Our entire enculturation over the last several generations has been

to train us to satisfy the needs of a gigantic, all-encompassing,

capitalist-corporate-commercial machine.  From birth, our children

are trained to be "consumers" rather than citizens and the whole

of our education is based on the service of this corporate model.

We’ve all stood by and watched as capitalism has gunned down

democracy.

For years we’ve been encouraged to measure our success or

failure as people, according to our “net worth”, figures on a piece

of paper, or by the size, number and value of our “toys”—until now

we have reached a place where we are faced with a transformation

of the planet itself.  The planet and its chemistry is being altered 

in such a way that current life forms are no longer viable.

What blockages in our own thought systems or worldviews lead 

us not to pay attention to the state of our own habitat?

Nothing would seem more important and yet our consciousness

became so distracted by materialism and other ways of social

development that we deemed  these to be more important.

Let us be clear, we are not just passing into another historical

period, we’re changing the very chemistry of the planet, changing 

the bio-systems, changing the geo-systems of the planet—we are

terminating the last sixty-five million years of life development.

We are at a time of new beginnings and one of the difficulties as

we begin this process may be in convincing ourselves, after all

these lifetimes, that what we thought was important, really

isn’t.  Many of our friends and even family may disagree

with our new path, but how futile has been all our haste and

anxiety to date?

It can be frightening and unnerving to watch all we know 

breaking down around us, but the beginning of any solution

starts with a recognition of the problem, and today, in huge

numbers, people are truly seeing that no matter how hard we

tried, or how much of our personal lives and our health we

sacrificed to the machine, we have never been able to buy or

build our way to happiness.

The natural resources of any country are the sovereign property 

of all of its people, but 

--last year 700,000 children went hungry in the United States 

--the Department of Agriculture's report on Food Security shows

that 36.2 million American adults and children, struggled with

hunger in 2007 

--for thirty years wages in the US have been stagnant (wages

have, in real terms, fallen since 1973) 

--the bottom 90% of Americans hold only 4% of the countries

wealth     

--as state unemployment funds are becoming insolvent, the top

executives of the companies that have benefitted from this 

"bailout" (that might be called the Bush administrations last

pillage of the American people) are still receiving their lavish 

compensation packages. 

It does not take a genius to see that there is clearly something

wrong with this picture.  "Keeping up with the Joneses", that dirty

little driver no one ever wanted to admit to, has lost its glow, and

yet we are still being encouraged, on many levels, by many 

sources, to "buy into the American dream" of having more. 

Keep buying, keep buying we are told.  Most of us already have

far more than we need, and in fact, looking more deeply from

a larger perspective, more than we deserve. 

Not only to America's resources belong to all of us, Africa's    

 resources belong equally to its people.

The resources of the Middle East belong equally to its people,

and on and on......

We are stepping onto the path of healing and there is much

healing (to “make whole”) that must happen.

In this transition we are not giving up something of value to gain  

something that is less. We are in fact, giving up a way of life that

has not brought us happiness (lots of high blood pressure and

ill-health though), for a life that can bring happiness for all.

The decisions we make and the steps we take now will determine

our legacy.  Will future generations regard this as a barbaric time

where people were criminally negligent; when entire species were

being wiped out?–along with our oceans and air?

How will we examine ourselves?

What criteria will be used to judge us?

Will we look back at the human journey through all of the suffering

and see that it was a learning experience to bring us to Wholeness?

Are we beginning to see that what we buy makes us complicit in

the crimes committed against the environment, as well as morally,

in the production of these things?

The movie “Blood Diamonds” brought us awareness of the

violence committed to supply those stones.

Are you aware of the rise in child slave labor?  Many of these

children are being used to break up the rock we use in building

and decorating the new homes many of us have built, or dream 

of building, or those stones with which we adorn our bodies.

The media is more interested in selling our eyeballs to the

highest bidding advertiser than in bringing us the truth. Beware

this very media that beats the drums to war.  Its major

advertisers are many of the biggest players in the

military-industrial complex.  There are alternatives.  We have

access to independent media both online and on TV that

gives us less biased information and allows us to make

better choices.  We are responsible for educating ourselves.

Clearly it is important to have a home and to have a car

(but not a Hummer:>), but you must know that if every human

being on the planet had these things, the entire planet would go

down. It is time for us to realize as well, that it is our very

lifestyles, here in the West that are the root cause of much of 

the violence in the world today.

