Cotu conscious lifestyle 13th

13th EDITION – MID APRIL 2015

IN THIS ISSUE SUBSCRIBE & WIN! Lots of great prizes to be won – see our Competition Page SURVIVING CANCER  Ray Funnell Conquers Cancer and Everest  Colour Eating For Health  Visiting A Friend With Cancer: 12 helpful tips BODY MIND & SPIRIT  Colouring Your Life with Oils  Archangel Gabriel  Shine a Light on Autism: Red Flags For ASD Heart Centred Healing

Cover: Ray Funnell

NATURAL BIRTHING

Photo’s of Ray courtesy of

 Preparing For a Natural Birth  Babies & Beyond: Giving Our Children the Best HEALTH WEALTH & HAPPINESS  What Is Personal Risk Management?  Why Does Eating Raw Work?  The Healing Powers of Hemp ANIMAL WORLD  Healthy Living for the Entire Family  Understanding Our Best Friends EARTH WARRIORS  The Green Thing! Lesson From A Smartass..

READING

 Follow Me – I’m Lost - Tale of an Unexpected Leader - Chapter 2 MEET THE TEAM CARMEN CHE JARDIM – The Boss VINCENT JARDIM – My Son, Carmen’s Dad - The Motivator LINDA JARDIM NAVON – Editor & Publisher CJ STOTT MATTICKS – Marketing & Sales Director ARIZONA QUINN – Writer, Researcher & Admin

ED’s LETTER Hello happy readers This edition is dedicated to all those who have fought the battle with cancer and survived, and to those who have lost their loved ones – we send you love and light and hold you in our warmest thoughts.

Winter is settling in fast and most of us around the country are wondering how the load shedding is going to affect us. While we make alternative arrangements to keep our homes lit, warm and comfortable, please give some thought to the less fortunate who may not have blankets, food or homes. Reach out and touch someone’s life – Pay it Forward!

I am very excited to welcome my daughter, Candida (better known as Cj) to the team. She has taken over the role of National Sales & Marketing management and will take over the South African division of Child of the Universe when I head off to launch the magazine in the UK sometime in the future. She is a delight to work with and has already started shaking things up, refreshing the look and feel of our magazine, website and Facebook page.

We have a great mix of articles in this month’s issue. Join us as we meet Ray Funnell and hear a little about his journey in conquering cancer. We take a look at natural birthing and how to prepare for it. Brain Gym’s Hanna Kok talks about giving our children the best. We get a taste for raw eating with Raw Works and how great it is for our health. We explore the Healing Powers of Hemp. Learn about various healing modalities. And we have even introduced a new section on pet health.

Last but certainly not least, we have some lovely Subscriber Giveaways in the magazine. Your input is appreciated, you can email us, catch us on Facebook (link below) or call us anytime.

Keep shining brightly Namaste

Linda and Candida linda@childoftheuniverse.co.za and candida@childoftheuniverse.co.za 011 462 2900 www.childoftheuniverse.co.za Like us on Facebook

surviving cancer

RAY FUNNELL Leukemia survivor conquers The Everest Challenge Forty-seven year old Raymond Funnell is a happily married man with three children. In August 2006, Ray received news that changed his life forever - he was diagnosed with AML Leukemia.

At the time Ray said, “I had no idea just how hard or how long the treatment was going to last and that it would totally change my outlook on life - for the better.”

Ray was advised that his best solution was to look for a bone marrow “stem-cell” donor. He was fortunate enough to find a perfect sibling match with his brother Gary. On the day of the transplant, Lynne, Ray’s wife, had to transport the little bag of stem cells from the donation centre to his hospital; “holding Ray’s life in her own hands” is how Lynne earnestly describes it. By the middle of the year, Ray had recovered well enough to manage a hike with his son Jayson.

Shuffling up and down the Oncology Ward Ray allowed his mind to escape and imagined climbing great heights. In 2010, after his recovery and recalling his daydream, Ray decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. He temporarily swapped his ‘day-job’ deepest mines for daydream highest mountains – one extreme to another!

Then in March of 2008, Ray went for a routine blood test and found out that he had had a relapse. High concentrations of chemotherapy treatments followed, leaving Rays’ body weak, anaemic and about 28 kg lighter. Ray said, “During this time I was kept alive by more than fifty (50) blood transfusions and passionately got my family and friends involved in becoming donors”.

In March this year, Ray and a team of cyclists completed “The Sunflower Tour of Light�, an epic journey cycling 1500 kms from Johannesburg to Cape Town, They completed the journey with cycling The Cape Town Cycle Tour. Throughout the marathon trip, their aim was to raise awareness and funds for sufferers of leukemia and other life-threatening blood disorders.

A mere two weeks later, Ray and his Team of solo athletes, as well as several relay teams, challenged Everest. This seemed like an impossible task, however the brave men and women, climbed relentlessly for a gruelling 36 hours with only short breaks to achieve 200 reps of the famous Westcliff Stairs in Johannesburg. This equated to 100km of stair climbing and 10 600 meters, which far surpasses the height of Mt Everest.

It is at times like this that one feels truly humbled and in awe of the human spirit.

Ray Funnell, a husband, father, Engineer and Leukaemia survivor is a true testament to the great words of Nelson Mandela, "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead."

Every year thousands of South Africans are diagnosed with leukemia and other life threatening blood disorders. For many patients unable to stay in remission with chemotherapy alone, a bone marrow stem cell transplant becomes a life-saving treatment.

To read more visit: https://www.facebook.com/EverestChallenge http://www.summit7.co.za/index.php/our-team/34-our-team-ray-funnel

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Visiting a friend with cancer: 12 helpful tips

By Judy Beyer Flora Force Health Products

Are you one of those people who have a really difficult time visiting a friend with cancer, especially one who looks and feels very sick? You’re not alone. There’s no doubt that it’s tough and often awkward to see a friend or loved one in discomfort. These 12 practical tips can help you show your support in a comforting way.

If you have a loved one or friend with cancer, you may be wondering how to deal with visiting them. You want to help them through this difficult time, but visiting a friend with cancer is difficult. It can be hard to know what to say or do. Of course, there are no set rules to help, but these 13 practical suggestions may help you show your support.

1. Preparing yourself. Before visiting a friend with cancer, learn more about the diagnosis. Your friend may not want to talk about the details for many reasons, including that it is physically and emotionally tiring to repeat the same information to different people. If possible, the person’s spouse or a mutual friend may be able to give you the basics, perhaps via a group e-mail. And if there’s extra information that you’d like to know but is not shared, don’t push for it.

2. Always ask permission before visiting your friend with cancer, before offering advice, before asking questions. And make it clear that saying no is perfectly okay. Make flexible plans that can be easily changed in case something comes up or your friend needs to cancel or reschedule. Make a weekly check-in phone call. Let the patient know when you will be calling and that it’s okay to not answer the phone.

3. Make 100 percent sure you are healthy. If not, stay at home. Cough or sneeze into a tissue, wash your hands and wear a surgical mask if necessary– personal hygiene is the foundation of infection control, says Susan O’Rourke, RN, of the Center for Patient Safety at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the US. 4. Remember that a friend with cancer is first and foremost just that, your friend. This is the same person you’ve always known. Try to relate to them in the same way you have in the past. The pleasure you give by visiting them will be appreciated. When words seem too little, a hug, a look or a touch can say a lot. If their appearance has changed, perhaps they’ve lost their hair, start your visit by saying ‘It’s good to see you’ instead of commenting on any physical changes. Leave when you see that they getting tired.

5. Don’t be afraid to shed a few tears. It’s all right to show your feelings and to cry, although try to control yourself before the patient has to start comforting you. If you can’t contain your tears, keep your visits short.

6. Offer to help with domestic tasks such as taking care of children or fetching them from school, looking after a pet or preparing a meal. Would your friend with cancer like you to shop for groceries? Pick up prescriptions? Organize a phone chain or support team to rally round? Offer your friend with cancer lifts to appointments or support group meetings, or to go for a walk. Many people find it hard to ask for help and will probably appreciate the offer. If they decline, don’t take it personally.

7. Talk about topics not related to cancer. All people battling potentially terminal diseases need a break from talking about medical matters. Your friend with cancer will feel the same. Be amusing when appropriate and always be prepared to listen when they talk. Try not to chatter because you are nervous; silence can be comforting and may encourage the patient to better express their thoughts and feelings.

8. Try saying: I’m sorry this has happened to you; If you ever feel like talking, I am here to listen; What are you thinking of doing and how can I help?; I care about you; I don’t know what to say (which is far more helpful to your friend with cancer than to simply stop calling or visiting out of fear).

9. Try not to say: I know just how you feel (you don’t really); You need to talk (they’ll let you know); This is what you should do (you’re not the doctor); I feel helpless; I’m sure you’ll be fine; Don’t worry; How much time have the doctors given you? Also, don’t tell your friend with cancer about your cousin who either succumbed to cancer or is a survivor. The patient has his or her own problems to deal with.

10. Most of all, be yourself. Try not to worry about whether you are doing things the right way. Let your words and your actions come from your heart. Your compassion and genuine caring for your friend with cancer are the most important things you can express.

11. You may want to give your friend a gift. If you’re a close friend, give your friend with cancer something really silly or unusual; if you’re a work colleague, stick with something more traditional. Don’t, however, give your friend or loved one anything that promotes a specific treatment or philosophy as a cure for cancer. Respect their choices – they’ve been made after a lot of thought and professional advice. Instead, keep gifts fun, interesting, serious or light – magazines, audio books, novels, collections of short stories or poetry, playing cards, CDs or gift cards for downloadable music, DVDs of movies, favourite TV shows or documentaries; accessories such as scarves, make-up and beauty products, crossword or Sudoku puzzles, a journal, a DVD of family and friends, gift certificates for a massage or facial, a house-cleaning service, hobby kits such as needlepoint or scrapbooking, pajamas or a gown. Avoid plants or flowers, which can harbour fungal spores.

12. Keep up the support once treatment is over. Your caring support can make a lasting difference to a loved one or friend with cancer.

References American Cancer Society www.cancer.org www.cancer.net http://blog.dana-farber.org/insight/2012/08/7-tips-to-remember-when-visiting-cancer-patients/

body mind & spirit

Heart-Centered Healing Produces the Most Powerful Effect on the Human Body Every cause of disease first begins with an imbalance in the body's energy systems, specifically, the interaction between how the heart communicates with the brain and the body. Fix that and there is no disease, ever.

By Michael Forrester The heart can produce an electrical field 100 times greater than the brain and a magnetic field 5000 times greater.

Which one are you using to heal?

