Every now and then I read something that strikes a chord, leaving me to ponder over the idea for days and days on end. Last week it was the following extract from The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell:

“People say that what we’re seeking is a meaning of life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.”

Rather eloquently said, don’t you think?

What is it that inspires and pleasures you, so much so that your enthusiasm for being alive drives you each and every day to build upon that joy?

What choices are you making that bring you closer to reaching that state of being?

What contribution are you making to the community and earth to enable it to be a “better” place for future generations to live in?

If you’re reading this article, chances are you live in a world of information overload, an abundance of choice and the luxury to be, think and act as you wish. Whilst this is a wonderful freedom that we have created, it also brings with it many distractions that “dumb down” our consciousness and divert our attention from what would truly be nurturing for ourselves, loved ones, future generations and the world in which we live in.

Have you ever thought about what consequence your choices are having? (on your life; your loved ones’ lives; your community; the planet; future beliefs, standards and ideals)

Whether we like to believe it or not, there is always choice. It’s very easy to blame something or someone else for our circumstances or lack of, but the truth is we are all responsible for our own choices and can make a different choice when ever we choose to.

The four key areas that I work with, are developing rituals to:

improve energy levels;
encourage a peaceful night’s sleep;
learn how to cope with stress; and
nurture our own self and loved ones more so.

Why? Because I strongly believe that by balancing these four areas in your life helps to bring about holistic happiness, which in turn improves one’s health, life experiences and Joseph Campbell’s idea of feeling “the rapture of being alive”.

Over the next four months I will feature each one of these key areas in a holistic manner, demonstrating how best to make improvements that benefit you, your loved ones and the planet we share.

If holistic happiness is something that you would like a little inspiration with then how about using this next month to become more aware of how you feel, the choices you are making and whether there is any relation between the two.

What Consequence Are Your Choices Having? By Sam Sample.

Fun, easy, affordable ways to clean up & green up…

I dont know about anyone else, but I have had this invisible weight on my shoulders ever since I started learning in school about oil spills, global warming, ozone layers, and something called a carbon footprint. Silly myths, right? Well this nagging little green angel on my shoulder keeps tugging on my ear to stop ignoring the “what ifs” and just DO SOMETHING.

But what can I do, really? I dont have tons of money to turn my house into this solar paneled, self-sufficient, recycled water-using, organic mud brick hut with a compost garden. I tend to be an all-or-nothing kind of person, and I figured if I couldnt do all that, why should I do anything? Well, since Ive gotten older and had to spend my own money on rent, gas, food, and other things of normal living, that weight on my shoulders starting getting heavier and heavier. I couldnt figure out why.

That little green angel finally got smart and started turning on the news at night, or sending me to websites on the green efforts around the planet, or turning the channel to Animal Planet and National Geographic. Let me tell you, it worked. The bottom line is, no matter how trite it seems to do one small thing to help the planet, the millions of other people doing their little insignificant acts just multiplied your little insignificant act, and this effort just became significant.

The plan for this new section is to share a user-friendly way to GO GREEN each week without breaking the bank or taking too much time away from our already jam-packed schedules. I am on this personal mission too, so we will be in it together!

Our first green effort is to buy reusable shopping bags…

Personally, I dont like grocery shopping. Its cold in there, the aisles are crowded, and I have to carry all those heavy bags up a flight of stairs at my apartment. I usually get plastic bags, and the only good thing Ive ever done with them is keep them for packed lunches. Still, they get thrown out after two uses. There are entire websites dedicated to how bad this is for the planet. Here is a quote from National Geographic’s news website about plastic grocery bags:

“They sit balled up and stuffed into the one that hangs from the pantry door. They line bathroom trash bins. They carry clothes to the gym. They clutter landfills. They flap from trees. They float in the breeze. They clog roadside drains. They drift on the high seas. They fill sea turtle bellies.”

Where have I been?! How big of a deal is it to keep some reusable bags in my car and walk into the grocery store with them? They take up too much space? Nope. They are selling these bags that fit four in a pouch, which is no bigger than your fist! Put them in your glove box, people. There is no excuse to not utilize this genius approach.

How can I make this even more convenient for you? Order online. Done. I just did it. I have a confirmation number. You dont want to carry something that will clash with your outfit? Well, I came across some pretty nifty designer ones in all colors and sizes, I might even start carrying everything else in them too. You assume they are probably expensive, right? They range from $0.45 each to $35 for a designer set of four. Not bad.

