Those who know me well and have been a part of my life and seen me grow up know how important my spirituality is to me. I want to emphasize that in this post I am talking about spirituality, not religion. I know that the two are connected, but in my life they are two very seperate things. My religion is what gives me ritual, a way for me to stay connected to God and the Universe even when I don't feel connected; my Spirituality is my personal, deep connection to God, the Universe, My Inner Self (chi, if you will,) and all of the other Energy and Life Forces that surround all of us every day. The daughter of a yoga instructer, the niece of a spiritual healer, and the friend of people from all walks of Spirituality, Religion, and Life, I have always had an enormous and incredibly enriching education on all things Spitirual or otherwise Other Worldly. Because of this, I have learned to listen to myself, and know when the Universe (or God, I use the two names interchangeably) is trying to tell me or lead me to something. I have felt an unrest, a pull, on my heart for several weeks now. I knew I was supposed to be seeing something that was right in front of me, and for some reason I couldn't figure it out. It has kept me awake at night, caused me to feel confused, even panicked at times, and it has made me feel very unsettled. Though I desperately need a job, my unemployment has given me time to meditate and get better in touch with my spirituality. This morning I had an epiphany. I woke up around 3 a.m., which is not unusual. I have had a lot of trouble sleeping through the night the past few weeks, and I usually either get up and excersize, or get up and cook or clean. Last night I decided to just be still. I know I wouldn't get back to sleep, and I knew that if I stayed in bed I may begin to panick about money or my future or whatever was troubling me most in that moment, but something inside was telling me to just be still. So I was. I lied down on my back, and rested. I let my mind wander, but if I felt a panic coming on, I just dismissed it. I let myself be quiet, and listen. This didn't give me any optimism or clarity about money or my future. Part of me was hoping that I would be bombarded with images of where the perfect job was hiding. I wasn't. I am as unsure about my employment and money tonight as I was last night. But I knew that my time spent being still was preperation for whatever I needed to do today. As if I needed any more signs...God gave me one more (I probably DID need this sign... I don't think I was really getting it yet, I hadn't changed any of my plans yet.)
At 3:00 when I woke up, before I decided to be still, I took a few minutes to doodle around on my phone. I checked the weather. Sunny skies all day, which was perfect for the day I had planned. I was going to get up, work out, have an awesome breakfast, get all dolled up, and go out and just walk into every place of business I could find and try try try to get a job. I've done this countless times before, but I was going for it again today. When the alarm went off at six to wake Her up, I was pulled from my meditative state and heard thunder. A lot of thunder. I checked the weather again, and this time it said thunder storms all day. I'm sure you all know that the first thing that came to my mind with the sudden weather change wasn't "this is just weather in the south"...I was thinking apocolypse. I know I'm paranoid, but with so many things in my life failing to fall into place, it is natural for me to be easily spooked, and I was. I didn't want Her to go in to work. I was so convinced that this was the Beginning of the End. I was really worried. I finally settled down enough to compromise; Her could go to school if she took the 72 hour kit with her. So she did, because she is wonderful. The storm changed my plans though...there was no way I was straightening my hair to go hunt for jobs in rainboots with my 72 hour kit...I wasn't leaving the house. I really was scared!! Looking back I realize that the Universe needed me to stay home today, because I needed to learn something. I am going to share with you what I learned, and what I believe it means, and I hope that you will not only listen but see my story as a call to action. I know that hundreds of people all over the world have had the same realizations that I had today, only many of them had them years sooner. I hope that I can help bring a new group of people into this movement so that the world can truly be changed, even saved.
After Her left for school, I was sitting on the couch, alone, in the dark, wanting to go back to sleep but to afraid to. I decided to turn on some mindless tv so that I could relax a little, and hopefully it would stop raining so I could go get a job after all. I felt really guilty for staying in, but I was truly terrified. I was afraid that if I left the house, we might have an earthquake, or a huge flood. All I could see in my mind was me stranded somewhere desperately trying to find my loved ones. I really couldn't leave the house. I turned on my apple tv and tried to find something silly to watch. Everytime I selected a show, it wouldn't load. I restarted the apple tv a couple of times, reconnected to the internet, nothing helped. So I decided to just look at all of the titles and descriptions to take my mind off of the storm. In the New Releases section, I came across a documentary...2012. I clicked on it, and I was amazed when it began to play. I hadn't even selected play, I just wanted to read the description. My brain started screaming at me, "are you crazy!? You can't watch this with this storm going on!! You are trying to relax, not get yourself so worked up you lose you mind, what are you thinking!?" I wanted to turn it off, but I was curious, and I couldn't shake the feeling that even if it was scary, I needed the knowledge that was in this film.
