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!! 

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"---in the

presence of some of the nitrogens that come out of landmines as

they decay, their blooms turn from white to red so you know

there's a landmine.  When there are hundreds of millions of

landmines scattered all over the world that we don't know where

they are, blowing people up, killing them....let's have bunches of

bright red, beautiful blossoms instead! 

--how cool is that?  Defeat a really bad, old technology,

landmines, with a really cool, beautiful, natural technology--

flowers!

On Peace Day, 2008 let me leave you with my own challenge.

How should I spend my time on this earth?

Each and every one of you can make a difference.  Do the little

things.

There are 195 countries in this world but there is only ONE

World.

This luxury phase for humanity is now over.

http://www.macarthurparknaturalmedicine.com

--where we maintain our well-being and put that money from

medical costs to better use.

--where we find ways to promote happiness and peace from the

place where it begins, in the heart of every one of us, and let

that love and good health radiate out from us to the world.

Sandi--wishing you a lovely, joyous and peaceful Peace Day '08

 

Deepak Chopra

Obama and the Palin Effect

Sometimes politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national

psyche even when nobody intended to do that. This is perfectly

illustrated by the rousing effect that Gov. Sarah Palin had on the

Republican convention in Minneapolis this week. On the surface, she

outdoes former Vice President Dan Quayle as an unlikely choice, given

her negligent parochial expertise in the complex affairs of governing. Her

state ofAlaska has less than 700,000 residents, which reduces the job of

governor to the scale of running one-tenth of New York City. By

comparison, Rudy Giuliani is a towering international figure. Palin's pluck

has been admired, and her forthrightness, but her real appeal goes

deeper.

She is the reverse of Barack Obama, in essence his shadow, deriding

his idealism and exhorting people to obey their worst impulses. In

psychological terms the shadow is that part of the psyche that hides out

of sight, countering our aspirations, virtue, and vision with qualities we

are ashamed to face: anger, fear, revenge, violence, selfishness, and

suspicion of "the other." For millions of Americans, Obama triggers those

feelings, but they don't want to express them. He is calling for us to reach

for our higher selves, and frankly, that stirs up hidden reactions of an

unsavory kind. (Just to be perfectly clear, I am not making a verbal play

out of the fact that Sen. Obama is black. The shadow is a metaphor

widely in use before his arrival on the scene.) I recognize that

psychological analysis of politics is usually not welcome by the public,

but I believe such a perspective can be helpful here to understand

Palin's message. In her acceptance speech Gov. Palin sent a rousing

call to those who want to celebrate their resistance to change and a

higher vision. 

Look at what she stands for:

--Small town values -- a denial of America's global role, a return to petty,

small-minded parochialism.

--Ignorance of world affairs -- a repudiation of the need to repair

America's image abroad.

--Family values -- a code for walling out anybody who makes a claim for

social justice. Such strangers, being outside the family, don't need to be

heeded.

--Rigid stands on guns and abortion -- a scornful repudiation that these

issues can be negotiated with those who disagree.

--Patriotism -- the usual fallback in a failed war.

--"Reform" -- an italicized term, since in addition to cleaning out corruption

and excessive spending, one also throws out anyone who doesn't fit your

ideology.

Palin reinforces the overall message of the reactionary right, which has

been in play since 1980, that social justice is liberal-radical, that  

minorities and immigrants, being different from "us" pure American types,

can be ignored, that progressivism takes too much effort and globalism is

a foreign threat. The radical right marches under the banners of "I'm all

right, Jack," and "Why change? Everything's OK as it is." The irony, of

course, is that Gov. Palin is a woman and a reactionary at the same time.

She can add mom to apple pie on her resume, while blithely reversing

forty years of feminist progress. The irony is superficial; there are

millions of women who stand on the side of conservatism, however

obviously they are voting against their own good. The Republicans have

won multiple national elections by raising shadow issues based on fear,

rejection, hostility to change, and narrow-mindedness.

Obama's call for higher ideals in politics can't be seen in a vacuum. The

shadow is real; it was bound to respond. Not just conservatives possess

a shadow -- we all do. So what comes next is a contest between the two

forces of progress and inertia. Will the shadow win again, or has its furtive

appeal become exhausted? No one can predict. The best thing about Gov.