Who are we that we deserve to destroy the only home that

belongs to all of us? Who are we that we feel deserving to use

some 40% of the entire worlds resources for a minimal

percentage of global population?

We must, as part of our own healing, begin to revise our notions

of what amounts of energy can be expended for every person on

the planet.

And lest you think it can’t be done, let me remind you that we,

in the US, use approximately twice the amount of energy per

capita as one living in Scandinavia and other parts of Europe.

Knowledge is indeed power, and we are all responsible for

educating ourselves and for making decisions that will

enable all people to have respect and to live a sustainable

life.  With awareness comes responsibility.

Healing ourselves and consequently each other and the world of

which we are one part, begins here, within each of us. We are

each and every one a part of the process that we call Life.

If we are to survive, we need to re-imagine, to reinvent the

human.  Together we are all learning new ways to live in the

system, with a new economic model as we come to

understand that our present market system is at the heart of

the destruction.

Perhaps you feel as I did, isolated. I used to feel alone in my

thoughts and values. I used to be afraid that my own personal

“knowing” about our cultural norms and values might be wrong.

Perhaps my ideals about sharing and caring, the place of money

within society and our basic value as human beings, was just

some mythical, mystical hooey. But now, I am thrilled! 

Science, yes that mighty god of the analytical mind (much

like my own), has proven that what we've known in our

hearts to be true and that which the sages have taught, 

has been true all along.

We are composed of the same essential ingredients and

materials as the stars. We are made of stardust.

There is no future for human children if there's no future for the

children of all other life-forms.

It may have taken a crisis, but the facade we've lived in is quickly

falling away.  

We have changed the government and now we must change

the people.  The people have all the power. 

We discuss Obama’s transition team without realizing that 

we are it.

We hired him, it’s our job to direct him. 

We just need to be reminded that we have the power and to 

help each other pick it up.

Despair is dissipated by actions taken by citizens. When we’re in

control we’re not victims.

We can do these things if we commit to it together.  We have at

our disposal all the tools and knowledge that we need.  Be 

careful of smooth transitions.  If you want change you're going 

to hit rocky roads and bumps along the way.  

We can use this crisis to expand democracy.

I often like to say that Democracy is not a spectator sport.

Disaster Capitalism has had the reins for far too long (not just

the past eight years)!

There are simple answers to these questions! One easy step

we can begin today is to lessen our attachments to our

desires and material goods, to understand that in our current

culture our dollars speak more loudly than words to the

powers-that-be.

Instead of hating the people you think are war-mongers, hate the

appetites and disorder in your own soul which are the causes of

war.

If you love peace, then hate injustice, hate tyranny, hate greed, 

but hate these things in yourself, not in another.

Begin to make change in the only place we can–within

ourselves, and then allow those renewed values and ideals to

radiate outward with a different set of behaviors into the

world.

Every dollar we spend is a vote for that product and how it

has been manufactured.  If you are against child labour and

sweat shops, quit supporting the outlets that supply those

products.  If you want better food, support local farmers.  If

you want less dependence on foreign oil, and less CO2

emissions, drive less and buy locally.

It's time to step up to the plate, to be the changes we want

to see.  We must get everyone in this country to come to

recognize the place we are in and to work together to make

the changes we need to make NOW.

Circumstances have aligned in this moment of grace to give

us this window of opportunity.......

 

I've heard that there is a group gathering to "smudge" the

White House before the Obama's move in.  If you're in the

Washington area, please do me a favour and join in:>)

Sandi

Below is a link for a free destress kit that Doc Childre, founder of

Heartmath has given to all of us to help in these challenging

times.  Please take advantage of his offer!!

www.heartmath.com/destresskit

I am truly sorry for not getting this post out to you sooner, but I

bet that some of you (lots I hope), are way ahead of me on this

one.  Below is from a newsletter from John Perkins (Economic Hit

Man) organization, Dreamchange.org.

It isn't only important at Christmas, it's important all year round.

If we truly want change we must participate.  One of the ways

we can participate that the corporate/capitalist/commercial

machine really understands is to speak with our dollars.

Read, enjoy and practice!!

Dear Friends

The new year will be a truly momentous one. Economic crises. New US

president. Radically changing world. You are an essential agent of

change.

