Editorial
Volume 29 Issue 4— November/December 2023
by Melva Armstrong

I have absolutely loved the summer and autumn weather this year. It seemed like the best in a long while, and for that I am grateful. Watching the leaves changing colours was another glorious sight that lasted quite a while. Mother Nature puts on a spectacular show for us every autumn. And now the white stuff has arrived and taken us by surprise. It was inevitable, yet the first glimpse is always a shock. We have the wood stove burning now which takes the chill off the air and gives us a toasty-warm comfy feeling.

We’re heading into the last two months of the year, which will be filled with celebrations of many kinds. One of those magical celebrations is the winter solstice in December. This issue we are featuring Tara Semple’s Celebrating the Winter Solstice (p. 16). She will be offering sound bathing where folks lay together side by side as a group and immerse themselves in the sounds of the drums, gongs, flute, singing bowls, and more. It’s an inward journey, slowing down, inviting listening, being open to sitting with what comes up. Tara emphasizes, “Sometimes we get so caught up in the day-to-day of our lives, we forget to connect with the natural world around us.” This sounds like a unique healing and nurturing opportunity, so be sure to check it out if you live in Regina and area.

It has been another enjoyable time putting together this issue. I get to meet lots of new folks, as well as keeping in touch with those already apart of WHOLifE. There’s a whole new group of articles for you to check out and hoping you will find them full of valuable wellness information to help you in your life journey.

Node Smith in his article, You Are More Than Your Body (p. 14), says there are three things that nourish the spiritual body and they are laughter, service to others, and surrendering control over things which cannot be controlled. These sound like terrific qualities to add to one’s lifestyle.

Lindsay Walker, in her article, Seasons Through the Lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine
(p. 10), discovered this therapy by “accident” when she fell and sprained her ankle and TCM was recommended as a treatment. It was so effective on her overall well-being, that she fell in love with TCM and eventually trained to become a practitioner, and incorporated it in with her other modalities.

Who doesn’t love potatoes? Stacey Wiebe’s article, The Versatile and Nutritious Potato (p. 8) gives you a good overview of its long history and then how potatoes came to be so popular, and their high nutritional value. It was fun to learn about the ancient history of this humble potato, and then surprised at how popular potatoes have become today.

Breaking Free from the “Excuse Trap” (p. 30) by The Visionary Hub is another excellent piece in their repertoire of highly motivating articles. If one wants to become successful in life and in their careers, it’s important to recognize some of the pitfalls and how to avoid them. The “Excuse Trap” is one such thing that is explained well and there’s lots of examples so you can recognize when you in one, and how to shift to something positive.

Time is Right for Happiness Literacy (p. 24) is by Kira Judge, who teaches happiness habits that everyone can use. She says that in order to be truly happy, one has to have satisfaction in all seven areas of life. She explains the areas and how each one works. It’s important to learn that we have relationships with everything, not just with humans. Things like trees, oceans, nature, plants, etc. We can all use more happiness in our world, so this sounds like a good start.

I am looking forward to these last months of the year as the light disappears and darkness nears and I use this time to go deep within myself and to contemplate the peace and quiet, the harmony and love, and the joy and abundance in all of life. Then when spring approaches and the light returns, it’s time to open up and absorb all the beautiful energies around me. And then the cycle goes on each year.

I am ever grateful for all the people who are part of this beautiful issue. Each time I begin an issue, I ask for guidance and whomever shows up are the ones meant to be included, and it always works out magically.

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