I got a phone call from my brother the other day. He called me at one of those "You must read minds" times, when I really needed someone to talk to. I was feeling upset, and had a good vent session where I told him everything I was going through, my feelings, and all the problems in my life. Poor guy. He's fairly ill-equipped to deal with my emotions. I realized this before I even started talking. I also knew that the older he gets, the more he becomes like my dad. Although this sometimes annoys me, on the phone that day, it turned out to be exactly what I needed.
My family are not exactly the most emotionally open people in the universe. And when somebody is, we're not quite sure how to deal with it. On the phone, my brother mostly just made a lot of jokes and changed the subject. At first, this was annoying, like talking to a brick wall, but the conversation soon fell into a predictable rhythm. This kind of counselling was strangely comforting to me, probably because it was so familiar. Soon, I was laughing and enjoying the conversation. My family may be emotionally dense, but we are actually very funny people.
These character traits make us lots of fun at parties, but they are not always popular when it comes to very close, long term relationships. I mean the type of relationships where people start to expect more. I've had people try to drag the emotion out of me. They seem to think they can "crack this egg", and get to all the ooey gooey emotions inside. What they don't realize is that it's not an egg, it's a rock. You would have to work pretty hard to split this open, but if you did, you would find more of the same. Solid. The same all the way through. We are loyal. We are brave. We are dependable. We actually love very deeply, but affection or other poetic expressions of love are not our strong suit.
When I learned that not everybody is like this, I spent a long time believing I was the screw up. I met a lot of people who seemed more loving, more open, better able to relate to others, and often I felt this was superior to the way I was. I thought I must be the one who grew up maladjusted. I didn't know what they got from their family to make them so different, but whatever it was, it must have been better than what I got from mine.
I don't believe this anymore. My life has been a journey of learning to accept myself, my past, and my limitations. Not just accept it, but love it. I think there is a part of ourselves that we can't change, and the only way we can grow is to embrace who we are.
A pick up truck will never be a ferrari. No matter how much it may look longingly at ferraris and wish it could be fast and sleek and take sharp turns in the Italian country side. It will never happen. What it needs to do, is learn what pick up trucks are for, and do pick up truck things to the best of it's ability. It needs to learn to love being a pick up truck.
Likewise, for those of you who don't relate to trucks, I will say that a Volkswagen van will never be anything but a Volkswagen van. It will probably break down, need hard to find parts, spew out black smoke and refuse to start in the winter. But no one can deny that those VW's have a certain charm about them. Those who love them will go to great lengths to maintain them.
I have a new found appreciation for who I am, and rather than trying to change it, I am going to step into it. I think this might actually revolutionize my life. I will no longer be vulnerable to accusations of "You're just like your family!" I am. I admit it. My brother was not trying to show callous indifference on the phone. In fact, it was just the opposite. He was trying to lighten the mood, to make me feel better the only way he knew how, through sarcasm, witty comments and ridiculous jokes. How could I expect anything else from him? If I can love my brother, and all his limitations, then I can do the same for myself. I may have the emotional depth of a coconut, but I am smart, entertaining and resourceful. I may not be perfect, but I don`t have to be. All I have to be is myself, and I am not only happy to do so, I'm pretty good at it.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Friday, February 1, 2013
7 Yummy Dinners for Picky Kids
My kids seem to be getting pickier and pickier. At the same time, my motivation to be in the kitchen has been lacking for a while, but I realize we've all got to eat. So, as (capital) MOM, I've got to make it happen. I went grocery shopping yesterday, and now my fridge and cupboards are stocked with everything we'll need for the next week (as an aside, I hope to get my eggs and beef locally, so I'm not yet FULLY stocked). Anyways, I've been racking my brain trying to think of meals I can make that these kids will eat, and they all came with me to the store last night to offer their input. I have the extra challenge in my house of feeding two vegetarian kids, one of them vegan, and the baby a breastfed omnivore. And mom and dad have to eat too. So here's what I've got in mind for dinners this week:
1. Bean burritos! (my favorite) - I soak the pinto beans overnight, and then boil them until they are soft, usually about four hours (don't let them run out of water, or they will burn). I have flour tortillas, avocados for guacamole, salsa, lettuce and bell peppers. To make guacamole, mash up the avocado, add lemon juice, salt, pepper, chili powder, and a little water to thin it out.
The best, and spiciest, guacamole I've had was really thin, not thick like we gringos usually eat it. It was in this little dive of a restaurant in a small town in southern California with the cheapest and best Mexican food I've ever had. As a matter of fact, I wish I could go there for lunch today. Wouldn't that be awesome?
2. Red lentils and brown rice - Here's an easy meal that is eaten often in India. They believe it helps settle an upset stomach, and it does! If you want to get fancy, you can saute onion, garlic and/or ginger for a few minutes, until translucent. Watch out! Garlic burns really easily. When you're done sauteing, put about 1 tsp of curry powder in with it. Use more or less depending on your family's tolerance. Frying the curry spice brings out it's aroma and taste, but don't burn it! Quickly add the rice and lentils, stir it up. If it's batsmati rice especially, cook it for a few minutes without water till you smell that popcorny smell, then pour in the water, 2 cups water for every 1 cup of rice/lentils, or more if you want it more soupy. You can make it a one pot meal by throwing in a peeled, chopped yam or some carrots. Cook it for 40 minutes to an hour, till it's soft. If you want to make it really tasty, squeeze the juice from an orange into it, especially if you've used fresh ginger. Yum!
3. Homemade (veggie) sushi - My kids have been complaining about brown rice lately (sigh), so I picked up some sticky rice and sushi nori. Sushi nori is flat sheets of dried seaweed, found in the ethnic food isle, and sticky rice can be found with the rest of the rices. I admit, I've never been brave enough to deal with raw fish, so here's how I make sushi. You'll need a bamboo rolling mat (I use a bamboo placemat I found at the dollar store). Make the rice according to instructions. Mix rice vinegar, water, sugar and salt to taste. You'll want about a half cup of this. Try about half and half for the liquids, a tbs sugar and a tsp salt. Transfer the rice to a non-metal mixing bowl and use a non-metal spoon to mix about half the liquid in (metal reacts with the vinegar and gives the rice a funny taste). Allow the rice to cool.
Put a piece of sushi nori on the rolling mat, and put a row of sticky rice across the bottom. Now you can add thin slices of cucumber, red pepper, grated carrots or avocado in a thin row on top of the rice. Roll from the bottom up, and seal the top of the seaweed to the roll by dampening it with the rest of your water/vinegar mixture. You can make big rolls, with lots of veggies in it, or small rolls with just one veggie. When your rolls are done, you can slice them with a sharp knife to make bite sized bits of yumminess. Dip 'em in soy sauce, eat 'em with chop sticks. Kids love chop sticks, even if they have no idea how to use them.
4. Black bean and corn salad - Here's a bit of tex-mex, southwestern style. It's super fast and easy. Drain and rinse a can of black beans, and put it in a mixing bowl. Add corn, from a can or from frozen (put frozen corn in boiling water for a minute or two, drain and let cool). Chop a red pepper and toss it in. You can use other salad veggies, too, like radishes, cucumbers, red or green onions or tomatoes. Fresh cilantro goes really well in this. Sprinkle salt, pepper, chili powder, lemon juice and olive oil and toss to coat. Slice an avocado and put it on top. Serve by itself, with rice, or in tortillas with lettuce or sprouts.
5. Mashed potatoes, chard and salmon - I'm sure everybody knows how to make mashed potatoes. I'm no expert on cooking salmon, but it's pretty straightforward. I like to buy the wild pacific salmon fillets. They come frozen in packs of 4 for $6-7. I found a really nice bunch of chard this week. It's a leafy green that's super high in vitamin and mineral content. Also, it's a winter crop in many places (including BC). I chop it up and saute it in lots of butter with fresh garlic and salt.
6. Spaghetti - Pasta is usually a big hit with my kids (except last week, when my six year old was complaining that there were bits of tomato in her tomato sauce! Sigh). It may not be the most nourishing meal ever, but it's quick and easy and they eat it, and sometimes that's what you need. We usually do spaghetti once a week. I try to add a veggie, like frozen spinach or steamed broccoli. I'll add ground beef in for those in my family who will eat it, and leave some without for the vegetarians.
7. Refried beans and rice leftovers - When I make the pinto beans, I'll make a fairly big pot, and have some leftover for later on in the week. Beans keep well in the fridge for about a week, and can also be frozen. Refried beans are just what they imply, beans that have been cooked a second time. Usually, we fry them in butter or olive oil. A traditional Mexican way of making them is to first fry chopped bacon and onion. Chop the bacon (food processors are handy for that), and cook till it's slightly cooked. Add finely chopped onion. Once the onion has turned translucent, add the beans, a ladle full at a time. Allow the beans to get good and boiling, and come back to that point before you add more. You can break the beans up as you go, using a potato masher, stirring them up from the bottom at the same time so they don't burn. You can keep a kettle of boiling water nearby, adding water as needed till the beans become the consistancy of a thick soup. You can do this for half an hour, or all afternoon if you want, as they might in Mexico. When beans are a little under done, they can be hard to digest, so cooking them a second time like this can make softer beans that are easier on the system. When the beans are done, let enough water evaporate to bring them to the consistancy you want, thicker for tortillas, thinner if you're pouring it over a bed of rice. Add a green salad and you're golden.
So, seven dinners for seven days, and I'm not even sure I could come up with anymore ideas. I've asked my kids for their ideas for wholesome, nourishing foods that they will eat. Feeding a family is not that easy. Add picky kids to the mix, and it makes me wonder if I'll get through the next 18 years with what's left of my sanity intact. How do people deal with it? Are your kids picky eaters? What are the dinners that go over well in your house?
1. Bean burritos! (my favorite) - I soak the pinto beans overnight, and then boil them until they are soft, usually about four hours (don't let them run out of water, or they will burn). I have flour tortillas, avocados for guacamole, salsa, lettuce and bell peppers. To make guacamole, mash up the avocado, add lemon juice, salt, pepper, chili powder, and a little water to thin it out.
The best, and spiciest, guacamole I've had was really thin, not thick like we gringos usually eat it. It was in this little dive of a restaurant in a small town in southern California with the cheapest and best Mexican food I've ever had. As a matter of fact, I wish I could go there for lunch today. Wouldn't that be awesome?
2. Red lentils and brown rice - Here's an easy meal that is eaten often in India. They believe it helps settle an upset stomach, and it does! If you want to get fancy, you can saute onion, garlic and/or ginger for a few minutes, until translucent. Watch out! Garlic burns really easily. When you're done sauteing, put about 1 tsp of curry powder in with it. Use more or less depending on your family's tolerance. Frying the curry spice brings out it's aroma and taste, but don't burn it! Quickly add the rice and lentils, stir it up. If it's batsmati rice especially, cook it for a few minutes without water till you smell that popcorny smell, then pour in the water, 2 cups water for every 1 cup of rice/lentils, or more if you want it more soupy. You can make it a one pot meal by throwing in a peeled, chopped yam or some carrots. Cook it for 40 minutes to an hour, till it's soft. If you want to make it really tasty, squeeze the juice from an orange into it, especially if you've used fresh ginger. Yum!