Emotions are vibrations, which consistently influence our reality. We not only think and work our way through a day, meeting, assignment, but also feel and believe our way through it. The outcome depends on both.

Simply put, your energetic and emotional state of health is the number one Influence on your overall well-being.

How you connect emotionally to your overall wellness and wellbeing is more important than any supplement, food, exercise, or health treatment. There is only one cause of disease and that has to do with the energy and frequency imbalances that exist within your body. Rectify that, and disease cannot exist ... it would be impossible.

Fear and Love All the emotions are varieties of two: fear and love: Fear/stress is contagious and causes contraction: inhibits creativity, brain activity, inhibits the immune system, selective perception and, over extensive periods, leads to breakdown.

Love (positive beliefs and emotions) has a high impact and causes expansion: creativity, physical and mental endurance, more productivity in shorter time because we take decisions quicker as we are receptive and highly perceptive. This is a question of Math, HeartMath (as per the contribution in this field of the HeartMath Institute): when one has accurate information, one makes better decisions.

The quality of the field you create with your heart, influences your experience and reality The research behind the evolution of HeartMath came from the idea that the body's emotional response to events do not always occur from "topdown" processing (i.e., the brain sends signals to the heart and other organs, and the body responds accordingly).

Rather, it has now proven that often times our emotional state triggers our heart to send out its own signals to the brain and other organs, and the body then responds accordingly.

For instance, while two-way communication between the cognitive and emotional systems is hard-wired into the brain, the actual number of neural connections going from the emotional centers to the cognitive centers is greater than the number going the other way.

7 Simple actions to create positive feelings: 1. Think about the colleagues who helped you today. Thank them in your heart. Think about your current assignments. Know that they will work out well and work from this space.

2. What is it that you would like to have professionally? A new project? With whom?

Think about it in detail, be specific and imagine you are already working on it.

3. Entertain the feeling of celebration that arises in your heart. From this space, take the appropriate actions to make it happen.

4. Find ways to help your colleagues, or make them feel that you care. Do one (in) visible act of kindness per day, or more if you want to.

5. Before starting your workday give thanks and envision it the way you want it to be.

6. When finishing your workday give thanks and clear it of negative emotions (which come out of fear that we know now is illusion). Do not take them home or preserve them for the next day.

7. Smile

Fear is widespread and is polluting us on a cellular level.

Have you ever: Made a "rash" decision? Done something dangerous on impulse? Taken a risk because you believed in it? This research helps explain the influence emotions have on our ability to think and act.

In fact, researchers at HeartMath have determined that the physiology and nerve centers of the heart are so complex and active, that they constitute a "brain" all on their own, termed a "mini-brain."

We now know that the heart contains cells that produce and release norepinephrine and dopamine, neurotransmitters once thought to be produced only by the brain and ganglia, outside the heart. Even more remarkable is the discovery that the heart produces Oxytocin -the "love hormone" - in concentrations that are as high as those in the brain.

The time of crisis is literally here: there is the fast pace of our world, the assault of too much to do with too little time and resources.

Being in the present moment is just a concept for most of us and has little translation to daily life practice. Fear is wide spread and is polluting us on a very cellular level: hypertension, autoimmune diseases, cancer, infertility, chronic back problems, anxiety, and depression; the list could continue forever. The difference is how we interpret crisis because we can be at complete peace in the midst of chaos.

Can we live the life we want? Can we be authentic in our speech? Can we identify and release our underlying limiting beliefs so that we begin a new commitment towards genuine compassion, abundance, love and connection. Your commitment will show in your body and intentions.

by Penni du Plessis of Divine Space

BLUE & YELLOW OILS OF TRANSFORMATION The blue oil is invaluable in any household. It is the most calming of all the oils and brings a sense of strength and support. Use 5 - 10 pumps in the bathwater at night and it will relax and calm the child. Rub on the neck and forehead at bedtime to help with sleeping too. If you get a lot of sore throats or stiff necks - there is a tendency to be a nonconformist, who swallows back what needs to be said.

Rubbing this oil around the neck twice daily helps with calm, easy communication and opens the throat chakra.

An added benefit is that it is a topical rescue remedy, reducing inflammation, bruising, swelling or burns and speeding up any healing process (do not ingest please).

The yellow oil is perfect for this time of the year. Did you know that yellow is the colour of the intellect? Did you know that the sense more linked to memory is the olfactory system? The colour, together with its perfect balance of 7 essential oils assists with organising the mind while doing homework, information retention while studying, and calming the stress and fear, while refreshing the memory when writing exams.

Rub it around the solar plexus area as well as onto the face regularly, and watch the magic happen.

PURSUE YOUR PASSION… The guru’s say. … And that is exactly what Dr Paul Bosman did. Medicine has always been Paul Bosman’s passion. He studied to be a pharmacist and is currently the CEO of Tara Pharmaceuticals.

Initially Paul became involved in Natural medicine after a visit to Switzerland when his young daughter became very ill. They were referred to a paediatrician who prescribed natural medicine. His daughter reacted very favourably. When his brother’s twins seemed to be ill all the time, Paul introduced them to natural medicine and it worked.

Based on that, Paul became more and more interested in Natural medicine.

Advice for entrepreneurs It does not really matter if you have a brilliant idea. Your idea will remain just that – an idea, unless you have the necessary funding to bring your dream to fruition. Banks are not very forthcoming with funding for entrepreneurs and few individuals who will fund the great ideas of entrepreneurs. I’m still battling with finding funding for my ever-growing business.

The natural medicine environment is particularly challenging since you don’t only have to prove that your product is effective, it has to be safe as well, in a market that is becoming more and more stringently regulated. In today’s market this could be a very expensive exercise if you are going to need clinical studies to prove the efficacy of your product. It would help if you have substantial medical knowledge, since barriers to these

Marketing is critical.

Targeting a specific market segment is important. You need to build a loyal client base.

markets are becoming more and more stringent. We are all aware of the cowboys out there who make unsubstantiated claims.

If you want to grow your business within the first year, people have to be aware of your products. If people do not know that your products exist, they will not be in a position to buy them. Having regular customers is of paramount importance. Repeat business is the bloodline of most organisations. Having said that, in order to have that desired repeat business, your products have to be effective.

Satisfied customers are your best marketing tool.

Keep costs down The best way to increase revenue is to keep expenditure as low as possible. Marketing is critical, but you need to be aware of your market. Targeting a specific market segment is important. If you spend money on advertising indiscriminately, you will soon be completely broke, since advertising is very costly. Further, ensure that you have the correct amount of stock. Having too much stock is tying up capital. Moving the maximum amount of product is the best way to increase your revenue.

Take Assessed Risks The biggest risk I took was selling my house and my car. I ploughed all the money I could lay my hands on, into my business. We have been in operation since 2007 and this year our turnover will be around R10 Million. Passion and belief in what you do is a prerequisite. I believed blindly in my products and I became successful.

The best advice I ever received, is to focus on that which you are good at. Do the things you are able to do and do not veer from your chosen, well-known path. For example, if your product and expertise in is natural medicine, do not digress into say, beauty products. When the company that I was working for was sold, I started my own business against good advice from family members who suggested I stay in the safety of the corporate world .

I never regret following my dreams. Tara Pharmaceuticals is proof of that.

DR PAUL BOSMAN

Chirology - The Hands of Children “The Hand is the Instrument of the Mind.” Maria Montessori Our children’s lives are initially in our hands, but ultimately their life path lies in the forms and markings of

theirs.

superstition,

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chirological interpretation, the features of our hands are our personal life map and compass.

By Jennifer Hirsch Chirology (from Gr: kheri – hand and logos – knowledge) identifies and codifies the hands’ shapes, textures and markings, so as to determine sensitivities, needs, coping strategies, skills, talents and vocational aptitudes. Part science, part art, chirology is a dialogue therapy, comprising a blend of scientific research, eastern and western palmistry, counselling, coaching, therapeutic touch, and intuition. While the hand reader’s intuitive senses are profoundly engaged when analysing hands, chirology is an enlightening tool for self-understanding, and not a predictive or divinatory craft.

In chirology, we examine seven main features in a set of hands - shape, skin texture, mounts, thumbs, fingers, lines, and of utmost significance in modern-day hand analysis, the glyphs. Glyphs are the fingerprints and dermatoglyphic skin ridge patterns that are inscribed in our palms, which are not only an irrefutable mark of our identity, but also describe individual psychological profiles, each with their own unique signature traits. Our glyphs are pre-ordained, fixed and unchangeable cosmic imprints, which receive and emit their own unique resonance. They are energy portals, thresholds through which we can better understand and express our authentic responses.

Whereas our lines show basic stamina, mental aptitudes and love language, or how we give and receive love, our glyphs reveal something of our life purpose. As the one hand feature that will never change, glyphs are understood to provide our ‘psychological backdrop’. Whorls (see illustration above) on a set of hands, for example, aspect the issue of discipline, so vital a component of securing children and making them feel cared for. Whereas children with loops (see illustration below) are adaptable and will respond well to externally imposed discipline, children with whorls are fiercely independent, and when their individuality is encouraged and trusted will prove to be singularly self-disciplined.

Children and teenagers respond with spontaneous enthusiasm and curiosity to having their hands analysed. They are always delighted to hear about what line and what fingerprint pattern means what. Engaging with children about their hands is an alchemical experience for them. They realise that the forms and markings of their hands are uniquely their own and the quality time, focus and private, personal dialogue brings children home to themselves.

No child is too young to be printed. Printing the hands (with water soluble ink) is necessary so as to identify the finer details of lines and glyph patterns. Babies under 18 months can be tricky to print, but it is do-able. For kids under eight or nine, once we’ve taken the inked prints, I use chirology’s system of interpretation, called ‘the language of the elements’, to create a visual ‘hand chart’. In this chart of a three-year-old girl’s hands, (see illustration at end of article) an element is ascribed to every hand feature, to specifically evolve an understanding of the physical, emotional, vocational, intellectual and spiritual aspects of her life. Chirology draws on the scientifically proven principles of the elements earth, water, fire, air and chi to facilitate the decoding the hands' features.

This visual representation can be enjoyed in years to come but initially provides an outline for the conversation with the child’s parent(s). We discuss what their child’s hands reveal about their social and communicative skills, their organisational abilities and how they best learn. We identify their special aptitudes, potential talents, strengths or weaknesses, such as in sport, creativity, math and literacy.

After nine years old, I spend more alone and fun time with the child. Together we delve into their hands, empathically, kindly, cooperatively. We work with colour pencils, drawing in the lines and patterns on their hands and on the prints, explaining each as we go along. Children need to have their emotions taken care of, but are often unable to verbalise their feelings, and this therapy facilitates for the child a safe enough space to explore, feel into and articulate what is most alive in them.

