Have hope, the old structures crumble to let the new way be born.

In this 25 minute video Dr Bruce Lipton gives a message of hope to society. He talks about the unsustainable ways that we are living and the fact that we are undergoing a mass extinction of species on the planet. Yes things are serious, but he also says that it can be turned around. If enough people take action to live more peacefully, sustainably, to vibrate in harmony with nature and self, then we can continue here on Earth. He believes these changes are taking place and that there is no need for fear or panic, just LOVE!

He reminds us that the old structures, the old ways of operating in society which are nonsustainable, that are head based, not heart based, they will crumble. The chaos and destruction we see occurring, the increase in terrorism and mental illness, these are all signs that the old way no longer works, that it is dying and a new way is being born. We can all help to usher in the new, to spread love, to live loving and peaceful lives. We all have the power to make a difference. With love, Jodi-Anne

Why is it useful to spend time in nature?

nature-scenes-04Nature vibrates at the rate of Source energy. It helps us slow down and our vibration rise. It is calming and soothing to our nervous systems that are over stimulated from modern living and rushing around.

Nature shows us life’s pace – things grow, bloom, wither and die. There is no fanfare or drama linked to these events, it is simply part of life. There are times when life seems bountiful – good weather, nutrients, enough water and plants thrive. There are times when life seems poor, harsh and cruel – no water, drought, blistering heat. Yet the plants and animals simply adjust, changing their behaviour to suit the circumstances. Some may perish. This is not a personal vendetta or attack. It is simply life in the bigger picture.

All species need some form of control to limit numbers and destruction of the ecosystem from over population. Different species eat each other. Pests and disease come to wipe out some populations. It is all part of the cycle of life.

Trees don’t take it personally when the wind blows, pushing them around. They just bend as much as they can and let the wind blow. They don’t go into ‘Why me, it’s so unfair, i’m a good tree, I haven’t hurt anyone, etc’. They just bend and adjust. They just keep growing. And life can be much simpler and more enjoyable for us if we learn to do the same.

It is our emotional reactions to events in our life that create the suffering. If we just flow with life, accepting what occurs and adjusting to it as need be, we wouldn’t suffer as much.

The loss of that job or partner is not a tragedy, it is a step in your evolutionary process, it is leading you forward to something far greater.

When we are comfortable in our lives, we just sit and be still through much of it. This is beneficial, a time of rest, restrengthening. The bud is beginning to reach out, absorb the sun and is readying itself to burst forth in bloom when the time is right.

Most of us will not step out of our nice, comfy place without a push, a life event catapaulting us forward to face whatever needs to be faced for our growth and evolution. We need the storms in order to grow. The floods and fires shake things up so that new life can spring forth once the tidal wave of change recedes.

Big events in our lives, unexpected massive changes to our lives are like these storms. They unhook us from our stable foundations and force us to adapt, to find a way to evolve and grow.

Human beings are part of nature and are also exposed to similar cycles and patterns of growth. Nature itself shows us the most useful way to respond. Nature adapts and moves on. The deer run when the lion is around and rest when it is not. The bear hibernates in winter. He doesn’t push through, trying to force things to be different than they are. He just does the wisest thing he can to conserve his energy and stay strong. He rests, sleeps deeply and awakens when the time is right and the harvest is present. We do the same.

Spending time in nature helps us in so many ways. The green colour which is so prevalent in natural scenes soothes our heart and helps the heart chakra open. The blue of water soothes our throat making it easier for us to calmly speak our truth. The beauty of nature leaves us in awe of life and to creation, helping us consider that there may be a creator who produced all of this magnificence.

Nature soothes us, replenishes us and helps us ground within our bodies, to come out of the head or mind chatter and be present in the moment. Walking bare foot on grass helps us heal. It allows the energy of the Earth to travel up our legs and calm the body. It is a good cure for jet lag too, helping us adjust to the new location / new energy that you are in.

Nature truly is our friend, of great benefit to us and when we destroy it, we are harming ourselves literally. Without nature in abundance the air we breathe would not get cleansed or purified, the water cycle would not work as well and pollution would stagnate in our water instead of being filtered out. The soil would erode without tree roots holding it in place and the land would become barren, making it more difficult to grow our food.

