... sense

~ After that moment or experience of focusing on something that attracts your attention from nature, notice the difference in your surroundings, or the feel within your body and what is happening in your conscious brain. Perhaps you can describe it simply. However, the point is not to intellectualize the experience.

Warning: The following video may be offensive to some members of your family. Viewer discretion is advised. The PETA website is a great animal advocate website. The videos contain graphic images of the treatment of animals.

Follow the link to the Peta website and look for the ‘Meet your Meat‘ video at the bottom of the webpage. http://www.petatv.com/

Disturbing energy needs to be released in a healing way. Indifference leads to apathy and is destructive. Listen to your intuition and channel the energy into some action or ritual that brings healing and spreads compassion.

Having said all that, if you are not the least bit attracted to view the video..just follow what you are naturally attracted to follow!! ;0)

Feel free to leave your comments about your experiences or reactions.

Seeing Our Reflection In Nature

Last year I had the opportunity to watch the same Flicker Woodpecker (I believe) repeatedly perch on the school windowsill and peer at the tree as seen in the reflection of the tinted window. (Is the grass greener on the other side?) The Flickers compete with the Starlings for nesting space in the trees along the school. By October, I really wondered if he had figured it out?

The population of Flickers has increased in my neighbourhood as the Pine forests surrounding my area of town have been removed or no longer contain food. The forests in the Interior of British Columbia have changed dramatically due to Pine Beetle killing off the grand Pine Trees. Apparently,Pine Trees can live to be up to 700 years old. The older trees are more resilient. It is the trees under 100 years old that are most vulnerable. The trees affected by Pine Beetles rot quickly at the base and become a hazard and snap off quickly. This year the Spruce Bud Worm is a threat attacking the Spruce Trees. As well our forests are tinder dry and this increases the risk for wild fires.

Perhaps you have heard the Flicker Wake Up call on top of your home

Below David Attenborough presents the amazing Lyre bird, which mimics the calls of other birds - and chainsaws and camera shutters -in this video clip from The Life of Birds from BBC

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Some words to reflect upon~

"When the perception of time is altered using the body's own processes, there is nearly always an increase in environmental awareness. We slow down enough to notice the space between leaves, to become poetic, lyrical, and multidimensional in our comprehension of the world around us. If we limit the availability of this quality time we engender a speediness of mind that can turn against and destroy its own world."

pg 67 Navigating The Tides Of Change ~ Stories From Science, The Sacred, and a Wise Planet, 2001 by David LaChapelle

How would you invite periods of timelessness into daily life?

The Intrinsic Value of All Species and Nature

(Overlooking Kamloops to the left, which continues to decend into the valley)

A few years ago, I met a horse that intrigued me and I never forgot the experience. I sensed this horse spent quality time with people and was very healthy. But it was more than that. I just sensed a deeper connection with this horse. The horse was interested in me, but not looking for handouts. At that point, I started talking to the horse, or more questioning what she trying to communicate silently to me. You probably know the sense, when eye contact is comfortable, gazes are suspended, and words are not needed. The experience is something that words cannot describe adequately.

Fast forward a few years to when I was out Christmas shopping in a country living store that sold everything from salt licks to expensive art. I was there to see Robert Bateman and his nature artwork. However, a video and the artist promoting her new book about her horses magnetically drew me. It was lovely to meet her and realise she lived in the Nicola Valley close to Kamloops. In fact, the horse I met a few summers ago was probably one of hers! Therefore, I bought two books, one for a friend, and one for myself.

Liz Mitten Ryan is an artist and caretaker for a herd of horses based on a relationship of trust and respect. Therefore, with great pleasure I encourage you to view her video and visit her website for a gentle message celebrating the intrinsic value of all living creatures.

www.lizmittenryan.com

for more information, videos and workshops being held this summer.

“I think the strongest bond we share is the total absence of fear. We love and accept each other, and there is a solid trust in that relationship. There are many exciting things to explore, but I think that the anchor of the relationship is that we are learning together. I know that there is a need to guide and to educate a young horse, but I like to regard that need as flexible, and mutually rewarding. After all, we are journeying together as one in the family of spirit."

Pg 43- Liz Mitten Ryan, One With The Herd ~ A Spiritual Journey 2007

Satish Kumar on Deep Ecology -The Intrinsic Value...