Palin is that she brought this conflict to light, which makes the upcoming

debate honest. It would be a shame to elect another Reagan, whose  

smiling persona was a stalking horse for the reactionary forces that have

brought us to the demoralized state we are in. We deserve to see what

we are getting, without disguise.

And for a few words of my own.  We truly must learn to listen to our

hearts;  to go within, discover our own, true core values and live

from this stance.  It takes a level of self-awareness that many of us

don't yet possess and it takes courage to stray from the societal

standard we've been enculturated with.

I don't mean our social "values", the norms we use to measure our

"success" in this materialist society we inhabit--the size of our home,

or bank accounts, the sleekness of our car or the label on our clothes

and shoes.  I mean our "core" values--the ones our conscience nags

at us about.....the ones that Heartmath tools help us identify:>)

I was linked to a video by David Icke this week-end by friends and this

is how he finished his talk (I couldn't have said it better:>)........

"If we stopped making decisions about our actions based on what is

right for us in the moment and started doing what we know to be

right by conscience and justice, this would transform the world.

This world is being created as we experience it by billions of people

deciding every day--what do I do in the interests of me?  Once we

start saying, "what do I do in the interest of justice, fairness, and my

own conscience", actions change.  The world changes.  And we are

in control of that.   (The secret of "the Secret"--it's about us not me!)

We are at a fork in the road now, we have one last chance to open

our eyes and open our minds and start getting involved in doing

something about this.

There's going to come a time and it's not too long from now, when

we're going to have to look our children in the eyes and we're going

to have to answer the question without blinking and without averting,

"What were you doing?"

They are going to have to live their entire lives with the results of our

actions."

Come by:

http:www.macarthurparknaturalmedicine.com 

and watch some videos and learn more about Heartmath.   Call for

a "free" introductory session  #800-331-9547 or e-mail me at:

sandi@macarthurparknaturalmedicine.com

Understanding is something we reach for; understanding is a

process, it's a great search.

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

period of enlightenment and a new Renaissance--or we're facing

a new Dark Age.

The choice is up to us and we've got to hurry.  That means we

have to be informed.  We have to find the answers together; it's

the power of our intention to create the Reality we can all live in

that is going to be our Salvation--or not!

We have to move to "systems" thinking and away from these

economic models that have brought us to disaster.  We need a

partnership system not a domination system to create a caring

economics. 

This "I" stands as a barrier, when turned on its' side it becomes

the bridge.  It is imperative that we move from the "me" to the

"we".

Strategic thinking and activism has to be included with intention

and attention.

Right now we need to transfer information.  We have to discover

sustainable life and transfer that information.

According to Alex Steffen, editor of "World Changing--A User's

Guide for the 21st Century" (a must-have), "there's a way of

living that we can create that everyone on the planet can share

which is sustainable and prosperous and dynamic and exciting

and enjoyable--and instead we're creating a way of living that

is inequitable, unfair and that is rapidly destroying the planet--

and we need to move as quickly as possible from the way

that we are living now to this better way of living--to this

bright green future and do it with all due speed."

The sharing of solutions themselves is part of the solution.

People need access to better thinking.  They need to be able

to understand what kinds of things really brilliant, inspired

people are doing.........

Some facts............ 

Newest reports tell us that half (48%) of all primates are at risk

of extinction.

71% in South East Asia

90% in South Viet Nam and Cambodia

This is primarily caused by the logging industry and the bush

meat trade.   This is not due to hunger.

The number of gorillas in the wild has decreased from 100,000 in

1985 to 20,000 today.   If we can't protect the chimps, our

closest relative, what then will we protect?

Species have always gone extinct.   Yes, but now they are

disappearing at a rate a thousand times greater than under

natural circumstances.

Half of all humans now live in cities giving us a tendency to

become more and more disconnected from why we need the

biosphere.  We almost believe we're independent of the

biosphere, as though it's only a matter of whether we like it or

not.

We've developed a view of the environment being one system

and society being another. We talk about it as though we should

care for the environment for its' own sake rather than seeing

ourselves as part of and completely dependent on the

environment.  It is one system of which we are a small part.

We are completely dependent on the natural world around us and

yet we've totally forgotten it--in our economic systems and in our

lifestyles.  This may be one of the biggest reasons why we're

changing the planetary environment without even realizing what

we're doing.

