news briefs

Earth Mother Gaia Statues at Mama Bessie’s Place

Mama Bessie’s Place, in Charlotte, has restocked its Earth Mother, Gaia, statues. The piece, designed by sculptor Oberon Zell which includes representations of the evolution of life in the seas and on the land plus the sacred trees of the Celtic tree calendar on her body, can be a highly suitable way to celebrate Earth Day, April 22.

The brochure written by Zell that comes with the statue states in part, “Of Earth I sing, eldest of all and Mother of the Gods… So begins the Homeric Hymn to Gaia, the Earth Mother, Gaia (O Gaea) is the name given by the ancient Greeks to the primordial planetary goddess worshipped by humanity since the dawn of the Stone Age. An even more ancient form of Her name, Ge, is the Root of the names of the Earth sciences, Geology and Geography.”

It also reads, “No matter what language you speak, no matter where on Earth you come from, you can hold Gaia in your hands and hear Her Message. If you live with Her in your home, workplace, school or place of worship, She will Speak to you, too.”

Zell’s hope is that the piece will inspire us to consider what role we’d like to play in securing Gaia’s future.

Location: 3010 Monroe Rd., Ste. 104. For more information, call 704-632-9911 or email MamaBessiesPlace@yahoo.com.

Learn All Things Bees at Gastonia Farmers Market Event

Learn the key roles that honeybees and all other pollinators play in maintaining nature and our environment, enjoy a taste of what their function yields and much more at Beetopia from 8 a.m. to noon on May 21 at the Gastonia Farmers Market. Representatives of area garden, environmental and bee clubs will inform in special classes on bees and the efforts being made by the city to be good stewards of the land, and attendees can also enjoy world-class Gaston County honey.

There’ll also be a wide variety of crafts and other family-friendly activities.

The city of Gastonia is officially the 74th Bee City USA affiliate in the nation. Gastonia City Council adopted the Bee City USA Resolution on September 4, 2018. Beetopia was created by Keep Gastonia Beautiful as a family-friendly event to educate, entertain and inform citizens on the importance of pollinators and plants.

Location: 410 E. Long Ave., Gastonia, NC. For more information, call 704-869-1008, or follow Keep Gastonia Beautiful on Facebook.

Charlotte Sustainability Awards Return for Tenth Edition

Sustain Charlotte’s tenth annual Charlotte Sustainability Awards presented by Duke Energy, will take place beginning at 6 p.m. on April 22, Earth Day, at the Extravaganza Depot, in Charlotte.

For the past decade, Sustain Charlotte has lifted up and honored our region’s smart growth and sustainability leaders through this annual dinner, fundraiser and networking event. Approximately 300 attendees from nonprofits, businesses and local government will come together for a night of celebration, networking and inspiration.

All proceeds from these awards help Sustain Charlotte further their mission to inspire choices that lead to healthy, equitable and vibrant communities across the Charlotte metro region for generations to come.

Tickets: $105 each or $750 for a table of eight. Location: 1610 N. Tryon St. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.SustainCharlotte.org/awards or www.Tinyurl.com/CLTSustainability2022Tickets.

Blue Unicorn Mountain Retreat Opens in Hillsville, Virginia

The Blue Unicorn Mountain Retreat, a unique meditation and yoga studio offering regular yoga and meditation classes as well as weekend Pranic Healing courses, will open on April 14 at 152 North Main Street, in Hillsville, Virginia. They will offer Pranic Healing Level 1, Advanced Pranic Healing and Pranic Psychotherapy plus a wide variety of workshops and events such as herbology, meditation retreats, chanting, drumming, sound healing, crystal healing and private energy healing sessions.

Visiting the new studio with its eclectic offerings in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia will reduce stress, lead to finding our inner guru and strengthen health and spiritual practices.

Level 1 and Advanced Pranic Healing are available for CE hours for massage therapy and social work.

Connie Williams, M.Ed., Certified Pranic Healer and Senior Instructor, Sivananda Certified Yoga and Meditation Instructor and Certified Spiritual Life Coach; and Dr. Kenneth Williams, Certified Pranic Psychotherapist, Certified Senior Pranic Healing Instructor and Chiropractic Physician; both studied directly with the founder of Pranic Healing, Master Choa Kok Sui and both have 20-plus years of experience teaching and practicing Pranic Healing.