The lines on children’s hands change as their personality develops. From age fourteen, together we assume a more motivational stance and focus is on aligning with an optimal educational plan.

The extent of children’s sensitivity reveals in their hands, which assists parents to deal especially with Indigo and Crystal children as well as with children labelled ADHD who are physically, emotionally, intuitively and spiritually so acutely fine-tuned.

A chirology analysis provides insight into how they view the world and to where they are ultimately going, as well as to what challenges they might be facing. As parents, we hope to optimally nurture, encourage and guide our children, to provide them with safety, security and love - enough to ensure that they grow into happy, confident adults who follow their own unique paths, build fulfilling lives and who contribute positively to the world. Chirology can help you to relate to, support and guide your child on a deeper, more patient and accepting level, in ways that meet the needs of their temperament, character and persona.

Jennifer Hirsch is a Johannesburg based chirologist, Zen Coach and mosaic artist. Jen is an ambassador for the ancient craft, having pioneered chirology in South Africa since 1991 when she first founded the Chirology S.A. Centre for the Study of Hand Reading. She offers private readings and lessons in the how-to of chirology/palmistry and counselling and coaching with hand reading. Her groundbreaking book ‘Chirology – Hand Reading – Palmistry – God Given Glyphs – Fingerprints’ illustrates fingerprints along with their associated character traits. Contact Jennifer Hirsch: Cell 082 415 0653, email: jen@cheiro.co.za Web: www.godgivenglyphs.com

ARCHANGEL GABRIEL Gabriel is the Angel of Purification, Clarification and Creativity. Gabriel offers hope, spirituality and love and awakens your gifts and intuition. He sits at the left hand side of God, a position of trust and confidence conveying messages to and from God. He stands for order and discipline, for without that you cannot reach your full potential in this life time. Gabriel will help you understand the life plan you agreed upon before your incarnation. Gabriel and the Angels watch over you. They will always remind you of your Divine potential which is always perfect.

Archangel Gabriel is very involved with children. With Mother Mary he is always present at every birth and will enfold the new arrival in his powerful wings of healing and support ensuring that each child that is born is welcomed into this life time with love and joy. Not matter what path that soul has chosen to walk he will be with that child guiding and encouraging them and giving them courage to achieve even the most difficult of paths.

Archangel Gabriel is the Archangel in charge of the Base and Sacral Chakras. He works with a wonderful crystal white light cleansing and clearing wherever it is needed. Invoke him when you are working on creative projects and you seem to be blocked. He will send you wonderful and innovative ideas and thoughts that will move your work into another level.

Before anything new can come into your life you need to have released the old. You need to have been cleansed and cleared of all the old blockages and challenges that are holding you back. A good way of releasing all that is negative is to write it all down. It does not have to be in chronological order, but just as things come into your mind, write them down. Include all your angers, fears, disappointment, hurts and any negative issues or challenges that you might have experienced. Go back as far as you can remember into your childhood, writing it down in your own words, the way it made you feel. No one else is going to see this, so be truthful and honest with yourself.

Once you feel that you have got it all written down, then burn it whilst you do a little ceremony of release. While it is burning say “I consciously release this to the Universe” and then let it go. Visualise Archangel Gabriel’s powerful white light, cleansing and purifying the feelings and emotions that were brought to the surface. Allow healing to take place and to move you in a different and positive direction. It will feel as though a great weight has been taken off your shoulders. In a few days’ time you will remember something else that you had forgotten to write, so start writing again and it will take you down another path. In this way you keep writing and burning so that nothing can hold you back as you move into new and exciting things in your life. Ask Archangel Gabriel to send you creative ways and ideas to complete what you are here to achieve in this life time.

Each morning request Archangel Gabriel to stand powerfully on your left hand side. Ask him to pour his pure white energy into your aura, purifying, cleansing and guiding you on your path today. Thank him for enhancing your creative abilities and for allowing you to acknowledge your wonderful gifts and talents that you have been so blessed with. With him by your side you will be able to move through your day in absolutely clarity with crystal clear thoughts and in pure unconditional love.

Margi McAlpine Angel Connection

FOR UPCOMING COURSE DATES PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE, FACEBOOK PAGE OR EMAIL US. Book online - http://www.ati2ud.com/shop/

The Impact of Divorce in Our Lives

By Paula Quinsee

Divorce touches the lives of family members, communities and society in general.

Whether you are the one initiating the divorce or the one on the receiving end, the choice to separate will come with a number of unexpected knock on effects and a range of losses for all involved. It has been said that going through a separation or divorce is the same as experiencing a death except that you may still need to see the person on a daily basis. Not to mention deal with the complex emotions that is being experienced by all affected parties.

Conflict is often seen as a negative experience instead of an opportunity to learn and grow, not only as a person but also for the benefit of those around us. We experience conflict in all areas of our relationships, from our partners, to our children, our families and even our work colleagues.

When we treat the symptoms (vs the cause) of a situation, we often get caught up in the emotions of the situation vs. what is really going on for both parties involved. This results in us being caught in a repetitive cycle and will in time, once again be faced with the same or similar issues. When we focus on the core of a problem and utilise tools to help us master our own wellness and wellbeing, we are able to achieve a healthier outcome that over time instils lasting change.

With Imago Relationship Therapy one gains an understanding of how we connect with a person as a result of an unconscious match between a mental image of our parents/caretakers, created in childhood (called Imago) and certain character traits of that person (our trigger points) shaping who we become, our thought patterns and our behavioural traits.

Imago Therapy is an integrated therapeutic process for working with individuals, couples, families, and business colleagues to enhance relational health in the relationships they share.

Based on the ground-breaking work of Harville Hendrix, PhD, Imago therapy is a wonderfully effective and safe approach for helping individuals grow into understanding themselves more fully so as to enable safe, honest communication and to facilitate the evolution of greater wholeness as individuals within any relational context. It provides individuals with a new perspective with which to look at their relationships and tools to facilitate growth and healing.

Another key thing to remember is that children model themselves on their primary caretakers (usually their parents), hence the developmental stages in the first 7yrs of a child's life being the most crucial, as this affects the child's emotional development. And if children are exposed to a negative, confrontational environment, they will develop behavioural patterns that align to the environment they have been exposed to.

By learning new techniques from insights gained in Imago Therapy one is able to better: • • • • • •

Manage and resolve conflict more effectively.

Lay the foundation for more positive and caring relationships.

Create a safe and structured environment for the entire family.

Understand the different stages of the Relationship Cycle that every relationship experiences Have more compassion, empathy and understanding for others.

Discover 'lost and suppressed' parts of yourself (from childhood).

We have a passion for people believe the world can be a better place if each person can create safety in their relationships through the caring and loving behaviours they are taught with Imago Therapy.

And if children can grow up in this warm, loving and accepting environment, then we are helping to create a new generation of emotionally mature adults and changing the world one relationship at a time.

For more information on Imago Therapy and how it can help you in all areas of your life http://www.ati2ud.com

The Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse in Libra – The Passage into the Unknown

By Simon Vorster Contributing Writer for Wake Up World – posted 4th April

A radical shift in our energetic levels has brought confusion to many of us over the last few days. The expression of the expansive yang energy has shifted internally and there is presently a slowing down effect being felt. The new energetic patterns that have flooded into the collective consciousness since the start of 2015 have been incredibly expansive, and we are evolving at a galactic rate.

As we moved through the Pluto Uranus Square on March 16th the stage was set for a total transformation of our perception; a rebirth. The New Moon and Total Solar eclipse on March 20th was an even more powerful alignment, reflecting our process of integration and transformation that continued through March, as we stepped through a significant astrological gateway. (For more on this, please see my last article: The Fire Trine, Blood Moon and Total Lunar Eclipse – The Gateway to Love.)

Now as we shift our awareness to today’s Full Moon in Libra, the third Blood Moon of the tetrad, we notice that the energy is reflecting a more stabilizing and grounding action. The integration process is well underway, as we learn to balance and master the 5th dimensional connection and unity consciousness that has emerged, while the Fire Trine alignment of Uranus, Jupiter and Saturn is adding some serious heat!

natural birthing

Preparing for a Natural Birth

By Sonia Murray

Whenever I hear a mom-to-be say she will “try for a natural birth”, I know that the chances of success are slim.

Unfortunately, there is no part of our lives that in any way prepares women for a natural birth experience. Our mother’s more than likely had a caesarean, we have never witnessed a natural birth, the media portrays a skewed and unrealistic version of it, and natural birth is hardly discussed or shared.

It is because of all these factors that when one decides to have a natural birth, a lot of preparation needs to take place.

A natural birth encompasses far more than the mechanics of birth, it is a conscious choice to be present for both your own experience and that of your baby’s. It is acknowledging that you are afraid but you are also enormously capable both physically and mentally. It is a journey that starts in pregnancy and continues into the years of parenting.

A successful natural birth requires that you yourself engage in research and selfeducation as well as preparation for your body. However, the absolute key to success – is to have the right people and environment around you.

THE PEOPLE It would be optimistic to expect to use a traditional Gynaecologist, whose entire profession is dedicated to using medical techniques, in a natural birth situation, and not expect some kind of intervention. It’s like asking a swimming coach to teach you accounting. It is their job to intervene and that is what they will do.

An obstetrician is just like any other person and needs to pay the bills. They simply cannot afford to see 15 different women and stay with each one for the duration of their labour.

Another sad fact about Gynaecologists’ is that less than 5% of them have ever attended a completely natural birth, and trusted their patients to labour without assistance and birth their children without drugs or surgery.

A natural birth requires an utter certainty in your own power and ability. If you have made this decision, be prepared to weather the barrage of not so subtle fear mongering your Gynaecologist will try to influence you with. The only way to not be swayed by this is to do your homework. It is imperative that you learn as much as you can about the uninterrupted birth process so that when the doubts and disbelief come your way, from not only doctors but family and friends as well – you will not fall into the trap of fear.

If not a Doctor then who?

I highly recommend using a midwife for your birth, their entire profession is devoted to assisting women in natural birth, and has been in existence for centuries longer than the modern Gynaecologist has. They will look at your birth experience from a holistic point of view, incorporating your emotional and mental wellbeing as well as your physical journey though pregnancy. They are medically trained to monitor your pregnancy as well as birth your child.

The majority of midwives work closely with their own gynaecologists’ who are comfortable with only stepping into the birth process if needed.

MIDWIVES Midwives also have their own support structure in place including Doula’s and Hospitals who are geared and more importantly, ok with not interfering with a woman’s birth unless an emergency situation arises. This is a vitally important distinction because it is imperative that there are no interruptions or unnecessary interventions during labour.