So, even though I dont enjoy grocery shopping, it has now become my first effort in saving the planet, and that makes it much more fun…one reusable bag at a time.

Here are a few websites where you can read more and order your reusable bags: reusablebags.com, reuseit.com, customearthpromos.com, reusablebagsdepot.com

But What Can I Do? Healing the Planet, it’s in the Bag by Courtney Raney

Were saving trees today people! I have an extremely simple way for you to save a forest and make all those huge blue people from Avatar proud…

Go paperless with your bills!

Most utility bills and credit cards can be paid on the web and they will usually have a big obnoxious pop up window that says, “GO PAPERLESS TODAY!”

Stop ignoring it. It takes two seconds and you wont have tons of

Plastic water bottles = bad news. I am a total culprit here. I LOVE having water bottles nearby, and in large amounts. I was that lady at the grocery store buying 36 packs of water bottles every couple of weeks. I thought it was a great thing because I was drinking all that water instead of soda or juice. I am kind of a water snob, also.

I will not drink tap water, I dont care what anyone says, I can taste the difference, and its nasty. There arent enough lemons in the world to mask the taste of some tap water. I have even been known to bust out my water bottle in a restaurant because I wont drink the water they bring me. Snob? Agreed.

So…in all of this “What Can I Do?” research for ideas on how to help out the innocently uneducated and lazy people who are swatting that little green angel like an annoying gnat, I discovered the evil behind the water bottle. Sure, I recycled my plastic bottles, but not everyone does. The amount I was bagging each week was amazing. To think that so many people were consuming these piles of bottles and they were being dumped in landfills to rot for years and years was disturbing. I actually needed a word bigger than disturbing that hasnt even been invented yet.

Now, Im not dissing plastic. Plastic is great. I dont really see a more sanitary baby bottle nipple or revolutionary IV bag out there, but that much plastic for a container that holds drinking water? We invented glasses a long time ago for that. I also understand that we live in a world of convenience, and glass isnt really convenient, I get it. But the sheer amount of plastic water bottles on the earth is probably increasing its density level in the universe.

Well, since Im here for a solution and not just to ramble on, here it is – Klean Kanteens. Its not just a cute name, they have a legit website. (kleankanteen.com) Heres whats great about them – 100% stainless steel (which is flavor free), BPA-free (a harmful chemical found in metals), the company uses fair labor standards, and best of all, they come in lots of nifty colors. Get a few of them, so there is no excuse that yours is “dirty” or “left at work” or “lost somewhere.” And guess what? You can refill them over and over and over and over and over and over. And over.

Another fact is that plastic contains chemicals, and Im no chemist, but I do remember that heat and cold can cause chemical reactions. How do you think these water bottles are being shipped? Large trucks and planes that have NO temperature control are bringing them to us with the utmost convenience, but we have no idea what has happened to our water from when it was freshly bottled to when we put it in our mouths. I mean I might as well stick to the tap water at that point.

For those of us that want to go a step further, thewaterproject.org is a site where you can read stats and even donate money to get clean water to people who dont have access. The domino effect is amazing – plants will grow better, people will be stronger and healthier, they can go to work and school, the diseases are cut down tremendously, and the list goes on. I just went to the website and donated $20, it was quick and painless, and according to them, $10 can pay for one person to have clean water for 10 years! You can even select where you want the water to go; Haiti, Sudan, Sierra Lione, India, or wherever it is most needed. I am gonna have two people saying “Cheers!” for the next 10 years without really putting a dent in my checkbook. Here is the link.

Canteens: Not Just for Campers by Courtney Raney

A girlfriend of mine pleasantly surprised me with an unexpected visit last week. She was on her way to Mexico for a conference and during a layover found out it had been cancelled due to swine flu. She rerouted her trip to the next warmest place, LA.

Shes a psychologist, considers herself a hardcore scientist with “complete faith in mainstream science. If it hasnt been proven, it isnt true.” Need I mention shes also an atheist? Im none of those things. I enjoy an easy-to-digest book on quantum physics as much as the next layman, but Im as skeptical of science as she is of spirituality. And I believe in a power greater than myself-a source of love. I call that God.