Lets keep in mind the following:

For the first time in history

- every sentient being is experiencing the same crises of global

warming, economic trauma, diminishing resources, vanishing species,

violence due to desperation

- we are all communicating with each other through the internet and

cell phones

- less than 5% of the worlds population lives in the US and

consumes more than 25% of the planets resources

- geopolitics is controlled by those who run the biggest corporations

(the corporatocracy); governments serve as their vehicles, not the

other way around

- corporations are totally dependent on us to buy their goods and

services

- we the people, the consumers, hold the power to determine which

corporations will succeed and which will fail; the marketplace is

democratic if we choose to see it as such

After Obamas election, I received emails from around the world

congratulating the US for having the ability to change so rapidly:

from a conservative White Republican 4 years ago to a liberal Black

Democrat. Many reminded me that Obama keeps emphasizing that there are

great challenges ahead and we all must work for change.

We All Must Work for Change!

As you do your holiday shopping realize that every time you buy

something (or decide not to) you are casting a vote. It you do not

purchase goods made in sweat shops, there will be no more sweat shops

 

(or the current ones will be turned into legitimate factories where

workers receive fair wages, health care, and retirement pensions).

When you refuse to buy from companies like Nike because they use sweat

shops, send them an email telling them so. Check out

www.sweatfree.org/shoppingguide and let those companies know why you

patronize them. Little steps like that will change the world. Seem

simple? It is  in principle. But you MUST participate.

Every indigenous culture tells us that we are entering a period with

the potential for changing human consciousness, for creating a

sustainable, just, and peaceful world. But it will not be automatic.

We must make it happen.

You must commit yourself to change!

Seasons Greetings. Happy New Year!

With love,

John

John

John Perkins

New York Times Bestselling Author:

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

The Secret History of the American Empire

www.JohnPerkins.org

www.DreamChange.org

I urge you all to take up this call.  We the people, have all

the power.  We just need to be reminded that we do and

we need to help each other to pick up this mantle of power

and use it for the benefit of all.

We can do this.

Sandi

...and a ho ho ho, Merry Christmas, happy holidays of all

kinds and even happy non-holiday to all!! 

Today times are tough, in varying degrees, for all of us.  It can

feel like it's impossible to see beyond the difficulties directly in

front of us.  But without seeing the bigger picture, it's impossible

to forge a path to something better, or to see the evolving nature

of life.

I think of the changes my Father saw in his lifetime.  He was

buried on his 93rd birthday this past April.  When he was born we

weren't aware that we were able to, or about to begin destroying

the planet at an unheard of rate.  We hadn't yet begun to

routinely add poisons to our food, air and water.  During his

lifetime we became able to travel quite easily to distant lands to

see those mighty creatures and societies that were foreign to us.

There were still a number of tribes of peoples untouched by our

cultures.  We think of these things as "progress".  They might

also be considered our "evolution"--because they are.

Evolution.  It seems such a huge concept, ungraspable, but what

is it really?  Webster's says it's "a process of change in a certain

direction; unfolding".  Are we changing in a certain direction? 

What direction is that?  The dictionary also says it is "a process

of continuous change from a lower, simpler, or worse (?) to a

higher, more complex or better (?) state".  Well, some of us

might say that's questionable.  How about "a process of gradual

and relatively peaceful social, political, and economic advance,

the process of working out or developing".  Wow, "economic

advance"?  Haven't we just been watching as capitalism gunned

down Democracy?

Why does it matter?  Evolution sounds like something out of our

control.  Recently we've been inundated with teachers promoting

the "Law of Attraction" and how we can all create the wealth and

abundance and lives that we want.  I want to talk specifically 

about beliefs, those things that we create, often unconsciously,

and how these affect every aspect of our lives.  Let us accept,

in addition to the fact that I am not my thoughts, feelings, or

deeds, that:

I create my beliefs.

My beliefs determine what I do and feel.

Therefore, I create my life and I can change it.

***I am having great difficulty being linear today and as part

of my own journey toward Wholeness I have been trying to

recognize and accept those parts of myself that might be

considered "shadow" or less worthy of inclusion.  But

what is Wholeness if not inclusive?  So, before I go on, on

a tangent, in digressing, I include below, a message from I

received recently.  Please enjoy......***

Marianne  Williamson on Obama Victory

 
"America has had a non-violent  revolution.

As  long as there are historians writing about the United States,

this moment of fundamental re-alignment of our national purpose

will be remembered, pored over and analyzed. It will be seen as

one of the shining points along the evolutionary arc of the

American story. Yet it will never submit itself to being summed

up in a nice little package that reason alone can understand.

 
It's been noted before that Americans get excited about politics

every forty years. Then, in the words of comedian Will Rogers,

We have to go sleep it off.

