Cover Artist: Glistening Deepwater
Title: Waves of Peace
Medium: Aerial Digital Photograph
Contact: gdeeply@gmail.com
Web: www.endlessexpressions.me/
I had the awesome privilege of taking to the sky to capture this shot of the Connect Peace Day Celebration at Palm Cove this year. One can never know what image the camera will capture in advance, and there is so much that can’t be planned for, like the arrow in the waves, showing our shared intention to send waves of Peace across the world manifesting in real time!
I woke up to a world seemingly drenched in bad news today.
And yes, I will admit that my primary source of world news comes from my Facebook newsfeed. And as I scrolled down the stories, posts and shares, what was I bombarded with? The slaughter of 200 innocent dolphins in Taiji; the threat of losing 90% of our food crops with the demise of the bees; petitions to sign to save our reef, save our sharks, save refugees across the world from a fate worse than death. There were extreme weather warnings, warning about radiation from Fukushima, warnings about the dangers of everything from eating fish, to ingesting too much sugar, to herbal tea now causing cancer.
I felt overwhelmed, hopeless, exhausted by it all. What was the point? What could I possibly do to remedy the state of the world? I feel that in the last year of my life I have changed from being the eternal optimist I always considered myself to be, to someone deeply cynical, critical, judgmental and verging on pessimistic.
And yet, I live an exceptionally blessed life, and for the most part I do see the beauty that exists in the world in every moment. I have an excellent job that supports and encourages a better world; I live in a beautiful home with an inspiring and supportive partner; I eat local organic food from our farmers’ markets and swim every day in the ocean five minutes from my doorstep. I am free and healthy. I have more to be grateful for than most people in the entire world.
And this fact too, causes me pain – why can’t everyone have access to even the most basic of human needs and rights? Why are we still allowing such barbaric conditions to exist and proliferate around us?
This morning I left home while the sky was still dark. I crept down to the ocean’s shore and watched a bright pink sun rise over the horizon, and I decided that I had to change, because the pain inside of me was growing, and its thorns were taking over the flowers that once blossomed there.
It took me a long time to understand the saying that ignorance is bliss, but indeed it is. The ability and choice for many people to close their eyes, turn their backs, refuse to accept the facts of this world is only possible by pretending they don’t exist, they don’t matter.
I feel that a middle ground has to exist – between caring so much it hurts, and refusing to be involved at all. What needs to be done is to create an equal balance of light and dark, to focus on the amazing positive things that are being done in an attempt to combat the dark energies and inhumane practices that still exist in plain sight.
Above all, we need to keep hope alive in our hearts.
So I returned to my computer that I had shunned, and I looked a little closer. I put my rose-colored glasses on, and searched for the good in the world, and there it was: a floating eco-island designed to clean up ocean pollution while generating renewable energy; Earthship buildings being donated to the Philippines; inspiring quotes; advances in natural medicines; recipes to help heal ailments in the body; tips on composting and growing your own garden. I saw smiling faces abound, friends starting up new eco-conscious businesses, people turning from a meat-based to a vegan diet, others donating to positive causes or travelling interstate to help promote and bring awareness to issues affecting our environment. I signed up for more pages that focused on good news, on inspiring quotes and projects, on advancements in technology and natural medicine, on remedies to heal and help others.
Immediately, I felt light, alive, inspired, reassured. A smile caught my face and I looked up from my computer to the café where I was writing, and I saw others smile back at me.
There are many things we can do to remain aware of what is happening in the world, and still stand tall in optimism and with a clear focus on how we can combat these issues in a positive way.
In a moment of inspiration, I jotted down some ideas that came to mind:
- Keep a gratitude journal so when you are feeling low or in doubt, you can flick through the pages of all that you have to be thankful for.
- Commit to a daily practice – yoga or meditation, a sunrise beach walk or daily writing time – that makes you feel alive, that connects you to your spirit, something that inspires and nourishes you, because when we come from a place of fullness and contentedness within, we have so much to share.
- Start talking to people about positive ways to change without coming across as preaching or talking down to them.
- Have friends over and cook them a vegan dinner; take your parents to a local farmers’ market to shop; organise a FUNdraiser to raise awareness and money for a cause you are passionate about; show friends short films that educate and inspire (Karmatube is a brilliant resource for this!)
