Editorial
Volume 17 Issue 3 — September/October 2011
by Melva Armstrong

We have been blessed with a glorious summer this year. It is so precious to be outdoors soaking up the sunshine, being intimate with nature, and feeling her subtle healing and grounding energies. Each day I like to walk in the park and at the end I always hug one of the trees. My day never feels complete unless I spend some time touching the earth and feeling the gifts she so freely gives us. It enhances and uplifts me so I can have the balance in my days to do everything that needs to be done in a gentle and relaxed way.

Our world is rapidly changing now as we draw nearer to 2012. All the people I speak to are saying how there aren’t enough hours in each day to do everything. Shirley MacLaine says in her Sage-ing While Age-ing book that we now need more hours of sleep than we used to in order to cope with these planetary shifts—close to 12 hours. People are getting tired more quickly and because we are all made of energy, it is natural that our bodies are being affected by the changes in the atmosphere around us. These are exciting times and I am looking forward to seeing how everything will evolve in the new year, and how we can all continue to contribute to creating peace on earth. Our world is letting go of things that are no longer useful and they are being replaced with new ways of doing things and of being that will serve the highest good of all now and into the future. It may seem chaotic, but I believe it is all part of the process of our evolution to a higher level of consciousness.

In this issue, we have many unique and educational articles to help you on your life journey. Autumn is the main season for apples, so our regular food and nutrition contributor, Sandra Brandt, has provided lots of healthy information on the many uses of this well-loved fruit in her Crispy, Crunchy, Juicy Apples article (p. 12). Continuing on the food theme, Treena Wynes has written an article called Stress and Emotional Eating (p. 14) in which she talks about how many people are making unhealthy food choices due to stress levels and that we can reverse the emotional eating cycle by nourishing our brain and body with healthier food.

The thought of living in a round home piqued my interest for the first time last year and now I am elated every time I view the online images of the Mandala Homes produced in Nelson, British Columbia. Rachel Ross, whose partner Lars Chose created these homes and this company, has lovingly provided us with an article called Mandala Homes: Harmoniously Integrating People and Earth (p. 24). Drawing from his Buddhist philosophy, Lars believes we all live in an interconnected world and thus he has created his homes to be circular like a mandala which reflects the connection between his spirituality and his work as a builder—the joining of all the parts into a whole. Be sure to read this fascinating and inspirational story. We have also featured one of his magnificent mandala homes on our front cover for you to enjoy.

When we go through life and our eyes don’t always see as clearly as they are meant to, we are conditioned to turn to corrective lenses to solve the problem. I have discovered there are eye exercises that can help keep them strong and seeing well for many years. Elizabeth Abraham, founder of the Vision Education Centre in Toronto, has been teaching students how to care for their eyes naturally since 1991. She says that seeing not only happens in the physical eyes, it is connected to our whole way of being in the world. To learn more about her eye-care methods, see her article called Look and See: A Holistic Approach to Vision (p. 22).

With our world urgently needing to focus more on preserving our environment, it is a good time to learn about how we can help do our part in this process. Rob and Michelle Avis have been busy travelling and researching their options for several years and have created a company that teaches courses and workshops on permaculture design. Michelle says in her article Why Permaculture Design? (p. 20), that it is important to look to nature as our teacher—this is how we create sustainable and permanent cultures.

May you savour the remaining days of summer and flow gently and peacefully into the autumn season, with its beauty and blessings of an abundant harvest.

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