 
We  were certainly excited in the l960's. And this is 2008; exactly

forty years since the most dramatic and violent year of the Sixties

decade: the year when both Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King

Jr. were literally killed before our eyes.

 
At  that point, a generation of young people -- looking much like  

the
youthful army so out in full force today, only grungier -- marched

in the streets to repudiate an oppressive system and to try to

stop an unjust war.  And then bullets stopped us. The shots that

killed the Kennedys and King carried a loud, unspoken message

for all of us: that we were to go home now, that we were to do

whatever we wanted within the private sector, yet leave the

public sector to whomever wanted it so much that they were

willing to kill for it.  And for all intents and purposes, we did as

we were told.

According to ancient Asian  philosophers, history moves not in a

circle but in a spiral. Whether as  an individual or as a nation,

whatever lessons we were presented once and failed to learn will

come back again but in a different form. For the generation of the

Sixties and for our children, the lessons of that time -- as well as

its hopes and dreams and idealism -- came back in 2008.

 
During our forty years in the desert, we learned many things.

Then, we marched in the streets; this time, we marched to the

polls. Then, we shouted, Hell no, we won't go! This time, we

shouted, Yes, we can. Then, we were so angry that our anger

consumed us. This time, we made a more compassionate

humanity the means by which we sought our goal as well as the

goal itself.

 
In  the words of Gloria Steinem, I feel like our future has come  

back.  And indeed it has. For in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.,

No lie can last  forever. What Bobby Kennedy tried to do, and was

killed for trying; what Martin Luther King tried to do, and was killed

for trying; what the students at Kent state were trying to protest,

and were killed for daring to; Barack Obama and his army of millions

of idealists with the audacity to hope have now succeeded at doing.
 
Praise God. Praise  God.

And that praise to God didn't just go out last night, when

Obama's election to the Presidency was finally achieved. That

praise was part of what allowed the waters to part here in the

first place. Millions of Americans have been deeply at war that

this kind of historic and fundamentally positive effort has not

gone well in the recent past, and the spiritual understanding of

this generation of Americans--an understanding not yet fully

formed forty years ago--created an invisible light around the

Obama campaign.  How many people over the last twenty-one

months have posted, in their own way, angels to Obama's left

and angels to his right, angels in front of him and angels behind

him.  I know I have, and so has everyone I know.  Hopefully we

will continue to do so.

 
The Obama phenomenon did not come out of nowhere. It emerged

as much from our story as from his -- as much from our yearning

for meaning as from his ambition to be President; as much from our

determination to achieve collective redemption as from his

determination to achieve an individual accomplishment. And those

who fail to recognize the invisible powers at work here -- who see

the external drama of a political win yet fail to discern the

profound forces that moved mountains by moving the American

heart -- well, they're just like Bob  Dylan's Thin Man to whom he

sang, You don't know what's going on here, do you, Mr. Jones?

 
Back  then, Mr. Jones didn't know what was going on, but many of

us did. We knew what was going on then and we knew what

needed to happen; we simply weren't mature enough and  we were

too wounded then, as people and as a culture, to pull it off.

 
This time, we both knew and we did. We knew who we had to

become and we knew what we had to do. The violent American

revolution of 1776 entailed separating from another country. The

non-violent revolution of 2008 -- a non-violent revolution that did

not quite fail, yet also did not quite succeed in the l960's -- has

entailed separating from who we used to be.

In the l960's, we wanted peace but we ourselves were angry. This

time, after hearing Gandhi's call that we must be the change we

want to see happen in the world, we came to our political efforts

with an understanding that we must cast violence from our hearts

and minds if we are to cast it from our world; that we must try to

love our enemies as well as our friends; and that when a genius

of world-historic proportions emerges among us, we cannot and

we must not fail to do everything humanly and spiritually possible

to support him. For his sake... and for ours.

 
Having gone to a higher place within ourselves, a higher level of

leadership began to emerge among us. A higher level of leader

now having emerged among us, he calls us to an even higher

place within ourselves. These two forces together can and will,

as Obama has said, truly change the world. Having moved one

mountain, we'll now remove the ones that remain.

With God's help, yes we can. Yes we did. And yes we will."

I didn't cover all the things I had written for today.  The message

from  Marianne was impromptu and has made the post fairly

lengthy already. 

I just want to leave you with some thoughts about why I keep

returning to the election and why it fits with where I'm going

with this.............

I create my beliefs.

