Dear EarthTalk: Summer's going to be a scorcher this year, and I'd like to know how I can keep cool indoors without just running my energy-hogging air conditioners all the time. Any tips? - John McGovern, Cohasset, Mass. According to Harvey Sachs of the non-profit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the movement of air over the skin is what's key to keeping the body cool. So instead of turning on that AC, see which direction the breeze is blowing outside (no matter how minimal it … [Read more...]
My Own Personal Change Agent
Her name was/is Trivia. She left her physical body almost 20 years ago, yet she is still with me every day. When I first met her as a 5-week-old puppy born next door, I had no clue that she would change my life forever. She was the type of dog that everyone loved - even those afraid of most large breeds. She just assumed that they would know that she was not a threat and that they could accept her with no reservations. Trivia would have been a great therapy dog, but I didn't even know those … [Read more...]
The Way of the Explorer
Apollo 14 astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell, author of The Way of The Explorer, now available in a new, revised edition, is described in this way on his website:"On January 31, 1971, Navy Captain Dr. Edgar Mitchell embarked on a journey into outer space that resulted in becoming the sixth man to walk on the moon. The Apollo 14 mission was NASA's third manned lunar landing. This historic journey ended safely nine days later on February 9, 1971. It was an audacious time in the history of mankind. … [Read more...]
The Feline Interviews
The following are interviews I conducted with four beautiful cats. To help with the introduction, I called up Nimbus, my cat friend, who had given me such a thoughtful interview a few weeks earlier. With the help of his caretaker (Jim), I asked him a few questions over the telephone.Would this be a good reading material for humans to share with their cats?Yes, but more importantly share yourself. That is the most important thing, your sharing and caring.Based on these four interviews, cats seem … [Read more...]
DailyOM: Inspirational Thoughts for a Happy, Healthy and Fulfilling Day
An excerpt from DailyOM: Inspirational Thoughts for a Happy, Healthy and Fulfilling Day (Hay House) and is available at all bookstores or online at www.hayhouse.comZen Commute: Discovering Ourselves in TrafficNo one wants to be angry with a fellow human being who is lost or confused, but if we get stuck driving behind one, we may find ourselves feeling wildly, uncharacteristically impatient. It is our earnest goal to have compassion and love for other people, but when one of them cuts us off, we … [Read more...]
What’s New: A Glance at New Things to Experience
NEW BOOKSDAILY OM: Inspirational Thoughts for a Happy, Healthy, and Fulfilling Day, by Madisyn Taylor (Hay House), 300 pages, available at Amazon.com or bn.com - Four years ago, a website launched into cyberspace, spreading messages of love and hope throughout. Today, with more than 800,000 subscribers, DailyOM continues to give visitors inspiring messages that leave them feeling better about life than when they had arrived. DailyOM co-founder Madisyn Taylor brings these inspiring messages to us … [Read more...]
From Dirt to Soil
I met a man who was a devotee of the miracles that took place near the town of Garabandal, Spain. They began one night in 1961 when four children were awakened and mystically drawn from their separate homes to a small glen on the outskirts of their village. There they beheld an apparition of Mother Mary, who gave them prophetic messages. This extraordinary phenomenon continued for four years and more than 2,000 apparitions. Eventually people from all over the world visited the site, where many … [Read more...]
Charting the Heavens in July
The Sun, traveling through Cancer this month, moves us all more deeply into the world of feelings...until it enters Leo on 7/22, compelling us to come forth and share our gifts with the world. Emotional embodiment is key to a collective world of balance and health. Now is not the time to flee from our feelings. It is time to embrace and further grow our capacity to experience the totality of our emotional selves. The new moon on 7/2 in Cancer finds us nurturing ourselves with kindness. The full … [Read more...]
Willing Companions :: Creating our Experiences Together
We often think we're alone, but we're not. And we think that the ideas that make us money or give us fame and recognition come from our own genius, but they often do not. It is about time that we give sincere gratitude to the others who surround us in this experience on planet earth, those who truly complete the picture and assist us in so many untold ways, day in and day out.I'm speaking of the dogs, cats, hamsters, horses, rabbits, ferrets, snakes and other companion animals who - if the truth … [Read more...]
Living in the Moment as Taught by a Cat
Editor's note: This story is adapted from the book My Teachers Wear Fur Coats (Ozark Mountain Publishing, 2007), by Susan Mack and Natalia Krawetz.My life revolves around animals because I am a practitioner of pet-oriented Reiki, a gentle form of healing touch. Each Reiki session is not only about healing, but also about encountering spirit, transforming the pet-person relationship to one of partnership and intimacy. This deeper relationship with animals keeps putting me in touch with the larger … [Read more...]
Got Milk? Or Maybe Not!
Modern feeding methods substitute high-protein, soy-based feeds for fresh green grass and breeding methods to produce cows with abnormally large pituitary glands so that they produce three times more milk than the old fashioned scrub cow. These cows need antibiotics to keep them well. The pasteurization destroys many valuable enzymes in the milk that are needed to aid digestion. The human pancreas is not always able to produce these enzymes, which will over-stress the pancreas and can lead … [Read more...]
A Cat’s Gift
ShiShi was store bought. I mention this because it was such a very different beginning for an animal friend and me. The norm would be to visit the animal shelter and wait just a few moments until eye contact was made and then that special little furry someone would crawl up into my lap, and away we go. Well, almost. There was always a little paperwork and business to take care of to make the transaction complete. Not this time. The details of why would be rather long, however let's just say it … [Read more...]
10 Keys to Happiness
In last month's column, I identified 10 ways to cope with stress in our lives. Now, I will address the thoughts, beliefs and habits that always seem to result in creating happiness. The first key thinking habit is to fill our mental activity with positive, affirmative thoughts. This is not a naive denial of anything negative in life. It is a matter of focus. When you spend most of your waking hours focusing on, or thinking about the positive aspects of your life, you become happier. Increased … [Read more...]
An interview with Sage Lewis on her journey with animals…and people
Sage (Stacy) Lewis - author, healer, shamanic practitioner, animal communicator and life coach - is a down-to-earth St. Paul resident whose life experiences have convinced her that each one of us makes a difference, including those with four legs, scales or feathers.Following a near-death experience in 2000 that resulted from a car accident, Lewis reassessed her personal priorities. She quit drinking alcohol. She put aside her career as an art teacher in the Madison, Wisc., area and turned to … [Read more...]
Just Being Prepared or Programming it in?
My parents recently gave us their water cooler. We were thrilled as we had stopped buying bottled water to be better stewards for the environment and this now gave us cool, great tasting water all the time. It also gave me peace of mind that water supply was now more in our control if I kept a few jugs on hand in the garage in addition to ones that we drink regularly. Upon hearing my relief about that, my daughter asked me "WHY?" So I explained why I felt this way as briefly as I … [Read more...]
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