Amphibians are always good indicators for us because they have a

very thin skin which they have to breathe through, making them

extremely sensitive to chemicals, as are we.  Out of five and a

half thousand species on earth about one-third are in decline and

may be headed for extinction.   Some have already gone extinct

telling us something.

Where there's habitat destruction it's no surprise, but even in

protected areas they're in decline--all over the globe.  So, there's

something happening to the entire world.

We can't say "there's a piece for the animals and here's some for

us".  We have to look globally and look at the world as the one

large system that it is.

There's a very strong agreement among leading biologists all

around the world that we're in the opening phase of a mass

extinction of species--there's no doubt about it!"

We are the only species in the history of the earth that has

the power to drive even one species extinct and we may well

end up driving nearly five million species extinct.

Today at least 15% of all plants and animals are threatened by

extinction--

--12% of the birds

--20% of the reptiles

--23% of the mammals

--31% of the amphibians

--40% of the fishes

The mass extinction we're experiencing today is absolutely

unprecedented in human history.

Humans came onto the scene when the earth's diversity of life

was at its' highest point in history, we're destroying that

diversity at a rate not seen in millions of years.

You don't destroy species one-by-one.  We destroy wetlands or

a forest, a lake or even an ocean, and other habitats--and that's

the single major cause of extinction.

So what difference does it make?  We don't even know their

names.   But each is a link in this chain that's disintegrating

and therefore working differently.  With high numbers of losses

everything starts to collapse.  Eventually it's too much for Nature

to repair.

Balance is extremely complex.  We can't take from one part of

the globe or replant a forest.  It's a process of natural selection

that has taken millions of years.

We're committing an environmental holocaust of the

environmental services that have been freely provided by Nature

and humankind cannot survive without them.

If we lose half of all the mammals or the birds, we may be able

to get by.  But if we lost half of all the insects we'll be in a lot

of trouble.   Some of their services include--

--pollination

--water purification

--blood control

--renewal of soil fertility--

These are at the basis of our life support system.

We used to think the environment was a luxury good.  If we can

afford to keep it, okay.   If not, so what?

Nothing could be further from the truth!

The Amazon contains the greatest biological diversity on earth.

It is the largest tropical forest and it creates chemical species

which is the cleansing factor for all the atmosphere.

Plants produce chemicals through photosynthesis and other

means and these keep  the atmosphere clean, the Amazon often

called and truly are "the lungs of the earth".

20,000 to 25,000 square kilometers of the Amazon has been

deforested in just the past few years to become cattle ranches

or to grow soybeans and other crops.

20% of the remaining forests and animals could be gone in

another few years.   This is very serious.

Each year the planet loses woodland areas the size of Portugal.

Huge expansion of the human enterprise lies behind all of it.

We've converted over half the lands surface into a new form,

from forest to croplands, from grasslands to crops.

We are connected in ways we never before dreamt possible.

We have powers we were not aware we had...........and

people are at a time now when we understand the seriousness

and we desire to help.

Visit MacArthur Park (the link is below)  and sign up to the

Institute of Heartmath's global project using these powers we

are now learning and becoming so aware of--and others, to

produce a measurable effect on the earth's field.

These tools have been rigorously scientifically tested and if you

visit me at:

http://www.macarthurparknaturalmedicine

I'll teach them to you and help you get involved in the healing

of the Planet.

The hearts magnetic component is about 5000 times stronger

than the brain's magnetic field and the electrical component of

the heart's field is about 60 times greater in amplitude and

permeates every cell of the body.

Incorporating the power of the heart into your intentions

amplifies your outcomes.

Together we can! 

Living from the Heart........

I know I've been hard on everyone recently--at least those of us

living in the in the Western world.  But please understand that I

don't exclude myself from this blasting and that my rants are a

product of my despair.  I feel passionately that when some of us

suffer, we all suffer--whether we realize this or not. 

It is said that the measure of any society is how it treats its'

weakest elements.  How are we doing?

Every day I receive e-mails from people wanting to teach me the

Law of Attraction so I can attract more "abundance" and 

"prosperity" into my life.

It seems that ever since the movie "the Secret" was so widely

received, thousands of Law of Attraction teachers have sprung

up. 

So fine, it's a wonderful thing that some are being introduced--

hundreds, thousands apparently--to the concept that there is an

undeniable, and now scientifically proven, mind/body connection

and that we have tremendous control over our own well-being.