Above all, a midwife respects and honours a woman’s innate ability to birth her child as nature intended. She is familiar with the emotional and mental process that each woman goes through during labour. Supporting and encouraging during the times of fear and self-doubt, quiet and still whilst a labouring woman is deep within her own being, and steadfast when it is time to gather all ones strength and push out her baby.

The human body is miraculous in its ability, but it is also finely balanced. When labour starts, a woman’s body produces huge amounts of the hormone Oxytocin. This is nature’s own painkiller as well as being paramount in the bonding process between mother and child. However, Oxytocin production will be inhibited if the mother feels uncomfortable in any way – as a normal hospital environment creates.

Oxytocin is also called the ‘love-drug’ because it elicits a deep feeling of love and contentment. It is no wonder it is produced when making love. Imagine trying to feel relaxed and happy while making love, in a room brightened by florescent lights and a bevy of strangers walking in and out. It is impossible.

When a woman feels at ease, with familiar and trusted people around her, soft lighting, privacy and dignity, she is free to relax into her birth experience and tap into her own power. The environment is also important for the baby, they should be birthed into soft lighting and quietness.

Remember that it will be the first time your baby will hear sounds or feel air on their skin. This is why a water birth is the preferred choice for natural births. www.givingbirthnaturally.com www.naturalchildbirthstories.com www.orgasmicbirth.com

MIDWIFE A personal relationship is established, personal life experiences discussed and shared

GYNAECOLOGIST A purely professional relationship with the only contact being during scheduled appointments

You would be able to call your midwife on her personal telephone at any time with concerns of any nature

Your doctor would not be available for this kind of support, nor would you discuss marital or emotional issues with him/her An accurate assessment of It is a very convenient your physical capabilities is excuse to tell a woman her given in terms of your pelvis is the wrong size or pelvis and other factors shape to deliver naturally Financially it is far cheaper to see a midwife, and it is fully covered by your medical aid

Visits are far more expensive and you would more than likely have to subsidise the payments

It is 100% guaranteed that your midwife will be present for your birth, for the entire duration, never leaving your side

Your doctor would only step in periodically during your labour, and may not even be able to be there, if he or she is called away

After the birth of your child, your midwife will visit you at your home every day for 7 days, offering support and help for both you and your child

You will not see your doctor for another 6 weeks until your first check up where you will drive to their offices

Your midwife will respect your choices when it comes to episiotomies, intervention, vaccinations, baby handling and breast feeding

It is more than likely that your doctor will trust his/her own knowledge over yours and will push their viewpoints onto you, regardless of your previously stated choices

Labour is respected and allowed to be experienced – this means you are free to move, dance, cry or scream

In a medical birth women are severely restricted, almost strapped to a hospital bed, encouraged not to eat and will spend the labour hooked up to machines

You are encouraged to surround yourself with personal items that bring you strength and joy.

Candles, music, beloved partner, whatever it may be

You are in a sterile, unfamiliar environment with nurses changing shift around you.

A midwife monitors your baby’s development using traditional methods and so doesn’t expose your child to too many ultrasounds

Ultra sounds are used as the sole basis of monitoring. There is a lot of research out lately as to the detriment of using ultra sounds

DIET Diet is very important, obviously for your own health and the development of your child, but also to try to eliminate any chance of complications.

Too much sugar is a big no-no. Not only will you risk pregnancy diabetes, there is a chance your baby will grow to big – or yourself for that matter. Birth is hard work and you will need to be fit and healthy.

I highly recommend investigating a Raw Food diet from 36 weeks. This diet ensures that your growing baby and you will only be fed 100% pure nutritious food. Your pregnancy will be easier, you will have more energy, and your recovery time post birth will be much faster and easier.

By eating only Raw – you will be boosting your entire system and that of your baby. It is also a great preparation for Breastfeeding, helping your body produce the best quality milk.

Another benefit of eating Raw is if you are not much of a cook (like me), it is a great opportunity to learn how to shop and prepare meals for your family. I was always a lazy chef and did the bare minimum, preferring convenience foods and eating out. Of course, with a baby, you cannot do this, children need proper nutrition to grow, nor do you want to teach them bad eating habits.

And now for exercise, if you already do – carry on. If you haven’t then now is the time to start. Squats need to become your new best friend, depending on your fitness level start at 10 per day twice a day and work your way up to 50 a day every day. You can use a Pilate’s ball against a wall to help support you if needed. Not only will this practice help prepare you for the rigours of birth, but it will keep you toned and give you strength to look after your new baby after they are born. www.rawpregnancy.com www.therawfoodmum.com/raw-pregnancy/

YOUR WORKING PARTS My absolute favourite myth is that natural childbirth stretches your vagina and creates incontinence. Sorry ladies but pregnancy does this, not a few hours of labour. For 9 months you will have the ever-increasing weight of your baby bearing down on your bladder and pelvic floor muscles. Keeping those vital muscles toned and strong is very important, no matter what birth you are having. In fact, as your bladder is removed when performing a caesarean, it is even more important.

Put up a reminder in your bathroom and every time you go to the loo do 10 repetitions of muscle contractions. It is not squeeze and release, but rather a drawing up of the muscles towards your belly button (like an elevator) and then gradually dropping down again.

From 30 weeks you will need to start a perineum massage program that will continue onto the day you start labour. This practice will almost guarantee that you do not tear during birth. However, if tearing is unavoidable it is still better to tear naturally rather than have an episiotomy. www.pregnancy.org/article/perineal-massage

BITS & BOBS There are many procedures at any hospital, even the most progressive thinking ones that you will want to think about first before agreeing to. Removing your baby from your care for their first bath (please don’t wash your baby until day 7 of their birth), giving them a vitamin K injection (an unnecessary procedure if you live in a sunny climate), and of course vaccinations – are all par for the course.

Be very clear before you check in what you will allow and what you will not. You have the right to say no to all of them, do not let the staff bully you. Please also remember to read the fine print very carefully when signing the administration documents, you are entitled to cancel out clauses. Do so if you feel uncomfortable.

If you wish to keep your placenta then that is something that needs to be communicated.

It is never too late to change your mind about your birth choice, or change doctors or hospitals. This is your experience and it has the possibility of being the greatest one of your life. No matter how difficult or prolonged a birth was, there is not one woman on the planet that has had a natural birth and regretted it. However, many, many women regret their Caesarean or Epidural.

Educate yourself, trust your instincts – preparing for a natural birth is in essence preparing for motherhood. Learning to stand your ground, learning to trust yourself, to claim your power, all of these skills and qualities can only serve you as a woman and as a mother.

TIPS  Start ‘sunning’ your nipples a few times a day from 30wks. Sitting in a sunny window is sufficient. This helps toughen your nipples for breastfeeding. Continue this during breastfeeding to avoid nipple thrush.  Chewing on raw cucumber is the best antidote for heartburn. Using conventional medicines will wreak havoc on your stomach and could cause piles and worse.  Do not supplement on too much calcium as it can calcify your womb.

However, do take lots of iron, if your haemoglobin count is too low you will not be able to birth naturally.  Don’t be shy on providing a specific list for Baby Shower gifts. If you want to use only natural ingredients or are not going to use a dummy (a good choice), communicate this to your friends.  When you start labour, eat and eat some more! Choose a good slow release carbohydrate like a large baked potato with a mild filling. Pack easily chewable, moist snacks to eat during labour.  Face your fear. Every woman fears the pain of labour. Get it out your head while you are pregnant. Use mediums like drawing or writing.  Watch YouTube videos on different types of birth. Notice the difference in how the women look post birth and their experiences during birth. Also, notice how different the baby’s are in the different situations.

‘CHILD OF THE UNIVERSE’

I will grow up to be myself A precious individual with so much to achieve To reach out for and make my choices Never to give up and always to believe

We meet and we unite Together we are One The patterns made by human life Placed on this earth for fun

Look at all the stars tonight They reflect on how bright you shine I will love, live and give from my heart Know my worth and cherish my time

I am a Child of the Universe Carmen Ché’ Jardim

The Birthing Journey How do you want to experience this beautiful process?

South Africa has as shockingly high C-section rate in the private sector because, according to our doctors, we are unable to give natural birth safely. Some of the excuses are ridiculous, such as allowing your shoe size to dictate that you can't birth naturally. Or at 9 weeks of pregnancy your doctor says your baby is going to be too big for natural birth?? Or your pelvis is not suitable for natural birth. You see it is much easier to simply schedule a C-section as it fits in so nicely with everyone’s lives… but does it really?

What about yours and your baby’s birthing journey?

It is time for us women in general but especially in South Africa to stand up and show that we have a voice. We were made to birth naturally and therefore only require a midwife and a doula by our sides. Doctors are awesome and are needed, but only for high risk mums to be.

Oageng Baby Link is a sanctuary, a home away from where expectant mothers who don't want to give birth in a hospital, can enjoy the birthing process in a private, tender, calm, supportive and understanding environment.

An environment where you, the mother, can experience the wonders of natural birth and allow your body to guide you in what is best for you and your baby in the birthing process. What position and environment feels most natural to you, the type of involvement and support you would like your partner to give you. We understand that the giving birth is an intimate and beautiful process and thus it is treated as such by us.

The sanctuary is described as a home-like facility where healthy pregnant woman can give birth without medical intervention unless required.

Stand up mums and choose where and how YOU want to birth, don't simply listen to your doctor and don't allow your medical aid to decide your birthing place, they will always have restrictions and limitations.

If you wish to feel treated like a queen during pregnancy, labour and birth book your bed now or call us on 011-6407170 or 083-3108162 or visit www.oagengbabylink.co.za Find us at: 134 17th Street, Linksfield. Like us on: www.facebook.com/oagengbabylink

Babies and Beyond How can we give our children the best?

By Hanna Kok

Creating emotional balance Our emotional brain scans life for danger. As soon as we perceive something as a threat, our body goes into survival mode. This means that up to 86% of our higher human qualities switch of. We react instead of respond and we are easily distracted instead of concentrating on the task at hand. The difficulty is that we often misinterpret things as a threat. If we can give our children emotional stability in those crucial developmental years, then it will be easier for them to keep emotional balance and go less often into survival mode.

Creating emotional stability and a sense of safety already starts in the womb. Much of the character of the child is formed in utero.

Emotional development in the womb Our children know how we, as parents, reacted when we found out that we were expecting. If they were unplanned or unwanted (rejection), then that is recorded in the subconscious and in life they could misinterpret many things as rejection.

