Executive Chef Tomoko Kominami created this beautiful and delicious feast for Grail Springs guests to celebrate during Thanksgiving 2012.
Artistry in fruit and flowers
Grail Springs foods are eco-friendly, fairly-traded and animal-friendly -- all for the good of people and Planet. Visit the Grail Spring Wellness Kitchen for inspiration and healthy recipes you can easily make at home.
Locally-sourced and healthy Whole Earth cuisine
We are so grateful for Earth's abundance and this generous bounty. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Autumn Equinox celebration and shared their family traditions, rituals and ceremonies for recognizing the beginning of the fall season. We loved hearing from you all!
We're also happy to announce the five recipients of our Autumn Equinox draw. Each recipient will receive a bottle of Avalon Sacred Mediation Bath Oil from Glastonbury, UK. These fragrant bath infusions are made with Frankincense, Bergamot, Neroli and Lavender. They also contain Vitamin E -- a welcome treat for your skin in winter.
The winners are:
1. Colleen Friesen
2. Summer Plewes
3. Frugal Deb
4. Michele Cove
5. Deborah M. A. Haentjens
If your name appears above, please email your name and mailing address to Michele@GrailSprings.com and we'll send you your Autumn Equinox gift.
Autumn Reflection at Grail Springs Credit: John Parson
September 22nd is the Fall Equinox and, as
the nights grow longer, it’s a time for reflection and giving thanks. At Grail
Springs, we’re looking back with appreciation on our best summer season ever
and recording new inspirations. Autumn is also a time to detox
and strengthen the immune system (visit the Grail Springs website for Top Detox Tips. We’d love to hear how you plan to celebrate the Autumnal Equinox!
Share your favourite fall ritual (or Grail
Springs memory) with us here, on Twitter or on our Grail Springs Wellness Retreat Facebook page by September 30, 2012 and you could receive one of five free bottles of Glastonbury Meditation Bath Oil ($25 value). We're giving away five bottles of this magical oil to recognize the most inspiring ideas and memories. These fragrant bath infusions are made with
Frankincense, Bergamot, Neroli and Lavender – they’re soothing for your mind and calming for the soul... Happy Autumn Equinox Everyone!
Most individuals today think that animal testing is nil and void after the big social push by Greenpeace back in the 1980's to end the use of whale oil in makeup, and animal testing for grooming products. Many of these companies (with the exception of Gillette Inc. whom I still refrain from purchasing products today) did change their practices somewhat, looking to publish 'no animal testing' on their labels and satisfy customers.
The truth is animal testing is at its highest ever in human history. So what happened? Population grew, new products were developed and animal testing continued to grow leaps and bounds. Manufacturers found ways around the labeling laws. Nothing changed, we just didn't know about it. Thankfully, because of the internet and sites like youtube the truth is coming to light. Animal rights activists have been able to enter into these horrific dungeons of pain, suffering and death undercover and film with hidden cameras. Often times this, followed with charges of animal abuse, the successful release of animals, or the complete shut down of the facility. Unfortunately with the closing of one facility, two more opened.
But there is good news on the horizon thanks to Wyss Institute of Harvard University. They have developed a new chip that assimilates human organs, cheaper than animal testing, simpler to use and more accurate. This can create a profound shift in human history if pharmaceuticals and other institutes using cruel animal testing move swiftly to adopt this new technology.
I in the words of Gandhi "The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." And since then the world has failed very badly. Let's vision greatness in ourselves again and end the cruel and unnecessary practice of animal testing forever.
Last week, as a member of the powerful petition site Care2.org, I was sent this memorizing video that I crown the speech of our century; the most important message that every human being needs to hear, feel and do. Please take 10 minutes to watch and then pass it on.
Philip Wollen’s shakes the rafters of the auditorium with his
10-minute speech to the St James Ethics Centre and the Wheeler Centre
debate in Australia on May 16, 2012. The larger debate consists of six
speakers, three that make the case for getting animals off of the menu
and three that make the case against it. Wollen is a former VP of
Citibank and Australian philanthropist who is known to keep out of the
limelight. But he sure rose to the challenge for this debate to deliver a
huge performance and a powerful message. Bravo!
