Current Issue

The DRUM . . . Sacred Object, Community Gathering, Musical Instrument, Therapeutic Tool, and Used for Healing
by Joanne Crofford

People using drums in intercultural, teaching, recreational, and healing environments were interviewed. Their names are listed below. Quotations are not individually attributed.

RESEARCH . . . Science is merging with the developmental and healing qualities of the hand drum. Hand drums, around for thousands of years in celebrations, rituals, and ceremonies, have more recently become the object of research. Studies demonstrate the calming, focusing, and healing effects on Alzheimer’s patients, autistic children, combat veterans, emotionally disturbed teens, recovering addicts, trauma patients, and prison and homeless populations. They are effective in treatment of stress, fatigue, anxiety, addiction, hypertension, asthma, chronic pain, arthritis, heart disease, mental illness, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, emotional disorders, and isolation. —Michael Drake ©2010

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Elixirs, Herbal Teas, and More! – Drinks for Health
by Stacey Tress

I love how an article idea “finds me.” I’d been dabbling with a few ideas for this Sept/Oct’17 article when the signs to go in another direction just kept adding up. My sister-in-law had posted a few most inspiring and beautiful local foraged herbal/flower teas back in July on Instagram (I’ll post some links at the bottom) – I’ve used one of her lovely photos in this article. These pics of hers were the base inspiration for this article. I love that you can go out into your garden, or wherever, and forage ingredients for a healing drink/tea. Her teas were made using live plant material but of course you can dehydrate the plant material and enjoy them all winter long, too. A few more signs fell into my lap like when I was unpacking books I came across Ann Wigmore’s book Recipes for Longer Life (as we are still unpacking and sorting from our move from Yorkton to our new home in Rhein, SK); shortly after that my husband came home with some books from the library and he left one for me on the kitchen table called Healing Tonics, Juices and Smoothies by Jessica Jean Weston…..at the time I laughed and said, ‘Yeah, thanks…cause I’ve got so much time to read right now (not).”

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The Hurley/Osborn Technique: Bringing the Body Back to Balance
by Tricia Gutek

Anyone who is experiencing persistent physical pain and discomfort knows that understanding the pain is as important as relieving it. Having physical pain not only affects your body but also your quality of life. The method for feeling optimal should not be forced but rather facilitate the body’s natural healing ability. The Hurley/Osborn technique combines bio-mechanics and muscle testing that is centred around bringing the body back to its natural state of balance, allowing it to facilitate its own healing mechanisms.

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De-Stress: Tips for Your Busy Life
by Kathleen Brown

Are you feeling stressed? Do you look forward to going to work to get a break from chauffeuring kids to and from activities? At the end of the work day, do you scramble to finish deadlines and rush out the door to pick up kids? Do you rush to work and after school activities, leaving no time for a nutritious meal, just a grab-and-go meal from the local burger joint? Is there just not enough time to do the laundry, house cleaning, spending quality time with your kids or your partner?

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Die Wise, A Manifesto for Sanity and Soul
A Talk with Stephen Jenkinson
by Patti Lindgren Gera

“If you love somebody, if you care about the world that is to come after you, and if you want somebody to be spared the lunacy of what you’ve seen – then you’ve got to die wise.” —Stephen Jenkinson

Hello Saskatchewan, and in particular, those of you living driving distance from Saskatoon and onto the scent of better ways for health, leadership, culture, and community. We, in the co-founding of the Saskatoon Community Healing Initiative (CHI), are excited to announce our first offering of day-long soul-based village training experience with a visiting teacher. The Community Healing Initiative (CHI) is a conversation for waking up to what is going on in the world and responding as if the fate of all beings and Creation itself is in the care of the village.

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Facing the Elephant in the Room: Planning for the End of Life
by Karla Combres

Death. Most people in Western cultures avoid the subject and are not comfortable talking about it in polite company. And yet, birth and death are the only guarantees in this life. While we have little input into our birth, we can anticipate death and, to some degree, help to influence our last living days and the way that we are remembered by our loved ones.

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Actively Grieving
by Joan Tessier

People and pets die all the time. I know that. I grew up on a farm where our cats and dogs, even horses, died and others took their place many times over. In my younger years I accompanied my parents to many funerals. When it’s your own parents and a special dog all at once, though, it really hits hard! At least, that’s what I discovered in 2001. Our son’s gorgeous golden greyhound was hit by a vehicle and had to be put down. That was in January.

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Editorial
by Melva Armstrong

September…one of my favourite months. No more ticks, no mosquitos, and those stunningly gorgeous autumn leaves have arrived. It is fun to hear the crunch of them under my feet and listen to them rustling in the trees. There’s a pleasure in the coolness of the air as it brushes my cheeks. I love my walks and especially so during the fall season. I found the spring and summer delightful and loved being outdoors and soaking up the glorious sunshine. The warmth of the sun feels like it is healing and nurturing my body, soul, and spirit. In my mind, Mother Nature is the ultimate healer, therefore I enjoy getting out in her as much as possible.

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