If the mother is experiencing a lot of stress, then the baby is stressing too. (Could this be a cause for a child to be colic after birth?) For baby it so important that the mother is as joyous and peaceful as possible during the pregnancy. (What she eats and drinks also plays an important role). Even after birth, a young child is very sensitive to the mother’s emotions. The more relaxed the mother is, the more the child will thrive.

What I am explaining in the following paragraphs about the birth and after the birth, describes the ideal situation. If a child or mother’s life is in danger, then off course one should use the medical (emergency) procedures. But how often have these medical procedures become the norm? Let’s ask ourselves “Does my child really need to be born by caesarean? Is there really a danger for the mother and/or child?” Listen to what your heart says when you have to make that decision for you and your child.

Natural birthing means the child initiates the birth

The birth is the first major change we deal with and it becomes the blue print for how we will handle change for the rest of our lives. With a natural birth a child initiates the birth. With a planned caesarean or an induced birth, the baby is denied this opportunity. I have seen in my practice that this can cause issues with time and timing, later in life.

Another really important suggestion I wish to make is that we keep our new born baby close to one of the parents after birth. I remember that after the birth of my son, I had him in the bed with me while I was still in hospital, and if he was not in the bed, he was in a little crib next to me. To illustrate the importance of this imagine the following scenario: Here you are as a baby in your mother’s womb, you hear her voice and feel her movements all the time. Then after birth you are alone or surrounded by strangers, in an incubator or baby ward. You as the baby are probably wondering “Where is my mother? Has she abandoned me?� In my practice I have seen many cases whereby this separation has caused abandonment and self-esteem issues.

As the baby gets a little older, they like to be with us and carried. This makes them feel safe. If you can, carry your child in a sling, a pouch in front, or when he is a little heavier, put him on the back. That is less straining on your spine. They can sleep very comfortably when they are carried.

In Conclusion In order for your child to develop emotional stability, it is good to create a bond with your child, starting already in utero. Investing in your own emotional wellbeing is just as important. If you suspect damage has been caused by less than ideal situations, then address these issues as soon as possible.

health wealth & happiness

The Healing Powers Of Hemp Written by our friends at Hemporium: www.hemporium.co.za. Originally published on www.shoporganic.co.za

By now you probably know how versatile industrial hemp is, and how many thousands of applications it has, from tree-free paper to renewable fuel to durable and long-lasting clothing.

And many of you probably also know that hemp will not get you high, as it contains less than 1% THC, the mind-altering compound found in smokeable cannabis. But did you know that while hemp can’t get you high, it can help heal and nourish the body and mind?

This is because hemp is loaded with an abundance of nutrients, a fact recognised by ancient cultures such as in China, where hemp seed formed part of the staple diet. Here’s how hemp helps maintain radiant health and well-being.

Hemp Seed Oil As the name implies, hemp seed oil is cold pressed from the seeds of the industrial hemp plant. Not to be confused with THC/cannabis oil, which is extracted from the leaves and buds of a high-THC content cannabis plant. As hemp seed oil contains only trace amounts of THC, it will not get you high or make you fail a drug test.

Among other vitamins and minerals, Hemp Seed Oil is prized for its content of Essential Fatty Acids Omega 3 & 6 (EFA’s), & Vitamin E. EFA’s Hemp oil is one of the most balanced natural sources of Omega-3 & 6, A.K.A Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s). Essential fatty acids are known as essential because they cannot be synthesised by the body, and need to be obtained through the diet. EFA’s play an important role in metabolism, cell growth, and general brain functioning. Since 60% of the human brain consists of fats, a balanced ratio of Omega 3 : Omega 6 in a person’s diet can assist brain functioning and help prevent problems such as depression and poor concentration.

Studies show that EFA’s may also help to * Boost the immune system * Reduce inflammation in heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and rheumatoid arthritis * Prevent blood clotting * Lower risk of blocked blood vessels * Prevent hardening of arteries * Lower blood pressure * Lower cholesterol levels * Improve cardiovascular health Vitamin E * Hemp seed oil contains significant amounts of anti-oxidant Vitamin E. * Vitamin E’s widely known benefits for the skin and hair include nourishing, protecting and helping to heal cuts, burns, scars and dryness (skin) and dryness or split ends (hair). * Hemp seed oil has also been shown to help treat skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

How to use Hemp Seed Oil Hemp oil is not suitable for cooking as high temperatures decrease the nutrient content, but it can be drizzled over salads, added to smoothies, or taken by the spoonful as a supplement. Hemp oil is also highly effective applied externally. It can be used pure or mixed with other natural ingredients as a treatment applied directly onto the skin or hair.

Hemp Seed Protein Powder Hemp seed protein powder is a by-product of the oil extraction process. Once the seeds have been cold pressed and the oil extracted, what is left is known as hemp seed protein powder.

Hemp seed protein * One of the most highly regarded plant proteins, making it an excellent alternative for vegetarians, vegans, or anyone cutting down on eating meat * Among the most easily digestible proteins, meaning the body can readily use it for tissue, muscle and hormone formation * It contains all 20 known amino acids, including the 9 essential amino acids which cannot be produced by our body. Amino acids help to form brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine * A good or even excellent source of vitamins and minerals such as phosphorous, magnesium, manganese, iron, zinc and potassium – and of several B1, B3 and B5 vitamins * High in Dietary Fibre How to use Hemp Seed Protein Hemp seed protein has a nutty flavour and can be sprinkled over salads, mixed into a pate with olive oil, garlic and salt or simply added to soups and smoothies.

Not only healthy for humans So it is clear that Industrial Hemp is a nutritional powerhouse with so much to offer. But not only does hemp help you keep healthy,

growing it is also environmentally friendly.

* Growing hemp does not require many pesticides or fertilisers, meaning less toxic chemicals in our soil, air and water * Hemp grows quickly, making it a sustainable resource * Due to fast and vigorous growth, Hemp absorbs high amounts of carbon dioxide, helping to reduce the effects of global warming So while you benefit with radiant health and well-being, you can also help heal the planet!

References:

University of Nebraska article on EFA’s: http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/live/g2032/build/g2032.pdf Oregon State University article on vitamin E: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/skin/vitaminE/ European Industrial Hemp Association article on seeds and oil: http://www.eiha.org/attach/8/Hemp_Seeds_and_Hemp_Oil_as_Food_EIHA_EIHA.pdf Livestrong.com article on Hemp seed protein powder: http://www.livestrong.com/article/276678-the-benefits-of-hemp-protein-powder/

Why does Raw work?

We are all energetic beings, living on a planet sustained by the sun. When we eat food that is alive and filled with sun energy, we give our bodies the optimum nutrition needed to build and restore cells.

If we want to enjoy vibrant health and abundant energy, we have to look at what energises and what de-energises us.

Eating fried or processed and refined foods, filled with chemicals and other additives, taxes our bodies because every system is called upon to deal with these substances that are difficult to digest and assimilate. This also creates a build-up of toxins, which means our liver has to work harder.

We need to feed our bodies with natural, unprocessed, raw foods (filled with enzymes, minerals, and proteins, which have not been destroyed by heating over 47°). When we cut down (or better still, eliminate) refined, processed and fried foods, our FOOD CRAVINGS begin to abate, and even disappear completely. Our energy levels increase, our elimination improves, our body weight stabilises and our general sense of well-being is heightened.

ENJOY ABUNDANT ENERGY FOR LIFE!

WHAT’ IS RAW? Most people associate a Raw Food Lifestyle with salads and fruit and believe that eating food from Nature’s Pantry AND enjoying delicious, indulgent desserts like cakes, pudding and creamy ice cream is not possible.

I have great news for you!

I was a wheat and sugar junkie, and had an amazing, life-changing experience when I went 100% Raw in 2008.

For the first time in my life, eating healthy did not mean starving or depriving myself of delicious foods. I learnt that on a healthy raw diet, I could enjoy guilt-free treats like ice cream and chocolates! All made from natural whole foods and without wheat, dairy, or refined, processed sugars.

Do you think of Raw food as just salads and fruit?

Not so! At our workshops, we show you how to use fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds to prepare delicious gourmet dishes like soups, breads, spaghetti, crackers, pâtés, nut and seed milks, cheese, sorbets, cakes and creamy ice cream.

Say good-bye to constipation and lack of energy; allergies caused by food intolerance AND dramatically reduce the risk of degenerative diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease.

At Raw Works we show how eating living foods and raw whole foods straight from Nature’s Pantry, will energise you: When you eat foods that are high in phyto-nutrients and minerals, your hunger will be satiated and your energy will increase. You nourish your body at a cellular level and you come away from a meal feeling so satisfied that you never have to go searching again for that “something else” or continue nibbling to fill the empty space.

Going 100% Raw is not for everyone but it is possible to include 50-60% raw foods in your diet– especially if you see the delicious recipes available. The good news is that when we add more organically grown, raw, living foods to our diet, the balance will be restored. A helpful tip is to always begin your meal with raw food, which brings with it its own enzymes for digestion.

We are all unique individuals with different body types, different temperaments, different needs, and different histories. What we all have in common is the desire to be healthy and happy. Raw works shares with you so that you can begin, or continue, your own Journey to a place where you will be able to interpret your body’s signals; where you will develop a relationship with your body so that you no longer have to depend on others to tell you what to eat in order to feel good.

Our aim is to provide information in the form of Workshops, Products and Equipment to make it easy for anybody to transition to a healthier lifestyle and reap the benefits of adding more raw foods to their life. There is no diet that suits everyone, but most all people can benefit from incorporating 50 – 70% more raw foods into their daily diet.

Incorporating at least 50% raw vegan foods in your daily intake provides an excellent launching pad to better health and more energy.

Raw food has caught on in the USA– from famous stars with personal chefs, to a multitude of restaurants especially in New York and L.A. The Raw Food movement has swept the USA over the past 20 years and is now taking off in South Africa. It is wonderful that South Africans across the board are now open to learning about the dramatic health benefits gained by eating a high raw diet.

Did you know?

The word, enzyme comes from the Greek word, which means, “to cause change”. Enzymes are responsible for every metabolic action in the body.

They are the catalysts that enable cells to work and chemical reactions to happen without themselves being consumed in the process. From Living Cuisine by Renee Underkoffler

Serna Kramer has been involved in Education for 30 years: She has experience as an educator in PreSchool, Primary, Secondary High School and Teacher Training. She studied part time to be a Montessori Directress with St Nicholas in UK and ran a Montessori farm school for a short time. In 2008, she had a lifechanging experience when she began following a 100% Raw Vegan diet. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge and experiences with others, so that they too may benefit. In 2010, she ‘married’ her experience as an educationist with her experience as a raw food enthusiast and Raw Works was born. She and her team are dedicated to facilitating people on their journey to a healthier lifestyle.