My beliefs determine what I do and feel.

Therefore, I create my life and I can change it......

Epicetus said that "men are disturbed not by things, but by the

view that they take of them".  These challenges to our democracy,

to our economic future--knowing that poor people are poor

because rich people are rich, will we continue to watch this

on-going transfer of wealth?  We are at major turning points in

many aspects of our lives. 

If the people lead, the leaders will follow.  Change doesn't 

come from the top down.  It moves--just as water boils, from

the bottom up.  We must be  open-minded about out options

but not so open-minded that our brains fall out.  So let us

think deeply about our options and what we, each of us can 

and will do from here.  Let us begin with ourselves and our

perceptions for they will color what we do.

How did we survive before the IMF, the World Bank and huge

multi-national Corporations?  What if what people had was based

on need rather than power and military might?  What kind of

future do we want to leave to future generations and what kind

of responsibility are we willing to accept for that future?

Every species has an important part to play in this drama

called Life.  What is ours?--as the only species that has the

ability to save or destroy all? 

The Mystery unfolds.  This is the Reality of Life.

Until next time, meet your Self.  Get quiet.  Focus on your heart.

Breathe.  Breathe gratitude, appreciation (Happy Thanksgiving),

love, compassion--whatever feels good and right, no matter the

label, to you.  Find this space and find your Guidance here.  Get

to know this "I" that is not what you think or feel or do.  Become

familiar with this One who creates the lens through which we

perceive the Reality that stands before us.  

 

 

This subject is not to be taken lightly. 

Let us not fool ourselves into thinking that at the end of this

"financial crisis" life will return to any past image of "normalcy".

It will never be the same.  Global change is not going to reverse.

Fossil fuels, which have been the engine driving our luxurious,

extravagant lifestyles are not going to define our future--not if we

are to survive.  Even if we do discover small pockets of ancient

sunlight remaining underground, we have discovered that it is

poison.  It poisons the earth, the air, the water, and our bodies.

Not being the same doesn't spell disaster.  It can as easily

produce a future far grander than we can now imagine.

We have been enculturated into believing that more is better,

bigger is better, that to climb the ladder of success means to

accumulate "stuff" and accolades, and figures on pieces of paper.

Just because society has taught us something does not

necessarily make it so.

Stop a while.  Get quiet.  Go into your heart and listen there.

What is it that we all want?  No, not that nice house or new

dress, or more money.  What do we truly want?  We all want

happiness.  Our error has come in allowing others to determine

for us what happiness looks like.  We all know how quickly the

luster wears off new things.  There is always the "next new

thing"--and its' shine wears off just as quickly.  Stop and look

at one of the "toys" you bought a while ago.  How does that

"feel"?  Inside.

Now recall the smile that lights a childs face when you arrive

home after being gone.  Recall how your dog wags his entire

body in greeting.  Recall that glorious sunshine after days of

rain (we've just had a few:>).  Feel your heart now.  It's

different, isn't it?  Happiness is an inside job.  It comes from

feelings of love and true appreciation and wonder for what is.

I believe there will be a time, in our not-too-distant future, when

goods and products which are produced at large distances will no

longer be available to us.  We will no longer be able to run to

Walmart to replace any small item, regardless how necessary it

may seem to us; when our food will necessarily be what we can

grow and raise locally. 

Do not believe the media.  They have gotten us here.  Their only

job is to sell us to the highest bidder (advertiser).Let us become

independent and think for ourselves.  Let reality and our feelings 

determine what we see and do. 

This future can be filled with wonderful times as we renew our

relationships with both the land and our fellow creatures (we may

eat less meat:>)--and  perhaps even get to know our neighbors.

Any of us who have made any attempt to transform ourselves or

our lives, knows that it is long-term, challenging and ultimately 

truly satisfying.  It is the journey where the fun takes place, and

not an end goal, that is in our sights daily.

I broke my neck in an auto accident ten years ago.  I had been

divorced for one week to the day.  I had no adequate medical

insurance.  But it wasn't the accident or the injuries that brought

my life to an about face.  It was two years later, when I lost the

job I had been doing for the previous fourteen years.  I'd lost my

partner, my health, and my livlihood--my reason for being.......my

Mother used to say that things came in threes!  It was then that

I stopped and questioned myself and my life.  And I learned that....

I have thoughts.  I am not my thoughts.

I have feelings.  I am not my feelings.

I do things.  I am not what I do.

I am the Consciousness in which my thoughts, feelings and

actions show up.