Join Philip Wollen and the Kindness Trust on their Facebook page. Watch the full debate with all six speakers.
This is the transcript to the speech:
On behalf of St James Ethics Centre, the Wheeler Centre, The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, The Age, The City of Melbourne and the ABC. All of whom have worked together to make this event possible. I would like to welcome Philip Wollen. ((Applause))
King Lear, late at night on the cliffs asks the blind Earl of Gloucester “How do you see the world?”
And the blind man Gloucester replies “I see it feelingly”.
Shouldn’t we all?
Animals must be off the menu because tonight they are screaming in
terror in the slaughterhouse, in crates, and cages. Vile ignoble gulags
of despair.
I heard the screams of my dying father as his body was ravaged by the
cancer that killed him. And I realised I had heard these screams before.
In the slaughterhouse, eyes stabbed out and tendons slashed, on the
cattle ships to the Middle East and the dying mother whale as a Japanese
harpoon explodes in her brain as she calls out to her calf.
Their cries were the cries of my father.
I discovered when we suffer, we suffer as equals.
And in their capacity to suffer, a dog is a pig is a bear. . . . . . is a boy.
Meat is the new asbestos – more murderous than tobacco.
CO2, Methane, and Nitrous Oxide from the livestock industry are killing our oceans with acidic, hypoxic Dead Zones.
90% of small fish are ground into pellets to feed livestock.
Vegetarian cows are now the world’s largest ocean predator.
The oceans are dying in our time. By 2048 all our fisheries will be dead. The lungs and the arteries of the earth.
Billions of bouncy little chicks are ground up alive simply because they are male.
Only 100 billion people have ever lived. 7 billion alive today. And we torture and kill 2 billion animals every week.
10,000 entire species are wiped out every year because of the actions of one species.
We are now facing the 6th mass extinction in cosmological history.
If any other organism did this a biologist would call it a virus.
It is a crime against humanity of unimaginable proportions.
The world has changed.
10 years ago Twitter was a bird sound, www was a stuck keyboard, Cloud
was in the sky, 4 g was a parking place, Google was a baby burp, Skype
was a typo and Al Kider was my plumber.
Victor Hugo said “there is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come”.
Animal Rights is now the greatest Social Justice issue since the abolition of slavery.
There are over 600 million vegetarians in the world.
That is bigger than the US, England, France, Germany, Spain, Italy,
Canada, Australia combined! If we were one nation we would be bigger
than the 27 countries in the European Union!!
Despite this massive footprint, we are still drowned out by the raucous
huntin’, shootin’, killin’ cartels who believe that violence is the
answer – when it shouldn’t even be a question.
Meat is a killing industry – animals, us and our economies.
Medicare has already bankrupted the US. They will need $8 trillion
invested in Treasury bills just to pay the interest. It has precisely
zero!!
They could shut every school, army, navy, air force, and Marines, the FBI and CIA – and they still won’t be able to pay for it.
Cornell and Harvard say’s that the optimum amount of meat for a healthy diet is precisely ZERO.
Water is the new oil. Nations will soon be going to war for it.
Underground aquifers that took millions of years to fill are running dry.
It takes 50,000 litres of water to produce one kilo of beef.
1 billion people today are hungry. 20 million people will die from
malnutrition. Cutting meat by only 10% will feed 100 million people.
Eliminating meat will end starvation forever.
If everyone ate a Western diet, we would need 2 Planet Earths to feed them. We only have one. And she is dying.
Greenhouse gas from livestock is 50% more than transport . . . . . planes, trains, trucks, cars, and ships.
Poor countries sell their grain to the West while their own children
starve in their arms. And we feed it to livestock. So we can eat a
steak? Am I the only one who sees this as a crime? Every morsel of meat
we eat is slapping the tear-stained face of a starving child. When I
look into her eyes, should I be silent?
