High on my list of most inspiring people is Bill Hubert, a Wichita, Kansas, English teacher and martial artist who developed a truly amazing method of exercise for school kids that combines Brain Gym, juggling, and vision therapy. Studies show that when children learn Bal-a-Vis-X (his funny name for it), their reading scores improve.
Ascent, the magazine that promises "Yoga for an Inspired Life" in each quarterly issue, is different from any yoga mag I've seen.
Published in Canada by Swami Sivananda Radha since 1969, the issue currently on stands (with generous excerpts online) features editor Sarah E. Truman's penetrating interview with the sixth man to walk on the moon, Dr. Edgar Dean Mitchell.
Since his retirement from NASA in 1972, Mitchell has been lecturing on intuition, quantum physics, and the belief that a "learning, self-organizing principle" underlies all creation. He founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences to better facilitate "research on the relationship between consciousness and cosmology."
Not your average fly boy.
Ascent: When you were in space and had that sense of the unity that underlies the universe, what did it feel like to be back on Earth and see how humans can treat each other and how we treat our planet?
Mitchell: Part of my epiphany in space was recognizing that beneath the blue and white cover of Earth, we humans were behaving like juveniles. We are a juvenile species. By and large, we are so consumed with greed and self-service that we miss the larger point. This is what the great mystics in all religious have tried to get us to see...
The problem is, those who have not had those transcendent, transformational experiences continue to operate just like we're seeing the world operate right now--ignoring the message of unity and the greater good. My life has been devoted since that time to pursuing the issue of helping move global civilization toward a sustainable future. Clearly we are not there yet.
"In the end it all comes down to this: you have a choice (or more accurately a rolling tangle of choices) between giving your work your best shot and risking that it will not make you happy, or not giving it your best shot--and thereby guaranteeing that it will not make you happy. It becomes a choice between certainty and uncertainity. And curiously, uncertainty is the comforting choice."
--the last paragraph of the classic text "Art & Fear" by David Bayles and Ted Orland.
This year, I'm really appreciating Quantum's Buzz Away Extreme, a natural insect repellent that provides protection from ticks for two hours and sends mosquitoes, gnats, and fleas (fleas?) packing for three-and-a-half to eight hours! The oils of geranium, cedarwood, citronella, lemongrass, and peppermint create a great fragrance. I went to the health food store and asked the clerk in the vitamin/herb department which of the natural repellents worked longest and best. They sold me this. It works. Nicely asking the bugs to pass me by wasn't as successful a strategy, but at least I tried.
posted by Chattering Mind @ 11:07 PM | Permalink |
Thanks to faithful reader Kathy for this marvelous link to a 52-question test that tells you which of your chakras is under-functioning! It caught my weakness in the root chakra. Younger Chattering son took the test also (it only takes ten minutes), and was happy to find that he is firing evenly on all cylinders (as you'd hope a kid would). Try it--especially if you have no interest in chakras and don't know what all the fuss is about! Ways to understand other mind-body systems are on the site, and I intend to explore them.
Thanks to reader Moni who wrote this in response to that unsettling Cormac McCarthy quote about peaceniks being the first to give up their souls and their freedom:
"I believe that what McCarthy is saying is true for now. People who don’t fight for their freedom and are unwilling to die for it pay the ultimate price--the corruption and death of their souls due to their inability to freely express themselves and worship God in the way that they need to. It is terrible and extremely sad that our world is this way now. Until everyone is ready to give up violence and war, the countries who offer their citizens religious tolerance, multiculturalism, freedom of speech and equal rights need to help the citizens of rest of the world gain their freedom.
"We will only be able to live in harmony and lay down our weapons when we are all free. Until then, if the free don’t fight, genocides and holocausts will continue to occur until only one culture and one religion under one dictatorship is left. I believe that we, humans, have the ability to eventually get there. After our survival needs are met, we all want freedom. We just need to fight our tendency to bully and subjugate others who are less powerful. I pray and hope that violence and war is eradicated in my lifetime. It will most likely take violence and war to accomplish this."
Oh gosh, don't you just hate it? Another study stays that the famous 12-Step Program of Alcoholics Anonymous is no better than other rehabilitation methods.
I can't be entirely rational on this one. I think AA is terrific, and it has saved the lives of several dear friends. I attended many Al-Anon (child of alcoholic) meetings in my twenties, and while sometimes dreary ("Hi, I'm Greg and I'm the son of an abusive, alcoholic, raging idiot...") the gatherings always helped. They also pointed me toward health and healing, a realm of study that has benefited me more than I can express. Unfortunately, my alcoholic mother was always searching for excuses as to why AA wasn't right, so she never entered a "recovery" period. Perhaps AA failed her in the end; maybe something else could have helped. But I recoil when I see the program that has helped so many take a hit. It allows alcoholics who're still drinking to say, "I'm not going! AA isn't so great!"
Have you or a friend had an experience with a good recovery method? Tell us about it.
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made a direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
There's so much nourishing material in Rubin R. Naiman's book "Healing Night: The Science and Spirit of Sleeping, Dreaming, and Awakening," that you must send it to any friend with sleep issues, or buy it for yourself if you're not resting deeply. Naiman says too many of us are out of sync, and that a "winding down" period is best commenced at dusk: less caffeine, less night-time illumination, less computer, less Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central (oh drat). Safe to say Naiman has little fondness for the sleeping pill industry.
"Our grandparents' advice to get plenty of sunshine by day and turn the lights off at night refelects an intuitive wisdom that would serve us well today. We need to become more sensitive to the natural rhythms of day and night. We would, in fact, benefit from becoming more ritualized, much more rhythmic in our dance with night and day consciousness..."
Do you prepare for sleep or just collapse into it?
posted by Chattering Mind @ 11:17 AM | Permalink |
Guns are on my mind these days...And my chattering mind is so full of contradictions.
Here's the thing: The twelve-year-old Chattering I blogged about yesterday is much more interested in soldiers than he is in girls. He's a big reader of history, or he was before he began to think that history wasn't "cool." And he collects toy soldiers like crazy. It started with tiny handpainted Normans and Saxons. Now we're on to plastic figures of World War II infantrymen. Needless to say, I've been uneasy about this, and my discomfort has increased as worldwide strife intensifies.