3. Homemade (veggie) sushi - My kids have been complaining about brown rice lately (sigh), so I picked up some sticky rice and sushi nori. Sushi nori is flat sheets of dried seaweed, found in the ethnic food isle, and sticky rice can be found with the rest of the rices. I admit, I've never been brave enough to deal with raw fish, so here's how I make sushi. You'll need a bamboo rolling mat (I use a bamboo placemat I found at the dollar store). Make the rice according to instructions. Mix rice vinegar, water, sugar and salt to taste. You'll want about a half cup of this. Try about half and half for the liquids, a tbs sugar and a tsp salt. Transfer the rice to a non-metal mixing bowl and use a non-metal spoon to mix about half the liquid in (metal reacts with the vinegar and gives the rice a funny taste). Allow the rice to cool.
Put a piece of sushi nori on the rolling mat, and put a row of sticky rice across the bottom. Now you can add thin slices of cucumber, red pepper, grated carrots or avocado in a thin row on top of the rice. Roll from the bottom up, and seal the top of the seaweed to the roll by dampening it with the rest of your water/vinegar mixture. You can make big rolls, with lots of veggies in it, or small rolls with just one veggie. When your rolls are done, you can slice them with a sharp knife to make bite sized bits of yumminess. Dip 'em in soy sauce, eat 'em with chop sticks. Kids love chop sticks, even if they have no idea how to use them.
4. Black bean and corn salad - Here's a bit of tex-mex, southwestern style. It's super fast and easy. Drain and rinse a can of black beans, and put it in a mixing bowl. Add corn, from a can or from frozen (put frozen corn in boiling water for a minute or two, drain and let cool). Chop a red pepper and toss it in. You can use other salad veggies, too, like radishes, cucumbers, red or green onions or tomatoes. Fresh cilantro goes really well in this. Sprinkle salt, pepper, chili powder, lemon juice and olive oil and toss to coat. Slice an avocado and put it on top. Serve by itself, with rice, or in tortillas with lettuce or sprouts.
5. Mashed potatoes, chard and salmon - I'm sure everybody knows how to make mashed potatoes. I'm no expert on cooking salmon, but it's pretty straightforward. I like to buy the wild pacific salmon fillets. They come frozen in packs of 4 for $6-7. I found a really nice bunch of chard this week. It's a leafy green that's super high in vitamin and mineral content. Also, it's a winter crop in many places (including BC). I chop it up and saute it in lots of butter with fresh garlic and salt.
6. Spaghetti - Pasta is usually a big hit with my kids (except last week, when my six year old was complaining that there were bits of tomato in her tomato sauce! Sigh). It may not be the most nourishing meal ever, but it's quick and easy and they eat it, and sometimes that's what you need. We usually do spaghetti once a week. I try to add a veggie, like frozen spinach or steamed broccoli. I'll add ground beef in for those in my family who will eat it, and leave some without for the vegetarians.
7. Refried beans and rice leftovers - When I make the pinto beans, I'll make a fairly big pot, and have some leftover for later on in the week. Beans keep well in the fridge for about a week, and can also be frozen. Refried beans are just what they imply, beans that have been cooked a second time. Usually, we fry them in butter or olive oil. A traditional Mexican way of making them is to first fry chopped bacon and onion. Chop the bacon (food processors are handy for that), and cook till it's slightly cooked. Add finely chopped onion. Once the onion has turned translucent, add the beans, a ladle full at a time. Allow the beans to get good and boiling, and come back to that point before you add more. You can break the beans up as you go, using a potato masher, stirring them up from the bottom at the same time so they don't burn. You can keep a kettle of boiling water nearby, adding water as needed till the beans become the consistancy of a thick soup. You can do this for half an hour, or all afternoon if you want, as they might in Mexico. When beans are a little under done, they can be hard to digest, so cooking them a second time like this can make softer beans that are easier on the system. When the beans are done, let enough water evaporate to bring them to the consistancy you want, thicker for tortillas, thinner if you're pouring it over a bed of rice. Add a green salad and you're golden.
So, seven dinners for seven days, and I'm not even sure I could come up with anymore ideas. I've asked my kids for their ideas for wholesome, nourishing foods that they will eat. Feeding a family is not that easy. Add picky kids to the mix, and it makes me wonder if I'll get through the next 18 years with what's left of my sanity intact. How do people deal with it? Are your kids picky eaters? What are the dinners that go over well in your house?
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Is fasting REALLY dangerous?
I wonder why people say these things. I think it's because they are afraid. As The Chief ended her fast, I read an article, written by an Idle No More supporter, saying that fasting is extremely dangerous for humans. I've since read similar statements from the media camp and politicians. It seems the whole country believes fasting can kill you.
I wanted to clear up this disinformation. I have fasted before, and will do so again when I am no longer breastfeeding. It is spiritually enlightening. It quiets the mind. It forces you to transcend the body's nagging, to recognize that there is more to our beings than just flesh. Some of our greatest life lessons occur when we step out of our regular routine and change the habits we normally depend on.
Physically, far from being unhealthy or extremely dangerous, fasting is actually very good for your body. It can work as a cleanse, which gives us more energy and makes us feel more alive. Fasting can be done for any length of time, from one meal, one day, a week, up to 6 weeks.
There are many different types of fast. I've been on broth and juice fasts, raw food fasts, and water fasts. Sometimes people just fast meat or some other food they normally eat. Chief Theresa Spence chose a fast of fish broth and herbal tea. Fish broth is a traditional food in native culture for good reason. Traditionally made broths are the most nourishing liquid you can drink, and could probably keep a person alive for a long, long time.
Fasting is an integral part of many spiritual practices around the world, including Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Baha'i Faith, and Buddhism. Both Moses and Jesus fasted for 40 days. When I was a teenager, one of my pastors fasted for 40 days. I saw him regularly throughout his weeks of fasting. He may not have been his normal, energetic self, but he was certainly not close to death.
I will leave you with a few biblical verses about fasting that I thought were particularly applicable to Chief Theresa Spence and the elders who were fasting along with her.
Isaiah 56:6
"Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?"
Psalm 35:13
Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth
and humbled myself with fasting.
Please understand, I am not saying anyone needs to fast, or recommending that anyone do so. If it within your soul's journey to fast, then do so. If not, don't bother. Just be aware that people have been fasting since the beginning of recorded history and probably before. It isn't inherantly dangerous. It doesn't kill you.
I wanted to clear up this disinformation. I have fasted before, and will do so again when I am no longer breastfeeding. It is spiritually enlightening. It quiets the mind. It forces you to transcend the body's nagging, to recognize that there is more to our beings than just flesh. Some of our greatest life lessons occur when we step out of our regular routine and change the habits we normally depend on.
Physically, far from being unhealthy or extremely dangerous, fasting is actually very good for your body. It can work as a cleanse, which gives us more energy and makes us feel more alive. Fasting can be done for any length of time, from one meal, one day, a week, up to 6 weeks.
There are many different types of fast. I've been on broth and juice fasts, raw food fasts, and water fasts. Sometimes people just fast meat or some other food they normally eat. Chief Theresa Spence chose a fast of fish broth and herbal tea. Fish broth is a traditional food in native culture for good reason. Traditionally made broths are the most nourishing liquid you can drink, and could probably keep a person alive for a long, long time.
Fasting is an integral part of many spiritual practices around the world, including Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Baha'i Faith, and Buddhism. Both Moses and Jesus fasted for 40 days. When I was a teenager, one of my pastors fasted for 40 days. I saw him regularly throughout his weeks of fasting. He may not have been his normal, energetic self, but he was certainly not close to death.
I will leave you with a few biblical verses about fasting that I thought were particularly applicable to Chief Theresa Spence and the elders who were fasting along with her.
Isaiah 56:6
"Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?"
Psalm 35:13
Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth
and humbled myself with fasting.
Please understand, I am not saying anyone needs to fast, or recommending that anyone do so. If it within your soul's journey to fast, then do so. If not, don't bother. Just be aware that people have been fasting since the beginning of recorded history and probably before. It isn't inherantly dangerous. It doesn't kill you.
Friday, January 18, 2013
True Journalism is Dead
True Journalism is dead.
Gone with the days of Superman and Loise Lane.
So while we have a cup of tea
Let's talk about the history
We're writing for our children, please!
Because we create our own realities.
What we make it into, the world will be.
And standing together for equality
Me and you and the Chief.
The land I grew up on happens to be
One of wild and pristine beauty
Mountains, lakes, trees, clean air,
Everywhere I looked, wilderness there.
Now there are people who just want to hurt
The land. What is it worth?
Laid barren the forests, oil the lure.
The soil, our true resource, our food and future
Gets blown away with the wind in the dust
For money and greed and their powerlust.
And the Chief, who was the one with the heart
To stand up and say we will not take part
The one to take a stand
To say I will not sell my people's land
Out from under them
For my own greed
And luxury.
Then those with luxury struck back
Just a venomous attack
To say that she had wasted funds
And that her cause had come undone.
A pit of vipers at the foot of her tee pee,
She sips on nothing but fish broth and herbal tea,
And stands her ground majestically.
The people's humble Chief.
The people, in their hearts, they know
The land is our future, our only hope.
Without our soil, nothing will grow
And with the trees, wildlife goes.
The Chief and the others are doing what's right
Through non-violent protest they shed the light
Protecting the land and resources we've got
If you think, what can I do? The answer's a lot!
So, I don't beg or plead, but I implore,
That together we IDLE NO MORE.
Gone with the days of Superman and Loise Lane.
So while we have a cup of tea
Let's talk about the history
We're writing for our children, please!
Because we create our own realities.
What we make it into, the world will be.
And standing together for equality
Me and you and the Chief.
The land I grew up on happens to be
One of wild and pristine beauty
Mountains, lakes, trees, clean air,
Everywhere I looked, wilderness there.
Now there are people who just want to hurt
The land. What is it worth?
Laid barren the forests, oil the lure.
The soil, our true resource, our food and future
Gets blown away with the wind in the dust
For money and greed and their powerlust.
And the Chief, who was the one with the heart
To stand up and say we will not take part
The one to take a stand
To say I will not sell my people's land
Out from under them
For my own greed
And luxury.
Then those with luxury struck back
Just a venomous attack
To say that she had wasted funds
And that her cause had come undone.
A pit of vipers at the foot of her tee pee,
She sips on nothing but fish broth and herbal tea,
And stands her ground majestically.
The people's humble Chief.
The people, in their hearts, they know
The land is our future, our only hope.
Without our soil, nothing will grow
And with the trees, wildlife goes.