What is Personal Risk Management?

Most of us use financial experts in our personal and family lives to help us to plan for our future.

By Kay Darbourn I would not want to suggest that financial experts do not add value; I would like to submit that they do not consider our lives holistically – they tend to focus on their specific skills or discipline and mostly deal with one or two aspects of our future risks and opportunities.

Having been a corporate go-getter my whole life, I decided that early retirement at 55 was something worth pursuing. Having more time to think is a great joy and I found myself wondering if I could apply some of the enterprise risk management (ERM) processes I learned during my 40 years in the corporate world, to our personal and family lives. I have spent some time thinking about Personal Risk Management, or PRM. As I was planning my forward path, I realised there were many things to consider in terms of the impact on our family’s future and I have collated these issues into eight risk categories:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Physical environment Community Career Fun, Recreation and Social Personal Growth

6.

7.

8.

Friends, Family and relationships Finance, Wealth and Cash flow Health and Wellness

What happens, for instance, if your daughter suddenly says, “We’re getting married”? How does that actually impact on the family’s future risks?

We need to consider the risks and opportunities whilst planning a wedding – from managing relationships, managing the cost, to all the other challenges that may arise! We should also look at the impact this may have on other things that you had planned to do and may have to forgo.

PRM seeks to look at what you want to achieve in the longer term for you and your family and considers the risks and opportunities around these goals. I have developed a PRM process which draws upon my broad experience in the Financial Services industry, my experience in Enterprise Risk Management in the corporate arena, my coaching and mentoring expertise and 40 years of managing people and relationships.

The first part of the PRM process would involve looking at some individual or family goals and once we have confirmed these, we will then review the risks and opportunities around these goals. We then need to consider how we will address these, should they occur, and how they might impact your future plans.

As an example, imagine you want to take the whole family overseas in two years time to visit relatives that you have not seen for many years. The family is excited about this holiday and has been talking about it for six months, you have been saving for this and the whole family has come together to help with the savings. What risks are you and your family exposed to around this goal?

For instance, if your son suggests tomorrow that he might like a “year off” or gap year, after completing his schooling so he can travel the world? Instead of throwing your hands up in horror and despair, consider the impact this decision will have on your family goals and assess whether this is in fact possible. Give thought to the practical impact of perhaps having to support him financially during this year. What happens should he have a medical emergency? The PRM process will guide you through such a decision and the impact it will have on the family. He most certainly has to be a part of the solution.

Like everything else in the world, the PRM concept is dynamic, it can and does change often depending on decisions the family makes and the external events that might impact your goals.

It is vital to consider the impact any family decision has on all eight risk categories. The ability to integrate across the eight risk categories is key to a successful Personal Risk Profile. It is critical that you ensure that all specialists or advisers you use are competent in their particular area of expertise.

PERSONAL RISK MANAGEMENT

Hopefully we have set the ball rolling and made you think about your personal future from a broader perspective. Over the next few issues we will unpack Personal Risk Management in bite sized chunks so you may review and consider your risks and opportunities as you plan for the future!

Kay Darbourn has spent the last 40 or so years in the Risk and Insurance world and retired last year from a General Management role for a major corporate. Focused on her own company, she coaches and consults within some of the significant Financial Services entities in South Africa, providing independent support to businesses and individuals. Please refer to Kay’s web site for more details of her skills and background – www.futurerisk.co.za.

WELCOME TO… PROCRASTINATORS ANONYMOUS! Deadlines looming, but you can’t quite get yourself moving? Massive projects requiring urgent attention, yet you find yourself being distracted by a million and one unimportant tasks? Bills needing to be paid, and the mere mention of income tax sends you into an ostrich-like coma?

By Susan Schöning

I have often thought there should be a support group for people like me. People who are chronic procrastinators, who somehow find a way of delaying every single deadline, yet always seem to be frantically rushing to finish some task or project.

I tell myself that I actually perform better under stress and pressure, and so it’s in everybody’s interests really, if I just lie on the couch a little longer and finish reading this chapter. And the next. Oh, and while I am at it, why don’t I finish the book, and take a sneak preview into the opening chapters of the next book in the series. And then, I’ll get down to some serious work. Or, should I clean out the cupboard under the sink first? Or perhaps catch up on my email?

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I do usually get everything done. But often it’s at the cost of a good night’s sleep, and I end up in a flat-out panic as the deadline looms closer, trying to get everything out on time.

Sound familiar?

If you are nodding your head as you read this in recognition of a kindred spirit, then you, my friend, could be a PROCRASTINATOR. Apparently some 20% of the population suffer from this affliction (definitely large enough in my book to warrant a support group and a personalised t-shirt) – which translates to ONE in FIVE people walking around unsupervised, not paying their bills on time, avoiding those little envelopes that come from the Receiver of Revenue, and generally putting off until tomorrow what they really should be doing today!

I could tell you what you already know: Procrastination is bad for your health, your relationships and your career. It keeps you awake at night, panicking over what you have yet to do; it breeds resentment in loved ones, because it means that they have to pick up the pieces that we tend to drop along the way. Sooner or later, we procrastinators are going to over-extend ourselves, and drop a business deadline or project that could have far-reaching consequences on our career and life. But you know all that.

What you DO need to know, however, is that procrastination often comes from a desire to do too much for too many people. People like us have a tendency to say yes to too many things, to cram too much onto our plates, to over-estimate our capacity (and the time required) to complete any project. Procrastinators are not lazy. It’s not that we avoid work, quite the opposite. It’s that sometimes, we completely overwhelm ourselves with how much we have agreed to take on — all at the same time.

What you DO need to know, is that procrastinators are made and not born. Procrastination is a learned response and what has been learned can also be unlearned.

ACTION PLAN So, from procrastinator to another, here is the action plan that I use to manage my to-do list: 

Make a list of everything you have to do, and divide your task list into Project Related tasks.

Highlight them in order of priority of time required AND of importance.



Then, walk through the steps needed to finish this project. Do you see any potential obstacles that could get in the way? What are they? What can you do to overcome those obstacles? Be very clear about not just what is required in terms of meeting the end goal, but also in terms of the process to make it happen.



Once you have broken the project down into very specific tasks that need to be accomplished, set a time limit of how long you expect it take you … and then double it! Giving your self more time to accomplish a task actually helps to reduce the stress factor to a level where you can begin to think clearly. I find that it really helps me when I set an alarm to ring at the end of each time slot. The goal is firmly set in my mind that I am going to focus on this project, and nothing else, until the alarm sounds.



Set realistic boundaries for each level of work. For example, you might say to yourself, “I will work on this project for the next 45 minutes, before I check my email or cell phone. I will then give myself 10 minutes to “play” with my email, before coming back to this project.” (Email, cell phones, Facebook, social media are all tailor- made for distraction, and are the procrastinators dream, so be realistic about how much time you waste there each day).



Promise yourself a reward, even if it is a walk in the garden, a cup of coffee, or a chapter of your book; reward yourself every time you stick to the plan.



Eliminate tasks you never plan to do. If you are really honest, your to-do list is probably cluttered with things you are never really going to get around to. If you know that the garage needs cleaning out, but you have no intention of actually doing it anytime soon, then take it off the list. It simply demotivates, rather than encourages us to do more.



.

On those days that you have nothing on your to-do list … enjoy the day off without feeling guilty or irresponsible!

Want to be a Better Marketer?

Be committed!

I'm on a constant quest to be a better marketer. But we all make mistakes. The smart ones among us have mastered the art of learning from their own missteps as well as those made by others.

By Lauren McCadney Not a day goes by that I don't scratch my head when I see a colossal marketing faux pas, however, finger pointing will get me nowhere.

Instead, I've taken it all to heart and made‌

‌5 Commitments to Being a Better Marketer: Commitment #1: I will believe the customer. Not just when they are telling me something wonderful about my brand that I so long to hear. But even when they tell me things that go against what I've known to be true in the past. When faced with this contradiction, I will challenge my own belief system as vehemently as I challenge the new information.

Commitment #2: I'll always remember that great ideas can come from anywhere. I don't always have to hear it from the "Experts". I will accept that maybe, just maybe, the first person that brings me new insight might be on to something; not out of their mind. I'll never feel that I have to hire consultants to tell me what my employees told them.

Commitment #3: I will trust my gut and stand my ground. I've done my 10,000 hours and then some when it comes to customer insight based marketing. I believe in analysis but more than analysis I can feel when we are doing it right and when we are going really far astray. The problem is every so often we find ourselves in a situation where we are facing off against "Status Quo", "Conventional Wisdom" or their evil friend "Path of Least Resistance". In these times I will resist the urge to give in because, in fact, safe isn't better than sorry. I'll be encouraged by remembering that making a mistake you don't know is a mistake can be taken in stride. A mistake when you knew better really sucks.

Commitment #4: I will think for myself. This goes hand in hand with not following the crowd.

In an era of always on media and everyone is an expert, I will tune out the echo chamber by remembering that much of the sound is created by individuals that are not in the trenches day in and day out working to make things happen. I will not be impressed or persuaded by the highlight reels of someone else's "brilliant" one off tactic especially when the full context of the program's strategy is conveniently left out. I will remember that perspectives about the latest buzzwords in the industry are but one data point in my reality. These opinions are meant to be considered, contemplated, debated but never adhered to blindly.

Commitment #5: I'll never stop learning. Work may pile up, emails can go unanswered and yes, meetings can be missed. There is no substitute for learning in the broadest sense of the word. Seeing what is new. How others are tackling problems. Figuring out how the “what's next” is impacting the here and now. Each is invaluable. And in our time-starved economy taking the time to invest in my personal growth will always be at the top of my priority list on my quest to being a better marketer.

Lauren McCadney is an accomplished marketing professional with corporate and academic experience. Currently she is the architect of CDW’s social media strategy. For more information of Lauren McCadney see www.laurenmccadneyphotography.com

Lauren is also a very versatile photographer (photos taken from her website with thanks)

animal world

Healthy Living for the Entire Family Two & Four legged Paul Jacobson – Pet Food Nutritionist and Qualified Chef

The enlightened consumer is moral, ethical and humane.

They support “green” and “natural” and they endeavor to work in co-operation with the world and earth. That same person applies logic when making purchases and challenges institutions that shamelessly and carelessly rely on marketing jargon to promote their wares, rather than presenting truth and facts.

Yet, when it comes to the treatment of our companion animals, we, as enlightened people, do not necessarily apply the same and equal principles of enlightenment.

It appears that changing one’s life style, particularly diet, is extremely difficult to do. It appears that changing your pets life style, particularly diet, is even more difficult! I suppose this is because we are making important decisions for our beloved companions that they can't make for themselves and because of the choices that we perceive are available to us.