So here we are up in the ultra-liberal Massachusetts Berkshire hills, and Chattering son and his closest friend from day camp (a very good guy) were setting up their toy soldiers on the sandy banks of the tranquil lake last week. Lots of discussion between them about "fronts," "attacks," "bombings," etc. I was afraid that one of the other mothers relaxing on her blanket nearby would club me over the head for allowing play that was so militaristic. I mean, I should be killed, right? Of all weeks... I did say to the boys later in the car that the world's in a tragic spot right now. And I wondered outloud if human beings will ever cultivate a permanent peace. Always, when conflicts arise at home, I tell my kids that peace begins within. If we can't find peace within ourselves, the world will never know peace. That's pure Thich Nhat Hanh. One of Beliefnet's most moving interactive meditations presents this idea beautifully--try it!).
What's your stand? Should little boys and girls play soldier games?
Here's a link to the U.S. Army's combative online video game. I haven't analyzed it. I don't want to look, frankly.
"...Give about two [hours] every day to exercise; for health must not be sacrificed to learning. A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercise, I advise the gun. While this gives a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body, and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks. Never think of taking a book with you. The object of walking is to relax the mind. You should therefore not permit yourself even to think while you walk; but divert your attention by the objects surrounding you. Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far.
"The Europeans value themselves on having subdued the horse to the uses of man; but I doubt whether we have not lost more than we have gained, by the use of this animal. No one has occasioned so much, the degeneracy of the human body. An Indian goes on foot nearly as far in a day, for a long journey, as an enfeebled white does on his horse; and he will tire the best horses. There is no habit you will value so much as that of walking far without fatigue.
"I would advise you to take your exercise in the afternoon: not because it is the best time for exercise, for certainly it is not; but because it is the best time to spare from your studies; and habit will soon reconcile it to health, and render it nearly as useful as if you gave to that the more precious hours of the day. A little walk of half an hour, in the morning, when you first rise, is advisable also. It shakes off sleep, and produces other good effects in the animal economy. Rise at a fixed and an early hour, and go to bed at a fixed and early hour also. Sitting up late at night is injurious to the health, and not useful to the mind."
"There's no such thing as life without bloodshed. I think the notion that the species can be improved in some way, that everyone could live in harmony, is a really dangerous idea. Those who are afflicted with this notion are the first ones to give up their souls, their freedom. Your desire that it be that way will enslave you and make your life vacuous."
The purchase of a family iPod seems to have accelerated the sweet Chattering boys' interest in popular music. One song they particularly adore is a hit called "Just the Girl" by The Click Five. Here are the lyrics:
She's cold and she's cruel, but she knows what she's doing. She pushed me in the pool at our last school reunion. She laughs at my dreams, but I dream about her laughter, Strange as it seems, she's the one I'm after.
'Cause she's bittersweet, She knocks me off of my feet. And I can't help myself. I don't want anyone else. She's a mystery. She's too much for me. But I keep coming back for more. She's just the girl I'm looking for!
She can't keep a secret for more than an hour. She runs on one-hundred-proof attitude power,
She's cold and she's cruel but she knows what she's doing. Knows just what to say, so my whole day is ruined!
And the more she ignores me, the more I adore her. What can I do? I'd do anything for her!
I was slow to hook into this dittie's view of longing and desire, since musically, it's a catchy number.But yesterday, I turned down the volume when alone with my twelve-year-old and said, "You realize that the man singing this song is in love with someone who treats him terribly. She laughs at his dreams? She ruins his day? She's...well, she's...hardly compassionate!" I wanted to call her a "jerk."
"Yes, Mom, I know that," my son said dryly.
"Well, it's alarming he's so crazy about her when she treats him so badly. The idea is to like people who are nice to you, right?"
"Right, Mom. I get that. You don't have to worry."
"Well, I didn't have time to worry yet."
"It's just a song. I like the music."
"It's a powerful song, I think, because this girl seems so alluring...You get lulled into thinking she's very glamorous."
"Don't worry, Mommy. Some people like people just because they're pretty."
I'm back in the wilds of Western Massachusetts, getting healed by the air, the sounds, the lake swims, and the thrilling farmer's markets.
At seven this morning, our dog Chester and I left the house in the woods and walked to the end of the gravel drive where we were greeted by the sights and smells of the weekend's garbage strewn every which way, brutally pulled by some kind of animal from the fat green dumpster. They've visited twice before when I've been here alone: Bears!
As I studied the paper towel pieces and bits of table scrap, I tuned into the bear's big energy and realized that this was no ferocious beast, just a desperate animal trying to gather a meager meal. Scavenging like a rat. How sad for the bear! And how sad for me, since I'll have to go back with a rake and gloves to clean all the garbage up! (It's all still out there as we speak.)
Back inside the house, as I was cooking breakfast, Chester gazed out the front window and started to bark fervently. Snarling barks. I walked over with my dish towel and spied the bear for the first time--all three or four hundred pounds of it--high-tailing it back into the woods. I was so sorry the boys missed the sight: a grown bear scared off by a cockapoo's bark. Chester seemed rather proud of himself.
I'll be wary tonight when with my flashlight--I usually walk Chester down the drive after dark--but I actually hope our bear makes his way back. Seeing how fearful he was opened my heart to him.
Here's a link to a group studying the black bears of Massachusetts in hopes we can learn to co-exist with them.
posted by Chattering Mind @ 12:47 PM | Permalink |
There's a delightful, though pricey, Whole-Foods-and-more in Great Barrington called Guido's, and I could set up shop there for a month and blog about all the goodies. Two things new to me this week: a gluten-free spice cake/carrot cake mix by the well-named baked-goods-supply company Namaste (it was only a matter of time). Mix in good oil, an egg, shaved carrots, and organic Hunza golden raisins and you have a carrot cake good for children with food sensitivites that tastes really terrific. (Even my Culinary Institute-trained friend Laura liked it.) Look for the Namaste label in your local health food store.
Also, this morning at Guido's I purchased a new lemon-flavored toothpaste by Boiron, the homeopathic medicine manufacturer. As you may know, mint-flavored Crest or Colgate won't cut it when you're in cahoots with a professional homeopath since mint flavoring of any kind is believed by many to negate homeopathy's subtle effects. (This really annoys the young Chattering boys since they think the intensely minty Altoids are the coolest, most desirable candies ever.) Myrrh or Fennel toothpaste by Tom's of Maine used to be one of the only options, but now Boiron has introduced lemon-flavored "Homeodent." I just opened a tube sitting here by my desk and the lemon taste and fragrance is really stupendous.