For more information, call 850-380-0561, email BlueUnicornRetreat@gmail.com or visit www.BlueUnicorn.PlanetaryPeace.com.

Caara Kivemaki Offers Specials for Sound Therapy SessionsA

A method that is gaining popularity as a modality for better health, Caara, Certified Vibrational Sound Coach, provides sessions that bring together energy and vibration to interact with our molecular structure and bring about balance. She offers free, 15-minute, new client consultations and a 20 percent discount on packages of three sessions.

Sound therapy offers complementary health techniques that may help facilitate the rejuvenation of one’s mental, emotional and spiritual bodies. It has been used for emotional issues, deep relaxation, anxiety, stress, heartbreak and some general physical ailments. It can also bring about clarity, improved sleep, improved creativity and emotional balance.

“Vibrational therapy approaches are effective because they are able to positively influence the human body’s subtle energetic pathways,” says Kivemaki, who has been studying and exploring natural healing and alternative therapies since 1990. She primarily uses tuning forks and has also studied and uses both Soma Energetics and Bradley Nelson’s Emotion Code techniques. “These pathways include the meridian system, the chakras and the etheric body. These energetic systems contribute to the final physical expression of the human form in both health and illness.”

“Therefore, the purpose is to release energetic blockages, creating a free flow of energy, allowing the body to return to balance and heal itself as well as awaken the divine healing energy within.”

For more information or to make an appointment, call 586-291-3320, email Kivi2php@yahoo.com or visit www.HarmonicWisdom.com.

Annual Earth Day Celebration at the Organic Marketplace

The Organic Marketplace, in Gastonia, will present its annual Earth Day celebration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 22. Special sales, samples, giveaways, face painting, Earth flag-making and other activities will highlight the free event.

The store supplies its customers with the highest quality products and services for healthy lifestyles including a vast selection of nutritional supplements, bulk foods, home goods and beauty products. For those with dietary restrictions, they offer a wide variety of non-GMO, gluten-free, wheat-free, lowsodium and low-sugar foods. They also strive to carry as many local products as possible including local produce, cheeses, soaps and many specialty items.

Their commitment in these areas and hosting the Earth Day event is expressed that “With all of the love we get from our community, it is only right to return that love.”

Location: 1012 S. New Hope Rd. For more information, call the store at 704-864-0605 or visit www.OrganicMarketplaceNC.com.

Kings Mountain Preserve Celebrates Earth Day

Terry Robertson, owner of Kings Mountain Preserve, welcomes the public to celebrate their second annual Earth Day festival from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, April 22. This free, family and pet-friendly event will include live music, food and beverages, guided informational tours, educational displays and Earth-friendly giveaways.

As the area’s only conservation burial ground, Kings Mountain Preserve serves the community with space to practice environmentally friendly burials and celebration of life services.

Location: 321 Indian Springs Rd., Blacksburg, S.C. For more information, call 877-375-2495, email info@KingsMountainPreserve. com or visit www.KingsMountainPreserve.com.

Innovative Body Contouring at TrueCare Health

The popularity of non-surgical body contouring is rising. A 20-to- 40-minute office procedure performed on the belly, upper arms, chest, double chin, thighs and other areas, it reduces waist size, builds abs, tightens skin and eliminates excessive fat, and features no down time for the client.

A major player in this new, innovative approach is TrueCare Health and Wellness, in the north Charlotte area. Heading the clinic is South Carolina native Noble Thomas, Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner, who believes that clients are in charge of their own health and “we are here to help them achieve their healthcare objectives.” He believes in finding and addressing the cause of the symptoms and not simply treating symptoms. The practice also focuses on maintaining an optimized and healthy weight and achieving overall wellness using a functional medicine approach.

Thomas started his career at the Sickle Cell Foundation, first as Clinical Research Pharmacist and later as Newborn Screening and Outreach Coordinator. In 2008, he became among the first pharmacists to receive mid-level medical provider status and is a Diplomate of the Anti-Aging Health Practitioners Board. People often choose body contouring to look and feel thinner or to attain a certain shape, applied to specific areas of the body when diet and exercise aren’t working. It can also improve loose, saggy or wrinkled skin that occurs with aging.

Location: 6487 Morehead Rd., Harrisburg. For more information or for a low-cost consult that’s applied to future services, call 704-909- 0355, email Info@TrueCareHealth.com or visit www.TrueCareHealth.com.