The earth can produce enough for everyone’s need. But not enough for everyone’s greed.
We are facing the perfect storm.
If any nation had developed weapons that could wreak such havoc on the
planet, we would launch a pre-emptive military strike and bomb it into
the Bronze Age.
But it is not a rogue state. It is an industry.
The good news is we don’t have to bomb it. We can just stop buying it.
George Bush was wrong. The Axis of Evil doesn’t run through Iraq, or
Iran or North Korea. It runs through our dining tables. Weapons of Mass
Destruction are our knives and forks.
This is the Swiss Army Knife of the future – it solves our environmental, water, health problems and ends cruelty forever.
The Stone Age didn’t end because we ran out of stones. This cruel industry will end because we run out of excuses.
Meat is like 1 and 2 cent coins. It costs more to make than it is worth.
And farmers are the ones with the most to gain. Farming won’t end. It
would boom. Only the product line would change. Farmers would make so
much money they wouldn’t even bother counting it.
Governments will love us. New industries would emerge and flourish.
Health insurance premiums would plummet. Hospital waiting lists would
disappear.
Hell “We’d be so healthy; we’d have to shoot someone just to start a cemetery!”
So tonight I have 2 Challenges for the opposition:
1. Meat causes a wide range of cancers and heart disease. Will they name one disease caused by a vegetarian diet?
2. I am funding the Earthlings trilogy. If the opposition is so sure of
their ground, I challenge them to send the Earthlings DVD to all their
colleagues and customers. Go on I DARE YOU.
Animals are not just other species. They are other nations. And we murder them at our peril.
The peace map is drawn on a menu. Peace is not just the absence of war. It is the presence of Justice.
Justice must be blind to race, colour, religion or species. If she is
not blind, she will be a weapon of terror. And there is unimaginable
terror in those ghastly Guantanamos.
If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we wouldn’t need this debate.
I believe another world is possible.
On a quiet night, I can hear her breathing.
Let’s get the animals off the menu and out of these torture chambers.
Please vote tonight for those who have no voice.
Thank you.
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‘Women 2012: The Rise of Smart Power’ is about the
emerging new woman; those who have acquired an intimate re-connection with
Mother Earth knowing she is our primary mother. They strive to intertwine this
awareness into everything they do, knowing it makes a difference to the future
of the planet and to humanity.
Women innately and historically HAVE been the
guardians of the Laws of Nature, and our responsibility has always been to pass
this wisdom on to the children. The
medicine wheel is a teacher, and a symbol of that awareness. It represents the
human journey in so many ways. It is a symbol of many archetypes, our journey
from virgin to maiden to mother to crone. It is a symbol of the seasons of the
soul from birth to death to rebirth, the four directions, the four elements;
earth, water, fire and air, four animal power totems, and so on.
I’ve chosen this symbol for this year’s
faire to remind us of our innate bestowal as women, to reconnect with our
significant Mother and to re-establish our responsibility as wisdom keepers and
teachers of the laws of nature. I truly believe that the answers to a thriving
planet, lies in woman's intertwined relationship with Mother Nature. The woman
who accomplishes this, is smart, and she is powerful. Join Us!
The Wesak is a grand spiritual festival celebrated
on the full moon of May (May 5th, 10:36pm EST). It is observed as the
annual ‘spiritual conference’ of the Hierarchy – the Christ, the Buddha, the gathering of all
Ascended Masters. A special guest list indeed.
What does this mean to you as an individual? It is considered a most potent time whereby the Hierarchy's
spiritual forces can be poured through the body of the human, also called ‘Days
of Distribution’. We are the recipients, and we can also choose to be
custodians, capturing as much of that inflowing spiritual force into our body,
hearts and minds and allowing it also to pour through us and out to others.
Beginning May 3rd, two days prior to the full moon, we may focus on that
which we wish healed or transformed for ourselves and loved ones.
