LIVING OUR BELIEFS

A few weeks ago I went to hear a speaker who has a book out entitled "The World Peace Diet". I knew nothing about him, but I loved the title of the book! With all the diet books out, why not one that promotes peace? His name is Will Tuttle, and his talk was really powerful and disturbing. While I wasn't on board with everything he said, his basic premise really resonated: we are not living our beliefs when it comes to food. Of course it got me thinking about how that is true in other areas than just food, but let me share his concepts first, and then spin off on my tangents as I tend to do!

Part of what was so disturbing was the videos he showed of animal farming. I've never seen anything like this before, and some of it was so horrific I actually had to turn my head away. Just like I think every person who creates garbage (that would be all of us) should be required to tour a landfill to see why we need to make different choices, I now think everyone should have to see videos of animal farming so you know what you are contributing to. Even vegans need to see this so they can talk about it with others who are not vegan. Mr. Tuttle says we have dis-connected from the cruelty because we can't face the truth. It's too shameful. After seeing these images, I think everyone would agree. I don't know ANYONE who would watch this and say "yah, that's something I want to finance and condone! Let's have more of THAT!" And yet we do finance and condone it every single day by our choices for food. How is this possible? How did we get to a place where our beliefs are not lived in our choices? What person reading this would say "I believe in mutilation, violence, cruelty, and slavery"? I'm quite sure not one. And yet how many of us know or have thought about what happens with the animals on our plate? Animals have instincts like we do to escape mutilation and violence, raise their children, and live outside cages. But we have decided it is somehow o.k. to put them in cages so small they can't turn around because the meat would get "tough", take their children from them, mutilate them like whacking off their beaks so they can't peck, and the list goes on. If you saw these videos you would probably be as horrified as I was. So why is this o.k.???? What happened to compassion? We are literally eating misery. And how can this change unless enough people say it is NOT o.k.? I'm not talking about the world becoming vegan. I'm talking about the end to cruelty in our food choices. Just don't accept it any more. If enough people are willing to live their beliefs the big factory animal farms won't be able to continue these practices. One of the things Mr. Tuttle said that was so powerful was this: "Our actions are prayers. Are we praying for violence?" Wow.

So here come my tangents. Most people that I know believe that God created the Earth and all the plants and creatures. Do any of them believe that God asks us to destroy the Earth and all the plants and creatures? Not that I know of. Not one. So why are we choosing that every single day? Why are we not living our beliefs? Nature has become a "thing" to be owned and used. Simply "resources" that we can use up, poison, annihilate in any way we want? Who believes that is what God wants? And if we don't believe that, then why are we living that way? What will it take for us to live what we say we believe and cherish Creation? Wouldn't that be GLORIOUS!

How many people reading this would say they believe greed is a good thing? Probably none. So why do we take more than we need ALL THE TIME? We take more food than we need, more clothes than we need, more "things", bigger houses than we need, bigger cars, on and on. And yet we say we don't believe in greed. Look at the way we are living. I live quite a simple life, and yet when I went to move and started to decide what I needed to keep, I was STUNNED at how much I had that I could give away because I didn't need it. It comes from just being able to take more than we need. We take what we CAN. However much we can afford usually. Not how much is necessary. What if we started LIVING our belief that greed is not a good thing? If there was no consequence it wouldn't really matter. But the consequences of our taking what we can has HUGE repercussions for the Earth. The sheer volume of "stuff" that is not necessary is spewing mountains of pollution in the air, soil and water that we all need to survive. There will come a time when this is finally clear to everyone, but the damage will have been done. How about we stop this damage now, simply by living what we say we believe? It can happen. I know it can. But people have to be willing to really look at the way they live their lives and the choices that do harm. I truly hope that humanity will rise to this challenge and SEE the effect of the "more, more, more" mentality. This is not about living in a sense of lack. Abundance does not have to do damage to the Earth. Abundance can take other forms than just material things that spew pollution every time they are made or used. What if we live by this motto: "Take what you need, not what you can".

So I ask each of you to really look at your beliefs and if you are living them. If not, isn't it time to shift that? It has to happen inside each one of us. Awareness, and then action.
Thanks for listening.