"We have come a long way my friend, through uncertainty, confusion, misinterpretation; carried by the wings of love to a far greater understanding than we could ever have believed. Imagine a world where all minds are joined in the quest for greater understanding. You and I can change the world, one mind at a time. Imagine!"
- Prima (Premiere Edition) Speaking for the herd pg 205

Perhaps you have felt a deep connection to an animal or bird, pet or the land.

How would you describe that feeling?

Are there special ways that you express gratitude for these deepened relationships?

Sustainable Communities For All

I went for a drive one morning as the fog burned off, searching for signs of Spring. I drove along the South Thompson River near Kamloops. The snow is melting faster along the valley bottom where the southern Sun touches down. I saw several Ravens, Eagles, Crows, and Swans. The Cows were calving and the Mountain Sheep were sunning on the cliffs of the Benchlands.

Thomas Berry in his book ‘The Dream of the Earth’ from 1988 discusses:
“The most difficult transition to make is from an anthropocentric (human chauvinism) to a biocentric norm of progress. If there is to be any true progress, then the entire life community must progress. Any progress of the human at the expense of the larger life community must ultimately lead to a diminishment of human life itself. A degraded habitat will produce degraded humans. An enhanced habitat supports an elevated mode of the human. This is evident not only in the economic order, but also throughout the entire range of human affairs. The splendor of the earth is in the variety of its land and its seas, its life forms and its atmospheric phenomena; these constitute in color and sound and movement that great symphonic context which has inspired our sense of the divine, given us our emotional and imaginative powers, and evoked from us those entrancing insights that have governed our more sublime moments.” Pg 165

"The solution is simply for us as humans to join the earth community as participating members to foster the progress and prosperity of the bioregional communities to which we belong. A bioregion is an identifiable geographical area of interacting life systems that is relatively self- sustaining in the ever-renewing processes of nature. The full diversity of life functions is carried out, not as individuals or as species, or even as organic beings, but as a community that includes the physical as well as the organic components of the region. Such a bioregion is a self-propagating, self-nurturing, self-educating, self-governing, self-healing, and self-fulfilling community. Each of the component life systems must integrate its own functioning within this community to survive in any effective manner." pg 166

Can you see the herd of Sheep above on the hillside and Cows below?

Thomas Berry states,

“Of primary importance in North America is identifying the various bioregions. To do that requires sensitivity akin to that of the shamanic personality of tribal peoples. While bioregions have certain geographic boundaries, they also have certain mythic and historical modes of self-identification. This identification depends on ourselves as we participate in this process, which only now we begin to understand and appreciate.” pg 170

The local Bighorn Sheep come from herds reintroduced from California. They cross the road to get down to the river. As well, their old calving ravines along the hillside are now groomed into a Golf Course and Lifestyle Resort.

Global human chauvinism continues to be politically overlooked

at this crucial time as our economy is in crisis.

What more can we do to not allow this to perpetuate

for the sake of the current economy?

If we can raise the social consciousness towards equality of gender or race of human beings such as in the past 50 years, how can we raise the social consciousness for equality all species and bioregions as we struggle to overcome economic instability?

Can we afford not to?

A Journey Through Presence

A Journey Through Presence

For a week in January, I travelled the same country road in the Kamloops area. It is called Rose Hill Road, and it wanders through grasslands, and then through forests before it descends into river valley. I like this road for its quietude, wildlife and landscape. My awareness becomes acute to the subtleties of nature and I relax and revel in simple discoveries.

My journey is a great way to let go and “become presence” as described by David Abram in his book, ‘The Spell of the Sensuous’. David Abram explores the research of time and space by past phenomenologists and the lack of distinction of time and space according to indigenous cultures.

David Abram wrote,
“When I allow the past and future to dissolve, imaginatively, into the immediacy of the present moment, then the “present” itself expands to become an enveloping field of presence. And this presence, vibrant and alive, spontaneously assumes the precise shape and contour of the enveloping sensory landscape, as though this were its native shape! It is this remarkable fit between temporal concept (the “present”) and spatial precept ( the enveloping presence of the land) that accounts, I believe, for the relatively stable and solid nature of this experience, and that prompts me to wonder whether “time “and “space” are really as distinct as I was taught to believe? " pg 203- 204

Abram states,

“The sensorial landscape, in other words, not only opens onto that distant future waiting beyond the horizon but also onto a near future, onto an imminent field of possibilities waiting behind each tree, behind each stone, behind each leaf from whence a spider may at any moment come crawling into our awareness. And this living terrain is supported not only by that more settled or sedimented past under the ground, but by an imminent past resting inside each tree, within each blade of grass, within the very muscles and cells of our own bodies. " Pg 215