This is lesson number one on our Journey.  It takes constant

remembrance, especially in the beginning.  It gets easier over

time.

Therefore, let us pause here and practice Lesson #1.  It is one of

the most important lessons we will ever learn, and much depends

on it.  It may seem esoteric, yet its' practical implications, as

you shall see, are endless.

"When you are aware that you are the force that is Life,

anything is possible.  Miracles happen all the time, because

those miracles are performed by the heart.  The heart is

in direct communion with the human soul, and when the

heart speaks, even with the resistance of the head,

something inside you changes;  your heart opens another

heart, and true love is possible." 

(Don Miguel Ruiz)

  

***Heartmath takes us to the core of our Being.***

http://www.macarthurparknaturalmedicine.com 

 

One World, One Consciousness--that is Love.

This morning within my morning news was imbedded the following

open letter to Obama by author/activist Alice Walker.  I am so

inspired by the courage and forthrightness that I felt called to

reproduce it here and to expand on the optimism of this moment.

Let me first remind you that "democracy is not a spectator

sport".  While new toys, including our adult toys of cars,

fancy duds et al, lose their luster, their fascination and

satisfaction quickly, new friends and new ways of seeing and

interacting with our world continue to bring love and satisfaction 

into our lives, growing exponentially as time passes.  These are

the true gifts we give to ourselves and to the Whole.  These gifts 

expand the heart.

From Alice Walker:

"Dear Brother President-Elect Obama,

You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us.

Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You   

think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have

studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many

others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade,

century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the

flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can 

bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for

you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay

runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really

only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that

you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the  

Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday,

was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based

solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the

weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the

disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not

responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary

responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate

happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits

sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and

lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is

large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon  

become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice

their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon

have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This

is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way

of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no  

excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can

model real success, which is all that so many people in the world

really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and

gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely

manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that

success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost

everyone I would further advise you not to take on other people's

enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear,

humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in

those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We   

must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused

adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all

that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn

to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely.

However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I

often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be

no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more

dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has

already happened to people of color, poor people, women,

children. We see where this leads, where it has led.

A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is

presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul

as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet.

Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to

remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul

dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to

mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile,

with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust

characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of

healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free

and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our

way, and brightening the world.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.


In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker"

Today as we honour and mourn our Veterans, and those still in

service, let us look forward with hope and optimism.  Let us

commit to making this country the country worthy of their lives

and their service.  They have done the larger part, let us each

do ours.

The future is as bright as we commit to making it by focusing on

our interdependence and by learning to live in alliance with our

deepest values, those that are formulated in the heart, the very

core of our Being.

We're sick of it, we're sick of the starving children, the abused

women, the wars.  If Obama starts to go in the wrong direction

it's up to us to turn the boat around.

The world is in such terrible shape that we must all participate

to change it.

This is one of my all-time favourite quotes from Einstein.  I think

it is particularly relevant to this time.

"A human being is a part of a whole, called by us "universe", a

part limited in time and space.  He experiences himself, his

thoughts and feelings as something separated 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."

I am thrilled that Barack Obama has been elected.  However this

is not the end of our work as his supporters, it is the beginning.

So, what do we do now?  How do we learn to live sustainably?

What we must do is to bring about real and meaningful, lasting

change in this world.  It begins at home.  It begins within.

--Since 1960, thirty percent of all wild animals on earth have

vanished, almost one-third. 

--In the last 24 hours, 50,000 to 60,000 people have died of

starvation around the world (about 30,000 of them, children). 

--In the last 24 hours 100 species have gone extinct.

--In the last 24 hours at least one-quarter million acres of rain-

forest have been destroyed.

--In the last 24 hours at least ten million tons of highly toxic

waste, not landfill, have been realeased into our air and our

waters and our soil. 

And yet, I am hopeful.  I am hopeful because if this young man

has been willing and able to raise himself to the height of

President of the strongest nation on earth by organizing from the

grass roots up, which he has done, who am I not to offer my

small share to support our dreams?

Obama has spoken about "greening" our economy.  That would

satisfy two of our major problems--employment and our

dependence on outside sources for energy.  What can we do to

contribute to this aspect of the plan?  How can we support him in

this endeavour?--and how can we push it forward? Van Jones has

written a fantastic book on the subject, "the Green Collar Economy".

I am hopeful too, because New Hampshire has voted a majority of

women into its House seats.  I'm not saying this as a "sexist". 