I am offended by all of the emphasis given to "using ancient

wisdom to acquire material goods" as per "the Secret".  This is

kindergarden stuff and how long do we all wish to spend in

kindergarden?  Better yet, how long can we--and survive?

There is no "secret" in "the Secret".  The idea of changing your

mind to change your world is found in numerous scriptures.  The

difference is that these ancient teachings then go on to teach

yogas and all number of mental, physical and emotional trainings

to pattern the brain/body/mind system.  And their emphasis on

these teachings and learning to have this mind/body/Spirit

connection is that we might better serve--not to get a shiny,

new SUV and a bigger house.   Not to help us use more than 

the overtly obnoxious amount of the worlds natural resources

than we already use. 

Less than 5% of the worlds population (US residents) use more

than 40% of the earth's natural resources.   These teachings

reduce us to the status of greedy children who have not yet

learned to share!  I don't believe you are that.

The notion in many of these "new" teachings that if you really

want something, just think of it with deep and loving thoughts

and positive feelings and it will manifest.  Personally I don't

believe in magic and I don't believe this was ever the intent of

these incredibly powerful teachings. 

It's suggested not to sweat the big stuff, the Universe is yours

to have, the Law is anxious, willing and just waiting to work for

you.  The Universe is your Servant and it gives you whatever you

want because you are "the most powerful transmission tower in

the world".

It's not food making you fat, it's your thoughts that food is

responsible that is making you fat.  Or as George Bush would say,

carbon emissions will warm the earth only if we worry that they

will.

Pl-ease!!

We are all struggling today.  I am struggling.  We are all

concerned for the future and that of our children but in the past

five decades as our material wealth has continued to increase,

our happiness quotient has continued to fall.   Have we learned

nothing?

What is being handed us fixates on a very limited view of our

lives, houses, cars, vacations--then with a little left over to

devote to our health, relationships and snippets only of being of

service.  In truth we have found that's all upside down and

backwards--real happiness doesn't come from "stuff" it comes

from community, from service.

It's not "all about me" and it's not "all up to me".   We are

inter-dependent beings.  We are immersed in the frequencies

and waves of the world around us.  If a butterfly flaps its' wings

in America it creates a wave in Japan.

We cannot go on treating the Universe as an inexhaustable

treasure trove that we can command and receive.  This is far too

simplistic and my next post will go back to putting the facts of

our living in luxury out in the open for those who aren't fully

aware yet.

Ask, believe, receive--

We are standing at a great transition point.  The time before us

can be one of positive, creative, life-affirming transformation--if

we do the difficult work that Consciousness demands, or it can be

a time of unparalleled disaster such as we have never seen.

Yes, the choice is ours.  The past few decades have presented

tremendous growth in our understandings of the Nature of the

Universe and our places in it.  Our choice is not how to design our

new, bigger house, or how to get that fancy SUV we've had our

eyes on, it's about how to encourage this new humanity that is

emerging.

We are, or can be, Co-Creators in a fantastic new future that will

emphasize our inter-connectedness and care for others--or we

can continue to destroy the one world we know with our greed.

It is indeed a low self-esteem that measures success by material

gain.  When we focus on material abundance in this country we

have an effect on every other living being.

We've made things our Master and our sense of worth is far too

tied to having things. 

"God wants you to be a millionaire..."   Truly??  Are we reducing

the human being to becoming a walking magnet?

As we acquire more we destroy the ecology of the entire world. 

We have become cancers on the Planet. 

One-tenth of one percent owns the majority of the worlds worth.

We must not only understand that it's not just our little local self

that's attracting into our lives.  We are creatures of immense

complexity.  We cannot assume ourselves as Creators of only

what we wish for.

When we really learn the lessons of the Heart and begin to live

using the intuitive guidance of our Heart's wisdom, then we just

may be worthy of the incredible abundance we seem often to

forget we have.

Heartmath is doing a Global Coherence Project.  Lynne McTaggart

is doing a Peace Day Intention.  There are numerous projects out

there that help us to focus on those things that really matter if we

expend the time and energy searching within for our own personal

journey.

I wish you all great love, great peace, great joy--and great

community......and I wish you a wonderful journey.

Sandi

"Strong collective emotion has a measurable impact on the earth's

                               geomagnetic field."

We can make a difference!  The time is now. </