10 GIFTS

Today was the "official" day when all the shop-till-you-drop craze begins leading up to the big Holiday Season. (Cue the music...) Gift giving is such a BEAUTIFUL thing, but it has become really manic and destructive in our society. People wracking up debt because they feel they have to buy and buy, literally harming others in the quest to get something they think they must have, so much stress, so frantic. How about we step out of all that this year?! I submit some suggestions for a loving and stress free holiday season, helping the Earth in the process. We can give and NOT pollute the land, water and air. YAY!

1. Buy Less.
Seems a no-brainer. The more things we accumulate that we don't really need from people who think they have to buy us "something", the more that winds up in the landfill. While it is really fun to give, most of the gifts now are so destructive to the world we live in. So much plastic! So much manufacturing waste. We don't need to add to that in order to give.

2. Re-Give.
(What an odd sounding word.) There are many things you may have received that you don't use or enjoy that someone else may need or adore! When I was doing my huge "cleanse" to downsize before moving to Kauai, it was so fun finding new homes for things I didn't want to take with me. I thought I didn't have much "stuff" to start with, but it was amazing how much I had to give in my closets. There is an organization online at Freecycle.org where you can get things to give to others for free! Craigslist also has a "free" section under the "For Sale" column. And of course you can post things there you want to give away if you can't find another home for them.

3. Donate.
One of the wonderful traditions started in my family awhile ago is making a donation in someones name to an organization that person would want to support. There is money flowing to a fantastic cause, rather than to a "thing" that sits on a shelf or in a store room. It is exciting to me that the Earth can get extra help at this time of year if people are willing to give in this way.

4. Talents.
When we are kids we make things for people. Like the painting Mom still has hanging and says she likes, or the pot holder she still uses. (Yes, it's true). But who says we can't do this as adults? One of the most delicious gifts I ever got was a 2 hour massage from a professional massage therapist friend of mine. BLISS! Someone may be able to offer tutoring on a computer to another who is lost. (That would be me). Write a poem or song as a gift if you are a writer or singer. I have a friend who is a pianist and donates himself as entertainment for parties as a gift. Is there some skill you have that others could be blessed by?

5. Time.
Even if you feel you are a talent free zone, time is a gift that many can use. Babysit for a couple with kids so they can have a night out. Be a chauffeur for someone who has no car. Clean someones car, or house. (Well maybe not the WHOLE house...). You can create a "certificate" to be redeemed for a certain number of hours of your time. Lots of people need gifts of time!

6. Free Tickets.
Give a subscription to season tickets for something fantastic! Or maybe just a single show of something passing through. A year's admission to a museum, art gallery, arboretum. That gift keeps on giving the entire year.

7. FOOD!
O.K, who doesn't like food? Maybe you want to not like it so it won't tempt you, but you DO. Everyone needs to eat. Making food to give as gifts feels very special to the person receiving. "You made this yourself? Wow." Even if it's not yummy to them, the love that went into it is what is received. Your shopping is no more than a few extra items the next time you are at the grocery store.

8. Re-use.
A lot of the wrapping, bows and bags that things come in can be re-used. I had such a collection of gift bags and bows from packages I got over the years I gave a bunch away on my big "cleanse" and I still have more to use this year. Even the wrapping paper if it is taken off carefully can be used again another year. Just cut off the parts with tape and voila, new paper with no trip to the store. (Just don't give it back to the same person...hee!)

9. Recycle.
There is so much packaging on new products but lots of it can go to recycling rather than the landfill. And all those holiday cards and envelopes can be put in paper recycling. Here in Hawaii they do not have curbside recycling (on an ISLAND!...don't get me started...), but ALL paper can be recycled, and both cardboard AND paperboard, if you know where to take it. Check with your local recycling centers for what they accept. In most places none of it has to go to the landfill.

10. E cards.
Lots of people give cards only at the holidays, and have a HUGE list! But now we have the Internet and don't need to cut down forests any more to send a card. Of course there are cards printed on recycled paper, but they are still made in factories adding to the pollution. We can step out of all of that. There are many online card "stores", and most are free! Even better. The cards can be SO creative, even singing and dancing for the recipient. How fun is that?! So give tons of cards and create no waste. Wow.