Downside: a 3.3 ounce tube cost me $6.29. But price doesn't seem to stop people from visiting out-of-network healers.
posted by Chattering Mind @ 11:15 AM | Permalink |
I'm supposed to call him on Wednesday to find out what's next. Because blood tests show I have antibodies to the H. pylori bacteria that causes peptic ulcers (something that approximately 30 percent of all people carry for years without event), antibiotics might be in store (since you really don't want to hold on to the little buggers), but I am already taking a natural product called Bye-Lori morning and night. Mastic gum is the active ingredient; and testimonials claim it can reduce H. pylori levels dramatically. I'm also on a probiotic non-colonizing yeast from the health food store called Saccharomyces Boulardii, and it's supposed to help cultivate healthy flora in my tum. So even if I ultimately go on the dreaded anti-my-bods (which I know, I know, could some day save my butt), I'll have prepared my body somewhat. And Daria--yeah! Raw cabbage, cabbage juice, and cabbage soups are good for stomach inflammation generally. A huge head of locally-grown green cabbage is waiting for me in the refrigerator. Ahhh...it's been there several days now. I guess I better dive into it. Can't say I'm looking forward. Cole slaw recipes, anyone?
Remembering that my original problem--the presenting issue--was dietary anemia, I ate some delicious organic grass-fed beef liver this past week from McEnroe Farm. And I'm continuting with my iron supplements. Funny thing: Last September, I went to see an iridologist, someone who photographed the irises of my eyes and then analyzed them for health concerns. (Here are the irises of some relatively ill people.) And the iridologist said I showed the pronounced markings of someone with low stomach acid. I always intended to blog about this fascinating encounter, but I never did. What's wrong with low stomach acid, I wondered? Here's what: When stomach acid is low, you don't assimilate all the nutrients food contains. So maybe that's my core issue.
I haven't yet mentioned that my blogging year seems to have cost me some vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin); blood tests showed that's down in the dumps too. "You're losing bone as we speak," said my holistic nurse. Oh, and bad news for me and my kundalini: my testosterone levels are lost in the deep ocean blue. Like non-existent. Testosterone is thought of as a male hormone, but a woman's sex drive relies on it, and it's good for her bones too. In other words, I am waaay too feminine, floaty, and distanced from my masculine drive (iron too is a masculine ore).
Does this sound like a profile of a woman who doesn't always get paid well for her work, th
inks good intention will cure all, and cannot file a bill?
All this hooplah, all this insight, and I never felt sick. Don't you think everyone should have blood drawn annually whether they present symptoms for health issues or not? I do!
Here's what I imagine my angels are saying as they try to pull me back down to Earth: Don't hide in the clouds, Chattering Mind! And don't float in the bloggy ether. Dig in the soil! Sit in the sun. Eat some beef. Connect with the blood red root chakra, the seat of your relationship to the mother (yow, that's a tough one), finances, sexuality, and survival.
So, I'm back in the saddle and I've got lots of ideas to share.
How's your health? Dare I ask?
posted by Chattering Mind @ 11:23 AM | Permalink |
"We begin at the level of the physical body, the aspect of ourselves that is most concrete and accessible to all of us. It is here that yogasana and pranayama practice allow us to understand our body with ever greater insight and through the body to understand our mind and reach our soul. To a yogi, the body is a laboratory for life, a field of experimentation and perpetual research."
Also, in yoga class, the teacher played this helpful audio tape that musically assists you in counting meditative breaths. Inhale six, hold three, exhale twelve is a good pace.
Says the website:
"Consistent, even measures allow the body itself to count by following the sounds creating an even, more effective practice, free from mind activity, and deeper relaxation. We have found that the body learns and connects to the patterns in a short time. By changing the breathing pattern habitual underbreathing, so familiar in our stressed society can be broken."
EMFs. No, it’s not “Evaporating Muppet Fans.” Nor is it ”Every Man’s Fantasy” or “Extraordinary Meditation Flexibility.” What it stands for is, of course, Electromagnetic Frequencies. You can’t run, you can’t hide from these invisible little suckers because they’re emitted by all your basic electronic appliances, from microwave to refrigerator to TV, computers to cellphones to track lighting. While many in alternative medicine consider excessive exposure to EMFs to be dangerous to the body, the jury is still out (according to some government-funded sites) about how damaging they are to humans. And, as always, there are skeptics. But don’t let that fool you.
For three years, I worked in an office that, unbeknowst to me, was situated directly over an enormous electrical transformer that powered the entire building. My co-workers and I frequently suffered from headaches, nausea, fatigue, and even sporadic rashes that, strangely, would only appear Monday through Friday. Then we found out about the transformer, and since we were certainly in no position to quit our job, we each did some research and found a whole world of devices people wear or place near themselves (I also got one of these for my cellphone), to protect from EMFs. They seemed to work; while not completely “cured,” we all felt much better after getting some of these.
What's your opinion about EMFs? Do you notice any physical discomfort when you are around alot of electrical appliances?
(posted by Sera Beak, substituting this week for Amy)
Ooohhmmm Namah Shivayah, oooohhhh yeah. An interview with Krishna Das, one of the greatest Western devotional kirtan chanters, will air this weekend on PBS. If you've never heard this wonderful and deeply funny man belt out traditional and modern love tunes to the divine, I highly suggest checking this special out. Of course, nothing beats participating in one of his live kirtans--people are swaying and dancing and singing their spirits free. Who doesn't need a little more of that?
(posted by Sera Beak, substituting this week for Amy)
The whole book-writing process has been one enormous, ongoing spiritual lesson. It’s pushed all of my buttons, called forth all my worst “I’m not good enough/who the hell am I to say this?” demons. It’s been chock full of blind “first times” and copious amounts of “whoops” and of course, many pitiful late-night weep-fests that I’m sure woke my neighbors and their goldfish. And, I’m realizing now, after my book was brought to the public less than a month ago, that I’m only just beginning my lesson. I thought the hard part was the writing, the experience of trying to communicate something that is so deeply personal, so near and dear to my heart (spirituality) in a way that is anti-authoritarian, divinely irreverent, and that heartily welcomes all, especially my spiritually-jaded-yet-still-spiritually-curious generation. I thought the hard part was learning how to trust my unique voice, no matter how much it strayed from typical “spiritual speak.” I even thought the hard part was capturing a decent headshot. I was so naive.
I’m realizing now that the true hard part is getting this beautiful Red Book, my first child, out into the world so people know she actually exists and that she’s ready to breathe fire into their lives. Like many first-time authors, the marketing of my book is about 90 percent up to me (and, as I keep reminding myself, the funky Powers That Be). And getting it out there means getting “me” out there, something that makes every cell in my body want to hide rather than seek.