May 5th, the day of
the full moon, we are to simply bathe in the light of the moon, be centred, be
quiet, be reverent.
May 6th and 7th, the following two days, we are to now step out of ourselves, but continue to observe and channel this ‘goodwill’ energy via contemplation, actions
of service, holding a vision of peace on earth, and peace for every member of humanity, and that they be touched by this transformational energy of the highest order.
This year's theme for the Grail Lady Faire was inspired by a Time Magazine article on Hilary Clinton. I've been a long time fan, admiring her conviction and effectiveness delivered with calm and grace. Anytime I try to embody this combination of 'state of being' it produces results with ease and swiftness. It is this same 'ease and flow' that poured through the women who attended last year's GLF, and it continues to be the very same mindset needed to balance and heal the planet. It's smart and it's powerful.
And so it is I wish to bring a recognition of this high state of being, as women rise up to the meet the demands of the time in which we live, who find themselves exploring new horizons, or solidifying the clear destiny that awaits them. I look forward to sharing and hearing the messages that await us once again at this years summer conference & life celebration, no doubt exemplifying the rise of true and smart power the world expects of us today.
I await your arrival with great anticipation... Madeleine Marentette http://www.grailsprings.com/Events-Grail-Lady-Faire
As we near the end of an incredible year at Grail Springs I reflective with many moments of deep gratitude to the Dalai Lama. One of the most significant days that changed my view of life forever came in 1988 when I received a ticket to see His Holiness at the University of Toronto, a moment that put me back on my true path.
The Dalai Lama is bestowed with holding the world vision of 'compassion', his message to us that we all hold the power do the same. Just imagine, if all of humanity woke up with compassion in our hearts and minds tomorrow morning, just this one thing, every child would be fed, wars would end, capitalism, human trafficking and animal exploitation would cease and the list goes on. By end of week, we'd be living in a different world.
This morning I was inspired to play a cd gifted to me by Chandra, a dear friend who lost her battle to breast cancer in 2006. It is a rare 30-minute recording of His Holiness singing a healing chant. (This powerful meditation has become a regularly schedule class at Grail Springs.) As I sat here meditating on compassion a gun shot pierced the moment, a stark reminder that deer hunting season has begun and our own family of deer that have graced the grounds and provided so much joy to all of us may no longer be. For a quick moment it was an unsettling reminder of the opposing views of life, BUT this was followed by an even more powerful moment, fuel to my soul and a greater conviction to live a life of service forever. Whatever it takes.
From June 28th to July 1st I had the extreme pleasure of attending Grail Lady Faire, an annual event presented by Grail Springs in Bancroft ON. The Faire is organized to feature a variety of keynote speakers and workshop leaders offering grounded, high energy, and empowering presentations for women only! My friend, the incredible Mary Giuffre of FengSHe.org and I were asked to give a talk on Infinite Abundance and we were happy and proud to stand among such a fine lineup of presenters. The talks were inspiring and informative as well as empowering and transformative for all the participants. But that was only one aspect of Grail Lady Faire!
Emerging Grace & Beauty
From comments I heard over the course of the week it was obvious that women walked away from the seminars altered. They felt motivated to start expressing their own truths more than ever before in all their relationships personal or business. They felt joyfully connected to their natural power as women and as the week went on it became very evident that they were embracing their femininity in more direct ways. Hair and summer gowns and dresses flowed easily, faces beamed with smiles and full bellied laughter and tensions released into the grounds and rippled over the waters of Grail Springs. It was living testament to the inspired vision of owner and our gracious hostess, Madeleine Marentette.
When women gather amazing things can happen…there is nothing like it when women get ‘it’! In the safety of the company of their own kind they reveal themselves; their worries and fears, their hopes and dreams and their glory. They begin to radiate with an intense fire that rises up from deep in their creative bellies. Their hands heat up and easily reach out to support one another in revelation and they hug (and cry) – a lot! Their capacity for compassion is astounding, and in the space of a few days they renew themselves fully and completely. As they become restored in their immense power they begin to envision a new world that is about peace, love and passion!