As well,

“It is evident, however, that when our awareness of time is joined with our awareness of space, space itself is transformed. Space is no longer experienced as a homogeneous void, but reveals itself as this vast and richly textured field in which we are corporeally immersed, this vibrant expanse structured by both a ground and a horizon. It is precisely the ground and the horizon that transform abstract space into space-time. And these characteristics—the ground and the horizon—are granted to us only by the earth. Thus, when we let time and space blend into a unified space-time, we rediscover the enveloping earth. " Pg 216

“It would seem, then, that the conceptual separation of time and space—the literate distinction between a linear, progressive time and a homogeneous, featureless space- functions to eclipse the enveloping earth from human awareness. As long as we structure our lives according to assumed parameters of a static space and a rectilinear time, we will be able to ignore, or overlook, our thorough dependence upon the earth around us. Only when space and time are reconciled into a single, unified field of phenomena does the encompassing earth become evident, once again, in all its power and its depth, as the very ground and horizon of all our knowing.” Pg217

The Spell Of The Sensuous by David Abram 1996

In what ways can we mindfully blend or integrate

“presence” wherever we may be or doing today

in the office, car, housework or while just waiting?

When you experience “presence” what do, you notice?

The Reciprocity of Nature

The Reciprocity of Nature

I walked in darkness towards the waning full moon. As every morning except Sundays, I wake and must get out the door by 6:30 am to deliver newspapers on my street. I choose to do this for exercise, as it is only 21 papers, except for 40 twice a week.

In the winter darkness, my thoughts are more of a slumbering trance. This morning my worries were spewing out and I walked right by one of my customers and I would have to stop there on my way back. When the slumbering trance persists, I have to become a conscious witness to my train of thought and pull myself back into the present moment. First for safety to notice the icy patches and as well as to make sure I deliver the papers properly. I slipped into the slumber trance again, so I decided to give myself until the end of the block to release my concerns in the moonlight.

Then as I turned around to head back home, I decided to do a mindfulness activity with my physical surroundings. The quickest way to begin is to focus on my breathing as I notice whatever attracts my attention in nature. The silhouette of the mountains and hills promised a clear sky in the east as the stars dimmed.

I decided to focus on the neighbourhood tree silhouettes and sense their aliveness despite their dormancy. I imagined their root systems to complete my awareness of their growing and lively energy. This mindfulness vision is interesting because it somehow excites my brain and then I have to turn off the mind chatter and stay focused on just the visual sense of the root systems. This makes me sense gravity and I feel grounded and connected to my neighbourhood. Sensing the roots feels mysterious and makes me aware that the shape of tree above and below is balanced. I feel more connected to the moment and the slumbering thoughts have shifted and left.

Soon I will be done with these dark insular winter walks. Then as the daylight comes earlier, I look forward to the sun rising and spilling glorious sunshine into my eyes! With this, the earth seems to awaken and there is visible growth to notice.

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Two of Eight principles of Ecopsychology

as described by Theodore Roszak are ;

3.“Just as it has been the goal of previous therapies to recover the repressed contents of the unconscious, so the goal of ecopsychology is to awaken the inherent sense of environmental reciprocity that lies within the ecological unconscious. Other therapies seek to heal the alienation between person and person, person and family, person and society. Ecopsychology seeks to heal the more fundamental alienation between the person and the natural environment.”

Another principal is;

8.“Ecopsychology holds that there is a synergistic interplay between planetary and personal well-being. The term”synergy” is chosen deliberately for its traditional theological connotation, which once taught that the human and divine are cooperatively linked in the quest for salvation. The contemporary ecological translation of the term might be: the needs of the planet are the needs of the person, the rights of the person are the rights of the planet.”

Pg320 &321 by Theodore Roszak in his book, ‘The Voice Of The Earth’ 1992 &2001

Hidden Harmony ~ The Sacredness of the Forest

“The mind is more comfortable in a landscaped park because it has been planned through thought; it has not grown organically. There is an order here that the mind can understand. In the forest, there is an incomprehensible order that to the mind looks like chaos. It is beyond the mental categories of good and bad. You cannot understand it through thought, but you can sense it when you let go of thought become still and alert and don’t try to understand or explain. Only then can you be aware of the sacredness of the forest. As soon as you sense that hidden harmony, that sacredness, you realize you are not separate from it, and when you realize that, you become a conscious participant in it. In this way, nature can help you become realigned with the wholeness of life.”