The enlightened consumer is moral, ethical and humane

However, there are certain principles of health that are true and will have an impact on health if ignored. For example, preserved foods are poor, refined carbs are poor, sugar and digestives are poor and chemicals and poisons are poor and should be avoided.

Yet when it comes to feeding our loving animals, we are seemingly happy to provide them with food that is highly processed and highly preserved, a diet that is a high carb acidic diet and is not in its natural state. Would we eat this way?

As enlightened people, we understand or are beginning to understand the dangers of household products that contain chemicals and poisons and thus, we gravitate towards products that are natural. However, when it comes to bathing our pets and protecting them from fleas and ticks, we don’t seem to realize that we unconditionally apply the hardest and most dangerous shampoos and repellents, often sickening and at times killing our companions.

The time has come for us all to apply our minds and think carefully and honestly, to use common sense, intuition and logic when making purchases for the family, two legged or four. As responsible consumers and caretakers, we should scrutinize labels and understand the list of ingredients that we are feeding.

Our modern era has become materialistic, insensitive and careless. We have steered away from good business and moral ethics and we have distanced ourselves from natural living. In this hectic lifestyle, convenience has become a priority with processed, preserved and chemical based products enjoying major support. Almost every person acknowledges the positive impact that a natural, wholesome and organic diet can have on health and longevity and this is true for our cats and dogs too.

In fact, the latest Veterinary Study coming out of The States in June last year, now demonstrates that feeding dogs fresh, healthy, whole food diets instead of highly processed kibble and cans results in vast improvements in measures of health.

The results of this landmark study conducted by animal science researchers in California show that feeding a group of dogs a freshly prepared, whole food, lightly cooked, nutritionally balanced diet made from real food is scientifically shown to increase white blood cells and blood proteins that benefit health.

The results support what human nutritionists have been advising for decades – stay clear of heavily processed foods, and eat wholesome, balanced meals that are prepared fresh from the highest quality ingredients available, are lightly cooked, and have no preservatives. This same advice appears to be true for our canine best friends and certainly for our feline friends too.

In short – these results suggest that it may be healthier to feed our dogs and cats a balanced real food diet made with certified ingredients, instead of a processed commercial dog or cat food and “we may see a decrease in chronic diseases such as cancer, renal failure, kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, dental disease, etc. in our pets."

In protecting our animal rights it is the responsibility of us as consumers to understand packaging labels, to research the safety of these ingredients and take a moral stance on correct feeding and care.

UNDERSTANDING OUR BEST FRIENDS

By Steven Geldenhuys steven@animalchiropractic.co.za When treating animals, it is important to assess the cause of their problem, otherwise we just give temporary relief to their disharmony, and before we know it the problems will once again surface. It is also vital to assess the primary problems rather than knocking out fires trying to heal all the secondary’s that arose from the primary.

Experience has shown that it seldom occurs that the cause of a dog’s ailment is physical trauma. Rather the most common trend is that they often pick up on the disharmonies of those they are closest to, and make these disharmonies their own. The reason for this is that the animal’s unconditional love kicks in whereby the owner welfare is more important to the animal than its own welfare. They care more about us than themselves. This unconditional love is unfortunately the rarest of qualities in us humans, and it places the animals on a league unto their own compared to us. May the tide turn and may we all become like our furry friends.

If we take a powerful microscope and observe anything from a desk to a stone to a piece of hair, we will understand that everything is energy vibrating. Everything is energy, and when there is love between a person and an animal, then there is an energetic bond between them that few of us can comprehend. We don’t understand that this energetic bond opens us up to the animals, and they know everything about us. To give you an example of the depth of insight that the animals have, here are two examples of what my dog Jessie said of me when an animal communicator listened to her: 



She says that her dad needs to watch his diet. She says it is a good idea to clean/clear the system with a period of three days of brown rice. She suggests that the intestines are clogged and that this cleanse is required to remove toxins and debris from the intestinal walls and colon. She shows him drinking a white milky substance and says he must refrain from this for three to five days as well. She feels he will feel much better (physically and energetically) if he does this.

She speaks of her dad having heaviness in the heart. She says this needs to be cleared away and that there is no reason, no excuse for this and he needs to know this, needs to know that he can freely clear it and is not required or needed to hold onto it. She says the greatest honouring he could give her would be to clear this. She feels that it is important for him to recognize the purpose he has in this life and to honour and follow that purpose. She says he must write and teach others and this is his destiny.

She feels he is not seeing this, he is blinded by the illusions of life. She wishes to tell him that he is worthy, that he is important, that he can and will make an impact (as he is meant to) if only he allows his heart to be clear and allows his purpose to be materialized. She says he is not meant to fade into the background of life and just exist. She says he is wasting time but she realizes that it is still ultimately his choice. She says this is just a nudge from her...an eye opener (if you will).

We talk about guardian angels, yet how few of us know that they are right in front of our eyes disguised as our pets. The animals are here to assist us, and it is my sincere wish that we may become aware of the mirror image of ourselves that is reflected in our animals. If our animals become unwell, then take a heads up and have a good look at your life or those around you that are connected to your pet through an energetic bond. There is a strong possibility that your pet is not well because it sees disharmony in you that is yet to materialize in your physical form, and it makes this disharmony its own.

When we are constantly stressed out, then our pets give of their energy to assist our energy levels. Should this passing on of energy become a long term predicament, then the animals energy levels become depleted, and they become prone to ill health.

Whatever affects us has a direct impact on our furry friends.

May the medicine of the future acknowledge and respect this energetic bond that we have with our best friends. We need to treat the owner as well as the animal should long term changes be met.

"The animals taught me that there is a force all around and within us from which we are detached. This seamless field of Infinite Love is what we all truly are.

By being humble and being aware of this field, as well as wanting to be more than our extremely limited selves, Steven surrenders his ego and beliefs and uses his body to feel where the disharmony is on the animal.

Similarly, the animals project the disharmony of their loved ones onto Steven so that healing or lessons can be learnt.

The Infinite Love that is all around and within us is the one that heals. Disharmony is transformed to harmony.

Unbeknown to many of us, it is our natural state to be healthy and limitless. Much has been hidden from us.

May we follow the lead of the animals and express unconditional love so that we may rightfully once again all be Children of the Universe".

Having qualified as a Human Chiropractor, and then travelling five times to the USA to complete a post-graduate course in Animal Chiropractic, Steven reached a point in his career where he realized that he knew nothing of nothing. By becoming humble, he opened himself up to learn from the animals as there has to always be an easier and more effective way of doing things. It is with the utmost gratitude that the understanding of Energy Healing was passed on by the animals, most notably through the horse.

from with

Ginny

Love

I know that you must miss me By the tears rolling down your face, But believe me when I tell you That I'm in a very good place.

There are meadows here to run in And plenty of rabbits to chase, There are other dogs to play with To frolic with and race.

So please don't worry about me My spirit feels light as can be, There's no more pain to plague me I'm young again and free.

And I'll be watching over you still of that you can be sure, I'm your Canine Guardian Angel And my love for you is pure.

Creativity is one one of the most powerful ways to stay connected to the light within our being.

Our deepest Intuition works through our creative imagination in our subconscious mind. When we stay in sacred union with our creative Self, we are empowered by the Spirit of Life. Nothing can dominate a soul who is linked directly with their Spirit.

The way to rise above the lower frequencies that are seeking control at this time is to make our life a creative act in service of the Awakening of Human Consciousness. ~Shannon Port l Image by Native Love

earth warriors

THE GREEN THING! A lesson from a young smartass to a selfish old person who doesn’t know about THE GREEN THING! Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days."

The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."

She was right ‌ our generation didn't have the green thing in its day!

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store.

The store sent them back to the plant to be washed, sterilized, and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were truly recycled.

But ... we didn't have the green thing back in our day!

Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags that we reused for numerous things, most memorable, besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our schoolbooks. This was to ensure that public property, (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribblings. Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown paper bags.

But ... too bad we didn't do the green thing back then!

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.

But ... she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day!

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts - wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in the early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But ... that young lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day!

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room... and the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the Kruger National Park. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn - we used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But ... she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then!

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But ... we didn't have the green thing back then!

Back then, people took the bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances.

And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint.

But ... isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

PLASTIC DO I NEED TO WASH AND SQUASH THE PLASTIC AND METAL CONTAINERS? Washing the containers will help reduce odour, flies and rodents. Squashing the containers will free up more space in the recycling bin.

CAN CAPS AND LIDS BE RECYCLES? Generally, removing bottle caps and lids is a good recycling habit, because their recyclability depends on the equipment your local recycler uses and what the lid is made of. Often it's as much a safety issue as a recycling issue; the pressure that builds up in a sealed plastic bottle can blow a whole bale of plastic and potentially injure workers.

PAPER DO I NEED TO REMOVE THE WINDOWS FROM ENVELOPES? No. Most window envelopes are made out of water-soluble paper fibre instead of the plastic that was once used. Recycle these as mixed paper.

CAN I INCLUDE POST-IT NOTES FOR RECYCLING? Yes, Post-it Notes can be recycled as mixed paper.

GLASS WHAT YOU CAN'T TAKE TO THE BOTTLE RECYCLING BANKS Windscreens Laboratory glass Window glass Crystal and opaque drinking glasses Mirrors Heat-resistant ovenware Light bulbs Ceramic cups, plates and pottery Clay garden pots

Find your nearest recycling/drop off centre:

www.mywaste.co.za/locations

RECYCLING SIMPLY SWINGING IDEAS

reading

Follow Me - I’m Lost The tale of an unexpected leader

A parable by Wayne Visser Chapter 2

Follow Me! (I’m Lost) 12 Unconventional Lessons in Leadership from Gulliver’s Travel’s A Parable by Wayne Visser

Unconventional Leadership Lesson 2: To find your path, you must lose your way

To lead others, you must follow yourself Gulliver woke with a beak full of sand. He was about to spit with disgust and sigh with despair, but then he remembered his crazy encounter with Cuthbert and so, instead, he found himself smiling (to the extent that geese can smile). The fog of a dream was just fading from memory. In the dream, he had been flying over a great lake, as big as the ocean, and looking down, he saw not just his own reflection, but hundreds of other geese, all flying in a grand-V behind him.

He shook his head, looked around and saw nothing but a lake of burnt umber-coloured sand. Cuthbert was nowhere to be seen, and despite the early hour and the shade under the palm trees, Gulliver was already feeling the heat. Then he remembered that he was lost. Panic rose up from the pit of his stomach and caught in his throat, but just as quickly the crazy, clever camel’s words echoed in his head and the panic subsided. ‘It is okay to be lost, so long as’ ... what had Cuthbert said? ‘So long as you are moving in the right direction’ – that was it.