I know there are lots of ways not mentioned here to give gifts that don't involve buying at a store and more stuff for the landfill. I hope this list has given you ideas to make your own holiday season this year more loving and stress free for both you AND the Earth! YES!
Thanks for listening.

CONVERSATIONS

The most remarkable conversation happened a few days ago. I was doing my usual trash pick-up at the beach, and the waves are still HUGE so there is way more than I can get. When I am passing people "using" the beach, sometimes they will ask if I'm finding shells, occasionally saying something positive when they find I am picking up trash, and often saying nothing. Well this conversation began with the question about what I was picking up, and when I said trash, the guy looked stunned and said "I see trash on the beach all the time but it never occurred to me to pick it up"!!!! He said he assumed someone else would. No, there is no-one whose "job" it is to pick up in remote places. Sometimes at resorts I suppose. Then something happened that is a first in 10 years: he got a bag and JOINED ME! Honestly, no-one has ever done that before. It rather astounded me. He said he would pick up the area around where he and his girlfriend were laying. I got so HAPPY! I always hope people will step up and start doing something about the way we are harming the Earth, but in my experience it is really rare. Once in 10 years. And what was so cute was he needed coaching about what was plastic and what was bits of shell or coral! Hilarious. A trash coach?

In talking with my family and friends over the years I have been so frustrated with how hard it is to get people, even people that love me and listen to me, to realize how serious our destruction of the Earth is and DO something about it. Recently I've been having conversations with several people about why this is. I've learned what might be a few of the reasons, so I post them here in case they ring for others.

Because of the way I live my life, I am seeing every day what is happening to our Earth. I am watching paradise disappear. I have to remember that most people aren't. There are so many big money companies telling them not to worry, that they feel skeptical. "What if I give up all of this stuff and the other side is right and I didn't have to give it up after all?" So they just keep doing their thing and wait until they "see" something happen or until their neighbors do something so they don't feel like they're the only ones "giving up stuff".

How can I get people to believe how important it is to change swiftly? To save what is LEFT, before it too is wiped out forever. Because if we keep going the way we are, quite literally this planet will be un-inhabitable. Very few people believe that. They don't see it so it doesn't make sense to "give up stuff". The Inuit who are watching their houses sink into the melting permafrost believe. The Indonesians watching the forest they live in being cut down believe. The Polynesians forced to leave an island in the Pacific because there is no high ground and their crops are all under water with rising sea level, they believe. The tribes in Africa killed so their land can be mined believe. Our life in N. America is way too cushy. We don't know what we are doing that affects people in other parts of the world, sometimes literally taking their lives. I am told I may be labelled as "hysterical" and people won't listen. And yet what is happening is DESPERATE. How can I get people who don't see it to SEE. And stop contributing immediately so lives can be saved. All I can do is keep putting information out there and pray like crazy it will get through to the heart. If it's just in the head it does no good. People need to be moved in the heart, with enormous compassion for what they may never see first hand, in order to do something. By the time we feel it in N. America in a big enough way to scare people into action, millions of people and creatures will already have lost their lives in other places less insulated. There is a Native Indian saying: "When the children ask what you did while the Earth was dying, how will you answer?"

The thing that still baffles me is the continuing to do something once someone knows how simple it is to do it differently. When you walk into a store you simply pick up the recycled toilet paper rather than the one that has destroyed forests. You pick a cleanser or soap that has no toxic chemicals rather than one that does. You pick up something organic that hasn't poisoned the soil. They are often in the same aisle now at the big stores. You don't even need to go out of your way to do it. It seems that people make it into a bigger shift than it actually is. There was a time when ONLY the health food stores carried products that do no harm, but that is no longer true. It's just so EASY now to make a choice to do no harm, and still people choose what does harm. I don't understand that. Once you know? Really?