Eckhart Tolle ~ Oneness With All Life Treasury Edition – Inspirational Selections from A New Earth 2008

Is there a special place where you can let go

and become still and alert to feel

a sense of connection to nature?

Perhaps it is not a forest.

Perhaps it that same sense of stillness

and heightened awareness

when you pause to look at flowers or rocks.

What are you naturally attracted to?

Seeing Through the Fog

"Although by now the twenty-first-century mind should be well aware of the interdependent links between earth degradation and widespread depression, our behavior has not yet caught up to our awareness. In a fog, in a hurry, and apparently in a hungry search for purpose, we continue to consume dwindling resources in the form of plastic paraphernalia, marketplace fashion, and endless other artificial and personal prescriptions for life. This is psychic numbing, denial, alienation, and depression wrapped into a single package, a single pattern of unintentional and unconscious misbehavior~ a pattern we might call overconsumption or addiction. Most insidious, this effect is cumulative, leaving us increasingly blind, autistic, and misguided in a self-perpetuating geography of human invention, a shiny and seductive world of mirrors. Saddest of all, we have forgotten that we have forgotten. We are too far from the richness of sensory, sensual experience to remember, much less taste, what it means to be fully awakened and engaged. We no longer know what a depth of sensory awareness is. The outcome of our forgetting is a sleepy, comfortable denial of our loss."

- Pg 70 from 'Sight and Sensibility - The Ecopsychology of Perception',by Laura Sewall,Ph.D. 1999

"To limit our faith to the visible facts is to call our world a done deal- no mysteries left, no revelations to be discovered. Our recovery must weave the unseen realm of psyche into the material moment, restoring our faith in the embodied irrational, the blush and subtlety of maybe, the meaning of mythic. The mystery of mind must be called into the light of day, unabashedly rejoined with the visible world- which without our gift of imagination is too easily reduced to stuff, nonrelational and ultimately uninteresting. Recovery must begin with noticing what's truly there, with looking into and between, with revealing what has been left unseen, and with an offering of wonder and imagination."

-Pg 93-94 'Sight and Sensibility - The Ecopsychology of Perception',by Laura Sewall,Ph.D. 1999

What if all levels of our Governments created a 'Ministry for Sensory Awareness', how might this impact our Local and Global Economies?

Consumption

CONSUMPTION

In 1990, my environmental awareness was motivated by fear for my childs’ future global home and playground. That year the New Year headlines focused on the environmental trash problems.

Living in a small farming community in southwestern Ontario, environmental values such as mine were a rarity. I started saving recyclable garbage first to reuse in art projects with preschool and school aged children. Then word travelled about a small recycling effort on the outskirts of town. The solidarity I felt at this makeshift depot was a silent and a solitary task. The sight of the amount of potential reusable or useless packaging was thought provoking and concerning since the local waste disposal was not economically geared to recycling. I stuck to my values and knew that society first has to get uncomfortable with ideas and needs concrete evidence before making the choice to change behaviours.

One thing I knew I could control was the Styrofoam used in my potential purchases. It was easy to boycott MacDonald’s hamburgers contained in Styrofoam boxes. My young son and I unwrapped vegetables on Styrofoam trays in the grocery stores. I spoke out at the Nursery School Board Meeting about the use of Styrofoam cups used at snack time. It challenged me to make constant decisions when purchasing products.

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It is known that personal action is merely a drop in the bucket. It takes society putting social pressure on corporate business to entrepreneurships to adapt and create new ways in our economy’s’ supply of basic needs, recreation and comforts.

So how far have we come personally or as a North American society in 20 years? In 2009, I see we still need to focus on the impact of our consumer behaviour. We buy stuff, throw it out, then buy stuff, and throw it out.

The Story of Stuff


Have you ever visited a Garbage Dump just to notice what is there?

A dump is literally an archaeological deposit recording the culture of the society. This spring I made a visit to my local dump. Through the eye of my camera, I captured sombre looking photos. Finally I ended up shooting mainly interesting abstract patterns within the recyclable metal heap which constisted of everything from broken stoves to childrens bicycles.

I am far more excited about Artist Chris Jordan who really captures the essence of STUFF. So therefore I would much rather refer you to his Art as he has mastered the art of making garbage visually interesting. Chris expresses hope for his photographs to stimulate a kind of cultural self-inquiry into our pervasive consumerism.