We have learned that it is not the agricultural revolution, nor the

use of oil, or availability of food that has caused this population

explosion in one "tribe".  What modern sociologists have found is

that, in those cultures where women have relatively equal power

to men, there's a flip that happens and it'll very often happen in

a single generation, where population goes to replacement and no

more.  It happens regardless of access to technology and its

regardless of access to wealth.  

How do we heal from the wounds our country and our world has

suffered?  And how do we provide for all while living this life that

restores us and our earth to Wholeness? 

One could say that the most powerful movement in the world

to stabilize population, to diminish, reduce, hopefully even

reverse the destruction that we're doing to the planet;  the

most powerful movement for human rights, for civil rights, for

the rights of life on this planet, is the women's movement.

The future is not going to be like the past.  It cannot be.  We

must face reality.  It would take four planet earths to provide

the natural resources to make all the things for the standard of

living that we, here in the US, consider the poverty threshold.   

Our work has only begun--but we will learn the lessons we must

and we will walk this Path toward Wholeness together.  I know

of no tools and techniques more applicable to these challenges

we face today than those offered within the Heartmath system.

With Heartmath we traverse the path all the way from defining

our true, core values to learning to live in this world of stress

and tribulations happily, peacefully and honourably within those

values.

--More than 70% of Americans want national health care.

--More than 90% of Americans want clean air and food.

--More than 90% of Americans want to know the country of origin

of the food we eat (GMO free etc).

--More than 60% want a structured social safety net that includes

unemployment insurance and strong social security, retirement

and pension programs.

These are not policies from the "left", we're centrist, we're the

majority.  We must learn to live in the world, not to occupy it.

Please come visit me at:

http://www.macarthurparknaturalmedicine.com

and let's talk about Heartmath.  We all have a part to play. 

We all count and together "yes, we can..........."

There's only one.  We are all a part of that One.

Peace Day 2008!!

Well, how are we doing folks??  Peace Day '08--are we all feeling

more peaceful than in '07?

Peace begins at home.  It begins within and radiates outward.  If

there is not peace in your heart--and mind--then you cannot

purport to give, or teach, or share, what you do not have. 

We can only try to understand others by questioning our own

attitudes and feelings!  Understanding is something you reach

for; understanding is a process, it's a great search that we never

fulfill.

Peace, to me is like "being".  It is something one does every day.

I don't think I'm the only one that did not just suddenly wake up

one day infused with nothing but peace and love.  It was, and is

a journey for me.  I am more peaceful and loving than I was ten

years ago--but I'm not there yet.   I'm not even sure that there is

a destination--during this lifetime:>)  So I work on it every day

and every once in a while I actually notice that I am different

than I was previously.  It does take more to "get to me" and I

can sit back and remain calm in circumstances that might at

another time caused me to "lose it" entirely.

I had meditated for a number of years before I really moved from

meditating "in my head", with or without my thoughts, to truly

resting in my heart--where true peace is born and resides.

Learning and studying Heartmath helped me through that

transition.

Now, knowing that we cannot remain "in peace" while living

behind the walls we build to protect our "I's", and knowing that

we are in a dire situation where we must begin to replace those

"me" thoughts with "we" thoughts, I'm going to return to my

rather lengthy--as it's turning out--story about Our Planet.

We have an imperative before us--we're either facing a new

period of enlightenment and it's a new Renaissance, or

we're facing a new Dark Age.  And the choice is up to us and

we've got to hurry--and that means we have to be informed. 

There is a tremendous lot for us to educate ourselves about

however and that takes time and most often words.......

Join me at:

http://www.macarthurparknaturalmedicine.com

for some Heartmath.   Moving from your head to your heart is

without any doubt the very best gift you can give to yourself or

to the world...........and this is

Peace Day 2008!

The Swiss consume the equivalent of 5 global hectares to

maintain their lifestyle.  In the US we use 9.5!!   Do the Swiss

live lives only half as good or nice as ous?  Don't think so, they

just live differently.  It doesn't mean the end of progress or the

end of civilization it just means making some simple, easy to

incorporate lifestyle changes.

Realism in the US needs to change from "how little we can do"

to "what we need to do"........and for all of us to do all the

little things!

--use less plastics

--drive when it's necessary, not "for fun"

--eat less meat, and only good quality, well-raised meats

--buy locally grown and manufactured goods

--keep an eye on your thermostat

--&--change those silly light bulbs!!