Nevertheless, my gorgeous friend and I do share plenty of common ground. For one, weve both been vegetarians for twenty years. She told me that one day she knew in her twelve year-old little heart it wasnt right to eat animals and stopped. We also share a yen for hot weather, sunshine and swimming pools, so we hopped in the car and headed to Palm Springs. As the warm desert air breezed through the open windows and Kansas panted in the back seat, we got on the topic of spirituality, namely how “unspiritual” she is. I told her it didnt matter whether she was spiritual or not. It only mattered if she felt something was missing.

She confided that one of her favorite childhood past times was trying to communicate with animals-squirrels, cats, dogs, and birds-but they never communicated back. I suggested that she can never really know they werent communicating. We laughed at the idea that perhaps it was the animals that told her not to eat them. I said, “To me, the definition of spirituality is really simple. Its oneness.” She thought about it and replied, “Thats an interesting way of defining it.” I said, “And you exemplify that. I think youre much more “spiritual” than you think.” She said, “Well, I do view the world as one interconnected organism.” Spoken like a true scientist.

Truth is true. As I understand it, all minds are joined. As she sees it, the world is an interconnected organism. The only thing true is that we are one. Nowhere does my energy end and yours begins. Einstein said separation is an “optical delusion of consciousness.” Well, here, Ill just find his whole quote.

“A human being is a part of the whole, called by us “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest-a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.”

Everything is moving towards oneness though it may not always appear that way. This is true in our own lives as well as in the collective consciousness. There could be no Obama without Bush. Oneness doesnt require that we perceive it in order for it to be true. As Einstein said, its very difficult to be aware of it. But this doesnt mean it isnt happening or that its a free pass to sit around. On the contrary, we all have a unique and active role in the unfolding of that creation. Each of us has a special part to play in the “task” of healing. In fact thats kind of what I was trying to say in the previous post.

My friend arrived at the understanding of connectedness through science. I came to it through more spiritual means of study. Someone else may learn it through worldly travel and another through volunteer work. Or golf. It doesnt matter. We will all end up in the same place. My friend and I were brought together by the swine flu, and even that-swine flu-can be a means for shaking the sleep of separation from our eyes. Anything can be used to help us understand our oneness if we choose to see it that way.

We must change our worldview, as Einstein said, not only for the healing of the world but also for our “inner security.” The cruelty inflicted on a pig in a cage kills us as well. The child neglected by his or her parents and let down by a broken foster care system hurts us too. The question then isnt how you reach that conclusion. The more important question is how you begin to experience everyone and everything as yourself. For quantum physics attests they are literally a part of you, only your “optical delusion” blocks that awareness. The answer lies in widening your circle of compassion. Within that is the liberation we all seek and the knowingness that there really is only one of us here.

Widening the Circle by Cynthia Morgan

An accredited and sought-after Los Angeles-based board certified hypnotherapist, Cynthia Morgan is known as a spiritual teacher by her extensive clientele. Not only has Morgan improved the lives of her clients, but her unique philosophy that “we dont need to do anything to heal-rather we need to undo the thoughts that stand in the way of healing” applies to issues with weight, addictions, illness, pain, phobias, depression, and whatever else one deems as a “problem”. Her philosophy and techniques have proven to be highly successful, establishing her as true leader in her field.

Find out more about Cynthia here: www.cynthiamorgan.us
Read Cynthias blog here: www.theoverwoman.com

With our global emphasis on green and sustainable living, many people are actively doing their part to engage in “green acts”. Whether its recycling, toting reusable grocery bags, there are a number of ways to engage yourself in balanced living

Seeing Differently

Step one to realigning your lifestyle using eco-principles is to begin seeing differently. See your entire existence as emerged within eco-living, rather than you as an individual acting out green acts.

Stuart Haygarth would have taken this advice literally, inventing a sustainable eye glass chandelier that uses 620 pairs of discarded lenses to form a globe-like chandelier. For the designer, perhaps his living art is not only an example of using creativity to craft lifestyle choices, but also symbolic of what visionary work we can accomplish if we begin to see a little differently.

Turning a Domestic Green Leaf

Turning over a green leaf begins with ourselves, in how we think and then in how we carry out those thoughts. Once we have internal balance, our focus can shift smoothly to an external balance. And while you may not be able to go save the rain forest, you can begin by changing how you view your home.

View your home as an eco-habitat in itself, and once you perceive your home this way, youll treat it with more green care. The simplest way to begin thinking this way is to look at what toxic elements could be in your home – perhaps in your vacuum cleaner, carpet, paint, whether you have energy-efficient appliances, or even checking to see if the plastics you use to cook and eat with are made with toxic chemicals.