See, I’m shy. When I speak in public I shake like a leaf in a Chicago wind. I’ve almost no trouble in the one-on-one, and I’m confident in my ideas, but get me in front of a group and the butterflies swarm like locusts. Yep, the universe got me good. Oh, so good. The book was a tantalizing carrot (sure, sitting in the privacy of her own home, writing about what she loves, let’s start her with that…heehee), eventually leading me where I really need to go--outside of my quiet self, into the world, to show who I am. Loudly. Even the messy, shaky parts. All of this is helping me come to realize, in my own time, and in my own way, that I am enough.
Can you relate? What’s your “Red Book” in life? How is the universe asking you to come out and play?
(posted by Sera Beak, substituting this week for Amy)
“Let’s say you’ve inflated your soul to the size of a beach ball and it’s soaking into the Mystery like wine into a mattress. What have you accomplished? Well, long term, you may have prepared yourself for a successful metamorphosis, an almost inconceivable transformation to be precipitated by your death or by some great worldwide whoopjamboreehoo. You may have. No one can say for sure. More immediately, by waxing soulful you will have granted yourself the possibility of ecstatic participation in what the ancients considered a divinely animated universe. And on a day-to-day basis, folks, it doesn’t get any better than that.”
I’m a big fan of vitamin supplements derived from whole foods, and after a bunch of research (oh man do I love Google), I’ve just tried Earth’s Promise whole-food drink mix powders: Green, Orange, and Purple (each named for the color of the family of concentrated foods that tend to be in them). Each is packed with naturally occurring nutrients derived from real whole fruits and vegetables, and the best part is they’re all quite tasty. For more about the difference between whole food supplements versus traditional, isolated supplements (i.e.; ascorbic acid or your everyday Vitamin C, versus actually taking a supplement containing all parts of an orange) check out this article.
What are your favorite whole food supplements?
(posted by Sera Beak, substituting this week for Amy)
My acupuncturist just emailed me an amazing announcement. She’s off to New Orleans to volunteer for Acupuncturists Without Borders (AWB). It’s a wonderful organization, and all I can say is, thank the deity of tiny needles that the West is now more open to using this powerful natural practice to help with healing human trauma. Here’s how it works: Like Doctors Without Borders, AWB volunteers travel to places that have suffered large-scale traumatic events (like Hurricane Katrina) and offer free acupuncture in group settings. What many people still don’t know (but are realizing in increasing numbers as study after study proves it) is that acupuncture can work wonders in helping to heal psychological and emotional traumas, not to mention your everyday injuries and stresses (I know it helped me tremendously this past year when I was going crazy from writing deadlines).
Do you know of any acupuncturists who might be interested in helping out AWB? What has acupuncture done for you lately?
(posted by Sera Beak, substituting this week for Amy)
Joss Whedon. I love him. He is one to be loved. If you don’t know who he is, you owe it to yourself to become familiar with one of the most creative, intelligent, and pro-female writer/directors floating around Hollywood today. Whedon is the genius creator/writer/director of such cult TV classics as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly,” as well as the movie “Serenity” and the upcoming, big-budget “Wonder Woman." I avoided watching “Buffy” for years because the title just seemed so cheesy, so, well, Buffy, but started tuning in during a particularly stressful time in grad school, and my harsh judgments vanished immediately as I found myself enthralled by the metaphysical and spiritual elements layering the smart, self-deprecatingly campy show, the quirky humor and whip-smart cast, and, of course, the young, empowered, kick-ass vampire slayer who struggles relentlessly with her classic personal archetype: the Hero (Joseph Campbell would eat this show up with a chocolate spoon).
Don’t believe it? Try religious scholar Jana Reiss’ book, “What Would Buffy Do: The Vampire Slayer as Spiritual Guide” which beautifully details the more spiritual elements of the show. Hey, if you can’t trust a scholar, who can you trust?
But back to my boy Joss. He was just given an award by Equality Now, honoring “men on the front lines,” for his contributions to the notion of the empowered female. This link takes to straight to a YouTube video of his speech (he’s introduced by none other than she-goddess Meryl Streep). It’s worth every minute. Whedon is humble and funny and deeply articulate, and in the speech he answers the question he is asked in every interview he’s ever given: “ Why do you create such strong female characters?” His answers are absolutely priceless.
Do you think Hollywood offers us enough relatable strong female characters?
(posted by Sera Beak, substituting this week for Amy)
Just so you know, I like to dye my hair. Sometimes highlights, sometimes dark, sometimes something in-between. And like many health-conscious women, I found the harsh chemicals they rubbed into my skull every couple months to be a little troubling (not to mention how that nasty synthetic smell used to keep both boyfriend and my pet parrot on the far side of the couch). Well, Aveda to the rescue. I’ve recently started going to an Aveda salon where the dye is 99-percent chemical free. At first I was skeptical of how it might look. I mean, how could modest plant-derived dye possibly be as good as that scalp-scorching chemical stuff? But the color is amazing, and I walk out the door with shiny healthy hair that smells like lavender, not some 8th grade science experiment gone wrong.
Have you ever tried natural hair dye?
(posted by Sera Beak, substituting this week for Amy)
Mata Amritanandamayi (Mother of Immortal Bliss) a.k.a Ammachi, a.k.a. Amma (mother), is a simply wondrous Indian spiritual teacher known as the "hugging saint” for her life-long practice of giving a genuine divine loving squeeze to all who come see her. She’s back again, touring North America and spreading her love across this continent like a fine cosmic perfume. Call it Ammapalooza 2006. She’s in Boston till the 21st of July and Toronto till the 26th and if you haven’t been hugged by this living saint yet, it’s very worth the trip.
As someone who’s been around quite a few gurus, most of whom tend to give darshan with a gentle look, the touch of a soft peacock feather, or possibly, maybe, a light tough on the forehead, I’m constantly astounded that Amma gets down and dirty with us mere mortals. As she gathers us up in her arms, she gently caresses our faces and wipes away our tears, our baby's drool, and even pet dander. It’s estimated that she’s hugged upward of twenty million people, and I gotta say, no matter when I’ve gotten the squeeze, she’s always smelled quite potently like fresh roses (I’m really curious what type of deodorant she wears). But I digress. To me, Amma represents the divine feminine in action, Shakti with a rose between her teeth, compassion unfiltered. Love is love is love, no matter what tradition or spiritual practice you follow, and to witness it in one of it’s purest forms is a gift not to be passed over. Run to her, mere mortals, run.
Have you been hugged by Amma? What was it like?