The link to his collection of fascinating photographic art http://www.chrisjordan.com/

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A 'PLASTIC SOUP' OF WASTE FLOATING IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN?

"A 'plastic soup' of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said. The vast expanse of debris - in effect the world's largest rubbish dump - is held in place by swirling underwater currents. This drifting "soup" stretches from about 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan.

Charles Moore, an American oceanographer who discovered the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" or "trash vortex", believes that about 100 million tons of flotsam are circulating in the region. Marcus Eriksen, a research director of the US-based Algalita Marine Research Foundation, which Mr Moore founded, said yesterday: "The original idea that people had was that it was an island of plastic garbage that you could almost walk on. It is not quite like that. It is almost like a plastic soup. It is endless for an area that is maybe twice the e size as continental United States."
-Published on Tuesday, February 5, 2008 by The Independent/UK -The World's Rubbish Dump: A Garbage Tip That Stretches From Hawaii to Japan' by Kathy Marks and Daniel Howden


Human Impact: Synthetic Sea "Plastic In The Open Ocean"




OCEANS OF PLASTIC - FROM 'TURNING THE TIDES'


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I have held a strong admiration for Children’s Entertainer and Child Advocate, Raffi Cavoukian since 1990 when I needed to create an Early Childhood Curriculum as a course requirement. It was Raffi’s music from ‘Evergreen Everblue’ that kept me focused on my choice of assignment and deepened my passion for conscious environmental awareness.

The core value at the heart of Raffi’s musical career and child honouring has been respect for the child as a whole person. He does not accept offers to do commercial endorsements believing it is wrong to use ones popularity to sell products to a vulnerable audience.

Raffi poses the question,

“Do we lack the imagination to conceive of a society that respects its young, one that would therefore embrace an honourable protocol for commerce?


Raffi stated in his news article in 200o titled,

‘Yes, We Have No Advertising’ –
"We live in a time that many of the world's brightest minds regard as "condition critical" for the Earth and the life-support systems that sustain us. Now is the hour to put children first, to safeguard their lives (and ours) by creating a new code for commerce, and to fundamentally redesign relations between society's public and private sectors. It's a time for corporate humility and compassion. Corporate shareholders and CEOs must realize that all of us hold shares in a much greater venture -- our collective future on Earth -- and that the economic values we choose to support will largely determine the legacy we leave for generations to come. "
- The Globe and Mail Toronto, Ont--Friday, June 9, 2000

The following link to Raffi’s site contains two songs that speak to my heart from a Sustainability and Humanitarian perspective, since the news currently focuses on the War in Gaza with photos of injured children and adults as well injury to the environment . How can this not affect our connection to home, the land and environment?



http://www.raffinews.com/news/2006-08-01-songs-for-peace

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What has come to light is that ‘fear based’ motivation has only led to society toward pointing the finger elsewhere, raising anxieties that end up in exhausting indifferences, apathy and general disconnection from nature itself. When we have a healthy attachment/connection to our homes, communities, land and country, we as a society are more likely to make choices based on love, respect, and attachment for our environments.

Ecophilospher, Joanna Macy reminds us that when times are dark and filled with suffering and uncertainty, it is natural to feel the trauma of the world. So do not be afraid of our anguish, or our anger or fear, as these feelings come from the depth of our caring. Remember we are all interconnected and to suffer with, is the literal meaning of compassion. Denial of these emotions lead to apathy and disempowerment.
~Breathe ~

So back to a simple action in daily life to reduce consumption as a consumer ...what can I do?

For years, I have avoided my cloth grocery bags. In 2008 I discovered how much easier it is with cloth bags to pack my groceries into the car and house. Habits die-hard ...sometimes!
This year I will consciously decide how much ‘packaging’ I will ’buy into’. So now, if I need to enter a department store, I will tie my cloth bag to my purse and search for products with minimal packaging.

This is my 2009 challenge. Care to join me?


I also want to mention a story that was on the front page of my city newspaper this morning. Called ‘A Year of Nothing New’ and it highlights Amber Westfall’s Blog named, ‘Unstuffed’. Amber just spent the past year blogging about her challenge to not to buy anything new a whole year – nothing new, except for necessities, with some used items allowed.

Check out her challenges and success! You may find some ideas to inspire you!

http://www.unstuff.blogspot.com/