Sharing The Bounty
As their heart ‘cups’ fill they dream of ways to share their renewed bounty with friends, family and humanity. It doesn’t take much to inspire women to love. When they are given the space and permission – like we were on the Sacred grounds of Grail Springs – to tap deeply into the wellspring of nurturing creative power always being offered by our beloved Mother Earth, women respond instantly. When we are held in the Great Mother’s arms we feel within our own hearts the resonant beat deep in the earth’s body and come to remember that we are never disconnected or abandoned by her. She is always in communion with us, we need only open our hearts and touch her with consciousness to receive the blessing of her love.
The Grail is intent on treading lightly upon the earth and their luxurious spa business policies revolve around earth sustainability and natural products. When the earth is honoured as deeply as She is at Grail Springs she responds abundantly. The grounds abound with enormous trees and perennial gardens, offering many spaces and opportunities for group and private ritual, ceremony and gathering. Throughout the week women gathered outdoors to exercise, dance, pray and discover themselves through a myriad of ways. By the process of sharing their stories, networking their businesses, and healing their wounded souls they came to restore their innate beauty and force of being! It was exciting to watch and it was my privilege and honour to read cards for some of these women as they quested into their personal potential and purpose. The heartfelt sincerity and soulful authenticity that emerged was spectacular and awe-inspiring.
Transformative Power that Heals
I am still sitting here, at home now, witnessing the continuing expansion in my own energy field and I reflect on the energy patterns I observed during the week. In the beginning, on occasion, I encountered energies of anger, worry and pain that can often cloud an otherwise beautiful aura, I saw the outside worldly patterns of masculine authority being worn protectively as a shield over a softly glowing field, and I felt the energetic probes of doubting, fearful minds reaching out suspiciously looking for safety and trust. But as the week progressed I watched these same energies of fear, judgment and trepidation melt away and be replaced with an unparalleled harmonious radiance that emanated far out into the heavens. It is this kind of energy transformation that will heal the world. When and only when we each learn to respect and honour the sacred within one another as a pure reflection of Divine Intention will we be fully empowered to create the healing that is needed on a global scale at this time. Women have the ability to lead this movement forward into a new world if they can remember their brave spirits, their boundless energy, their unlimited resourcefulness and their beautiful, beautiful heart filled compassion.
From a Quantum perspective consider this: when introduced to high vibrating healthy vital molecules, slow densely vibrating molecules will always strive to vibrate at the higher frequency to experience health and vitality. It is our most natural state of being to be open, radiant, healthy and strong. As we consciously try to raise our vibration, activate our truest most authentic selves, and believe in our selves as light filled beings we create and manifest the opportunity to heal ourselves, each other, humanity and our earth simply through the magical process of synergistic attunement. And believe me this, the energy at Grail Spring is nothing short of magical and already in sacred alignment for our highest good all we need to do is to step into and receive the abundant power that arises freely when we allow ourselves to be all that we can be!
So hats off to you Grail Ladies! – You all became the loveliest in the land! Now all we have to do is stay that way!! Blessings to you all for all that you shared and a very grateful thank you to Madeleine, Dawna and all the staff of Grail Springs for the wonderful opportunity you provided us all with! A special thank you to Jordyn for your gifted hands and the unbelievably luxurious Seaweed Scrub! It was a glorious experience that will stick with me for a long, long time!
"The World will be saved by the Western Woman." ~ The Dalai Lama, 2009 World Peace Conference, Vancouver, Canada
Canada’s 5-day Summer Festival for Women who care about their Planet: June 27 to July 1
A paradigm ‘shift’ is not on its way. It’s here. And if you are a ‘sensitive’, you’ve been very aware of this cosmically aligned upheaval, trying with all your mightiness to hang to the edge with what’s left of your fingernails, seeking some semblance of familiarity, calm and hope that everything is going to be alright. “It’s all good” seems to be the positive affirmation of the day and delivered with a smile!