‘Well, Gulliver,’ the lost goose asked himself aloud, ‘are you moving in the right direction?’

The question suddenly seemed simple. He knew he had been flying southwest when he got lost. So, logically, the right direction – the way back to London and leadership school and home – must be northeast. He checked the position of the sun, turned to face northeast, and stretched his wings, preparing for takeoff. That was easy, he thought.

‘Maybe too easy?’ The rebellious thought had strayed across his mental horizon just as he was leaning forward to start his pre-flight run-up.

Gulliver frowned. Too easy? Why had he unexpectedly thought that? The logic was infallible: when he got lost, he was flying southeast from Scoraig to London, so surely to correct his mistake...

‘What if it wasn’t a mistake?’

Gulliver shook his head, irritated. He wasn’t used to hearing voices in his head, let alone ones that contradicted himself. Except this voice had a strangely camelish tone, so he decided not to dismiss it quite so quickly.

After all, what had Cuthbert said about knowing the right direction? He had talked about a camel’s true nature and innate desires and spirit. Gulliver ignored what felt like a sandstorm in his brain and tried to apply the unexpected leadership lesson he’d learned the previous night: I am a barnacle goose. So what is my true gander nature? What are my most goosely desires? Where is the spirit of the Flock leading me?

These were profound and perplexing questions, and Gulliver’s nut-sized brain started to hurt. He waited for a great revelation – a flash of light or an unmistakable sign from the Great Gander in the Sky – but he saw nothing.

He heard no answers to the Big questions. Maybe it was because he was distracted by feeling so hot and dusty and thirsty. Forget the philosophising, he thought. What I want is somewhere cooler. I want to feel the ocean breeze. I want to taste the salty air and to skim on the water and to plunge my feet into its cool depths.

Just then, Gulliver felt a slight movement of the baking air and smelled – no, it was more subtle than that – he sensed that it was a sea breeze. If he just took off into the breeze, roughly southeast, he was certain he would find the sea. Something inside him told him he was right, that this was the right direction to fly. And before he could second-guess himself, he had taken off and was heading further away from everything he knew and loved and missed. He was flying away from home.

Strangely, Gulliver wasn’t sad or worried. On the contrary, it felt good to be flying again. More than that, he felt a twinge of excitement knowing that he was heading straight into the unknown.

Below, as Gulliver flew, the landscape began changing, with the yellow shifting sand dunes giving way to dry rocky brown desert. After an hour, he flew over a great river, flanked with strip-lungs of green. Flying low and slow, he noticed ancient buildings carved into the cliffs on the riverbank,

with images of giant human kings etched into their facades. It was tempting to rest in the shade of these great temples and to try and decipher the scratchings on their pillars and walls, but the desire for the cool ocean was more compelling, so he flew on. After another hour, Gulliver reached a range of majestic mountains and his heart lifted with hope. As the colours changed from brown to green, he was able to ride the thermals, rising up in circles until he could clear the peaks. To his immense relief and honking joy, he could see the ocean stretched out, in the distance, refreshingly blue and immense.

When Gulliver finally made it to the sea, he made a point of executing an exaggerated ski-landing, revelling in the cool salty spray and shaking his feathers with jubilation that he had never before felt in his life. After several minutes of unadulterated splashing and shaking and ducking and diving and honking and hooting, Gulliver calmed down enough to realise that he was famished and exhausted. Having grown up on a peninsula, it didn’t take him long to locate a good feeding spot, blooming with seaweed and algae. He ate his fill and, feeling refreshed, decided to explore a little.

Looking at the coastline, as he bobbed up and down, Gulliver could see that it was drier and sandier than his home in Scotland. He wondered where he was. What was southeast of Egypt? His geography lessons at school had only taught him northern lands, along the Flock’s annual migration path. He wondered whether his fish friends would be different in this part of the world as well. So he stuck his head under the water and looked around. He got his answer soon enough, as two blue-grey shadows glided towards him – one large and one small.

In a great fluster of feathers and squawking, Gulliver leapt into the air and flew out of the jaws of certain death. Or at least, that’s what he thought at first. He was old enough to know about sharks and he wasn’t taking any chances! Of course, he knew about dolphins too, but as his mother always repeated, ad nauseam: ‘safety first: bravery is no good if you’re someone else’s breakfast’.

Having regained his breath and lowered his pulse, Gulliver circled back around to check on the danger he had narrowly escaped. On closer inspection, the drifting shadows didn’t fit the profile of either sharks or dolphins. His curiosity was piqued. He wanted to find out more, but should he take the chance?

In the end, intrigue triumphed over fear, and the two shadows rose to the surface nearby.

Gulliver couldn’t help but stare. He was looking at a face that was nothing like he’d ever seen before. Staring back at him were small black eyes, set on a smooth grey head, with a bump for a nose and a snout that looked distinctly funnel-ish.

‘Hello’, said the kindly face, ‘I’m Daphne, and this is my son, Dodger’.

Gulliver remembered his manners. ‘Hello, I’m Gulliver and I’m ...’ He was going to say lost, but the word stuck in his throat. Instead he said, ‘I’m searching.’

He expected the placid creature to say, ‘Searching for what?’ (Which would be problematic, because he didn’t really know). But instead she said, ‘What a wonderful coincidence! So are we!’

‘What are you searching for?’ said Gulliver, relieved to turn the question around.

‘We’re searching for a new home for our school.’ He saw Dodger nodding, a little sadly.

‘I left my home too,’ said Gulliver, ‘to go to Leadership School. What kind of school is yours?’

‘Well,’ said Daphne gently, ‘we’re the Dugongs of Djibouti. Some call us the women of the sea, because sailors used to think we were mermaids. Be that as it may, we live in schools, like fish. Our school is like your flock, although those with less respect call us sea cows and say we live in herds.’

Gulliver blushed, feeling stupid. Of course he knew fish swam in schools. It’s just that his new friends didn’t really look like fish, or dolphins, or whales for that matter. To mask his embarrassment, he quickly asked, ‘What’s wrong with your old home?’

‘It’s being destroyed,’ piped up Dodger, adding indignantly, ‘by human beans!’

‘Human beings’, corrected his mother patiently. ‘But it is true. Our habitat is being destroyed by Man’s greed for fish, his polluting factories and poisonous farms, not to mention his hunting as a sport. Humans hunt us for our meat and our oil. Not only that, but now the ocean is warming up and becoming more acidic and our sea-grass is dying or growing in different places. Still, we mustn’t complain ...’ her voice trailed off with the blue ripples of the ocean water.

‘There are only 50 of us left,’ said Dodger plaintively. ‘Off the coast of Africa, that is’, he added, somehow guessing that Gulliver wasn’t quite sure where he was.

Gulliver didn’t know what to say. It was such a sad story. Suddenly, his problems – like getting lost and missing his home and his friends and his family – didn’t seem so nearly so bad. There was an awkward silence. He searched his tiny brain for something appropriate to say. In the end, all that came out of his beak was, ‘So where is the rest of your school?’

‘They’re waiting for us,’ squeaked Dodger, suddenly more cheerful. ‘We’re the leaders!’

‘That is true,’ nodded Daphne. ‘We’re the advance scouts.’

Gulliver opened his eyes wide. Then a cloud of confusion crossed his face.

‘So, you’re leaders, but your followers are not with you?’ His question petered out in the wind.

‘Absolutely!’ replied Daphne. ‘What is the most important lesson we have learned about leadership?’

Gulliver panicked, but to his relief, he saw that Daphne was looking at Dodger. The juvenile dugong thought for a few seconds and then replied confidently: ‘To lead others, you must follow yourself!’

Daphne nodded and smiled a beautiful funnel-shaped smile. ‘And what about you then?’ She had turned back to Gulliver. ‘Are you also an advance scout?’

Gulliver hesitated. He didn’t want to lie, but he also didn’t want to appear clueless. ‘I guess in a way I am, although I’m very new to this scouting business.’

‘Don’t worry, there’s nothing to it,’ said Daphne reassuringly. ‘All you have to do is follow your bliss. Remember, the school – or the flock in your case – won’t always know what it wants, or where to go next. Mostly, they are just happy to stay where they are, even if it kills them. Your job is to look for new paths, new possibilities, and new futures. And’ she added, looking straight into his eyes, ‘sometimes you can only do that alone.’

It made a lot of sense, the way Daphne put it. Maybe his navigational faux pas could turn into something good; not only an adventure for himself, but a new home for his beloved, belligerent flock.

‘So where to next?’ Dodger was looking at him expectantly.

‘Well ...’ said Gulliver slowly, deep in thought. He was still reflecting on Daphne’s profound words, and trying to imagine what following himself really meant, now that he was faced with yet another decision. ‘The only thing my flock know about,’ he continued, ‘is their rock on the peninsula, and flying north for their annual migration. So ...’ Gulliver was thinking aloud. ‘If I’m going to find new flight paths, or even a new home for the Great Flock, I suppose I must fly in the opposite direction. I’m flying south!’ concluded Gulliver with a sudden flourish of clarity and confidence.

‘Well then, we wish you the best of luck, Gulliver the Gallant Goose,’ said Daphne and Dodger waved a little flipper.

Gulliver couldn’t help but fluff his feathers a little bit. Did she really say gallant goose?

Could it be true? He saw they were about to dive back under the waves, so he hastily said his goodbyes. ‘I hope you find a lovely new home. And thank you for the lesson in leadership’. He watched as their tails disappeared, feeling at the same time melancholic and euphoric. With fresh resolve, he gave himself a little pep talk: Gallant Gulliver, time waits for no bird, so onwards and southwards!

NEXT ISSUE: Unconventional Leadership Lesson 3:

To have a vision, you must close your eyes

Re-use washing machine drums

WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE 14th EDITION – MID MAY 2015  HIGHLIGHTING A POWER CELEBRITY  CINDY ALTER – new band, new book  Finding the Feminine Goddess Within You  Make Love Last Forever  Follow Me – I am Lost – a parable by Wayne Visser (Part 3)  Naturally Beautiful – staying young the natural way  Where to get you Organic Foods – Food Markets  Parenting Your Parents – Susan Schoning  Adults with ADD/ADHD – how to cope!  Living in the Red Zone (burn out) – Nikki Bush  Breast Cancer – Megan Graham (a Survivor)  Children who chew their nails – Jenny Hirsh  Emotionally Intelligent Parenting  Holistic Pets  Entertainment the South African way (New Section)  Product Reviews and Giveaways  … and lots more