I couldn't possibly give you all of the information that is in this film. It is an hour and a half of nothing but life-changing information. I BEG each and every one of you to watch it in your own time. Documentaries can be tedious and boring and a lot of information at one time, I know that, but this information is CRUCIAL and will CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
Here is the main idea that I pulled away from the film (I actually got a lot, but this is what I feel it is most important to share with you today)
2012 is not the end of the World. It is the end of life as we know it. The capitalist, consumer lifestyle we have lived for thousands of years will soon be over. We have used, abused, and completely destroyed Nature for so long that Nature is beginning to fight back. The Earth existed long before Humans came along, and it will exist long after we are gone. Nature has ways of fighting us that we cannot predict, prevent, control, or battle. If Nature wants to defend herself against us, she will win. For example, look at this weather we are having!! Entire civilizations have been wiped out. This is the beginning. If we don't begin to care for our planet, we will be thrown off. It is my belief, and the belief of countless other people across the world, that we have to have a social change. The things that were once important to us will soon be of little to no consequence. The new world order will be about working WITH nature, instead of against her. I believe that in 100 years, the entire world will consist of thousands of small communities that grow their own food, take care of each other, sew their own clothes, make their own cleaning supplies, conserve water, ride bikes, and live 100% "green" lifestyles. The wealthy world leaders, oil lords, farmers, and the other villiams who have destroyed our planet for monetary gain will suffer. They will lose everything. The men and women who have dedicated their lives to educating us, to enriching the earth, and to finding new innovative ways to preserve our planet and our livlihood will be the new world leaders. We will have a change in currency... the dollar, yen, euro, will mean nothing. Trade will come back into effect. It is already happening in Japan, where they have developed a new form of currency. I cannot remember the name, please forgive me, but here is how it works.
A man, "Peter" donates one hour of his time to take care of "Sandra's" mother who is elderly and needs a lot of care. "Peter" gets one hour logged into his online "bank" of favors. Sandra helps her friend "Jack" by caring for his plants while he is away on business. when Peter gets the flu and needs someone to get his kids from school, he goes into his online community. Jack owes a favor, so he gets peter's kids from school.
That is my understanding of it. It is working well in the part of Japan that is testing it, and it will work here in a few years. It's about going back to basics!! Where we love our neighbors, care for our families and friends, and live as small communities making up the Global community.
I truly believe that this is the way we are headed. I don't think we will live like the amish or anything, I am sure the internet and ipods and technology will still progress. I believe the way we USE it will change. The era of pop culture will die when the economy crashes... which WILL happen, soon! We will enter a new era, a green era, focused on rebuilding our planet, our world, and making it clean again. The technology is already out there...watch the movie 2012 and see how many ways we can clean up our air and water if we were to utilize the new machines that have been built to be "green."
The people who fight this change will eventually lose...most americans and people of the world will no longer have the money to support pop culture and consumerism. Most of us will be trying to trade skills for food or fuel!! Those of us who accept it will lead the way. Picture a world where you can trust your neighbors. A world where you know exactly what is in your dinner, because you grew it all yourself. A world where you can excersize, and be commited to your spirituality, and connected to your planet. It will be a utopia!! This type of world is coming... and if it doesn't come, I am sure that Earth will have enough of us and kick us off. We have two futures to choose from...one where we are miserable and have to fight for our right to have water (which is now being monopolized and poisoned by water corporations) or a world like the utopia I described before.
I'm sure that most of this is not new information to you. We have known that our Planet is in danger for decades now. So why am I presenting this post as if it is new information?
My ENTIRE LIFE has been part of the "green" movement. When I was a kid it was ll about composting, and growing your own vegetables...I have watched it change into a consumer idea with all of the water bottles with cute messages about "going green" on them. How many preppy girls have you seen walking around with those water bottles, that are made by corporations who pollute the planet with toxic fumes!! It's ironic how being "green" has become more of a fashion statement than a lifestyle. I have lived a life of negligence, irresponsibility, and denial for most of my life. I never considered it my problem. I bought plasic bottles and never recycled my cans or cardboard or did anything even remotely helpful for the planet. It is time for all of us to change. Every Human Being Counts!! YOUR actions count!! What you do AFFECTS the world that YOU live in!! That is the epiphany I had this morning... I am not immune or exempt from this social change... It is time that I take a more active roll in preserving our World. I have already been doing a little here and there, but today I am making a more positive change...you should too!! Take responsibility for your actions and your planet. Stop leaving it up to someone else.
What can you do to help? Here is what I am doing...
I am not in a place in my life where I can run off and join a co-op. Maybe next year, after Her graduates...but right now I have bills to pay and I'm not ready to change so dramatically yet. You may not be either. Start small. You don't have to take all of your clothes to goodwill and swap them for handmade organic clothes. You don't have to go buy your own hens so you can have your own eggs. You can help make the world better by changing a few simple daily routines. Here is what we do at my house:
1. We consrve energy. I have to be honest, this started as a plan to save money, not the planet, but it works both ways. I have always been the type of person to come home and turn on every ovrhead light and lamp in the house...I like a lot of light!! This made my first power bill a shock. I managed to cut it in HALF the next month by doing a few simple things. Was it a challenge at first? Yes. I had to learn that having every light on in the house isn't necessary. It was weird at first, but eventually I learned abour blinds on my windows, and that natural sunlight is awesome!! So now... we only have a light on in the room we are in. Notice..the ROOM we are in, not the area of the house...this was the most difficult thing for me to grasp but, just because you can see into the kitchen from the living room, does not mean that the kitchen light has to be on if you are in the living room. Only use the light for the room you are in. Use lamps. If you are not using an applience, electronic, charger, or anything else that plugs in, unplug it!! Only two things in our house stay plugged in all the time...the Alarm Clock and the Tv...everything else is unplugged until we need it, even the lamps. It's not as big of a hassle as it seems, and it saved us a lot of money last month, not to mention what it did for the Planet!