(posted by Sera Beak, substituting this week for Amy)
As someone who--no matter what new contraption I buy--just can’t find the most ergonomic writing/computer set up, I’ve suffered for years with occasional tendonitis in my wrists and hands. This annoying condition has caused me to take long breaks from my favorite yoga classes, so long that I’ve even had dreams in which I’m practicing asanas like I’m made out of some sort of Indian super rubber. I wake up in the morning sighing and saying to my yoga deprived-body “don’t worry, we’ll get back to it someday.”
Well, that day came sooner than expected when I was introduced not long ago to Gripitz. They’re very simple: Each is made of two thick foam blocks, connected by a strong rubber bar grip that allows me to hold my wrists in a more neutral position (as opposed to placing my palms flat on the floor, which can put enormous pressure on the tendons) when I do floor asanas. Great for downward dogs, sun salutations, headstands, push-ups and the like. I’m happy to report that, so far, after a few months of Gripitz use, no major pain in my wrists after class. Looks like this could be the end of my Super Yogini dreams….
(posted by Sera Beak, substituting for Amy this week)
I just attended one of those truly amazing dinner parties where the host placed thoughtful gifts at each seat, where the delectable Spanish tapas were accompanied by a dizzying amount of impressive wines--and my sweetheart was placed at the far end of the table. Gulp. Lucky for me, my neighbors were nothing short of remarkable and the conversation escalated from kinesthetic intelligence to Genesis to Darwin to extraterrestrial art. It was quite a night.
Wait, extraterrestrial art? Yes indeed. Meet Jonathon Keats, a San Francisco artist and all-around superbly genius and unique people (he was wearing a fabulous pin-striped suit a bow tie, and the most perfect spectacles). He explained his recent exhibit, which featured real art from the terrestrials, this way: If there are extraterrestrials, why do we limit them by thinking that the only way they would communicate with us is via scientific data? Why shouldn’t they communicate with us through the more universal language of art? This notion hit home with me because I fully believe that creativity is a fundamental universal energy, reflected both in nature and in the human animal. Some wise ones even go so far as to say that the only reason we humans exist is to experience what it is to be creators. So of course, why wouldn’t our neighbors in deep space share this need for creative expression? By sending us their version of a Rembrandt or a Picasso, Elizabeth Murray or Jackson Pollock?
What do you think?
(posted by Sera Beak, substituting this week for Amy)
Ah, the glitter, pink wigs, loud electronic music and bare, sweaty torsos. No, this is not an urban yoga class, but rather the famous Love Parade that burst through Berlin this past weekend, where upward of a million joyous revelers danced by the Brandenburg Gate. This massive, city-as-nightclub event started in 1989, four months before the demolition of the Berlin Wall, and people have been dancing the love (minus a few years due to lack of funding) ever since, causing several other cities around the world to boogie down and copy, including San Francisco, Tel Aviv, Mexico City, and Cape Town.
But in the midst of those throbbing beats, where’s the love in this giant, crazy dance party, you might ask? Exactly where it always is: between the hip and the hop, the dream and the reality, and most definitely behind the walls we have all built up around ourselves. Is it demolition time for any of your personal walls? Anything you need to dance out?
“Good fortune follows you around like a drunk monkey in a little red dress.” Or how ‘bout “Look out, your spirit is taking naked pictures of you.” Or maybe, “You have the power to make angels swoon.”
At the book release party celebrating my first book “The Red Book: A Deliciously Unorthodox Approach To Igniting Your Divine Spark,” I wanted to give out something a little different, a little quirky, a little more personal. And also tasty. Fortune cookies! Not just any fortune cookies, mind you, but cookies with custom-written fortunes (the above are but three of the half-dozen I came up with). People loved them. Sure enough, there are plenty of companies that offer it, and for a relative bargain, too.
Customizing your own fortune cookies isn't just fun, it can even be therapeutic--especially if your brain is filled with, ahem, colorful spiritual musings that might not always sound as profound as Gandhi, but still deserve to be given some sweet air. The possibilities are endless, and of course the fortunes don’t always have to fall out of you. You can use quotes from anyone you like (Einstein, the Dalai Lama, Caroline Myss, Homer Simpson, your child). Next time you’re wondering what to bring to that dinner party, or PTA meeting, or workshop, I suggest you mix a little spirit with your treats.
I used a company called fancyfortunecookies.com for my cookies, because they were one of the few who offered them in a deep sexy red (to match the cover of my book), but there are several companies out there. Click here for more.
Just can’t wait and need a fortune right now? Try this.
(posted by Sera Beak, substituting for Amy this week)
I have no children yet, but I do have plenty of friends who have babies, and for them I’ve found the perfect gift. It’s something to give to every new mom I know, because I keep hearing rave reviews from even the most back-achy of moms when I do. It’s calledThe Snuggle Wrap, and as you can see from the picture, it’s a stretchy, all-natural, 100-percent cotton piece of fabric that allows you to hold your baby (without directly holding your baby) in a variety of comfy heartbeat-centric ways. All the new moms I know love it. And at under 40 bucks, it’s got it all over those fancy strappy nylon backpack contraptions.
(posted by Sera Beak, substituting for Amy this week)
Nina Utne has a good article in the July/August Utne Readeron how Mathew Sanford, then 13, survived the trauma of losing a father and a sister and becoming paralyzed himself in the same car accident. Twenty years later, Sanford is a paraplegic yoga instructor who "pays close attention to the mind-body connection." His book "Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence" was just published by Rodale.
Sanford says: "My life thus far has been like a river gaining current. I wouldn't be the person I am if what happened to me hadn't happened. And in fact I like who I am now. I think that I'm a better person than I would have been, although I don't know. My whole life's work is based on the relationship and fluctuation between mind and body, and no amount of bookwork would have given me the insight and intuition that were forced on me as a 13-year-old."
posted by Chattering Mind @ 11:37 AM | Permalink |
Hey guys, I'm wondering why nobody responded to that William B. Yeats quote I posted a few days ago. It made my week, so I was hoping it would leave you similarly dazzled. The fact that the great Irish poet writing a friend in the last letter before his death could say that he was happy and that he'd finally discovered something he wasn't sure he'd ever understand, and that the summation of what he'd realized was that man can never know "truth," he can only embody it...well, that whole passage leaves me happy and at peace. One theme of this blog is that life is best savored when we quiet our internal chatter, and integrate a loving spirit into all we do. The Sufis say it is better to know God, than to believe in him. I believe that too.