I have been told for a lot of people Nature is an "it", an inanimate object, and objects cannot be harmed in very many ways that burden the conscience. WOW. I can't quite wrap my mind around that. But it sure would explain why people harm the Earth the way they do. Separate from Creation. Yes. And so how to re-connect people? Is it even possible to create respect for life if it is not considered life? Respect for an inanimate object? Hmmm. But all of the destruction we are doing is already coming back to bite us. We can't destroy the Earth without destroying ourselves in the process since this is our only home. If you haven't yet watched the movie HOME on Youtube, watch it. It is important to see what you may never know without a film like this. We need to change the course humanity is on. Even my beloved Borneo where I grew up will be devoid of jungle in 10 years at the rate it is being logged. For us. The 20% consuming 80% of the resources of the world. Why is this o.k.? Why aren't more people upset about this? It needs to be a MAJORITY that suddenly cares and is motivated to ACT. So how will you answer when asked what you did while the Earth was dying?

Thanks for listening.

ANCIENT ENLIGHTENMENT

Yesterday was the most INCREDIBLE day! I got up early (those who know me are laughing right now), to go to a traditional Hawaiian blessing ceremony of the land for a new community garden that is opening up in Kilauea. It was PHENOMENAL! The Kumu (teacher) who was leading the ceremony was oozing presence and reverence, and the ceremony was so powerful. She began by saying the Ancient Hawaiians essentially worshiped Nature, and there were specific gods that reigned over the land and water and air. So she was calling for the blessing of those things, so that the ground would be fruitful as it began a new life as a garden to feed many. She did gorgeous chants as others prepared ceremonial beds to plant taro and sweet potato and breadfruit, all essential parts of the life of Ancient Hawaiians. She had created a sacred entrance to the garden with field stones and all were blessed with water that had been sung to as it was being poured into the gourds! Delicious. Even the day itself was auspicious as the Hawaiians had just 2 seasons, dry and wet, and that day marked the transition from one to the other, hence a time for new life and a new planting season.

Ancient Hawaiians, like all aboriginal groups, had SO much respect for the land, and treated it with great sacredness. As she spoke about many of the beliefs, I was so grateful that here was someone who still knew of the Ancient ways and was willing to pass them on to new generations. For a long time Hawaiians were forbidden to practice the "old" ways. I have an Auntie here who is Hawaiian, but is only learning about her culture and language as an adult! When she was a child it was the time of "Westernization" and kids were only allowed to practice "Western" things and learn English. Wow. Of course this happened all over the world with colonization, but here I get to learn about it intimately rather than from books. And the "Western" way was not to treat the land as sacred, but to dominate it. Force it to do what you want in whatever way necessary, rather than work with Nature in a harmonious way. Sadly, that is still what "Western" growing methods are. So it was absolutely gorgeous to hear someone talk about a reverence for the land in growing food. We need to listen to these people that still know how to work with Nature, not fight Her, and re-learn the old wisdom. It gave me hope for a future where the Earth is cared for. Harmony between Nature and humans must become the rule, not the exception.

The space itself is so BEAUTIFUL, nestled in trees with unbelievable views of the mountains and waterfalls. And another thing that gave me hope: the land was donated by a wealthy landowner!!!!!!!!!! YES! Someone who has more than they need giving to others who don't have land. How refreshing! So the plots are being offered to the community for just 35 dollars and then you can plant whatever you want. Amazing. There will be SO many people helped by this land in a time when many are struggling to buy food for their families.

I went from all that power and beauty to my favorite place to do my swim and yoga at Larsens, and there was the most incredible LIGHTNING storm! Talk about power and beauty. I've never seen that at Larsens in a year and 1/2 of going there and it was soooooooooooo spectacular! The storm was out over the sea, and stationary, so I didn't have to run for cover. There was a band of clouds, a gap, and another band higher, with the lightning running up and down the bands sideways like arpeggios on a piano. Then every so often it would jump from one band to the other, sometimes shooting UP from the lower one, sometimes starting at "middle C" and leaping both left and right on the piano simultaneously. I was TRANSFIXED. And I couldn't even do yoga because I kept missing moments when I was upside down so I just stopped and watched. Because it was out over the water it would light up the entire ocean and waves just for a second of brilliant blue and white, and then back to blackness. It went on for more than an hour, before starting to dissipate. WOW! Blessings.

It seemed so appropriate somehow with what I had just experienced at the new garden. Something ancient and powerful enlightening us now if we are willing to stop and learn. And lightning bolts are hard to ignore! It's time to pay attention. Listen. Nature is TALKING.
Thanks for listening.( suddenly a double meaning!)