When we disturb the balance of nature we suffer as well. So plant some trees, support your local environmental groups and give thanks to this wonderful planet who supports us, nourishes us and heals us, all without asking for recognition, compensation or reward. Thank you Mother Nature. Thank you. Blessed BE, Amen.

By Jodi-Anne (04 November 2015).

Further free guidance on healing techniques and self love are available on the Life Insights and Healing from child abuse pages of this website.

What is the most effective way to obtain behaviour change for sustainability?

What is the most effective way to obtain behaviour change for sustainability? Love everyone. People behave unsustainably because they are unaware of their true nature and that of the Earth’s. If people were aware they would not harm themselves or our living Mother who supports us.

People are wounded from disappointments in life. Be it not having their needs met when children or later in life. These unmet emotional needs leave a longing for more within them, a desire, a wanting. They search out things to meet those needs, those wants and desires, but things are not the solution. What people really want and need is to be seen, heard, loved and accepted as they are. They want to be themselves and follow their hearts doing what they are passionate about – then they are full-filled and don’t need things to fill the holes in their heart.

Life is really very simple. Human beings have made it complex and in that complexity is the materialistic, success striving, constantly more obtaining ethic. That is not God’s will or nature’s will. Mother Earth gives freely to all her children. If they live simply taking only what they need for themselves and their family’s comfortable survival then she can accommodate it. It is only because we live in excess, distorted balance, that the Earth is struggling to cope with our demands. She can balance back up, but doing so results in shifts and changes that we don’t necessarily like – natural disasters – floods, volcanic eruptions, ice ages, etc. These are catastrophic to those who live in those places, but the Earth has to regulate her energies and discharge the negative energy somewhere. It is at these pressure points that natural disasters occur.

So to solve the unsustainable behaviour we need people to choose to live more simply. Most won’t for they see that as a sacrifice. They don’t realise they would gain joy, peace, health and happiness from living more simply connected to nature and each other. They would gain peace of mind and true wealth through a greater inner connection with their higher self and God.

Each human will eventually come to realise this as they see the materialistic rat race as a dead-end street resulting in exhaustion, misery, confusion and loss. It results in disease, loneliness, fear, isolation and competition. These are not the natural state of human beings, but it is what we have become by focusing on work, achievement and success. When we could have just as easily chosen peace, harmony, community, sharing and supporting each other to enjoy life to the full.

The solution – awareness, love, healing. Helping people to realise they have a choice, that being more sustainable is not a loss, a sacrifice, but a treasure of wealth unimaginable for them and their families who would finally have time for each other, to connect deeply and share life experiences. A treasure for them to share with their children and so on, until after a few generations living sustainably will seem just as normal as the materialistic lifestyle. Those still being materialistic will not be envied, but pitied, for we know the burden they carry as a result of their choices and the shallowness of their experience of life.

So love one another, meet each other’s needs and share abundantly the harvest of the Earth. Live happily and peacefully connected to your hearts and the Earth Mother.

Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) can help to clear out the emotional pain from the past and any unmet needs. It can help people to come out of survival mode, using addictions, distractions or busyness to escape the pain. It can help people come out of shutdown, numbness, hopelessness, back into a calmer more peaceful state where they can then interact with themselves, others and Earth from a more peaceful place.

TRE helps to release the stress, tension and traumas of life. When your nervous system calms and your body feels safer then that emptiness, that painful hole no longer needs to be stuffed full with other objects, things, distractions or desires. Once the hole has been healed you are able to rest and BE. You are no longer driven in sympathetic fight or flight activation. No longer shut down in freeze dorsal vagal parasympathetic activation. You relax into ventral vagal parasympathetic rest and repair mode enabling your body to heal and for you to open to a life with greater peace, health and connection. It is these things that are truly rewarding, truly satisfying, and they are key to having people choose to live more simply and sustainably. Healing our hurts so we no longer are weighed down by them is a key step in creating the change we wish to see in the world. Be the change. Be the light and love of humanity by healing your own wounds.

Polyvagal Curve by Ruby Jo Walker

By Jodi-Anne (15 June 2015).

Further free guidance on healing techniques and self love are available on the Life Insights and Healing from child abuse pages of this website.

Why is humanity so materialistic?