It has been a decade since the original vision for what is now Canada’s annual 5-day summer festival for women who care about their planet; new-thought leaders, green vendors, eco-entrepreneurs, spiritual guides and conscious mothers raising conscious children. You know when something is so right when it delivers successfully with ease and grace, and that is exactly what happened at the launch of last year’s The Grail Lady Faire. For days, weeks and months following the inaugural faire, we fielded dozens of emails from attendees and presenters alike with a common message; whatever they were asking to birth, whatever they projected out to the Universe, whatever finances they required or a business partner they were searching for, showed up.
There is a great mystery to be understood by all with respect to manifestation, especially elevated by the mighty power of a group gathering where affinity is present in ceremony. Only a few days ago I returned from what is now becoming a yearly group trek to Machu Picchu, where I clearly recognized the undeniable signs of Mother Nature responding to ‘focused mind’ and focused intent and invocation.
As exciting preparations are now underway for the opening ceremonies beginning on June 27th, I invoke that this will be another magical, inspirational, evocative, and important event for all, a pivotal point for great change and transformation both personally and for the planet. One thing I know for sure, every woman counts in this movement towards change. WE are riding that tide. Like walking a tightrope, keeping your eyes focused on the next step, knowing the end is in sight and staying calm. These are the keys to a successful outcome. And I know, women are really good at being focused when they want to be.
I share the Dalai Lama’s view; it is women who will decide our outcome. It is up to women to empower themselves with their innate female gifts that were for so long suppressed, hidden and systematically written out of history, to dig deep within themselves and rediscover their passions, convictions and take decisive leadership roles as guardians of our planet.
If you too have heard the call, then please join with us on June 27th to July 1st as we continue to co-create together a new world of peace, truth and freedom for all.
Grail Lady Fairewww.grailladyfaire.com Grail Springs Health Spa & Wellness Retreat, 2004 Bay Lake Rd, Bancroft, Ontario
When: June 27th to July 1st Call for tickets: 877-553-5772 or purchase online www.grailladyfaire.com
In order for us to successfully create, hold and manifest our life visions, our inner life has to become stronger and more real to us than our outer life. Our outer life is the mirrored manifestation of our inner world and it shows itself in three distinct ways:
1) Association: the people in our life
2) Form: our body, clothes, home, workplace, car, environment
3) Realizations: our view of life, beliefs, practices
On our next live call we will journey through an exercise in self-discovery, journaling your findings on these three outward appearances in your life. They can hold a lot of information about you, your power to manifest using the law of attraction whether you are conscious of it or not, and what exactly is it that you are creating for yourself.
And then perhaps you will want to change it!...:o)
I will also be sharing with you the other two lost sister laws to the Law of Attraction, completing a very important Trinity. ‘The Secret’, the movie, opened the door… On June 1st I will take you deeper into the vault and share an ancient pearl of wisdom that only a few sages have ever explored or understood. I will explain a universal principle, a formula that will brings the true magic into your life. Consistency, certainty and creativity is abound, once it is understood and applied.
Grail Springs Global Village Membership: Join me for my next LIVE new moon call on June 1st at 12noon EST. This important call is part of the new Grail Springs Village online membership if you have not already heard. We are taking our retreats to the next level, creating a series of tele-calls to support our community. Trip through an entire year of what it is like to live healthy, happy and wise as a conscious soul.
On this next call we will revisit the most important Law of all the Universe: The Supra-Law of Attraction.
Let's face it, healthy, is sexy! There is nothing sexier in my mind than a man who takes good care of his body, who meditates, does yoga, is kind, and doesn't eat animals! The bio-energy field that surrounds every living thing, from a planet, human being, animal, tree, leaf to a cell is a read of our 'vital life force' energy. Essentially, it is a read of how alive or dead we are! Today science can read this frequency as it appears by way of a light and colour spectrum resulting from bio-feedback or bio-pulsar measurements. Here are the seven Major Chakra Centres and their corresponding Colour, Glands and Organs.
