Editorial
Volume 19 Issue 1 — May/June 2013
by Melva Armstrong

Welcome to the 18th anniversary issue. Another year has sped by, which is always hard to believe because it seems like yesterday when I first started the journal in 1995. Of course, many changes have taken place over the years, and I have had lots of interesting and fun experiences, but the main thing is that I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey that has brought me this far. Being able to work for myself has been the greatest gift of all. Looking back on my many previous jobs, I realize that I was meant to be self-employed.

Many of my advertisers have been with me since I began and for that I am truly grateful. I have always felt that everyone involved with the journal is my family, so thanks for your support and caring. I love and appreciate you all! And I look forward to sharing many more years with you and being of service to the whole.

As I write this near the end of April, the winter snow is still piled five feet high and the temperatures are staying below zero. We are all wondering what happened to spring. We have had six months of winter, so I trust that Mother Gaia has plans to compensate us by extending the summer and fall seasons to the end of the year. I would be happy to have only one month of snow in January and then get on with next spring. I guess I can always dream on, can’t I? I know spring will come soon, followed by summer, and winter (and our gear) will be put back in the closet for a while.

I still get to split wood and carry it in, as the continuing nippy temperatures require a fire to keep the house warm. My walks with the dogs everyday are blessings, as are the dogs. They absolutely love to hit the road and sniff everything along the way. I get a real kick out of watching them play with each other and how strong they are at climbing up the snow banks, as they plough through them with all their might. They are thoroughly wet and muddy afterwards, which means a towel wipe-down when we get back. Then, we do it all again the next day. It is lots of fun and good, healthy exercise, and I absolutely love the peace and quiet.

In the midst of all the domestic and world violence and chaos, these are times when we must be vigilant to be the peacefulness we want on the earth. As Ghandi said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Our local communities and our planet need people like you and me to keep positive thoughts and deeds flowing daily with our family, friends, and neighbours, so the combined powerful energies will heal and diffuse any negativity that comes up personally and globally. I know it works, I believe in miracles, so let’s do it!

I have been blessed with abundance of articles for this issue. Spirit keeps guiding the perfect right articles at the perfect right time to WHOLifE. It is like magic, everything falls neatly into place. May you find lots of beneficial information on these pages, so you can maintain good health and happiness on this life journey.

With spring finally here, Bridget Saraka’s Feng Shui Space Clearing FAQs article (p. 42) provides some timely advice for doing some clearing and cleaning. She does say, however, that there is a distinct difference between “space clearing” and space cleaning, so I recommend you check out her article to find out what she means.

I recently became aware that the monarch butterfly seems to be in danger, as their counts over the last twenty years have been steadily decreasing. I love these beautiful insects and don’t want them to become extinct. From my research, it seems there are a number of theories about their lower count, but the main one is that the milkweed on which they feed is being killed by the use of herbicides and pesticides in our environment. I have included a short item about this in the Colour It Green section (p. 21). Like the bees (who are also decreasing in numbers), these amazing little creatures are pollinators, so without either species our food crops may be negatively affected. Together, let’s find ways to turn these trends around and help keep our food system safe and healthy.

May the green leaves and sunshine of spring bring warmth to your heart. Wishing you a happy summer solstice for June 21st.

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