Humanity chooses to stay enmeshed in pain and loss as it is what is known. The majority of people come from a space of self importance focused on what they can get. This isolates them from others and their heart. In this state of separation they can feel nothing but loss and grief. No matter how much they achieve or wealth they get, they will still feel loss – as it is the loss of the heart, of love, of God that they are truly longing for.

Materialistic focuses result in poverty thinking. There is always more to get or someone else with more to compare yourself too and to feel bad about yourself and your situation because of. It also leads to fear, fear of losing what you do have and fear you won’t get enough in the future. This fear can build to anxiety, depression, desperation resulting in compulsive acquiring behaviours and hoarding situations. It is all fear based as a result of disconnection from the heart and God. In desperation people cling to the objects they do have. They do not realise these things can not bring them lasting happiness.

It is a sad situation when the world is focused on materialistic endeavours. There is no time for joy, for having fun, for connecting deeply and sharing with others, family and friends. There is no honouring of Mother Earth or recognition of her healing and supportive powers. Instead she is seen simply as a commodity – a supplier of resources to be taken and used in the pursuit of material success.

This is not how life is meant to be. Slow down. Simplify. Connect with yourself and your children. Spend time with them. They need your love and attention. They need time with you. They need this connection with you more than they need any material item. They can go without the latest gadget or fashion item. They can not go without your love. To do so results in more dysfunction and a repeating of the cycle as they then try to succeed to feel special, in the hope they will then be loved.

You are all loved just as you are. Slow down and feel the Earth’s heartbeat, feel the pulse of life, allow abundance to flow to you. You do not have to work so hard for it. You don’t have to cling to a pittance, when true wealth is available to you. Connect with your heart, your inner guidance. What is it you really want to do? What do you really care about? Do that. Heal your wounds so you feel peaceful inside. Then you don’t need to strive endlessly outside yourself for that which has always been available to you inside yourself.

Slow down. Love and accept yourself and those around you. Know you are all doing the best you know how to do at this time. You are all healing and evolving and moving towards Christ-Consciousness – a space of love, connectedness and kindness to all. May it manifest quickly in all your hearts as you open to the possibility of living life differently, of being seen as your authentic self, as you drop away the facade / image you have used to please others or get acceptance. It is okay to just be you. You are good enough. You are perfectly okay just as you are. Choose peace and be kind to yourself. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Blessed BE. Amen.

By Jodi-Anne (12 June 2015).

Further free guidance on healing techniques and self love are available on the Life Insights and Healing from child abuse pages of this website.

Conscious evolution – the process of our awakening on Earth.

cuddle earthI gave a talk at a Unite the Light event in 2013. This was the handout I channeled (5 July 2013).

This earthly plane is one of deep challenges – deep highs and lows so that you can learn and evolve just as Mother Earth and her creatures do. You all do. We all evolve and grow into the perfection of selfless love, peace and joy at connecting with our true self, our God given self – the creator within us.

It is time for humanity to wake up to this gift of life on Earth – its highs and lows – to see the opportunity for soul growth that it presents. It is time to see the blessings with all events, the lessons you are to learn, the peace of forgiveness and letting God lead your life. It is time to flow with what is rather than fight or resist it. It is time to trust and surrender, not cling or hold onto that which you judge dear. Trust that whatever leaves your life leaves for a reason and that something wondrous will enter in time.

Life on Earth is not a bed of roses. How boring that would be! We have a place for that, a place in another dimension where all beings live harmoniously in connection to all that is. Earth is different. Earth is a place of duality and as such you are meant to feel highs and lows, to experience what it means to be happy and sad, to feel love and betrayal, to feel ecstasy and loss. If the dark did not exist you could not know the light. This is the purpose of life on Earth to feel, to learn the opposites, to be in density – physical and emotional, and find your way through. That is what you are doing. That is why you experience what you do.

It is not punishment or bad luck. It is not karma in the sense most think of it as. It is your choice. You chose to come and learn certain lessons or master certain situations. How could you learn how to forgive if no one hurt you? How could you learn peace unless you experienced war or deep fear? These opposites exist to help you and those souls that join with you on Earth are serving you. Helping you to evolve and grow. Those that hurt you are truly serving you. They love you. At the soul level you and they are one. We all are. There is not but I. There is not but God. All is God, Creator, Universe. It matters not what you call it.