2. Conserve water. Water is becming scarce. And soon you will not be able to get water without buying it. Scary!! Don't use it like it's unlimited...because it isn't!! I used to take a bath every day, a shower every day, run the sink water forever when I was washing dishes, give Albus a bath every day.... it was endless. Now, I bathe once a day, either a shower or a bath. Albus doesn't get a bath unless the tub is already full. I am a lot more conservative with the water when I'm washing dishes. And the coolest thing yet... Rainwater!! I don't yet have a garden, and I don't really have much need for it right now, but I have a bucket under the gutter at my house, it collects all of the rainwater. You would be amazed how fast it fills up!! This water can be used for watering plants, bathing (in a dire situation) or whatever!! I save it in between rains and if the grass gets a little dry I water it. It's so easy, and it conservers water!! Be creative with water conservation. Look online at all the things people do with their "rainwater reservoirs." The possibilities are endless!!
3. Grow your own produce. It has been my dream for several years now to frow my own produce. I have been waiting until I have a house of my own but that stops this year. I may not be in a position to have 15 rows of cabbages yet, but I can grow a couple of commonly used veggies on my back porch. I haven't planted yet, but I will soon!! This is a great idea. It can be a famlily activity if you have children. We had a tomato garden growing up and we LOVED helping my mom out with it!! The best part of growing your own produce is the taste...it is all organic, homegrown, delicious, safe-to-eat, poison free food, the way God intended it to be!! If you don't already have a garden, start one this fall!!
4. Compost. Start a compost pile (this will make nutrient rich soil for your vegetable Garden!) After you are finished cooking or eating, gather up all of your food scraps and take them to a designated place outside. Worms and all kinds of yucky stuff will get in there and make soil... use it in your garden!! It's better than your food scraps going to waste in some disgusting landfill!! Think about where your trash goes after it leaves your posession!!
5. Make your own cleaners. I started doing this the second week I moved here, and it has been a blast!! It is wayyy cheaper than store bought cleaners, and it is safer for you and your family to be around. My homemade cleaners get out more stains and tough odors than any store bought brand. And they are safe!! I don't have to worry about putting food on my countertop!! My cleaners aren't poison to inhale or digest!! AND they smell amazing!! Plus they are really fun to make. I can't WAIT until I run our of Laundry detergent and I get to make some of my own. Try it!! Start with an allpurpose cleaner or even just an air freshener...did you know that store bought air fresheners don't actually purify the air? they sinply coat your nasal passages with a chemical that destroys your sense of smell...which is why when you spray them your house smells really good for a couple of minutes...and then the smell is gone. You think the odor is gone, but in actuality, you just can't smell it anymore, because you are filled with poison!! Make your own air freshener!! It is cheap, easy, and there are dozens of recipes if you take ten minutes to google them and pick one out!!
6. Recycle!!! Recycle your cans, cardboard, whatever. We live in a city that doesn't include recycling pick up with trash pick up. If you want to recycle, you have to take it yourself. I am ashamed to say I considered this too much of a hassle. Her is the one who insisted we do this...she is a Hero!! She saves all of our plastic, paper, cans, and cardboard and takes it to the recycling place every Saturday. We are lucky, we live right down the road. If you live far away...start a system with your neighbors. Each person can take everyone's once a week.. if you have enough people involved you will rarely have to go. Do you have a neighor with a truck but no time? Do you have time but no truck? Budy up...borrow his truck and YOU drive both of your recycling to the recycling plant biweekly or whatever works for you. There are countless ways to make this happen if you begin to act as a community and not just people who live in the same area. Figure out a system that works for the whole neighnorhood!! Nor only will it help the planet, it will bring you closer together as a community... what can you accomplish with an entire community of people yo help you. The phrase "it takes a village" turned from a way of life into a phrase...let's bring back the way of life!! Some things really do take a village, and you will definately be happier if you have a community of friends to lean on in hard times. Whatever you do...don't throw waste that can be recycled in the trash. Just don't do it.
I know this post is extremely long and tiresome... I really appreciate it if you have stuck through to read it!!
My challenge to you is this: Watch the film 2012...it is free on netflix livestream!! Just wach it, and think of all the ways you can change the world!!
Do something Green for your neighborhood. Start a compost pile, or a gaden, or unplug unused gadgets in your home. You don't have to do it all, but do something. Everything counts!!
Prepare yourslf and your family for change!! There is a new World Order on the way...Be a part of it!! We will be rewriting history, be one of the people out there fighting for our planet!!
Thanks for Reading, I love you All, Happy 2012!!