Reading what Yeats took his lifetime to decipher, and having that passage available when I am not yet dying, well, it makes me feel blessed and so grateful. This morning, I felt the need to return to the passage. How gorgeous can life get?
Yeats was a Theosophist, someone who subscribes to the theory that there is a divine plan, that all religions speak some truth, and that despite appearances, everything is intelligently leading towards good. I've been reading up on the philosophy, which still has its own societies and magazines.
My best Acquaintances are those With Whom I spoke no Word— The Stars that stated come to Town Esteemed Me never rude Although to their Celestial Call I failed to make reply— My constant—reverential Face Sufficient Courtesy.
Oh Matchless Earth, We underrate the chance to dwell in thee.
Last night, I drove the kids from Brooklyn to Western Massachusetts where Mr. Chattering's parents(my inlaws) have a house in the woods. The plan was to say here and blog for the next two weeks while the kids attend an arty day camp set on a farm that was once a bed and breakfast.
The schedule now has changed slightly because I consulted a gastroenterologist for a second opinion on my anemia three weeks ago, and last week his blood tests revealed that I have antibodies for the bacteria known to cause peptic ulcers! Gracious! I'm in no pain or distress, but the doc says that about 30 percent of all ulcers are asymptomatic. So I have to drive back to New York to get an upper endoscopy on Tuesday. It's a simple procedure that involves a scope and mini-camera that takes pictures of the inside of my tummy. My kids find this totally cool.
"Oh, that's such wonderful news because if it's an ulcer, then you'll really know why you're always anemic!" says my well-meaning older sister. "And ulcers are so easily treated now with antibiotics!"
Antibiotics. Like a course that lasts four to six weeks. Eeeesh. Natural med people like me have a somewhat inflated distrust of antibiotics, the most important drugs to be developed and then over-used in the the last half century. But both my homeopath/osteopath and my holistic nurse practicioner insist that if this ulcer (which I doubt I have) is not too bad, it can definitely be treated and cured for good with other methods. I've only been on antibiotics once in the past fifteen years, so whatever I'm given should probably work well on me.... And yet....
So while I'm off next week, you'll have to wait with bated breath: does Chattering Mind have a bleeding ulcer? (What a ridiculous idea! I think not.) Should she have a pre-ulcerous situation, should she travel the mainstream medical route (you gotta say to yourself, "Well, God made anibiotics too") or should she place her stomach lining on a new-age, alt-med protocol? OR will she find an integrated path, something in between? Stay tuned. I'm actually feeling better than ever these days, so don't worry about me.
The wondeful blog Vegan Lunchbox has posted an interview with Dr. Joel Fuhrman, author of several books on plant-based nutrition, including "Eat To Live" and "Disease-Proof Your Child." In this conversation, Dr. Fuhrman points out that too many vegans are now dependent upon sodium-saturated soy cheese and fake meat. He also says that if you feed your kids right now, their health will be protected for years.
"Adult cancers are predominantly caused by what we ate in our childhood," he claims. "Junk food is dangerous, we should fight it as strongly as we fight drug abuse and smoking. Maybe we should put tee shirts on our kids that say: "No Thank You to Drugs. No Thank You to Smoking. No Thank You to Junk Food. We Value Our Future Health!"
Speaking of diet, here's a great guide to how the world's religious traditions view consuming meat. Pretty fascinating. I personally feel that the meat I eat must be humanely raised and butchered. And I'm getting stronger in my resolve not to eat conventionally raised beef and chicken in restaurants, whereas in the past there have been times when I've let my principles dance in the wind.
posted by Chattering Mind @ 11:45 AM | Permalink |
"I accept a steady diet of love and joy, knowing that I deserve happiness and health. I willingly and lovingly release all ego judgments about myself and other people, knowing that everything I want comes from my decision to experience the wonders of all life. I know I am meant to be a healer and a teacher for God, and I now accept my mission fully without delay or reservation. I surrender all behaviors that will block me from hearing my inner voice, and I happily trust my inner guide to lead me along this way where I joyfully serve as an instrument of love. I release any doubts or fears I might have about fulfilling my divine mission, and I now command to staying aware of my inner voice for God. I know that this is the only tool I will ever need for my own healing and the healing of the world. Amen."
It is nice that you are reading me. But when you stop, will you be going off to do something you don't want to do?
As I was posting that Joseph Campbell quote yesterday, I looked over his foundation's website. And I was reminded of the Campbell story about the father telling his son to eat his peas at dinner. When the son said he didn't want to eat his peas, the father barked back that his whole life had been spent doing things he didn't want to do. So true. A sad remark. That mindset, or ethos, is so built into us.
So what are you doing? How near is your bliss? Can you touch it?
Yesterday, I took the Chattering boys (ages nine-and-a-half and 12) to see "An Inconvenient Truth," the documentary about Al Gore's lecture on global warming. Midway through, the nine-year-old began to sniff, wipe away tears, and then sob in great heaves as aerial views of various cities, including New York, were shown flooding one day in the future if the polar ice caps completely melt. I hugged my son, and began to plan a hasty exit. How insensitive of me, I thought. I never should have brought him. But what to do now? Leave the older in his seat while I waited in the theater lobby with son numer two? Hussle everyone out?
Then the visuals shifted, and Al Gore took a new tact, as if the filmmakers knew just when to lighten up. My son calmed down, but we held hands for the rest of the film.
As the credits rolled at the end to the tune of Melissa Etheridge singing "I Need to Wake Up," my son turned to me and said, "I think everybody should see that movie."
So he made it, and we're incredibly glad we went. Has anyone taken a child younger than nine? How did your older kids react? The "Truth" is a lot to handle. And it is the truth. Journalist Gregg Easterbrook has recanted.
When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s life may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Don't miss Newsweek's cover story "Going Green," currently on the stands and online. I'm taking Newsweek's full-page photo of San Diego's hydrocarbon-free dry-cleaning store to my own dry cleaner. He'll probably say he can't swing it, but I know the neighborhood would support him in such an effort. For a great explanation of trends in dry cleaning, check out this fascinating organic clothing blog.
There's so much that can be done. And the quest to go "greener" can be interesting and fun. Beliefnet recently took the extra time to find a less environmentally toxic carpet for our new, expanded offices.
posted by Chattering Mind @ 12:01 PM | Permalink |
If you will think of ourselves as coming out of the Earth, rather than having been thrown in here from somewhere else, you see that we are the Earth, we are the consciousness of the Earth. These are the eyes of the Earth. And this is the voice of the Earth.