God does not judge. He/She only loves. Loves all beings, all creations, all experiences. You have these experiences to learn and grow. You cannot offend God with your actions. You can only harm yourself with your own judgments and painful thinking. God just loves you. God knows that you are experiencing what you need for your evolution. Your needs not necessarily wants. You get what is needed to advance your soul’s growth and development, to become the master you came here to be.

Do not judge each other. Do not think one soul is more advanced than another. All are on the same path, learning the same lessons. Each has their areas of weakness to master and that is why they’re here. No realised being is on Earth in a physical body. All are here to learn and grow. Some who hold the lowliest positions have the most light. Success in not what you think it is. Success is inner peace. Success is inner joy. Success is love, surrender and trusting what comes. Success is the ability to BE and bless all who come your way, to live in harmony on Earth as we do in Heaven.

Heaven is not a place as such but a state of being, a dimensional space that overlaps with the physical plane. It is here. You just can’t see it or feel it till you reach the vibration of it. That is what we’re evolving to. That is what we’re to become – beings of light and love. Those here are way-showers, are leaders of the light, opening to these concepts prior to the masses. You are the ones chosen to blaze the trail for others to follow. Many of you chose very challenging life experiences to master so that you could relate to others from a place of experience and resolution of those challenges. You are brave souls with big hearts who have come to serve humanity. You are here to light the way, to hold strong in the face of adversity and speak to the hearts of all men, of all beings, to reconnect to love and light.

Mother Earth supports you in this journey. Mother Earth is the vehicle for growth. She adjusts and changes as you change. The energies of humans affect her deeply, but she adjusts as needed. Natural disasters are simply the Mother’s way of releasing built up tension and energy blockages. This energy is released in volcanic explosions, tidal waves, earth quakes, hurricanes and fires. These balance the energy back up. Mother Earth does what she needs to do to survive. Yes our actions affect her but she will live on. We may not. If we damage her too much, she may need to expel us in order to survive. It is we who are endangered not her. It is us who hurt ourselves by living unsustainably and being disconnected from our hearts. It is us who will suffer the consequences of our deeds.

This is why it is so important for us to reconnect to our hearts, our intuition, our guidance systems – to hear, see and feel the messages of truth, of what we need to do to be of service to the whole, of what we are here to do. It is for one purpose and one purpose only that we are here – to perform a role that no other can perform. We each have a destined role to play that no one else can do as they haven’t had our past lives or our own unique gifts and wisdom to share. Life leads us towards that. Life reveals it to us when the time is right.

Mine is to channel the messages of my heart, to share my experiences and my discoveries of healing and acceptance of God, life, the way the Universe works. I know I only know a fraction of the truth. My insights are likely flawed for no one on Earth can know all things. But we learn some and can access guidance for others. It is this that I came to share and I thank you for listening this evening. I hope my sharing has given you food for thought about life, our process of growth and the next stages you face on your path. Blessed BE everyone. Thank you for this opportunity. It is with love, humility and gratitude I thank you for shining your light for all to see. Amen.

What to do when you feel blue about the state of the Earth?

cuddle earthRecently I have been feeling weighed down by the state of the planet, the enormity of the sustainability challenges we are facing and the difficulty of getting behaviour change. I asked for a message from Mother Earth about all of this. Here is what I channeled (23 Nov 2013).

Child it is I who talks to you all the time. It is my energy you hear in your head, for I dwell inside all beings. I am not in turmoil, I am just in a process of flux, of natural evolutionary growth. Do not fear a doomsday apocalyptic ending for that will not occur. Love will reign supreme on this planet and will heal the hearts of man and revitalise the natural elements of all.

There is nothing to fear or worry about. Be happy. Yes, human actions impact me, but it is of minor significance for I am much stronger than your scientists think. I can discharge adverse energies through natural disasters and rebalance myself to a state of peace and tranquility. Yes, increasing natural disasters are occurring because there is much I have to release due to your actions, but that is not as devastating a thing as your media makes out. Not on a planetary level. On the human level it is disruptive if you happen to live at a place of flux, but those who live there chose this as part of their incarnation. All souls are aware of this. It is just your human minds that doubt and question.