The Chief and the others are doing what's right
Through non-violent protest they shed the light
Protecting the land and resources we've got
If you think, what can I do? The answer's a lot!
So, I don't beg or plead, but I implore,
That together we IDLE NO MORE.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Food and Healing
I got sick shortly after Christmas. Probably bronchitis. We spent a couple days with a family, friends we have from out of town. She had been sick with bronchitis. Me, being the bold being that I am, told myself "I trust my body to fend off illness." Then was totally uncareful about germs, drinking from whatever water glass happened to be closest at the time.
It was miserable. The coughing, the aching in my lungs. Totally congested, trouble breathing. Fatigue, lethargy. I got to feeling pretty sorry for myself. Of course, when you're sick, and tired, and have so much to do, you don't feel like spending extra energy in the kitchen.
So we were eating the bare minimum, quick and easy meals, plenty of carbs, with sugar and chocolate boosting my moods.
Carbs and sugar act the same way in our bodies, filling our minds with dopamine, making us feel temporarily happy, but ultimately more sad and feeling the need to eat more sugar and carbs. Doesn't help that our days are still quite short, and I get a lot less sunlight in winter.
After two weeks of being miserably sick, I had enough. I knew I had to change some things and get better before I had a real breakdown. A full trip to the grocery store this week was a real treat, since funds have been tight lately, and I've really been too sick to shop much. Before I went, I made a meal plan for the week. I pulled out one of my old cookbooks and went through it, looking for recipes to change things up, get some healthy food into us, provide some kitchen inspiration.
I should probably mention that meal planning in my house is a little more complicated than most. The baby and both parents are omnivores, one kid is a vegetarian, the other is a vegan. Cooking vegan or vegetarian is actually easier for me than the alternative. I was a vegan for 8 years. At the time, I was fully satisfied with my vegan diet. I ate mostly whole foods, very little foods with preservatives or additives, and plenty of raw fruit and veggies.
Then a miscarriage turned my life upside down. In searching for answers, I came across the Weston Price Foundation and the book Nourishing Traditions. The ideas, though actually quite ancient, are revolutionary in today's modern world. They advocate whole foods, presoaking grains and legumes, raw milk, grass fed meat and free range eggs. They claim that most of what we've been told about cholesterol and saturated fat are a result of propaganda from agri-business, trying to convince us to exchange our traditional fats for processed vegetable fats. It turns out, our bodies need cholesterol and saturated fat, just as we need salt, another ancient food that has been stigmatized in modern times. Raw milk, and especially cream, from small farms where animals are grass fed and raised on pasture has many health benefits, but the milk we are sold in stores is corrupted, the enzymes we need to digest it have been killed in the heating process, as well as many of the nutrients. Homogenization, a process that divides the fat cells into smaller cells so that they stay suspended in the milk rather than floating to the top as natural cream does, creates milk that isn't easily digested by our bodies and can create scarring of the arteries and heart disease. Sugar, it turns out is one of the most toxic substances to our bodies, and causes all manner of illnesses. If you are interested in learning more about these ideas, I highly recommend the book Nourishing Traditions. It is a cookbook with half historical and nutritional information and half recipes, and is a very interesting read.
This was a hard road for me to take, because I didn't become a vegan with the thought that animal products were unhealthy, or that veganism was the healthier option. Nevertheless, I had been far healthier as a vegan than I was before. I learned to cook because of veganism, fed my children because of veganism, learned about nutrition because of veganism. We ate grains and legumes, fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds. A world of variety opened up to us when we became vegans, Indian curries, Mexican burritos, South American, Asian, Indonesian, African. Learning about food from around the world and how to make it was thoroughly exciting and tasty.
But I had become a vegan to reduce the suffering in the world, if even just by one person or one family. The industrial model of farming is so full of cruelty and total disregard for the life of the animal, it's comfort or it's natural state. I didn't want to be causing death or suffering by the foods I choose to eat.
So, in a sense it was an ethical decision, but it was also intricately tied to my spirituality. For eight years, as most of my religious indoctrination faded, I held on to two verses, Genesis 1:29-30. " Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” This was the description of the Garden of Eden, a perfect place with no death. It was later part of the covenant of the Nazarene, a tribe of Israel dedicated to be priests, that they should not touch any dead thing. I made a point of touching no dead thing, as much as was possible. For a long time I even boycotted leather shoes. The final decision came after a dream I had in which I encountered a horse in the forest who conveyed his feelings to me about man hunting his brothers (the cow, elk, deer and moose).
But a little over two years ago, I decided to again change what I ate. I wanted to increase my fertility, my strength and preserve my health through food, but more importantly, I wanted to contribute to my children's heath and that of my grandchildren and great grandchildren, to reverse the trend of chronic illnesses that humanity seems to be sliding towards (coincidentally, cultures that did not have access to modern processed foods were proven to have almost no tooth decay, no cancer, no diabetes, no heart disease).
That brings me to now. Having been sick for two weeks, struggling to keep my work done and everybody fed. I decided to make a meal plan. Basically, I went back to veganism (almost). I am eating two meals with meat, one with wild Pacific salmon and the other with local organic ground beef. Some free range farm eggs will get used in my baking, pancakes, etc. And of course we use butter now instead of margarine. Other than that, it bears a great resemblance to how we ate when we were vegans, with an emphasis on veggies and fruit, including some raw every day. I also bought some medicinal tea, an echinacea blend, which I am taking at least twice a day with honey and fresh lemon.
The day after I started changing my food, I started feeling better. Now I'm almost completely better and so glad about it! I should mention that I added positive thinking to the mix, since feeling sorry for one's self doesn't exactly aid in healing. So every time I coughed, I told myself "I'd rather be healthy that sick." That was the best mantra I could come up with at the time, since telling myself "My body is perfectly healthy" would just seem like a lie. I think mantras have to be believable to work.
Needless to say, my kids are happier, too. I guess they were getting bored with the same old, same old. Most of the meals have been a big hit, things like the rice pudding breakfast, the spinach scrambled tofu lunch (yes, we eat tofu sometimes), and the curried squash soup dinner. I took a lot of recipes this week from a cookbook called How it All Vegan, which is an excellent vegan cookbook with lots of variety and many simple recipes with simple ingredients.
The meal plan has revolutionized my week, and I think I'm going to try it again next week. For those of you with hard to please kids, or those with the winter blues that have started to think "I'm so bored I don't even want to eat", I encourage you to try it. If you have any questions about nutrition, wonder where to get started, or want some healthy advice or kid friendly recipes, please comment below. I'd love to help out in whatever way I can. If you have anything to add about food or meal planning, please contribute or share your experience. I'm interested to hear how you're all doing with it.
It was miserable. The coughing, the aching in my lungs. Totally congested, trouble breathing. Fatigue, lethargy. I got to feeling pretty sorry for myself. Of course, when you're sick, and tired, and have so much to do, you don't feel like spending extra energy in the kitchen.
So we were eating the bare minimum, quick and easy meals, plenty of carbs, with sugar and chocolate boosting my moods.
Carbs and sugar act the same way in our bodies, filling our minds with dopamine, making us feel temporarily happy, but ultimately more sad and feeling the need to eat more sugar and carbs. Doesn't help that our days are still quite short, and I get a lot less sunlight in winter.
After two weeks of being miserably sick, I had enough. I knew I had to change some things and get better before I had a real breakdown. A full trip to the grocery store this week was a real treat, since funds have been tight lately, and I've really been too sick to shop much. Before I went, I made a meal plan for the week. I pulled out one of my old cookbooks and went through it, looking for recipes to change things up, get some healthy food into us, provide some kitchen inspiration.
I should probably mention that meal planning in my house is a little more complicated than most. The baby and both parents are omnivores, one kid is a vegetarian, the other is a vegan. Cooking vegan or vegetarian is actually easier for me than the alternative. I was a vegan for 8 years. At the time, I was fully satisfied with my vegan diet. I ate mostly whole foods, very little foods with preservatives or additives, and plenty of raw fruit and veggies.
Then a miscarriage turned my life upside down. In searching for answers, I came across the Weston Price Foundation and the book Nourishing Traditions. The ideas, though actually quite ancient, are revolutionary in today's modern world. They advocate whole foods, presoaking grains and legumes, raw milk, grass fed meat and free range eggs. They claim that most of what we've been told about cholesterol and saturated fat are a result of propaganda from agri-business, trying to convince us to exchange our traditional fats for processed vegetable fats. It turns out, our bodies need cholesterol and saturated fat, just as we need salt, another ancient food that has been stigmatized in modern times. Raw milk, and especially cream, from small farms where animals are grass fed and raised on pasture has many health benefits, but the milk we are sold in stores is corrupted, the enzymes we need to digest it have been killed in the heating process, as well as many of the nutrients. Homogenization, a process that divides the fat cells into smaller cells so that they stay suspended in the milk rather than floating to the top as natural cream does, creates milk that isn't easily digested by our bodies and can create scarring of the arteries and heart disease. Sugar, it turns out is one of the most toxic substances to our bodies, and causes all manner of illnesses. If you are interested in learning more about these ideas, I highly recommend the book Nourishing Traditions. It is a cookbook with half historical and nutritional information and half recipes, and is a very interesting read.
This was a hard road for me to take, because I didn't become a vegan with the thought that animal products were unhealthy, or that veganism was the healthier option. Nevertheless, I had been far healthier as a vegan than I was before. I learned to cook because of veganism, fed my children because of veganism, learned about nutrition because of veganism. We ate grains and legumes, fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds. A world of variety opened up to us when we became vegans, Indian curries, Mexican burritos, South American, Asian, Indonesian, African. Learning about food from around the world and how to make it was thoroughly exciting and tasty.
But I had become a vegan to reduce the suffering in the world, if even just by one person or one family. The industrial model of farming is so full of cruelty and total disregard for the life of the animal, it's comfort or it's natural state. I didn't want to be causing death or suffering by the foods I choose to eat.
So, in a sense it was an ethical decision, but it was also intricately tied to my spirituality. For eight years, as most of my religious indoctrination faded, I held on to two verses, Genesis 1:29-30. " Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” This was the description of the Garden of Eden, a perfect place with no death. It was later part of the covenant of the Nazarene, a tribe of Israel dedicated to be priests, that they should not touch any dead thing. I made a point of touching no dead thing, as much as was possible. For a long time I even boycotted leather shoes. The final decision came after a dream I had in which I encountered a horse in the forest who conveyed his feelings to me about man hunting his brothers (the cow, elk, deer and moose).
But a little over two years ago, I decided to again change what I ate. I wanted to increase my fertility, my strength and preserve my health through food, but more importantly, I wanted to contribute to my children's heath and that of my grandchildren and great grandchildren, to reverse the trend of chronic illnesses that humanity seems to be sliding towards (coincidentally, cultures that did not have access to modern processed foods were proven to have almost no tooth decay, no cancer, no diabetes, no heart disease).
