Editorial
Volume 11 Issue 6—March/April 2006
by Melva Armstrong

It is profound how our world and its inhabitants are so rapidly evolving and changing. Like Bob Dylan's famous song says, “The times they are a changin”. When he wrote that back in the sixties I believe that was the start of a new world paradigm shift and forty-some years later it has sped up so fast that it often feels to me like I'm in a whirlwind. What I find fascinating about this present time is how inter-connected everyone on the planet seems to be becoming. It is as though the entire human race is being forced to get to know each other. With all the modern electronic devices we are able to see, hear, and read about things that are happening to people on the other side of the planet within minutes, and we are often deeply touched by their lives. And the beautiful thing is that we connect with them through our hearts and when we allow ourselves to do that we are laying the foundation for having a world based on love. When we have a world where everyone is thinking, saying, and doing everything from their heart-centre, then I believe there will be peace on Earth. So perhaps this evolutionary speedup and all these modern technological devices are gifts from the universe to help us learn to know and appreciate each other more rapidly so we can obtain that eternal peace we all seek. I believe that is what's happening today and that we are living in one of the most exciting times in history.

To help us move through this evolutionary process we are blessed to have many well-educated, intelligent, and progressive folks who generously contribute to WHOLifE, and thus we are able to provide you with lots of excellent information that can help guide you along your life path. In this issue we have Rita Priestley's article, Living Your Great Story (p. 10), which addresses the idea of how to determine one's unique gifts, or life purpose, and then how to bring those gifts into the world so that our lives may be graced with meaning and purpose. She says, “The search for our gift is a journey of discovery, and maps for the journey can be found in eight 'Great Stories', or archetypes”. A spiritual teacher of mine once said to find what you do well naturally and that is where your gifts lie. I belief this to be true and it may be helpful as you seek out your gifts.

What if we were to discover that we are so much more than we think we are? Well, according to Doug Martin's article, Spirit Messages - What If? (p. 24), if we look at life with more than our current five-sensory perceptions, we may just find a whole new world of wonder beyond what we have been used to seeing. According to Martin we owe it to ourselves to question our often-limited belief systems, so we can expand our consciousness in order to live our lives to the fullest and thus make a positive difference on the planet.

Speaking of making a positive difference, we are pleased to introduce you to the Regina EcoLiving Project in Marieka Sax's article, Want to Create Healthy and Sustainable Communities? (p. 16). We are all acutely aware of the damage that has been and is being done to our water, air, and land. Thankfully there are many innovative people who want to help improve this situation. In 2005, two progressive young women, Malin Hansen and Denise MacDonald, decided to find a way that would help folks learn to walk more softly on the planet. Thus they creating the EcoLiving Project, a non-profit organization whose objective is to promote sustainability in order to protect the environment, encourage healthy living, and build a viable community. I congratulate everyone who worked hard to bring this dream into existence. May your project continue to be a beacon of light, no only for Regina, but for all Saskatchewan communities. Please remember that April is Earth month and April 22 is Earth Day. May you find special ways to honour our Mother in April and throughout the year.

There are more delicious and inspiring articles: Baking Gluten Free and Why! (p. 8) by Paulette Millis; Cecile Thomson's, Yoga: A Practice and a Way of Life (p.12); Handfastings and Crossings (p.14) by Trent Deerhorn; Salmon Farming: Boon or Boondoggle? (p.30) by Donald Sutherland; a book review; and news of a global inspiration conference.

Spring is in the air! May it be rejuvenating and glorious!

Namaste!
(I honour the Spirit in you!)