EARTH LAUGHTER

The other day I was given one of the most beautiful gifts of my life, in the form of a true story read to me over the phone by my sister. I simply had to put an excerpt here to share with all of you. The article was written by a doctor about to meet a new patient, a 9 year old boy with a softball sized cancerous tumor on his face. Both his eyes had been removed, followed by multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. "I was about to meet wisdom and knowledge in the form of a blind nine year old boy with terminal cancer. He should have died months ago, slipped into unconsciousness, or have been in the throes of excruciating pain. Yet, he defied all the odds.

"I am Dr. Lerma. Welcome. You must be Matthew", I said, intentionally directing my salutation to Matthew's sister, who was sitting directly opposite from him. When she started to laugh, Matthew protested loudly,"No, silly, I'm Matthew." Amazingly, he knew I had addressed her instead of him, considering he had been blind for more than a year. He smiled a magical crooked smile and began an animated attempt to make me laugh. "Dr. Lerma, I want to introduce you to Regina, my tumor. The doctors call her retinoblastoma and tell me she is a bad tumor, but I consider her my friend. You see, Dr. Lerma, Regina is going to help my family and other children who are sick."
"How is that possible" I asked.
"Well God's the only One that knows that, but all I have to do is accept her."

One day I asked Matthew how he had lived so long with all that he had endured. He cocked his head as if listening to someone talk, and then he said simply and matter-of -factly, "Okay, I'll, tell him. Well, doc, it was a gift from God's angels." I was a little surprised by this revelation, but sometimes patients did mention angels, and I usually just ignored it as a side effect of the medications or the hallucinations of the dying mind. But this felt different somehow, as Matthew was very lucid and had refused all medications since his admission. Matthew looked at me as though he could see me, and said, "Okay, let's talk about the angels. Ask me some questions. I can feel your heart, and it has questions, so shoot."
"Are there any angels with us today Matthew?"
"Oh yes, they are here."
"How many angels do you see?"
"Three."
"What color are they?"
"They are bright gold."
"How tall are they?"
"They are a little taller than my favorite basketball player, David Robinson."
"Do they come to you when you are sleeping or when you are awake?"
"Both ways. They come in my dreams, and we all go swimming with the dolphins, seals, and penguins. It's a lot of fun. When I'm awake, they teach me things about the earth and people."
"Can you tell me what they teach you about the earth and people?"
"Yes. They tell me that the earth is sick like I am, and that the people have to learn to make it feel better so that everybody can be healthy and happy. Sometimes when I'm swimming with the dolphins and playing with Gabby, I can hear the earth crying because it is sick and is sad. It makes all of us sad. But Gabby has shown me what makes the earth laugh."
"And what makes the earth laugh, Matthew?"
"You make it laugh by swimming with the dolphins, seals, penguins, fish and a bunch of other animals, and saying thank you to God for the water, plants, and all that stuff."

A day or two later, our conversation continued.
"How often do you see the angels, Matthew?"
"Every few days, mostly on Fridays, I think."
"Why do you think they come on Fridays?"
"Because that's when I had my chemotherapy, and they want to help me feel better."
"Do they talk to you?"
"Sometimes."
"What do they say?"
"They ask me if I'm feeling okay."
"What do you tell them?"
"I tell them the truth-that sometimes I feel sick. They tell me they'll make me feel better whenever I feel bad. That's why I don't have any pain like you always think I should have."
"How do they make you feel better?"
"They show me blue water with dolphins and let me ride on them, and after that I feel better than before."

Matthew hugged me and whispered in my ear,"The angels are going to pick me up on Monday. Will I get to see you before then?"
"Of course," I assured him."I wouldn't miss it for the world, Matthew."

I made my visit to Matthew early Monday around seven in the morning, because that is when he said the angels would visit. He knew the moment I arrived and said, "Hello again,"as if he could see. I started to ask if the angels were in the room, but before I could get the words out, he boldly spoke up. "Dr. Lerma, do you know there are about twenty angels in the room with us right now?"
"Really? Anyone else?"
"Yep, all my friends from the beach. They're all laughing, and the angels are so bright and gold that the light makes everyone in the room look gold, too."
Matthew then gifted me with his final words: "I'll see you later." The little boy nodded his head as if he was sharing a special secret that only I would understand.