So there is no need for panic or despair. Trust all is happening as it needs to. Yes beings raising their vibration and spreading love helps to cancel out the adverse energies, thereby reducing the need for me to have so many releases, which you call natural disasters. So, yes what you do matters. It is this energy work you do that is so much more important than how you choose to live. Yes, it would be good for people to consume less and conserve. It all helps. But as you know we all have many energetic bodies and the physical is the densest. You make a much bigger impact through being love, having internal peace and harmony than you do by just recycling or donating to an orphanage or other cause. It all helps. It is all important, but it is your inner work that has the biggest impact.

Be the love you want to see in the world.
Be the love you want to see in the world.

So what I need from you and all beings is to have them understand this and to focus on creating inner and outer harmony in their lives, for then I will follow suit. Don’t panic or fear. Don’t predict the worst. Trust in love and joy and be this in the world. Celebrate life, live in a state of gratitude for all you have and vibrate at the level of the I AM Consciousness – that is what is needed most. So focus on that for yourself and assist others to do the same.

Do not waste your energy focusing on obtaining behaviour change for sustainability in the traditional sense. Let others do that. Your work, your mission is much more important than that. You are to help yourself and others to reconnect to me, their hearts, God and all beings. To see we truly are connected and united as one being. To create harmony and love for all. To see that connection, the synchronicity of life and its evolutionary process, to see we are all evolving into beings of love and peace. You are a wayshower for this.

You are an anchor for great light as are your Unite the Light and Abdy colleagues. A great many are doing this work and it is working. We are all awakening to oneness and love of All There Is. So do not fret, do not panic and do not give up. Be yourself, a bright beacon of light and joy for all to see. This is your mission, your joy, your destiny. So be it Child. Thank you for caring and for being the bright light that you are. Adieu.

Should I share this message as a blog post?

Yes Child you can do so. Some will relate, some will not, but a message of hope is useful. I am not saying don’t live sustainably, I am saying that it is okay if that doesn’t occur for all beings. I will not die and I won’t kick most of you off. I won’t need to as enough of you are waking up to love and peace, in yourselves and your lives, that you energetically help to balance up the actions of those who don’t. Yes, it would be great to see all of humanity choosing sustainable lives and supporting all beings, sharing and loving, but it is okay if this doesn’t happen overnight. It will not be the end of the world. Blessed BE.

By Jodi-Anne (23 Nov 2013).

Further free guidance on healing techniques and self love are available on the Life Insights and Healing from child abuse pages of this website.

From disconnection to connection

Many people have lost their connection with their hearts and the Earth. They live busy, stressful lives where they rush from one moment to the next, rarely slowing down to breathe deeply or see the beauty all around them.

Such hectic lifestyles lead to a focus on doing, achieving and rushing which result in a lack of rest, peace and joy. We rush about and touch briefly with those around us. We may not eat together and converse savoring the opportunity to connect deeply with what each other is going through.

We may not take the time to play or exercise, both of which are needed for our bodies to be healthy. We spend so much time indoors we forget the majesty of the Earth and all the treasures available to us if we sit quietly in nature.

The green and blue colours which dominate in nature are soothing to our bodies. These colours help us relax and BE. That’s why people can sit and stare at the ocean and feel perfectly content doing so. The salt air also cleanses us energetically making it a very therapeutic activity to do. Likewise, spending time in parks, forests, gardens all helps our bodies to relax, our autonomic nervous systems to regulate and balance back up, to come out of fight or flight and adrenaline rush. Gardening also helps with spores from the soil being dug having a calming effect on the body.

So much happens without our realising it. There is now a field of research called ‘Earthing’ or ‘Grounding’. Where they have scientifically shown that the Earth’s surface has an electrochemical current that gets transmitted to us when we are in physical contact with her. When we walk bare foot or have other skin to skin (Earth’s surface) contact, an exchange of negative ions occurs, which is beneficial to health.

Many people have reported amazing reductions in inflammation, pain and other health issues simply as a result of spending more time connected to the Earth. You can buy earthing sheets for your bed so you can sleep grounded. The sheets have silver threads that conduct the electrical energy through them. However, it’s not electricity. It is just the Earth’s energy drawn through the third prong in a power outlet – the Earth wire. The power point can be turned off and it still works. Similar to sticking an earthing rod into the ground and running a wire from it to the sheets. For more information check out the Earthing Oz website. There is also a documentary made about the amazing health benefits of Earthing that is sometimes available for free viewing. See: http://youtu.be/jgwF0tpioTU.