That brings me to now. Having been sick for two weeks, struggling to keep my work done and everybody fed. I decided to make a meal plan. Basically, I went back to veganism (almost). I am eating two meals with meat, one with wild Pacific salmon and the other with local organic ground beef. Some free range farm eggs will get used in my baking, pancakes, etc. And of course we use butter now instead of margarine. Other than that, it bears a great resemblance to how we ate when we were vegans, with an emphasis on veggies and fruit, including some raw every day. I also bought some medicinal tea, an echinacea blend, which I am taking at least twice a day with honey and fresh lemon.
The day after I started changing my food, I started feeling better. Now I'm almost completely better and so glad about it! I should mention that I added positive thinking to the mix, since feeling sorry for one's self doesn't exactly aid in healing. So every time I coughed, I told myself "I'd rather be healthy that sick." That was the best mantra I could come up with at the time, since telling myself "My body is perfectly healthy" would just seem like a lie. I think mantras have to be believable to work.
Needless to say, my kids are happier, too. I guess they were getting bored with the same old, same old. Most of the meals have been a big hit, things like the rice pudding breakfast, the spinach scrambled tofu lunch (yes, we eat tofu sometimes), and the curried squash soup dinner. I took a lot of recipes this week from a cookbook called How it All Vegan, which is an excellent vegan cookbook with lots of variety and many simple recipes with simple ingredients.
The meal plan has revolutionized my week, and I think I'm going to try it again next week. For those of you with hard to please kids, or those with the winter blues that have started to think "I'm so bored I don't even want to eat", I encourage you to try it. If you have any questions about nutrition, wonder where to get started, or want some healthy advice or kid friendly recipes, please comment below. I'd love to help out in whatever way I can. If you have anything to add about food or meal planning, please contribute or share your experience. I'm interested to hear how you're all doing with it.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
President Kennedy's Inaugural Address
"We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom -- symbolizing an end as well as a beginning. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago.
"The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe -- the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.
"We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of the first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans -- born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage -- and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.
"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
"This much we pledge, and more.
"To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do -- for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.
"To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom -- and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.
"To those peoples in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required -- not because the communists may be doing it, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.
"To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge -- to convert our good words into good deeds -- in a new alliance for progress -- to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know that we shall join them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.
"To that world assembly of sovereign states, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far out-paced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support -- to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective -- to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak -- and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.
"Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.
"We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.
"But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course -- both sides over-burdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind's final war.
"So let us begin anew - remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.
"Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.
"Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms -- and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.
"Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths and encourage the arts and commerce.
"Let both sides unite to heed in all comers of the earth the command of Isaiah -- to 'undo the heavy burdens . . . (and) let the oppressed go free.
"And if a beach-head of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.
"All this will not be finished in the first hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in the lifetime of our planet. But let us begin.
"In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.
"Now the trumpet summons us again -- not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need -- not as a call to battle, though embattled we are -- but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, 'rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation' -- a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.
"Can we forge against the enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?
"In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility -- I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it -- and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country.
"My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
"Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth, God's work must truly be our own."
I've copied this from the following website, which contains some excellent history on the kind of person and the kind of President that JFK was:
http://www.sott.net/article/124960-The-Bushes-and-The-Lost-King
"The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe -- the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.
"We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of the first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans -- born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage -- and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.
"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
"This much we pledge, and more.
"To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do -- for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.
"To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom -- and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.
"To those peoples in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required -- not because the communists may be doing it, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.
"To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge -- to convert our good words into good deeds -- in a new alliance for progress -- to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know that we shall join them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.
"To that world assembly of sovereign states, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far out-paced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support -- to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective -- to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak -- and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.
"Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.
"We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.
"But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course -- both sides over-burdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind's final war.
"So let us begin anew - remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.
"Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.
"Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms -- and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.
"Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths and encourage the arts and commerce.
"Let both sides unite to heed in all comers of the earth the command of Isaiah -- to 'undo the heavy burdens . . . (and) let the oppressed go free.
"And if a beach-head of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.
"All this will not be finished in the first hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in the lifetime of our planet. But let us begin.
"In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.
"Now the trumpet summons us again -- not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need -- not as a call to battle, though embattled we are -- but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, 'rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation' -- a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.
"Can we forge against the enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?
"In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility -- I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it -- and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country.
"My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
"Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth, God's work must truly be our own."
I've copied this from the following website, which contains some excellent history on the kind of person and the kind of President that JFK was:
http://www.sott.net/article/124960-The-Bushes-and-The-Lost-King
Friday, January 11, 2013
Chief Theresa Spence and Harper's Illegal Pipeline
Since December 11, 2012, Chief Theresa Spence, Chief of the Attawapiskat Nation, has been camping out in a tee pee on Victoria Island, 12 miles from Parliament Hill. She is on a hunger strike, a fast of fish broth and herbal tea. Her peaceful protest is a response to the Canadian government infringing on the land rights agreed upon between First Nations and the Crown. She has vowed to maintain her hunger strike until she is granted an audience with the Queen's representative in Canada, the Governor General. She has been waiting and fasting 1 month as of today.
Our Prime Minister, Steven Harper, refuses to address the issue, claiming that Spence's protest is blackmail. In reality what she is doing is putting her neck on the line to protect our natural resources, the future well being of life in Canada, and her people's birth right and way of life. Harper has proven his tendency to sell off land rights to the highest bidder with no regard for sustainability. He has also shown his intention to pander to corporations at the expense of the people, especially the oil and gas industry. He has demonstrated contempt for Canadian law and disrespect for indigenous people by attempting to change the treaty agreements without approval from native leaders. His attempt to infringe on treaty rights is illegal, as changes to the treaty can only be made by mutual consent of First Nations leaders and the Crown (or Governor General in this case).
Recently, the federal government and mainstream media has attempted to discredit the Chief's cause by making her the target of some slanderous accusations. Their first tactic was to audit the Attawapiskat Nation and release the results to the public, claiming that record keeping was incomplete for funds allotted to the Nation by the federal government. The implication is that money that was supposed to go towards housing for her people was squandered or misappropriated in some way, at least that is what media is trying to get Canadians to believe. They have highlighted the fact that contractors are not always specifically named, a fact that seems appropriate, given that the Chief probably tried to create as much work for the Attawapiskat people as possible, giving her own people the contracts for building and physical labor jobs, as any good Chief would.
What they are not saying is that Chief Theresa Spence is not the only one to have incomplete financial records. An increasing amount of our federal tax money falls into this category. A few years ago, the Harper government spent $50 million on a gazebo for the G8 summit. When the citizens came to protest peacefully in the allotted "Free Speech Zone", they were arrested without cause and many were brutally abused, illegally detained and treated inhumanely by the police, all under Harper's direction to silence the people and save face in front of other government leaders. If you were unaware of this, I encourage you to watch CBC's Fifth Estate episode "You Should Have Stayed Home." The Harper government has had so many scandals, they are hardly in a position to be slinging mud at the Chief.
The Chief, in her wisdom, has seen through the attack, claiming that the audit and accusations are merely a distraction from the real issue. The real issue is this: Harper is trying to pass a bill allowing a pipeline to be run through First Nations land. This would benefit oil and gas companies while posing significant threat to the people of Canada. Pipelines have a history of being unstable and undependable, and the prospect is quite likely that a malfunction will upset the ecosystem and ruin valuable drinking water. This will affect our children and grandchildren's ability to live in Canada, and more directly affect the First Nations people living nearest the pipeline, already struggling to maintain a decent standard of living. The Chief understands that Harper does not have the authority to pass the bill to make this happen. She intends to speak to the Queen's representative about how the proposed pipeline affects her people. It is not only her right to do so, it is her responsibility, one that she is carrying with courage and grace.
Yesterday, the National Post printed stories on how Harper had finally agreed to meet with First Nations leaders, and Chief Spence was refusing to show up, claiming that she will continue her hunger strike until she meets with the Governor General. The National Post claimed that the Chief's demands are unfounded, and that the Queen wouldn't presume to get involved in these issues anyway, being merely a figurehead in our country. The National Post must not be aware that the Queen, or Governor General, is legally required to approve any changes to the treaty, as are the First Nations Chiefs. Harper can not run a pipeline through reserve lands without the approval of First Nations and the Queen. The National Post story I read was so filled with misinformation, it can hardly be called reporting. It is nothing more than propaganda, at best misinformed, at worst disrespectful and bigoted. The fact that they would allow this to be printed is disgraceful:
"One of the complaints made about dealing with First Nations is that nothing is ever enough. No agreement ever solves problems. There’s always something more, some other offence, often intangible and difficult to comprehend, the origins lost in time."
There is prejudice dripping from this statement, oozing from it's slimy core. Chalking up the Chief's cause as "just another Native complaint" is a low blow, even for mainstream media. The Chief deserves more respect than that.
She is protecting her people, and the rest of us too, trying to preserve some of our resources and ecosystem for future generations. She is saving my children and their children, and I am thankful. Her demand to meet with the queen's representative is perfectly in order, and both the Prime Minister and Governor General should comply if they care about Canada and Canadians at all. If we care about fairness, equality and our children's future, we should support Chief Spence in whatever way we can.
Our Prime Minister, Steven Harper, refuses to address the issue, claiming that Spence's protest is blackmail. In reality what she is doing is putting her neck on the line to protect our natural resources, the future well being of life in Canada, and her people's birth right and way of life. Harper has proven his tendency to sell off land rights to the highest bidder with no regard for sustainability. He has also shown his intention to pander to corporations at the expense of the people, especially the oil and gas industry. He has demonstrated contempt for Canadian law and disrespect for indigenous people by attempting to change the treaty agreements without approval from native leaders. His attempt to infringe on treaty rights is illegal, as changes to the treaty can only be made by mutual consent of First Nations leaders and the Crown (or Governor General in this case).
Recently, the federal government and mainstream media has attempted to discredit the Chief's cause by making her the target of some slanderous accusations. Their first tactic was to audit the Attawapiskat Nation and release the results to the public, claiming that record keeping was incomplete for funds allotted to the Nation by the federal government. The implication is that money that was supposed to go towards housing for her people was squandered or misappropriated in some way, at least that is what media is trying to get Canadians to believe. They have highlighted the fact that contractors are not always specifically named, a fact that seems appropriate, given that the Chief probably tried to create as much work for the Attawapiskat people as possible, giving her own people the contracts for building and physical labor jobs, as any good Chief would.
What they are not saying is that Chief Theresa Spence is not the only one to have incomplete financial records. An increasing amount of our federal tax money falls into this category. A few years ago, the Harper government spent $50 million on a gazebo for the G8 summit. When the citizens came to protest peacefully in the allotted "Free Speech Zone", they were arrested without cause and many were brutally abused, illegally detained and treated inhumanely by the police, all under Harper's direction to silence the people and save face in front of other government leaders. If you were unaware of this, I encourage you to watch CBC's Fifth Estate episode "You Should Have Stayed Home." The Harper government has had so many scandals, they are hardly in a position to be slinging mud at the Chief.
