Editorial
Volume 16 Issue 4 — November/December 2010
by Melva Armstrong

I have been thinking a lot lately about how much and how quickly our world is changing. It seems we are continuously zooming into uncharted territory and being presented with one snazzy gadget after another and they are supposed to make our lives easier. My observation is that they make our lives busier, not necessarily easier. I am not against any of these things. I just wonder when is it all going to end and we’ll be back to normal? Then the question is, “What is normal?” This term seems to be hard to pin down these days, as things change so quickly that nothing stays the same long enough to be considered normal.

Although the world seems to be busily moving to more advanced technologies, many folks I’m talking to lately are yearning to return to times past when life was slower and community was important. When we had time to spontaneously stop our busyness and visit with our neighbours, family, and friends that we would meet in the grocery store, or in a restaurant, or passing them on a sidewalk. I feel that at least there is a consciousness towards wanting a slower pace. I think this may be part of the shift of the ages, as we approach the year 2012, and witness the Mayan prophecy of a shift in the way we have been doing things, in order to advance in a different direction. We appear to be coming to a time in which we will re-shape our thinking and move into a more gentle and peaceful way of being on the earth; a time to honour our Mother Earth and each other more completely, with love and compassion and wisdom. I feel it is a time to look within and find that depth of beingness that is inside each one of us, that oneness that unites us all. These are times of exciting change, and I believe there are many more wonders ahead.

One way of being more gentle in this life is to be cognizant of the plants that grow in the ground, that nourish and sustain us. We plant them, and tend them with love and care and thus we know they will provide us with nutrients we need to sustain our bodies. It is with this in mind, that we can honour and appreciate all those people in our communities who grow the earth’s food, who harvest it, and present it to us in most beautiful ways so that we can prepare and eat it and enjoy good health. So too, we can honour those who raise animals humanely, that those who wish to eat meat may do so. That we may bless those animals for giving their lives so that we can be nourished.

On November 21-23 in Saskatoon there is an opportunity to learn more about how our food is produced organically at the Embrace the Future, Organic Connections Conference and Trade Show which we have featured on pages 18 and 19. The conference will have dynamic workshops and presentations focusing on themes of quality, accessibility, environment, and community. There will be several keynote speakers, including Maria Rodale author of Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep us Safe and Graham Strong, an organic producer, advocate for biodiversity, and cultural activist from New South Wales, Australia. There will be a refreshing and delicious “Taste of Organic” event on Sunday, November 21, which will include an Organic Chef Competition. There will also be an Organic Kids project featuring 200 young students who will attend the trade show and meet the organic producers.

Also featured in this issue are a wide diversity of articles with several touching on the importance of good foods and preparing foods to maintain body wellness, and others to help with the health of our mind and spirit, through love and self-awareness. And still others are directed at how to maintain the health of our earth, including the air we breathe, the water we drink and bathe in, and the land we walk upon. They suggest that we find ways to keep our footprints upon her small, soft, and gentle, that she may serve us well into the future. I trust you will enjoy and benefit from all the information presented here and should you feel moved to give us ideas and feedback we always appreciate hearing from you.

May you find time each day to be still and quiet and feel the presence of the goodness and love in all things.

Namaste
(The Spirit in me honours the Spirit in you)