7th Crown: White~Pineal~All Organs
6th Third Eye: Indigo~Pituitary~Brain
5th Throat: Turquoise~Thyroid~Larynx
4th Heart: Green~Thymus~Spleen (organ of vitality)
3rd Solar Plexus: Yellow~Pancreas~Stomach
2nd Sacral: Orange~Adrenal~Sex
1st Base: Red~Gonads~Kidney
What you can do to create sexy energy health!
* take 5 mins daily to breathe, rest and relax; restore calm in heart and mind
* learn a new meditation
* take up yoga or Pilates
* run or do some type of cardio 10 mins per day
* start your day with the 6-min Grail World Mantra
* book yourself at least one energy therapy per month; chakra balancing, Reiki, Cranio-sacral therapy
* eat live wholesome food; as much organic locally grown vegetables as possible
* take a Himalayan salt bath once a week
* commit to finding your resolve each and every day
The first day of spring is Monday. From my little corner of the world on the East Coast, it has been the longest winter on record. Just hearing the birds chirp again was startling, and the sight of grass was a shock to the eyes. Not only has the winter been unending, but the relentless pound of natural disasters, economic woes and endless bad news leaves a deep longing for the promise of spring at every level. The seeds of change are sprouting everywhere we look.
Historically, March 21 is known as the vernal equinox -- an equal balance of light and dark. It is a nice time to get quiet, go out in nature, plant seeds and embrace the new changes to come. It is also a full moon- neither waxing or waning, but suspended brightness. Spring is a time of quickening, and our energy, plans and mood all elevate with the lengthening of the sunny days. Instead of just letting the equinox pass by, how about using it to conduct an internal once-over? What changes need to be made in your life? In order to make them happen, do you need a little inner spring cleaning?
Take advantage of this time to take stock of what is soggy, melting and slipping away in your life to make room for fresh shoots. What old beliefs or cumbersome habits are you ready to shed? What layers of consciousness need to be swept away to prepare for something new? While it may be tempting to leave the old behind and jump feet first, remember that the equinox is about balance. Simply chucking everything out the proverbial window is not what we are talking about here.
Spring is a time of transition and new growth, and the old wet leaves provide lovely protection while we are trying on a new pattern, or gaining confidence with a new project. Nothing in nature is instant, yet we are often so impatient with change, and want to run from one thing -- relationship, job, focus -- to another, without taking time for balance, rest and reflection.
"Whenever we are faced with a time of change in our life, we often forget how important it is to pause, be silent and alone for a while, or even to take a retreat to truly prepare ourselves for what is coming next," said Madeleine Marentette, founder of Grail Springs Spa and Retreat Center -- a place many go to spend a week doing just that. "Making space for an internal change in life is sacred time and deserves to be given undivided attention."
When a seed sprouts, there is enormous work done underground before it ever breaks through the hard, cold surface. Is change scary? Of course. That inner voice is ready to burst through, but has to open underground, and then with strength, fortitude and an unrelenting push upward eventually burst through with the triumphant colors of the first purple croucus. Often we negate the power of a transition in our life simply because we are afraid of that darkness, or of risk it takes to burst into the new.
People are hungry for change at a very deep level. Look at the transformation in the Middle East as a clear reflection of our collective consciousness. The old ways are going, and fast. Superficial change is not going to cut it anymore. We want to dig down to the "destiny" level of life and live from that place full time. We want to build bridges between the old and the new and spring forward into a new level of global community. Our society cannot afford to continue in the same mindset we have become so comfortable. The tragedy in Japan is a fresh reminder, after the floods in Pakistan and the oil spill in the Gulf that our world needs a fresh spring cleaning if we are to survive.