Matthew passed away peacefully at six in the evening with his family at his bedside. I could feel his spirit still around, no longer in the worn out body. I knew that this world was a better place for Matthew having been here, even if only for a few years."

Wow. So that is what we do to make the Earth feel better; we make her laugh! By giving thanks for all the gifts of Nature, and by playing in Nature with all of her magnificent creatures. After my sister read me the story she pronounced that my most important job each day was to GO SWIMMING! This is a job I can do. I need to make the Earth laugh! I always thought I went to the water to receive joy. Apparently I can also give joy too. Thank you, Matthew.

This is a much shorter version than the complete story which has a beautiful part about Matthew's family and what he did for them. If you want to read the entire thing, it is from the latest issue of Light of Consciousness magazine.

So let's go make the Earth laugh people. We need to give back.
Thanks for listening.

FLYING HOME

I was sitting on the cliff today watching sunset over the water at Larsens; orange, pink and yellow clouds behind dark purple stormy ones with a back drop of baby blue, spread over the dark water swells with puffs of white waves. All that colour punctuated now and then by flocks of Boobies flying home (sorry, that's their name). They are black and white seabirds that nest in the trees of a bird sanctuary just up the coast, and every day at sunset they fly home after a day of fishing. And it occured to me that we have lost our sense of "home". I was reflecting on that word because I had just seen a film about our Earth and what is being done to her that is the most unbelievable, astounding, stunning, important film. It is called HOME, and is on Youtube. The photography is National Geographic quality, and it tours the globe showing the state of air, water and food in hundreds of Nations. It will blow your mind. EVERYONE needs to see this film so we all know what we are facing. The images of Nature are so GORGEOUS, and the statistics are staggering. Please, please watch it.

Today was one of those big swell days when TONS of garbage is washed up that is floating around in the ocean. Too much for me to pick up in one day, but I got some of it. I always feel relieved that at least that much won't wash back out with the next high tide. There were people there that came to "use" the beach for the day, spread out their towels or beach chairs right beside the trash washed up, and then left without picking up a single thing. Why? They have lost a sense of the Earth being home. If someone had dumped trash on their bed and they didn't know who did it, would they lay down on it or clean it up? Of course they would clean it up. Even more alarming is the people who come to the beach and bring trash that they leave behind. Do they butt out their cigarette butts on their living room carpet and just leave them there? Again, of course not. It is home. But they do it every single day down at the beach.

We have lost a connection to the Earth as home. And yet the Earth is inside us! We are all made up of the air, water and soil of this planet. If we don't have air, we die. If we don't have water, we die. If we don't have food from the soil, we die. You have air, water, and soil inside you right this moment as you read this. It doesn't get more connected than that! People say to me they aren't as connected to the Earth as I am. Yes, you are. We ALL have it inside us, equally. We all take it in every single day. But it is not a conscious connection. If it were, we would act very differently. No-one would dump trash in their own home and then lay down in it. When they are at the beach they don't think they are "home".

Anderson Cooper aired a documentary on t.v. called Planet in Peril that highlights a few of the things happening to our Earth. One of the segments was on human-made chemicals that are now inside us. As we have been pouring these chemicals into the air and water and soil, we are pouring them into ourselves. Only recently have we been discovering that they are not just poisoning the Earth, they are poisoning us. There are roughly 82,000 chemicals not found in Nature that have been created for use by us. Guess how many have been tested for safety. Go on, guess. I'll give you a moment.......200!!!!!!!!! Those zeros are correct. Not 20,000. Not even 2,000. And of those 200 the ones that are proven to be hazardous are banned. Like DDT. And yet they are still finding DDT in our bodies because it gets stored. What about the other 81,800 that have not yet been tested? Why are we waiting until they are? What we are doing to this Earth we are doing to ourselves. We are connected whether it is conscious or not. When someone proves it is toxic, it's too late.

So we have got to come back to a sense of home. A planet that is so connected to us she is inside us every moment of every day, and what we do to her we immediately do to ourselves. And it has to happen swiftly. We don't have time to crawl home or even walk. We need to FLY home. Just like the Boobies, every single day.
Thanks for listening.