- Get involved in groups where you feel you are not alone. Being surrounded by other people dedicated to creating change is one of the most rewarding, inspiring and reaffirming things that you can do. Unity is one of the most powerful ways to create real change.
- Have quotes on hand that you read daily or from time-to-time when you need a reminder.
- Commit to dedicating time and energy to at least one cause or organisation that you feel really passionate about. If you focus on just one mission you can really make a difference.
- Make living a proactive life fun. Find enjoyment in picking up trash you find on the beach or making a raw vegan cake for someone’s birthday. When others see you happy living this lifestyle, they will want to make positive changes too.
We do need to be the change we want to see in this world, and I realised that being depressed, pessimistic and feeling hopeless was in no way helping my plight! It won’t always necessarily be easy, for my heart still hurts to see the world and its voiceless victims being disrespected and harmed. What I also know though is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is easy to stay in shadows, but that is not where change or influence occurs. So I encourage us all, hand-in-hand, to step out into the light, to focus on the positive, to be the change and help guide and support one another.
We are human beings, supposedly the most intelligent species on Earth. If we lead from our hearts, if we behave as the humanity that we innately are, positive change really can be the only way forward.
Kelly Fielding
Chamomile, a daisy-like herb with little yellow flowers, is one of the most common herbal teas, also used widely in herbal skincare and hair products. The active component in the essential oil is known as bisabolol, which has a number of anti-irritant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.
It’s probably one of the first herbs I ever knew about, as it featured in the children’s story Peter Rabbit; it was given to him by his mother to calm him down after his adventures under the fence being chased by Mr. McGregor.
There are two species of chamomile, German and Roman, and they have slightly different properties. The one mostly used as tea is German, Matricaria recutita.
Chamomile features in many ‘sleepy tea’ blends, as it helps promote a good rest, free from nightmares. Being a very gentle herb it can also be given to young children for this purpose. Chamomile is an old folk remedy for babies with colic; just make a weak tea and let it cool, or you could add some to juice to make it more palatable.
People suffering from stress and anxiety may benefit from chamomile’s stress relieving and nerve relaxant properties, and if you have a cup regularly, it has been found to have immune-boosting properties. Others find it is a gentle remedy for headaches. Another great use for the humble cup of chamomile tea is to soothe digestive issues such as indigestion, diarrhoea, bloating or nausea. Many pregnant women (who must abstain from many herbs during this time) find that chamomile mixed with some peppermint helps with morning sickness. (But please consult your doctor before using any herbs during pregnancy; in large doses chamomile could bring on an abortion!)
Many women know that a cup of chamomile is helpful for menstrual cramps, and science now explains that this is because chamomile contains an amino acid called glycine, which may reduce muscle cramping and relax the body; you need to drink it regularly to get enough for an effect though.
Chamomile is very soothing for dry and flaky skin, so makes an excellent hair wash if your scalp is inflamed or dry. Just strain some tea, let it cool and rinse it over your hair after you wash it. If you don’t wash it out, you can wrap a towel around your head and let it sit for five to ten minutes, then go in the sun to let it finish drying and it will give blonde and light brown hair a nice, sun-kissed shine.
You could also add some strong chamomile tea to a bath to soothe aches and pains and calm skin irritations; a weaker amount could be added to baby’s bath too, to soothe nappy rash and promote a restful sleep. If you have dark circles around the eyes, a relaxing remedy is to place a (slightly cooled) chamomile tea bag over each eye, lie back and relax. If you forget to slip, slop, slap, some cooled chamomile tea can relieve the sting of sunburn. Or if you really want to get creative, combine some chamomile tea with some powdered milk and something like cornmeal, and use it as a natural skin scrub.
Although one of the gentlest herbs, there are still some people who don’t tolerate chamomile well, such as people who suffer from hay fever or who have ragweed allergies. To get the most benefit from your soothing cup of herbal tea, when buying chamomile look for loose-leaf tea, which is made from lots of the full flower heads, rather than the teabags from the supermarket.
Ella Shannon is a qualified Yoga teacher, Reiki master, and Addiction Counsellor with a passion for natural health and wellbeing, and is the proprietor of Port Douglas Happy Herb Shop on Macrossan Street. (07 4099 6313)
This article is NOT intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or illness. www.happyherbcompany.com/portdouglas