This Chris Bliss juggling video has been making the rounds. Just imagine all the hours of mindful practice. You've got to watch all four and a half mesmerizing minitues, and show it to your kids. Thanks to healthy home products expert Debra Dadd Redalia who posted this on the new "Daily Spirit" blog she writes with her husband Larry.
Oh, now we understand. An Italian lip reader seems to think that French World Cup captain Zinedine Zidane delivered that head butt because his Italian opponent had insulted the whole Zidane family, AND Zidane's mother had recently received some bad medical news about which Zidane was still upset. The whole story is here. And there's highly engaging video here.
One CM reader resented the implication that Zidane's poor impulse control made him look like an animal.
...animals do not lose it. When they are aggressive it is with intention, necessary for the predatory or defensive behaviors in the animal kingdom. The higher mind of the human being can control these instinctual and territorial behaviors. Too often we fail to do so, but the "like an animal" metaphor is misplaced, I think.
"I am happy, and I think full of an energy, an energy I had despaired of. It seems to me that I have found what I wanted. When I try to put all into a phrase I say, 'Man can embody the truth but he cannot know it.' I must embody it in the completion of my life. The abstract is not life and everywhere draws out its contradictions... A Sufi leader teaches his students to regard all the negativity in their lives as a gift from God, to observe and ask, 'What is there in this that returns to me because it comes from me?'"
Chattering Mind likes to waltz into the family room to fold laundry during the last fifteen minutes of any televised sporting event. Often, this strikes everyone as obnoxious. But boy, did I get an eyeful during the last ten minutes of yesterday's World Cup, when French soccer team captain Zinedine Zidane, previously known for his class and aplomb, was kicked out of the game for viciously knocking Italian defender Marco Materazzi off his feet with a head butt to the sternum.
It was a "red card" penalty that may well have cost the French the match; Zidane is a great kicker and the WC's outcome was determined by penalty kicks, to say nothing of how the whole episode must have upset--bewildered? demoralized?--what remained of the French team. When your leader loses it, it's always bad.
Anger continued to be a theme at our house last night. At first, it seemed unrelated to Zidane's World Cup lunge, but upon reflection, there had to be a connection.
The Chattering boys argued near bedtime and I delivered yet another sermonette on how they shouldn't bicker and fight as much as they do. Then as I was tucking the younger Chat into bed, he started to cry and said that his feelings get hurt when other family members say he has an "anger management" problem.
"Well, you're the youngest," I offered. "That's really hard. People are either underestimating what you can do, or pressuring you to be older. All that is frustrating."
He sniffed and wiped tears away from his cheeks in a way I found unbearably touching.
"I'm so proud of you honey. You are growing up to be a fine person, an incredible person. I can't believe it sometimes."
"I-I do get angry at home..." he said.
"Anger is nothing to be ashamed of. It's not right to hit your brother, but anger is useful, it's an energy that you have to harnass. Angry people change the world."
This is a hard concept for a child to follow. I buried all anger for years. I still swallow it down and struggle with the channeling of it. I hope I can help both my children with this issue. It's extremely painful, isn't it? Thich Nhat Hanh and Robert A. F. Thurman have written excellent books on the subject. And here's a web page for kids that explains anger's usefulness.
Depending on your time zone, today and tomorrow mark the full moon celebration of the Hindu holiday Guru Purnima, a time to honor all gurus and teachers--and in India, a time to appreciate the coming rainy season.
Say a prayer to all those who have honored you, seen the seed of aliveness within you, taught you something new.
Here are some instructions on how to use this sacred time period:
Become a personification of receptivity. Empty yourself of your petty ego. All the treasures locked up in the bosom of Nature will become yours...Become pure and unattached as the mountain breeze. As the river flows continuously, steadily and constantly towards its goal, the ocean, so also let your life flow ceaselessly towards the supreme state of absolute Existence-Knowledge-Bliss, by letting all your thoughts, all your words and all your actions be directed only towards the goal.
...It is the full moon on the Purnima day that reflects in full splendour the glorious light of the sun. It glorifies the sun. Purify yourself through the fire of selfless service and Sadhana, and like the full moon, reflect the glorious light of the Self. Become the full reflectors of Brahmic splendour, the light of lights. Make this your goal: “I will be a living witness to divinity, the brilliant Sun of suns!”
And here's a chant that's also appropriate for this Hindu holiday.
posted by Chattering Mind @ 11:25 PM | Permalink |
Here's a brief snipped from Beliefnet's article on the Christian undertones of the Superman story on the origins of Superman:
Jews have often claimed the archetypal superhero as their own. Superman sprang from the imaginations of two Jewish cartoonists, and scholars have compared him to the golem myth—the supernatural creature who vanquishes the Jews' enemies (early on, Superman battled the Nazis directly).
Golem is a magical creature made of mud. According to legend, the great Rabbi Judah Loew of Prague made such a golem from the mud of the river Vltava, and used it to defend the Jews of his time against the blood libel, the oft-recurring accusation that Jews bake matzah with the blood of a Christian child.
The Hebrew word golem occurs only once in the Hebrew Bible--Psalm 139:16--where it means, perhaps, "unformed matter." However, perhaps to make up for that, the concept of the golem became an object of intense study among kabbalists, and later the "unformed matter" spawned legends that grew into novels, short stories, films, comic books, television programs, plays, and, in Prague at least, a restaurant (The Golem) and strange pieces of ceramic.
Mr. Chattering once purchased for the boys this audio CD which features Leonard Nimoy telling the golem story.
posted by Chattering Mind @ 12:36 PM | Permalink |
Though I've never ordered anything from Soft Surroundings, I love the spiritual look of the clothes. "My time. My place. My self" is the company's motto. Every outfit is so appealing to me. I pass on the link since I have the feeling that a lot of you are also into what one reader called "the aging hippy chick" look. This is it. Tell me what you think.
posted by Chattering Mind @ 12:35 PM | Permalink |
Western Buddhist meditation teacher Lama Surya Das publishes a newsletter of inspirational quotes. The most recent ones contained Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's nine requisites for contented living:
Health enough to make work a pleasure. Wealth enough to support our needs. Strength to battle with difficulties and overcome them. Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them. Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished. Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor. Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others. Faith enough to make real the things of God. Hope enough to remove all anxious fears of the future.
Interesting to note that Rudolf Steiner labored for years as a Goethe scholar. To subscribe to the newsletter and keep up with the activities and retreats of the Dzogchen Center, click here.
posted by Chattering Mind @ 12:27 PM | Permalink |
"Oh by the way," I said to Mr. Chattering this morning as he was putting on his socks, "When the time comes, don't take Chattering Son Number One off to the drugstore to buy him a commercial deodorant."