In ancient times we all had greater contact with the Earth. We walked barefoot or in leather moccasins which also permitted the transfer of the current. We slept upon the Earth perhaps on animal skins which are conductive too! We grew and harvested our own foods and caught or hunted animals to eat.

Modern society is largely separate from that past. We wear rubber soled shoes which block the transfer of the Earth’s current. We spend our time indoors mostly and we buy the majority of our food already processed and prepared from the supermarket. Many are very disconnected from nature spending more time playing with technology than in nature.

Today’s children – many of them – have not spent a lot of time playing outdoors, using their imaginations, watching the clouds or playing with bugs. They don’t ride their bikes to the local creeks and catch tadpoles or have adventures. The creeks in some areas are gone, turned into concrete channels and some feel it is too dangerous to let kids roam the street, concerned about what may happen to them. Some parents feel it is safer to keep them inside, to let them play video games all day long. The result – greater levels of obesity, anxiety and depression. Also boredom. Many kids don’t know how to BE in nature, they would see it as boring. They are used to fast paced, action filled games and TV/Video shows that capture their attention and entertain them. They’re not used to generating their own fun or being still. This is something that is really sad for all concerned as many kids have not experienced deep conversations with those they love, with an ongoing heart to heart interaction. We all need that level of human connection and we need connection with nature too – in order to be truly healthy.

Another negative side effect of being indoors so much is a lack of natural light. Sunlight contains the full spectrum of light. If you shine it through a prism we see a rainbow. Each colour is a particular energetic frequency – that is what it is and our body uses each colour to regulate its functioning. If you become deficient in a particular colour there will be a negative impact on your body.

Colours are a certain energetic frequency
Colours are a certain energetic frequency (Image from: www.myuniversalfacts.com)

Fluorescent lighting, energy saving globes and LCD TV and computer screens all emit the blue spectrum – the higher end of the colour frequencies and less of the lower end – the red, orange and yellows. Excessive exposure to blue frequencies can lead to depression and is one reason we are seeing an increase in depression in our society. To alter this you can spend time in nature absorbing sunlight. You can also buy full spectrum light globes. You can even buy yellow TV/PC glasses that balance up the excessive blue with the opposite colour = yellow. Yellow is needed for our nervous systems to work effectively. You can wear the colours you need, decorate your house in them or have colour light therapy to help your body come into perfect functioning.

Colour is just a certain vibrational frequency and we are all made of energy. Our bodies are simply atoms vibrating at a certain density that seems solid but in fact is all energy. Light and colour is also energy and helps our bodies to heal itself. For more information about light therapy and the use of colour for happiness and health see my page on Samassati Colour Light Therapy.

So, if you are feeling sad, exhausted or depressed make some time to BE in nature, to connect into the peace and tranquility, to absorb her energy through skin to skin contact. Go for a walk, do some gardening, grow your own vegies. There are lots of things you can do that will help shift your mood. Even the act of walking at a normal pace for 20 minutes creates a change in the hormones and chemicals in the brain leading to greater peace and calmness. This is important for all of us, but especially those who are struggling in some way.

If you have kids ensure they spend some time outdoors playing or BE-ing. Get them involved in outdoor activities – be it scouts, sports or even environmentally restorative activities such as tree planting.

Schools today thankfully usually have some activity on this front. Many have their own vegie gardens, native gardens, chicken coops, compost and worm farms – that expose children to nature and important information about nutrition. It embeds a joy of working the soil and growing your own food. It teaches them how to prepare nutritious meals from what they’ve grown.

These programs have been found to have much wider benefits too. They help foster teamwork and leadership skills in kids. They build self esteem and give an opportunity for non-academic kids to also excel and feel successful. Indeed some of the academically gifted kids struggle outdoors and get to see the strengths of the other kids. These programs are often run in partnership with the community. Parents and other helpers assist the kids with the gardening or other activities that they do. This provides children with exposure to role models that they may not normally have access to. This is especially beneficial for the many children who are growing up without their Dad’s around on a day to day basis. They get to form a positive relationship with men who show them respect and appreciation of themselves and the Earth.

Guidebook explaining how schools and communities are working together for sustainability.
Guidebook explaining how schools and communities are working together for sustainability.