I spoke about our furry and scaly friends, now I'll speak about

our food.

Our collective actions have massive impacts.  We have become

completely dependent on high-tech farming, which produces food

of much lower quality.  Our use of artificial fertilizers force feeds

crops to produce rapid growth while the "food" is drowning in

pesticides, fungicides and herbicides.

"By the end of the century we are promised a dazzling new world.

A world in which man will be in control of his environment."  (Dow

Chemical ad/promo)

Man has been involved in agriculture for some 11,000 years.  More

than half of that had been done by hand--horses, mules etc.   In

the 1950's we went through the "great acceleration" with

increased nitrogen fertilizer, increased fossil fuel burning, intense

land use changes and globilization of the economy and agriculture.

Earth's biosphere is becoming more homogenous making it more

similar and destroying bio-diversity.

We lose relisiance in systems when we make them simpler.

Transorming the surface of the earth to nono-cultures (Freudian

slip?? "no-no cultures?  Of course meant to be "mono-cultures) 

creates extreme vulnerability........and...........

.....half the world's people (about 3 billion) live on less than

$2.00 per day and depend on biodiversity for their survival.

They depend on the services that Nature provides--that we

are destroying.

It is ensuring that these, the poorest, most vulnerable people on

the planet have the right kind of options so that they can have

access to the things that make life better for them--the things

that protect their natural environment.  That's at issue here.

For those who think the world is getting better, go live in a small

remote village in the Amazon, Zambia or Madagascar--then report

back to me.

Third-world poverty is a luxury we can no longer afford.

As the economy expands, we get more houses, cars, boats, and

it costs in terms of tearing up the ecosystem.  We get less

services from forests as we cut down their trees.

This shows us the difference between sustainable and

unsustainable growth.  Take for example, the Aral Sea, or Lake

Chad, the Dead Sea or Jordan River in Israel where the form of

economic development focused on cotton production which

totally destroyed the environment and ultimately also, the cotton

production, and the area is now left with a total desert, a poison

desert filled with pesticides, DDT and so on.  The tragedy that's

occuring at the Dead Sea is that the Dead Sea is disappearing.  In

the last 50 years we've lost one-third of the Dead Sea, we've

diverted the water primarily for agriculture in the belief that we

could turn what is a desert into a "bread basket".

Since 1991 not a drop of water has flowed out of the Sea of

Galilea.  Instead of water flowing into the lower Jordan, what

now flows into the Jordan is sewage.  What used to flow into the

Dead Sea no longer flows.  There has been a drop of 25 meters

in depth to where the Dead Sea is today.

When we lose that habitat, we lose the wildlife, unique

ecosystems and oasis that Nature has given us.  They are being

lost.  You don't need to be Jesus anymore to cross the waters.

The waters have gone!

Two-thirds of all major rivers no longer reach their mouth.

We don't know the number and the interplay between species, or

what really contributes to the Earth's systems.  We don't know

which species or groups of species are the really important ones,

or how many species we can lose before we have really big change

in the functioning of the planet.

So, until we truly understad how ecosystems play together to

make the whole system function, it would be exceedingly

dangerous to identify organisms and to say "gee, that's not

really important".

We don't know which species we can safely lose with regard to

the functioning of the planet, and which ones really matter.  This

is the biggest decision humans have made since we've crawled

out of our caves and begun to alter the face of the Earth in a very

adverse fashion that will persist for millions of years. 

Do we really know what we're doing?  NO!!  But, we're moving

ahead as though we totally know--and we don't.

It is not rocket science.   It has been said that, "the best of

sustainable design is merely the cessation of stupidity"....just

not wasting something when you can avoid it.

Unfortunately, here in the US we've had two decades of stalled

tactics and devisive debate.  In Europe the debate is really just

two sides:  everyone who agrees there's a crisis they really

need to act on--and the people everyone agrees is wrong.

Reflect back to what I said in the beginning about the Swiss vs.

American lifestyles.  The best innovative work is being done in

Northern Europe.  There are a number of places, especially in the

Netherlands and Scandanavia where they're committing all

initiatives for renewable energy, where they're re-inventing their

transportation systems, re-designing their cities, doing truly

remarkable work. 

They are committing themselves to dramatic reductions in their

environmental impact.  Sweden's official goal is to become a

carbon neutral nation--while we're still stuck in denial!

And to leave you on a beautiful thought for Peace Day, 2008, let

me tell you about the "landmine detecting flowers"