Energy Alternatives for the Future
(Jul 2009)

Just as soon as the April and May Issues came off the press I knew I should have called it April, May and June. I sweated it for few days, because I feel so responsible with my deadlines, then decided to let it go and sent a message via the ethers to let my readers know that the new summer edition (July and August) would be out at the end of June. This extra time allowed me to get the garden planted, help organize the Opening for the Season event and cook for the Cabin Building and Solar Power Systems courses. The solar panel on the front cover was installed during that class, near our 1939 Paris Dunn wind generator. It can be seen in the background, along with Tullum the horse; and the road up to the Retreat Center.

My musing these days feels really deep. I feel a sense of loss, knowing our planet and the animals are in such critical condition. Every day I get emails from groups wanting support so they can save the seals, the whales, our water, our forests, etc. The natural world as we know it is disappearing quickly.

From a New Age perspective the micro is a reflection of the macro. Can we really heal the planet by healing ourselves? And what does “healing ourselves” mean in the big picture? What about people who do not even think about healing themselves or care if they affect the planet? What if they did? Where would they begin? Rudolph Ballentine in his book Radical Healing says, “Start with what bothers you the most.” He goes on to say that each of us is responsible to do our part so that change happens, but to do that we must get past our ego-dominated consciousness.

Most of us by now have come to realize that the government is not there for its people. We are being governed by large companies and their lobbying groups who take no responsibility for the health of our planet or the people who share it, only the profit margin. In a metaphysical sense, as in our dreams, the government represents our internal controls, the unconscious part of us that rules how we think.

Recently I watched a video on the use of depleted uranium which reminded me of the huge billboards on the highway in the 1980’s asking the government to leave uranium in the ground. Dave Cursons, who wrote a column for Issues Magazine called Networking for Change – from 1990 to 1993, included a full-page article in the premier edition. I barely remember the details but was glad to support the folks who talked of the dangers and wanted to share that info. I could easily rerun many of Dave’s columns, for the same issues are still being discussed. I asked Dave to write an update on the uranium issues so we can better understand how that is progressing. His article is one page 26.

Listening to psychic Sylvia Browne while doing the last distribution trip I heard her describe on her CD about Prophecy, a torrent of acid rain that wipes out huge tracts of land, land that will no longer be usable for growing food. She then describes huge plastic bubbles that we will build to protect ourselves from the environment. It saddens me to think that the Earth is being destroyed by our ignorance and greed and there is little I can do except change myself, which I have been doing since I started this publication twenty years ago, after living a ‘normal’ life, raising kids and working as a life guard/swimming instructor. With so much information available these days, it takes time to do the research and know the truth when you read it. I have learned to feel the truth in my body and ‘see’ the bigger picture by reading books like Radical Healing. I also highly recommend yoga and breath work.

I keep noticing my own patterns of doing and being, both positive and negative. My partner and others help me see my shadow side. Anytime my body reacts, I make note, thank it, and see if I can figure out a way to make change. We all have choice. A good place to start is by asking “What are my REAL needs?” The Nonviolent Communication model on page 25 helped me to understand my strategies for getting them met but they were not my REAL needs, just my programming.

I am really enjoying the feeling of balance when I walk or sit for many hours at the computer. Glad to have the stress gone from my shoulders. I am grateful to all the like-minded souls who travel in my circle of influence. If you would like to join our network for a life-changing event please register for the Wise Women’s Festival, Sept. 18-20 or sign up for a workshop at the Johnson’s Landing Retreat Center.