I conducted, along with my colleagues at RMIT University, a 3 year review of such partnership programs in Victoria from 2008-2010. Click here to read case studies of what schools are doing and here to see the benefits that result.

Our findings were used to produce a guidebook for other schools and communities to use on how to establish effective ‘School Community Learning Partnerships for Sustainability (SCLPfS)’. The guidebook is available for free online at: http://mams.rmit.edu.au/s3ysio6sumic1.pdf.

So, lets get connected with the Earth and enjoy the many benefits of doing so! The more connected we are the more likely we are to care about what occurs on the Earth. Like a protective parent standing up for it’s child, we can stand up for the Earth – speaking out against activities that harm her; taking action to reduce further damage; and repair that which has already occurred. All of us can play a part in this process. So, lets step up and use our voices and our hearts to create a world full of love and respect for all beings – for us and the Earth.

Blessed BE, Jodi-Anne

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Family breakdown and social fragmentation

In times past families were physically located closer together which helped strengthen connection and unity. Now families are spread across the globe. Aging parents don’t necessarily have loved ones near by to take care of them.

Our society, in general, is focused on achieving success, material wealth and individual advancement. This paradigm does not reward caring for the elderly. The elderly are seen as a nuisance, a problem to be handled and solved rather than the wisdom keepers, the pioneers, the treasure trove of support that they can be.

Grandparents can make a massive positive influence on children. This is especially needed in today’s world where many children are suffering from a lack of loving nurturing attention. Either because their parents have separated or even if together they are so busy that the children don’t get quality one on one time. Parents role model this lack of connection and this need to succeed and acquire wealth to their children who then grow and perpetuate this cycle.

What is needed and could solve this problem?

  • Parents realising what their children need is their love; their time; to play; to feel special, wanted and loved. They don’t need to watch more TV or have another computer game. They don’t need junk food and hurried eating. They need time together growing food, preparing nutritious meals and connection while eating them. Be a positive role model for your children for they learn from your every move.
  • Choose a simpler lifestyle so you do have time to play with and nurture your children. Listen to them, get to really know them. If you can’t do this all the time, ensure there are other people who can. This is where grandparents play  a valuable role.  Children need connection and ideally that connection should come from people they love and trust, not physical objects or strangers / movie stars. This is why children form gangs – for connection, for a place to belong. Help them feel like they belong at home. Let them know they are loved. Encourage them to care for self, others and the planet by role modelling this for them.
  • Where the elderly are isolated it is useful for the wider community to engage with them and show them their value. Start community gardening initiatives where young people work in the yards of the elderly to grow vegetables, flowers and trees – to form connections and roots, to share the produce. Many homes are now being built on tiny little blocks and don’t have much garden space. Older homes often have larger yards and once past a certain age it is hard for people to dig the soil and do all the bending, lifting, etc that is a part of gardening. But if we work together we don’t have to loose that joy of gardening or the expertise people who have gardened for decades have. We can share and learn from each other.
  • Community building initiatives such as communal gardens, such as sharing equipment like lawn mowers, whipper snippers and other tools can save the need for each family to purchase their own. This saves money and physical resources which benefits the planet. It also means you don’t have to work so hard as you don’t need to buy all the gadgets yourself.
  • There’s lots of things that can be done to strengthen community cohesiveness and have fun at the same time. Get to know your neighbours, find the people who are passionate about sustainability and work together to raise awareness and make changes in your neighbourhood. By making it fun, social and engaging more people are likely to join in. We will explore this more in future posts.

For now just know that we can turn this around. We can have strong family bonds and cohesiveness. We can have community’s that care and share. We can have happiness and harmony. We just have to make the choices and take the actions to create this in the world.

From my heart to yours, Jodi-Anne

Planned obsolescence – The lightbulb conspiracy

the lightbulb conspiracyThis is a 50 minute video exploring the concept of planned obsolescence – which is the deliberate design of products to breakdown after a certain period of time or number of uses, so that consumers are forced to buy a new product.

It is a fascinating documentary showing that products can last a lot longer. They explore examples from communist countries where their whitegoods were designed to last many decades and a lightbulb that has been burning since 1901! The lightbulb which is at a local fire station has outlived two webcams that were recording it.

http://documentaryheaven.com/the-lightbulb-conspiracy/