"What, myBrut can't be his Brut?" said Mr. Chattering, looking shocked. I think Mr. Chattering's father uses Brut too.
Actually, upon researching Brut Cologne deodorant online, I see that I owe Mr. C. and the whole Faberge company an apology. Brut lacks the controversial ingredient aluminum linked by some natural health folks to everything from breast cancer to Alzheimer's. Brut merely contains denatured alcohol, water, propylene glycol, sodium stearate, fragrance, green 5, and yellow coloring.
Even so, wouldn't you rather rub something else in your delicate underarm for the next fifty years?
I'm using Orjene's Garden Fresh Herbal Deodorant Stick now, but have also used Nature's Gate Deodorant Stick to good effect (at least I have received no complaints). The Thai salt crystal stuff is generally great, but an old one can crack and feel too scratchy after a year or so (which may just tell you that I let my deodorant crystals sit around too long).
Hey, you sporty, glowing summer CM readers! What's your favorite chem-free deodorant? Does it work? Do you care?
And after the rain, the weeding! It seems the weeds in the Chattering family garden are growing two inches a day.
"Weeds want to tell a story. They are Nature's way of teaching us, and their story is interesting," writes Ehrenfried E. Pfeiffer in "Weeds and What they Tell," a sweet biodynamic gardening book on the mysteries of soil and what weeds "offer" the earth beneath them. If you give the soil what the weed provides, the weed will no longer be needed and may even disappear! This book is available on Amazon, but the page there didn't feature a picture of the book, so I also gave you a more picturesque link. Here's a Waldorf book site with this and other marvelous gardening titles. Scroll down once you get there.
Where I live, the fireflies only seem to appear for an hour every night during the first three weeks of July. After that, I don't know where they go.
Fireflies are the most saintly bugs. I am filled with awe and feel lucky each time I see them. How can such amazing creatures exist?
The other night, the Chattering boys happened to be together, staring into the screen of a computer at the moment I noticed the fireflies. "Get off the computer! Get out with the fireflies!" When they didn't seem to hear me the first time, I became a little hysterical.
"Okay, Mom!" They sort of stomped out. Then they themselves fell into the coming darkness of the street outside. And they ran with the fireflies. I could hear their laughter, their call for jars to hold the fire in for a time. We punched holes in the tops. We looked. Then we let them all go.
The Chatterings are nine and twelve years old. Cute little boys. How many more summers will we have moments like this?
God does not die on that day when we cease to believe in a personal deity, but we die when our lives cease to be illuminated by the steady radiance, renewed daily, of a wonder, the source of which is beyond all reasoning.
--Dag Hammarskjold, (1905-1961) Swedish political leader and Secretary General of The United Nations.
posted by Chattering Mind @ 11:38 AM | Permalink |
I don't know if you're old enough to remember when Ralph Nader offered congressional testimony on the American hot dog and called it a "torpedo of death." The year was 1968. If you continue to have doubts about whether or not conventionally processed and preserved meats aren't great for you, especially if you're a child or someone who eats Oscar Meyer wieners in abundance, read this report. Scroll down to the parts about sodium nitrate.
You do not have to completely eliminate hot dogs from your barbeque menu however, now that the New York Times has rated the best healthy/natural franks for you! Dining writer Kim Severson claims tht the most widely available grass fed frank is made by Applegate Farms and that it "organically replicates the old ballpark hot dog's taste." Additionally, she says that Organic Valley's beef frank, once among the worst of the natural dogs out there, has greatly improved thanks to new curing techniques. Other boutique brands in different parts of the country did well in the Times' tastings; click here for the whole article.
I wrote the rabbi today at the synagogue where my kids go to Hebrew School, and told him I'd help to organize a summer teen "Peace Camp" like this one. Sounds terrific, doesn't it? In the course of the week, the kids celebrate peace traditions in world religions and go on field trips to Hindu and Buddhist temples, an Islamic mosque, and more to learn about teachings of peace in each tradition.
posted by Chattering Mind @ 12:33 PM | Permalink |
We saw "Superman Returns" last weekend and enjoyed it thoroughly, though I found myself shifting in my chair slightly and even chortling when the director heaped on the Christian allegory way too heavily. I learned in eighth grade literature class that authors are supposed to hint at their messages, and make readers do the interpreting.
As a woman, I saw the movie's tension in the question: "Do I need some cute caped guy to pick me up and save me at every turn?" Ace reporter Lois Lane puts herself in harm's way with such frequency, that apparently, she does. As a team, however, she and Superman accomplish a great deal. And it would be nice to fly away above the office rooftops like that.
I don't know. In the end, Tobey Maguire's Spiderman remains my favorite superhero guy. He wasn't afraid to admit to his girlfriend MJ in Spiderman II, "This is really heavy," whilst supporting a wall that was about to crush her. I found that quite adorable. Here's Beliefnet.com's take on superheroes and their religious faiths. And here's a book for parents on kids and why they need super heroes.
Heavenly father, we invoke thy blessings upon the President of the United States of America and upon all the leaders of our country. Protect them with thy mercy and sustain them with thy good counsel. Inspire them to govern the nation in faithfulness and in truth and direct them ever to seek the welfare of all the inhabitants of our land. Grant them to know that a nation is exhaled by righteousness, but that the perversion of righteousness is a reproach to any people. Thou who art the Lord of all mankind implant within our hearts a respectful law and a resoluteness of purpose in advancing the cause of freedom, justice and peace. Prosper our country in all her worthy endeavors and help her to be a force for good among all the nations of the world. Amen.
It's good that former president Clinton has been leading a campaign against soft drink machines in schools. Here's another approach to tackling our nation's youth obesity problem, one that I suspect will be considerably less successful.
CM reader Stacey-Robin objected slightly to what I said last week about the Barbara Walters/Star Jones Reynolds bruhaha, but I happened to notice, when I went to her homepage, that she's a talented artist with lovely artwork up on her site.
Chattering Mind is a blog on motherhood, aging, health and healing, yoga, whole foods, spiritual music, meditation, as well as the struggle to manage time and clutter.
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High on my list of most inspiring people is Bill Hubert, a Wichita, Kansas, English teacher and martial artist who developed a truly amazing method of exercise for school kids that combines Brain Gym, juggling, and vision therapy. Studies show that when children learn Bal-a-Vis-X (his funny name for it), their reading scores improve. 
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