The Chief, in her wisdom, has seen through the attack, claiming that the audit and accusations are merely a distraction from the real issue. The real issue is this: Harper is trying to pass a bill allowing a pipeline to be run through First Nations land. This would benefit oil and gas companies while posing significant threat to the people of Canada. Pipelines have a history of being unstable and undependable, and the prospect is quite likely that a malfunction will upset the ecosystem and ruin valuable drinking water. This will affect our children and grandchildren's ability to live in Canada, and more directly affect the First Nations people living nearest the pipeline, already struggling to maintain a decent standard of living. The Chief understands that Harper does not have the authority to pass the bill to make this happen. She intends to speak to the Queen's representative about how the proposed pipeline affects her people. It is not only her right to do so, it is her responsibility, one that she is carrying with courage and grace.
Yesterday, the National Post printed stories on how Harper had finally agreed to meet with First Nations leaders, and Chief Spence was refusing to show up, claiming that she will continue her hunger strike until she meets with the Governor General. The National Post claimed that the Chief's demands are unfounded, and that the Queen wouldn't presume to get involved in these issues anyway, being merely a figurehead in our country. The National Post must not be aware that the Queen, or Governor General, is legally required to approve any changes to the treaty, as are the First Nations Chiefs. Harper can not run a pipeline through reserve lands without the approval of First Nations and the Queen. The National Post story I read was so filled with misinformation, it can hardly be called reporting. It is nothing more than propaganda, at best misinformed, at worst disrespectful and bigoted. The fact that they would allow this to be printed is disgraceful:
"One of the complaints made about dealing with First Nations is that nothing is ever enough. No agreement ever solves problems. There’s always something more, some other offence, often intangible and difficult to comprehend, the origins lost in time."
There is prejudice dripping from this statement, oozing from it's slimy core. Chalking up the Chief's cause as "just another Native complaint" is a low blow, even for mainstream media. The Chief deserves more respect than that.
She is protecting her people, and the rest of us too, trying to preserve some of our resources and ecosystem for future generations. She is saving my children and their children, and I am thankful. Her demand to meet with the queen's representative is perfectly in order, and both the Prime Minister and Governor General should comply if they care about Canada and Canadians at all. If we care about fairness, equality and our children's future, we should support Chief Spence in whatever way we can.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Meditation and the Maharishi Effect
On Friday I posted a picture of the chakra system, and explained how each chakra is an energy center in the body representing a different aspect of our self. This knowledge is often used in meditation, as a quick exercise to assess the energy within the body and adjust to achieve a more balanced state. This promotes a feeling of inner peace, relieving stress and keeping problems in perspective, a tool that can be very useful in our modern, fast paced world.
The art, Chakra Peace, shows the energy system and the figure forming a peace sign, and includes a poem about war which implies the question, is peace merely an illusion in our world, an unattainable ideal. Many would say that it is. Does peace belong in the same category as fairies and unicorns, nice to talk about, but not grounded in any sort of physical reality?
It is a question worth asking, especially given the current state of our world. War has become so prevalent that it is not even considered news. The Invisible War has been waged for over 11 years now, so named because no one is reporting on it, all details hidden from the public. Now drone warfare is being employed, so that killing of random and targeted people can occur from the comfort of a lazy boy recliner. Hundreds of children and thousands of innocent people are murdered without accountability on the part of the military. Communities are ripped to shreds and left to rebuild after senseless and unjustified destruction.
Many, including the president and even my own dad, an ex-marine, would say that there is no easy solution to this problem. It seems we have dug ourselves a hole that is now so deep we cant see our way out of it.
I admit I have also felt the weight of the problem, and the lack of clear solutions, even as I put the pressure on the president to call an end to drone warfare and the killing of foreign innocents. At the same time, many individuals wonder what they can do on a personal level to affect change, to make the world a better place.
I have long believed in meditation as an avenue to personal healing and growth, but after Fridays blog on peace and the psychic energy system, something else came to my attention. The Maharishi effect establishes the idea that individual consciousness affects collective consciousness. When just one percent of the population is practicing trancendental meditation, effects such as reduced crime rates and positive social, economic and political changes can be seen. The affect on consciousness can register on a national level, as improved national harmony and well being, and on a global level as improved international relations and reduced international conflicts. Studies have shown that with a group of just 7,000 people meditating, positive effects appear immediately, including reduced international conflict and reduced incidence of terrorism. For those who like math, 7,000 is close to the square root of one percent of the worlds population.
Meditation is not complicated or difficult. There is no need to spend a ton of money or time sitting in classes to learn it. You do not need to master yoga or a martial art to understand it. Meditation can take many different forms, and no one form is more valid or inherintly more effective than another. A person can meditate while doing the dishes, bathing or for a few minutes before they fall asleep at night. Meditation can be mixed with movement, such as jogging, dancing or stretching, or practiced while sitting in a quiet room. There are as many different forms of meditation as there are personality traits, it is just a matter of finding a style that works for you.
Chakra meditation involves visualizing the energy in you and around you and bringing it into an ideal state. This takes some imagination. Imagine the spheres of energy, one at a time, starting with the red. For example, lets say your red energy is weak. It has been allowed to spread too far. Instead of a bright swirling ball, you see red energy dissipating through the pelvis, with streaks of brown muddying the color. Since red energy represents the needs of the physical body, this could be because you skipped breakfast and ate fast food for lunch. Your body is reminding you to take care of it. You imagine yourself containing the red energy, moving it back into a ball shape at the base of the spine, letting a breeze air out the chakra until the color is shining, a true bright red.
Now you move up to your orange chakra. You do the same for each of the chakras, recognizing the part of you that each chakra represents, visualizing its current state and taking steps to bring it back to its natural state of harmony. This visualization can take less than 5 minutes, and helps align the energy within our bodies. It becomes more than just imagination. It can even produce changes in physical health, since blocked energy can produce illness or pain in our bodies.
And I imagine the effect on the physical world around us works in much the same way. Imagine clearing the air around you, allowing negativity and conflict to be swept away, while inviting peace and harmony. Doing this over your own household can create more harmony in your family. It can change our communities, our cities, provinces, states and countries. The Maharishi effect shows that if just one percent of the population would do this on a daily basis, we could maintain world peace.
The art, Chakra Peace, shows the energy system and the figure forming a peace sign, and includes a poem about war which implies the question, is peace merely an illusion in our world, an unattainable ideal. Many would say that it is. Does peace belong in the same category as fairies and unicorns, nice to talk about, but not grounded in any sort of physical reality?
It is a question worth asking, especially given the current state of our world. War has become so prevalent that it is not even considered news. The Invisible War has been waged for over 11 years now, so named because no one is reporting on it, all details hidden from the public. Now drone warfare is being employed, so that killing of random and targeted people can occur from the comfort of a lazy boy recliner. Hundreds of children and thousands of innocent people are murdered without accountability on the part of the military. Communities are ripped to shreds and left to rebuild after senseless and unjustified destruction.
Many, including the president and even my own dad, an ex-marine, would say that there is no easy solution to this problem. It seems we have dug ourselves a hole that is now so deep we cant see our way out of it.
I admit I have also felt the weight of the problem, and the lack of clear solutions, even as I put the pressure on the president to call an end to drone warfare and the killing of foreign innocents. At the same time, many individuals wonder what they can do on a personal level to affect change, to make the world a better place.
I have long believed in meditation as an avenue to personal healing and growth, but after Fridays blog on peace and the psychic energy system, something else came to my attention. The Maharishi effect establishes the idea that individual consciousness affects collective consciousness. When just one percent of the population is practicing trancendental meditation, effects such as reduced crime rates and positive social, economic and political changes can be seen. The affect on consciousness can register on a national level, as improved national harmony and well being, and on a global level as improved international relations and reduced international conflicts. Studies have shown that with a group of just 7,000 people meditating, positive effects appear immediately, including reduced international conflict and reduced incidence of terrorism. For those who like math, 7,000 is close to the square root of one percent of the worlds population.
Meditation is not complicated or difficult. There is no need to spend a ton of money or time sitting in classes to learn it. You do not need to master yoga or a martial art to understand it. Meditation can take many different forms, and no one form is more valid or inherintly more effective than another. A person can meditate while doing the dishes, bathing or for a few minutes before they fall asleep at night. Meditation can be mixed with movement, such as jogging, dancing or stretching, or practiced while sitting in a quiet room. There are as many different forms of meditation as there are personality traits, it is just a matter of finding a style that works for you.
Chakra meditation involves visualizing the energy in you and around you and bringing it into an ideal state. This takes some imagination. Imagine the spheres of energy, one at a time, starting with the red. For example, lets say your red energy is weak. It has been allowed to spread too far. Instead of a bright swirling ball, you see red energy dissipating through the pelvis, with streaks of brown muddying the color. Since red energy represents the needs of the physical body, this could be because you skipped breakfast and ate fast food for lunch. Your body is reminding you to take care of it. You imagine yourself containing the red energy, moving it back into a ball shape at the base of the spine, letting a breeze air out the chakra until the color is shining, a true bright red.
Now you move up to your orange chakra. You do the same for each of the chakras, recognizing the part of you that each chakra represents, visualizing its current state and taking steps to bring it back to its natural state of harmony. This visualization can take less than 5 minutes, and helps align the energy within our bodies. It becomes more than just imagination. It can even produce changes in physical health, since blocked energy can produce illness or pain in our bodies.
And I imagine the effect on the physical world around us works in much the same way. Imagine clearing the air around you, allowing negativity and conflict to be swept away, while inviting peace and harmony. Doing this over your own household can create more harmony in your family. It can change our communities, our cities, provinces, states and countries. The Maharishi effect shows that if just one percent of the population would do this on a daily basis, we could maintain world peace.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Chakra Peace
On the news a half
million people died.
The result? A million more people loose their lives.
I asked my sources,
but they denied
That much had
happened to the other side.
It makes me angry
that they lied
And said not one
civillian died.
They fight for oil,
they fight for pride
While they trow away
the children's lives.
They asked me to
fight
And when I defied
They said Peace was
an illusion in my mind
An imaginary thing
I could not find.
- Shay Sampson, 2001
I wrote this poem
after the fall of 9.11.
The picture was drawn
at some point after after the birth of my daughter in '02.
It shows an alien
with the chakra system fully active.
The 7 energy centers
in the body, running along the spine
Show the full
spectrum of light.
From red, at the base
of the spine
Representing the
primal needs
Food, shelter, warmth
What is necessary for
the body's survival
To orange, our center
for feeling and emotions
In the center of the
abdomen.
Each chakra is
circular,
And would appear
anywhere from the size of your fist to the size of a CD.
The light energy in
each one swirls.
At the Solarplexus,
the yellow chakra, your gut instinct,
feelings of intuition.