I have had the amazing privilege of interviewing 100 amazing women during the month of March for the 100 Women of Destiny TeleRetreat. These experts are from all walks of life, including business, fashion, entertainment, authors and activism. Guess what they all had in common? They took advantage of change or transition; they listened to the little voice inside and went for it. They had planted the seeds of their passions, and soon the garden took over.
Tzeborah Berman is an executive at Greenpeace International in Amsterdam. She told me her own story of taking risk and following the voice of change. As a young woman, she saw the deforestation of her native British Columbia and helped organize the largest protest ever- with 10,000 people. She was arrested for her efforts. After lawyers argued and won her case, she went to work for Greenpeace and after ten years, has helped to save over six million acres of trees worldwide. She is now an expert in climate change.
"The world is living the tipping point right now," she said. "The times require us to engage."
On this vernal equinox and full moon, let us all take a moment to pray for those suffering in Japan. For the fifty workers who are giving their lives at the nuclear power plants to protect us, who will not survive the radiation exposure. Let us contemplate what we can cultivate inside ourselves to rise to the precarious situation that lies ahead. If all of us listen to the voice of change and have courage to grow, who knows what can happen? We need strong advocates to feed hungry children, fight for sustainable energy and build bridges to neighboring nations bursting forth wtih the clarion call of freedom. What seeds of change are you planting this spring eve? Tell me your stories below.
To paraphrase a Tibetan saying: “One day in a sacred site is like a thousand days of meditation.”
I couldn't agree more. A sacred site is an earthly location where energy radiates at a higher frequency. There is a power found in sacred places not found anywhere else. Ancient civilizations had a profound relationship with Mother Earth, sensitive to these power points of energy called ley lines. Ley lines are the spiritual life force inside the planet just like meridians inside the human body. The ancient sacred sites are often built on these ley lines and in the reflection/formation of star systems.
This all became very apparent to me while visiting Machu Picchu what will be two years ago this May. There is an exchange of energy between the visitor and the essence of a presence of the site. Even the most unmovable human being are moved by what they feel here.They say sacred sites gain strength from each visitor. I believe this is true because of what I have seen and felt at Grail Springs retreat.
Because of the increased energy levels at these sacred sites, it is wonderful if you can experience them with a group of like-minded people, led by an experienced guide who can relate to the energies and who will best be able to assist you in adjusting to these frequencies. For me, that was Vera Lopez. Two years ago she asked me to assist her along with 31 other women for a very special Mother's Day gathering at the top of Machu Picchu. It left me breathless and in awe of nature's beauty!
When you visit a sacred site such as Machu Picchu, Avalon's Glastonbury or Grail Springs, clarity of Spirit becomes yours. You can hear your higher voice, your wisdom talking. It can activate an internal healing, rejuvenate mind, body and soul and bring new revelation upon new revelation
On returning home from this sacred site journey, I was forever changed. I am more in tune with Mother Earth then ever before. I've felt vibrant peace and joy at the very center of my Being since. It has forever altered my perception of life and the lives of all those with whom I have traveled. …and they, in turn, have altered their communities and the world.
Thank you Vera Lopez for this once-in-a-lifetime journey of the Spirit.
If you have always heard the calling of Machu Picchu to you, I'd like to invite you to join Vera Lopez and myself May 12-24 as we embark once again through the portal of Machu Picchu. For more information please visit http://www.grailsprings.com/MachuPicchu
Find out more about this journey in a Introductory Conference Call this April 3rd at 1pm EST with Madeleine Marentette and Vera Lopez. http://myaccount.maestroconference.com/conference/register/PBC12QQCJD5A8O11
Vera Lopez, a native of Brazil, has studied many spiritual practices for over 35 years, including a variety of healing practices, shamanism, metaphysics and universal laws. Since founding Spirits of the Earth in 1989, she has been able to assist hundreds of people connect to their inner selves while guiding groups to sacred sites. She has an extensive knowledge of the sacred sites of Peru and the Andean Culture. http://www.spiritsoftheearth.com/Adventures_For_The_Soul/Welcome.html