Moving up to the
heart, the green chakra our center for Love
and appreciation.
Our chakras exchange
energy with the world around us
Anytime we interact with the world on one of
these levels.
In the case of the
green chakra, when we give love,
Energy flows from our heart center.
When we recieve love,
energy flows into our heart center.
Up from the heart
chakra, at the throat
Is the blue chakra,
the center for communication.
When one of our
chakras is not flowing smoothly,
the circle of colored
light energy reflects the problem.
In the case of the
blue chakra, communication problems can arise.
When communication is
blocked, the energy is constraned,
And the chakra
becomes smaller and darker without a healthy swirl.
When there is too
much communication,
The energy is weak
and lacking in clear boundaries.
There is a lot of
talk, but very little of substance,
And the chakra reflects
that.
Above the throat
chakra, is the indigo chakra at the location of the third eye.
This is the center
for thought, perception and telepathic communication.
Interacting with the
world telepathically is exchanging
Energy to and from the indigo chakra.
At the top of the
head is the violet, or crown chakra,
The body's spiritual
center.
When we pray, it is
from the top of our heads.
Interacting with
people, animals and Nature on a spiritual level
Is sending and
recieving energy from the violet chakra.
The gold sun chakra
sits over our heads, our interaction with
spirit and light.
It contains the full
spectrum of light.
From the gold sun
chakra, a field of light extends around our body,
Like a bubble or a
force field.
Also white are
smaller chakras in the hands and feet.
These allow us to
send and recieve energy through our hands and feet.
There is a ground
that extends from the base red chakra to the center of the earth.
Picturing this in
your head is an excersize of grounding meditation.
I have also drawn a
tether leading from the alien figure to a baby,
My daughter Venus.
It can be said that
we are connected to the things we love by a silver thread.
If you would like to
make a donation of $10, I will send you a glossy 8x10 print of this art, which
I have entitled Chakra Peace. I will
also include a printed copy of today's blog post. If you are not able to, or do not wish to
donate, you are still welcome to the information in my blog. I believe knowledge should be free. Thank you for reading.
-Shay
Thursday, January 3, 2013
The Earth Mother and The Mystic
These two are used to hanging side by side, but they shine as individuals.
Each has her own magic, and her eyes reveal a very old soul.
Sensitive but strong, treat them right or you might find them gone.
So guard them well and hang them high.
They like to be at a level where they can look you in the eye.
With every
donation of $10 or more I am offering a free gift, your choice of hand drawn
art, printed on 8x10 glossy cardstock.
Please include your choice as well as your shipping address in the message as you go through paypal.
My ideas about exodus lately have translated into freeing myself from everything that keeps me from my vision and purpose. This includes everyday distractions that set themselves up as hurdles on the way to my success, as well as the very real system of slavery we've all been a part of. I've left the work place. My husband has left the workplace. We will no longer give away hours and years doing things we don't love, working to build some one else's empire while we as a family struggle to make ends meet.
When you donate, you are showing your support and solidarity. You are putting a little bit of energy towards a future where we are not all born slaves, but where it is recognized that we are born with potential, and with the tools and clues we need to help us realize it. Where we are free to be ourselves. The world is changing. Namaste.
Each has her own magic, and her eyes reveal a very old soul.
Sensitive but strong, treat them right or you might find them gone.
So guard them well and hang them high.
They like to be at a level where they can look you in the eye.
Please include your choice as well as your shipping address in the message as you go through paypal.
My ideas about exodus lately have translated into freeing myself from everything that keeps me from my vision and purpose. This includes everyday distractions that set themselves up as hurdles on the way to my success, as well as the very real system of slavery we've all been a part of. I've left the work place. My husband has left the workplace. We will no longer give away hours and years doing things we don't love, working to build some one else's empire while we as a family struggle to make ends meet.
When you donate, you are showing your support and solidarity. You are putting a little bit of energy towards a future where we are not all born slaves, but where it is recognized that we are born with potential, and with the tools and clues we need to help us realize it. Where we are free to be ourselves. The world is changing. Namaste.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
My 8 Year Bout With Christianity
In continuing with putting together the segmented pieces of my life, I imagine this next part will be the most difficult to write. Not because I have terrible memories attached to this time, but because it is a part of my life I have thoroughly left behind. Of course, I have some friends that only knew me during these years, and to them, I assume it is a total mystery how I got the way I am today, which is vastly different than I used to be.
At 12 years old, my family moved from Northern BC to Southern Alberta. My parents bought 60 acres outside of Calgary and put a mobile home on it, eventually had a house built there. By the 7th grade, I was beginning to get curious about spirituality. As I laid in bed at night, my mind would drift to the big questions of the universe: Who are we? Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? Who, or what is god? What about the afterlife? Being the only spiritual book I had access to at the time, I started to read the bible.
In the New Testament (where I started), things seemed pretty innocent. You had this bearded dude in a while robe and sandals talking about peace and love. And, oh yes, there were miracles. Blind people suddenly given sight and the dead coming back to life. Knowing that there were other religions in the world, I was hesitant to commit to this one, but since this was the only one I seemed to have a road map for, I decided to give it a try.
They call the area I lived in Cowboy Country, so naturally, the local community church featured someone in wranglers and a western shirt strumming an acoustic guitar. Of course, my teenage self was far too cool for country music, but the people were welcoming. One Sunday, a guest speaker was introduced as a prophet. I stayed after the sermon and went up to see him, think perhaps he could tell my future. After praying for me, he said that he saw me on the crest of a wave, with a crowd of people from my generation following. It never occurred to me to wonder if he gave this prophesy to all the young girls, I simply believed it. That summer, the church held an outdoor baptism service, and I got baptized in the Sheep River.
And the rest of my teenage life went along fairly normally for a few years. I played a lot of sports, basketball and volleyball, had sleepovers with friends and crushes on boys. I was fairly creative but scored only average marks, which didn't matter nearly as much to me as it did to my parents. I chose my high school, a small school of about 350 students.
In the 10th grade, a friend brought me to visit her church in Calgary. Now, big city churches have guitars, drums, bass guitars and keyboards, the style was soft of rock/blues, with plenty of gospel thrown in (pun intended). But this church was quite a scene. People were dancing in the isles, jumping up and down, spinning in circles, waving ribbons and flags. It was colorful and over the top. There people there would line up across the front of the church, and as the pastor came along to pray for them, he would put his hand on their forehead, and they would fall down on the floor and stay there for a good long time. Being the curious soul that I am, I went up to get prayed for, and guess what? I fell down, too. The energy in that church is what drew me to it. Plus, we could show up at church with dyed hair and wild clothing, which in the raver years of the late 90's, was important. I joined the youth group and soon became a leader in the youth group, committing to be there an extra weekday as well as Sundays.
I the 11th grade I started a youth group in my school. The type of Christianity I was involved in is very evangelistic, meaning they are all about "saving the world". We had a few converts, but mostly we just annoyed a lot of people. In case you haven't noticed, Christians can be very dogmatic and close minded. I was the poster child for that. The same year, my volleyball coach recognized that I had potential and offered to work with me to get me a full scholarship to university. I told him that I didn't want to go to university, because I wanted to go to bible college and become a pastor. He offered to help me get a scholarship for a Christian university. I told him I planned to go to the community bible college that was owned by the church I was in.
So after graduation I went off to bible college, and my first year went off without a hitch. Technically, I earned a certificate in Biblical Studies. I had to pay for my second year myself. I worked all summer as a waitress and saved enough for tuition and board. Then one morning I woke up with the most excruciating pain in my face, throbbing and making my vision blur. I needed an emergency root canal. Hello root canal, goodbye college tuition. I signed up for a couple of courses by correspondence, moved home and got a job at a local private school, as an assistant phys. ed teacher and volleyball coach. I went back for my second semester, but didn't quite earn enough credits to complete my second year, a Diploma in Christian Leadership.
By the end of year two in bible college, it didn't matter anymore. I had become disillusioned with the church, fed up with the politics, and frustrated by the limitations of my religion and the close mindedness of those around me. My brother had gone to film school, and we talked on the phone about stream of consciousness writing. You simply start writing and keep writing, keeping your pen moving until you get into a flow. You don't critique or edit as you write, just wait and see what comes out. Eventually, it is like writing straight from the soul.
So, I made the decision not to go back to bible college for my third year. I got an apartment and a job at a nearby coffee shop and started writing. I filled up notebooks and binders and loose leaf. I wrote on anything I could find. I was finding myself, discovering my true inner self, writing about pain, love, joy, disappointment, abandonment, elation, wonder and all the messy and mystical feelings we experience as humans. Some of my work was quite good. Some didn't make any sense at all. At one point, I took a few of my favorite poems to show my pastor. He was very disapproving. I was hurt about the outright rejection of the poems that were like little pieces of my soul, laid out on paper for all to see. I truly felt I had been following my own inner voice and was on the path I needed to be on. My pastor warned me against being a "lone wolf", which I guess means developing my own ideas independent of church teaching. I felt I needed to grow and learn outside of the confines of established and acceptable doctrine, and to express myself that way as well. So we went our separate ways, the church and all the friends I made there continuing to do what they do, and I off on my own, ready to experience the world with open eyes. Thus ended my eight year relationship with the church.
At 12 years old, my family moved from Northern BC to Southern Alberta. My parents bought 60 acres outside of Calgary and put a mobile home on it, eventually had a house built there. By the 7th grade, I was beginning to get curious about spirituality. As I laid in bed at night, my mind would drift to the big questions of the universe: Who are we? Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? Who, or what is god? What about the afterlife? Being the only spiritual book I had access to at the time, I started to read the bible.
In the New Testament (where I started), things seemed pretty innocent. You had this bearded dude in a while robe and sandals talking about peace and love. And, oh yes, there were miracles. Blind people suddenly given sight and the dead coming back to life. Knowing that there were other religions in the world, I was hesitant to commit to this one, but since this was the only one I seemed to have a road map for, I decided to give it a try.
They call the area I lived in Cowboy Country, so naturally, the local community church featured someone in wranglers and a western shirt strumming an acoustic guitar. Of course, my teenage self was far too cool for country music, but the people were welcoming. One Sunday, a guest speaker was introduced as a prophet. I stayed after the sermon and went up to see him, think perhaps he could tell my future. After praying for me, he said that he saw me on the crest of a wave, with a crowd of people from my generation following. It never occurred to me to wonder if he gave this prophesy to all the young girls, I simply believed it. That summer, the church held an outdoor baptism service, and I got baptized in the Sheep River.
And the rest of my teenage life went along fairly normally for a few years. I played a lot of sports, basketball and volleyball, had sleepovers with friends and crushes on boys. I was fairly creative but scored only average marks, which didn't matter nearly as much to me as it did to my parents. I chose my high school, a small school of about 350 students.
In the 10th grade, a friend brought me to visit her church in Calgary. Now, big city churches have guitars, drums, bass guitars and keyboards, the style was soft of rock/blues, with plenty of gospel thrown in (pun intended). But this church was quite a scene. People were dancing in the isles, jumping up and down, spinning in circles, waving ribbons and flags. It was colorful and over the top. There people there would line up across the front of the church, and as the pastor came along to pray for them, he would put his hand on their forehead, and they would fall down on the floor and stay there for a good long time. Being the curious soul that I am, I went up to get prayed for, and guess what? I fell down, too. The energy in that church is what drew me to it. Plus, we could show up at church with dyed hair and wild clothing, which in the raver years of the late 90's, was important. I joined the youth group and soon became a leader in the youth group, committing to be there an extra weekday as well as Sundays.
I the 11th grade I started a youth group in my school. The type of Christianity I was involved in is very evangelistic, meaning they are all about "saving the world". We had a few converts, but mostly we just annoyed a lot of people. In case you haven't noticed, Christians can be very dogmatic and close minded. I was the poster child for that. The same year, my volleyball coach recognized that I had potential and offered to work with me to get me a full scholarship to university. I told him that I didn't want to go to university, because I wanted to go to bible college and become a pastor. He offered to help me get a scholarship for a Christian university. I told him I planned to go to the community bible college that was owned by the church I was in.
So after graduation I went off to bible college, and my first year went off without a hitch. Technically, I earned a certificate in Biblical Studies. I had to pay for my second year myself. I worked all summer as a waitress and saved enough for tuition and board. Then one morning I woke up with the most excruciating pain in my face, throbbing and making my vision blur. I needed an emergency root canal. Hello root canal, goodbye college tuition. I signed up for a couple of courses by correspondence, moved home and got a job at a local private school, as an assistant phys. ed teacher and volleyball coach. I went back for my second semester, but didn't quite earn enough credits to complete my second year, a Diploma in Christian Leadership.
By the end of year two in bible college, it didn't matter anymore. I had become disillusioned with the church, fed up with the politics, and frustrated by the limitations of my religion and the close mindedness of those around me. My brother had gone to film school, and we talked on the phone about stream of consciousness writing. You simply start writing and keep writing, keeping your pen moving until you get into a flow. You don't critique or edit as you write, just wait and see what comes out. Eventually, it is like writing straight from the soul.
So, I made the decision not to go back to bible college for my third year. I got an apartment and a job at a nearby coffee shop and started writing. I filled up notebooks and binders and loose leaf. I wrote on anything I could find. I was finding myself, discovering my true inner self, writing about pain, love, joy, disappointment, abandonment, elation, wonder and all the messy and mystical feelings we experience as humans. Some of my work was quite good. Some didn't make any sense at all. At one point, I took a few of my favorite poems to show my pastor. He was very disapproving. I was hurt about the outright rejection of the poems that were like little pieces of my soul, laid out on paper for all to see. I truly felt I had been following my own inner voice and was on the path I needed to be on. My pastor warned me against being a "lone wolf", which I guess means developing my own ideas independent of church teaching. I felt I needed to grow and learn outside of the confines of established and acceptable doctrine, and to express myself that way as well. So we went our separate ways, the church and all the friends I made there continuing to do what they do, and I off on my own, ready to experience the world with open eyes. Thus ended my eight year relationship with the church.
Friday, December 14, 2012
I`m going to do something illegal this weekend, and I`m going to do it with gusto! I`m going to walk into the forest with my family and chop down a small Christmas tree and bring it home. And all with out a permit (gasp)!
I fully believe in my right to do this. First of all, I believe that all plants are put on this earth for my use. I believe I have every right to take a tree from crown land once a year, and would be willing to defend my choice in a court of law should anyone have a problem with it. I also believe in my right to celebrate the ancient pagan tradition of decorating a tree for the solstice, which makes this a religious right as well.
As far as paying the government for a permit, I don`t believe I should have to. The government refused to send me my child tax money until I jump through their hoops, and delayed me getting this money before Christmas when everybody else`s money came in on the 13th. There really was no reason for the delay, and all it accomplished was to add more stress to a family that is already struggling financially. These are the kind of decisions our government makes.
The government may not trust its citizens, but I trust my ability to use the earth`s resources wisely, without having the government police my use of plants (trees or any other type of plants). A corporation or oil company is somehow allowed to rip up hundreds of acres of boreal forest and desecrate the land, but the citizens are not allowed to go out into nature and pick a tree for their holiday celebrations? I can`t agree with this.
So, as an act of civil disobedience, I`m going to pick a Christmas tree from the forest. And I`m going to have a good time doing it. I`m going to teach my children how to pick a Christmas tree. I`ll probably even post pictures.
I fully believe in my right to do this. First of all, I believe that all plants are put on this earth for my use. I believe I have every right to take a tree from crown land once a year, and would be willing to defend my choice in a court of law should anyone have a problem with it. I also believe in my right to celebrate the ancient pagan tradition of decorating a tree for the solstice, which makes this a religious right as well.
As far as paying the government for a permit, I don`t believe I should have to. The government refused to send me my child tax money until I jump through their hoops, and delayed me getting this money before Christmas when everybody else`s money came in on the 13th. There really was no reason for the delay, and all it accomplished was to add more stress to a family that is already struggling financially. These are the kind of decisions our government makes.
The government may not trust its citizens, but I trust my ability to use the earth`s resources wisely, without having the government police my use of plants (trees or any other type of plants). A corporation or oil company is somehow allowed to rip up hundreds of acres of boreal forest and desecrate the land, but the citizens are not allowed to go out into nature and pick a tree for their holiday celebrations? I can`t agree with this.
So, as an act of civil disobedience, I`m going to pick a Christmas tree from the forest. And I`m going to have a good time doing it. I`m going to teach my children how to pick a Christmas tree. I`ll probably even post pictures.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
History Part 1 - Living in the Canadian Wilderness
It occurs to me that most people that know me are only familiar with a small segment of my life. I don't know about you, but my life has been very compartmentalized. In these years, I was here, hung out with these people, in those years, these people, over there. And the different segments of my life have never met in the middle and blended themselves into a cohesive whole. I think this creates a kind of dissonance, a feeling of being disconnected from my true self. That's what I'm trying to overcome. So for those of you who have only known me in a certain context (that's just about all of you), I'd like to fill you in on the other details that are missing from the equation, the missing pieces of the puzzle.
I was born in the states, and got my Canadian citizenship when I moved to Canada at six months old. My mom is Canadian and my dad is American, but now has duel citizenship as well. My parents bought 360 acres of crown land in northern BC, a plot of mostly boreal forests and muskeg. They cleared and plowed about 20 acres of hay fields. For the first five years, we lived in a two bedroom house. We had some electricity and a shared, party line phone, but no running water. There was an outhouse in the yard. My parents hauled water from town, and to bathe her kids, my mom heated up water on the stove and poured it into a big metal basin in the middle of the kitchen. She was able to garden in the northern climate, potatoes, peas and lettuce grew especially well. They tried their hands at chickens and pigs, they had a milk cow and a couple of horses. My dad was a farrier and also worked at a sawmill, and my mom worked as a nurse.
Considering their big city backgrounds, my parents fit into life in the Canadian wilderness quite well. My dad trapped and traded furs, drove a snowmobile, and chopped wood in 40 below. He did hunting trips on horseback, and would come home every year with a moose for us to eat. He built a log house, three stories tall, with logs from our property that he cut himself. Many of these logs were so huge that a grown adult could wrap their arms around them and not touch their fingers together. The house was beautiful, and took forever to build, a big log house with a red roof, a bay window, and log pillar supports inside. We moved in when I was 5, around the time my youngest brother was born.
We lived there until I was 12. Mostly, we played outside, rode horses, skated on the dugout, built snowmen, climbed trees, played with our dog, a black lab, and argued with our siblings. But there were times we were snowed in, or when it was too cold to go outside. We played cards or dominoes, cops and robbers, cowboys and circus, did many many art projects, impromptu dance recitals and theater productions, and argued with our siblings. We read books. TV was something my parents were really strict about, and we only had one channel anyway, so there wasn't much to watch. Family TV on Sunday nights, pancakes for dinner.
My best friend lived a few miles down the road and had a reindeer farm. They once had an orphan reindeer that they adopted and fed with a bottle, called him Rudolf. At Christmas they would take 8 reindeer to town and show them off, ones with names like Cupid and Blitzen. My friend and I mostly spent our time riding horses, trail riding or preparing for horse shows (showing western in community fairs). We had plenty of adventures, a few that would have you sitting on the edge of your seat if I took the time to tell you them, horses falling in muskeg or running into bears on the trail. We were brave kids, fearless really, always trying to push the boundaries. Go a little further into the woods than we went last time, run the horses a little faster, explore a little bit more.
So that about covers the first 12 years, up until the time I moved to Alberta, which I'll have to write about some other time, since there's work to be done here. Thanks for reading. Enjoy your day!
I was born in the states, and got my Canadian citizenship when I moved to Canada at six months old. My mom is Canadian and my dad is American, but now has duel citizenship as well. My parents bought 360 acres of crown land in northern BC, a plot of mostly boreal forests and muskeg. They cleared and plowed about 20 acres of hay fields. For the first five years, we lived in a two bedroom house. We had some electricity and a shared, party line phone, but no running water. There was an outhouse in the yard. My parents hauled water from town, and to bathe her kids, my mom heated up water on the stove and poured it into a big metal basin in the middle of the kitchen. She was able to garden in the northern climate, potatoes, peas and lettuce grew especially well. They tried their hands at chickens and pigs, they had a milk cow and a couple of horses. My dad was a farrier and also worked at a sawmill, and my mom worked as a nurse.
Considering their big city backgrounds, my parents fit into life in the Canadian wilderness quite well. My dad trapped and traded furs, drove a snowmobile, and chopped wood in 40 below. He did hunting trips on horseback, and would come home every year with a moose for us to eat. He built a log house, three stories tall, with logs from our property that he cut himself. Many of these logs were so huge that a grown adult could wrap their arms around them and not touch their fingers together. The house was beautiful, and took forever to build, a big log house with a red roof, a bay window, and log pillar supports inside. We moved in when I was 5, around the time my youngest brother was born.
We lived there until I was 12. Mostly, we played outside, rode horses, skated on the dugout, built snowmen, climbed trees, played with our dog, a black lab, and argued with our siblings. But there were times we were snowed in, or when it was too cold to go outside. We played cards or dominoes, cops and robbers, cowboys and circus, did many many art projects, impromptu dance recitals and theater productions, and argued with our siblings. We read books. TV was something my parents were really strict about, and we only had one channel anyway, so there wasn't much to watch. Family TV on Sunday nights, pancakes for dinner.
My best friend lived a few miles down the road and had a reindeer farm. They once had an orphan reindeer that they adopted and fed with a bottle, called him Rudolf. At Christmas they would take 8 reindeer to town and show them off, ones with names like Cupid and Blitzen. My friend and I mostly spent our time riding horses, trail riding or preparing for horse shows (showing western in community fairs). We had plenty of adventures, a few that would have you sitting on the edge of your seat if I took the time to tell you them, horses falling in muskeg or running into bears on the trail. We were brave kids, fearless really, always trying to push the boundaries. Go a little further into the woods than we went last time, run the horses a little faster, explore a little bit more.
So that about covers the first 12 years, up until the time I moved to Alberta, which I'll have to write about some other time, since there's work to be done here. Thanks for reading. Enjoy your day!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The 144,000 City
When I was flipping through my old books, I came across this page and just had to laugh. Yes I admit, it's cheesy, but some of these are genuinely funny. I wrote this in 2005, when I was 24 years old. Perhaps funnier still is the idea that a 24 year old would sit around thinking up names for a prophesied city that has never existed. A city which she was hoping to someday build. Crazy? Yes, very. But if this doesn't at least make you smile, I think you should check your pulse.
You don't have to like all of them, or any of them. I don't even like all of them, and I wrote it! (Whadda Beach, though? That's pure genius!) Beyond all the religious rhetoric, the fighting over who owns the rights to what, or the ridiculous idea of trying to establish uniform beliefs among groups of people, the city itself is not a bad idea.
I think if we were to build it in Canada, it could be an eco-paradise, with green infastructure and sustainable technology. It would promote harmony between humans and nature, using our resources wisely so as to preserve nature for later generations, and harmony between humans, with true democracy, equality and co-operation. I could see it as a peaceful refuge from the greed and violence in the rest of the world.
The way I figure, someone's gotta build this thing, it might as well be us in Canada. Why not? Although I can't necessarily tell you all the steps to get us from here to there, I'd like to invite you to dream. We can create a city in our thoughts. Of course, if you have any clever name suggestions, I'm all ears!
You don't have to like all of them, or any of them. I don't even like all of them, and I wrote it! (Whadda Beach, though? That's pure genius!) Beyond all the religious rhetoric, the fighting over who owns the rights to what, or the ridiculous idea of trying to establish uniform beliefs among groups of people, the city itself is not a bad idea.
I think if we were to build it in Canada, it could be an eco-paradise, with green infastructure and sustainable technology. It would promote harmony between humans and nature, using our resources wisely so as to preserve nature for later generations, and harmony between humans, with true democracy, equality and co-operation. I could see it as a peaceful refuge from the greed and violence in the rest of the world.
The way I figure, someone's gotta build this thing, it might as well be us in Canada. Why not? Although I can't necessarily tell you all the steps to get us from here to there, I'd like to invite you to dream. We can create a city in our thoughts. Of course, if you have any clever name suggestions, I'm all ears!
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Kids Throwing up and other Sicknesses
Feelings new to touch and taste
Sundried emotions
Jump out and dance against the wall
Colors of Pluto and Neptune exploding
And I can't seem to find myself
Lost and drifting
On waves of purple cotton
Or is it blue?
Or can I say I never loved him
To find the time to not have pain
But anger is a friend of mine
And abandonment my brother
So when I find myself again
When I have figured out the wall
When I find the pearl amidst the stack
Of papers that lay cowering on the floor
Rejected and unacceptable
When I find it I won't sleep
I won't shake hands and I won't eat
I won't move a finger, I'll hold it tight
Then it can't leave me in the night.
- Shay Sampson, 2001
So, Eagle was throwing up yesterday, and last night both girls started. They threw up all night, all over the place. When my kids puke, it happens without warning. Suddenly. Brian stayed awake with them, washed their blankets, got them fresh buckets, got Ocean in the tub when she woke up with puke all through her hair. These are the moments you don't think about when becoming a parent. So today is clean up day. Cleaned the bathroom (puke all over the floor, the toilet and up the walls), and the downstairs, where puke was on the carpet and couch down there. The kids are starting to feel better, mom and dad are fighting it off.
So after cleaning up the basement, Brian and I were sitting down there drinking coffee while Eagle played, and Brian was juggling and being silly for Eagle who thought it was just hilarious. And he started talking about how that was the best part of parenting, when you get to laugh and play with your kids. You make them happy and they make you happy. I laughed that he would still talk that way, even after staying up all night with puking kids.
But getting puke everywhere motivates me to not just clean up the puke, but to clean the whole room, so maybe even the worst parts of parenting are blessings in disguise. And in the process of cleaning, the thought occurred to me that some of the heartache that I have been through in life has given me motivation to take a stand against injustice that I might have otherwise overlooked. I do so in the hopes that my children will grow up in a better world than I did, with more equality, freedom and peace.
I wrote the above poem in 2001, and included it in a group of 17 poems that were to become songs, my first album. Half of them had melodies already. At one point I printed them all out and mailed them to myself, registered mail, a primitive attempt to copywrite my work. I've been carrying that unopened envelope around for years! I just opened it up the other day, and this one was #16. I guess I finally realized that I don't need to be worried about someone stealing my work, because no one in their right mind would want to pretend they were me! I doubt very much that anyone out there would want to walk a mile in my shoes.
Well, I hope this Tuesday finds you all well!
Sundried emotions
Jump out and dance against the wall
Colors of Pluto and Neptune exploding
And I can't seem to find myself
Lost and drifting
On waves of purple cotton
Or is it blue?
Or can I say I never loved him
To find the time to not have pain
But anger is a friend of mine
And abandonment my brother
So when I find myself again
When I have figured out the wall
When I find the pearl amidst the stack
Of papers that lay cowering on the floor
Rejected and unacceptable
When I find it I won't sleep
I won't shake hands and I won't eat
I won't move a finger, I'll hold it tight
Then it can't leave me in the night.
- Shay Sampson, 2001
So, Eagle was throwing up yesterday, and last night both girls started. They threw up all night, all over the place. When my kids puke, it happens without warning. Suddenly. Brian stayed awake with them, washed their blankets, got them fresh buckets, got Ocean in the tub when she woke up with puke all through her hair. These are the moments you don't think about when becoming a parent. So today is clean up day. Cleaned the bathroom (puke all over the floor, the toilet and up the walls), and the downstairs, where puke was on the carpet and couch down there. The kids are starting to feel better, mom and dad are fighting it off.
So after cleaning up the basement, Brian and I were sitting down there drinking coffee while Eagle played, and Brian was juggling and being silly for Eagle who thought it was just hilarious. And he started talking about how that was the best part of parenting, when you get to laugh and play with your kids. You make them happy and they make you happy. I laughed that he would still talk that way, even after staying up all night with puking kids.
But getting puke everywhere motivates me to not just clean up the puke, but to clean the whole room, so maybe even the worst parts of parenting are blessings in disguise. And in the process of cleaning, the thought occurred to me that some of the heartache that I have been through in life has given me motivation to take a stand against injustice that I might have otherwise overlooked. I do so in the hopes that my children will grow up in a better world than I did, with more equality, freedom and peace.
I wrote the above poem in 2001, and included it in a group of 17 poems that were to become songs, my first album. Half of them had melodies already. At one point I printed them all out and mailed them to myself, registered mail, a primitive attempt to copywrite my work. I've been carrying that unopened envelope around for years! I just opened it up the other day, and this one was #16. I guess I finally realized that I don't need to be worried about someone stealing my work, because no one in their right mind would want to pretend they were me! I doubt very much that anyone out there would want to walk a mile in my shoes.
Well, I hope this Tuesday finds you all well!
Monday, December 10, 2012
Dreams and Reality
What do these dreams mean?
Visions seeing through time.
In my head, whispers pound
about days gone by.
They show eternity in an instant.
Shay Sampson, 2003.
Eagle is sick today, poor little guy. He's throwing up. His little 14 month old body coming up with nothing but breast milk. In between nursing him, catching his throw up, and rubbing his back as he drifted off in my arms, I wrote this:
Innocent until proven guitlty
Is a human right all people have.
If anyone has an accusation,
The accused has the right to a fair trial.
Meaning, in the case of drone warfare,
The president does not have the right
To put someone on the hit list and kill them
Without giving them the opportunity to defend themselves
When at all possible, violence should be avoided,
and unless a violent act can be justified in a court of law,
The perpetrator of violence should have to stand trial.
Seems a strange thing to be writing while nursing a sick baby, but I got a bit of drawing done today too. Baby duties take over, and I'll most likely be holding him the rest of the night. Making dinner for the kids, and watching Brian get things done towards the project. Something great, we hope will be done by the end of the week.
If you want to learn more about drone warfare, what is going on, and how innocent people are being killed, their murderers never brought to justice, here is a link to a video of a speech about drone warfare. It is worth a watch to stay aware of what's happening in the world around you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUryRgQR0W8
Visions seeing through time.
In my head, whispers pound
about days gone by.
They show eternity in an instant.
Shay Sampson, 2003.
Eagle is sick today, poor little guy. He's throwing up. His little 14 month old body coming up with nothing but breast milk. In between nursing him, catching his throw up, and rubbing his back as he drifted off in my arms, I wrote this:
Innocent until proven guitlty
Is a human right all people have.
If anyone has an accusation,
The accused has the right to a fair trial.
Meaning, in the case of drone warfare,
The president does not have the right
To put someone on the hit list and kill them
Without giving them the opportunity to defend themselves
When at all possible, violence should be avoided,
and unless a violent act can be justified in a court of law,
The perpetrator of violence should have to stand trial.
Seems a strange thing to be writing while nursing a sick baby, but I got a bit of drawing done today too. Baby duties take over, and I'll most likely be holding him the rest of the night. Making dinner for the kids, and watching Brian get things done towards the project. Something great, we hope will be done by the end of the week.
If you want to learn more about drone warfare, what is going on, and how innocent people are being killed, their murderers never brought to justice, here is a link to a video of a speech about drone warfare. It is worth a watch to stay aware of what's happening in the world around you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUryRgQR0W8
Friday, December 7, 2012
Christmas in the North Art Series
Today I want to show what I've been working on most of the week. I drew a family portrait for a friend, and am having it printed as Christmas cards. They wanted a winter scene with snowshoes, and had all these great pictures of one of their family tree hunts for me to go from. I try to draw these in a traditional Canadian style with a modern edge. My depiction of the northern lights is in the sky. Their children, Zion and Henry, are on their backs.
I do custom Christmas or holiday greetings on the inside of the cards. My friend chose a poem to be printed on the inside.
I do custom Christmas or holiday greetings on the inside of the cards. My friend chose a poem to be printed on the inside.
As well as the Christmas cards to send out, the family also gets the original 11x14 drawing to frame. I'm offering to do more of these stylized family portraits next year. The portrait will be $240, plus $2 per card and $20 for 8x10 prints. At most, I can do one a week for 48 weeks of the year. If you want to reserve a spot, look on a calendar for 2013 and choose any Friday. Let me know if you're interested.
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