Make Earth Day A Part Of You

According to Senator Gaylord Nelson, founder of Earth Day, the concept began in 1962 and evolved over a period of seven years. Nelson was concerned that protecting our environment was "simply a non-issue." President and Senator Kennedy liked and supported his ideas but his attempts to place the environment on the political agenda were consistently unsuccessful. He did not give up and Earth Day was finally established in 1970. I think that for many, the 2009 Earth Day is one of the most significant since the people are finally paying attention. I still can't give that much credit to our government but I believe that it will get there based on pressure from the people. Oklahoma Republican Senator James Inhofe, an embarrassment to my own state, expressed that the global warming issue was a hoax and "an attempt by the Weather Channel to increase its ratings." This even made Jon Stewart's Daily Show. Jon questioned whether Inhofe had ever seen the Weather Channel and showed a screenshot of jazzy music and a five day forecast. He then proceeded to point out that the Senator should be more terrified by the weather commercials in his own home state - specifically, our tornado commercials.

Not very long ago, I was absolutely incensed by the crowds at gas stations on ozone alert days during late afternoon and early evening hours, when it was strongly recommended we cut back on this activity. I was sickened that nobody seemed to care.

Even before I found my way home to the Goddess, I was aware of the effect of polluting the environment. This was likely tied to the fact that I grew up during the hippie flower child years. Seemingly always strapped for money, I accomplished quite a bit by using as few chemicals as possible for household cleaning and being conservative with utilities. As I progressed along the pagan path, my awareness became a way of life. The influence of a Buddhist friend caused me to give more thought to protecting annoying insects and I no longer kill spiders unless they happen to be a poisonous Fiddleback or a scorpion. My "green" lifestyle isn't yet perfect, but it's getting there.

Religion is how you believe and spirituality is how you live. Earth Day is not a religious observance, yet it's amusing that Judeo-Christian society is still not aware that for pagans, heathens, Wiccans and Native Americans, respecting and honoring the Earth and all living creatures is a way of life. All pagan holidays and sabbats specifically honor the earth and the elements. For us, every day is Earth Day - as it should be for all of us.

Despite the fact that politically, we have a long way to go and that commerce has made green living "trendy" to an extent, I'm pleased with the progress we're making and I do hope that Earth Day becomes more spiritually significant for people of all religions.

Be well, and be blessed.

Related Articles:

Earth Day Is Pagan Day

So, How Are You Doing With Your Green Living?

Welcome To America, Circa 2100 - What The US Could Look Like If Global Warming Isn't Stopped

Earth Day Savings And Sweepstakes


Earth Day Special - Save $15 on $80 orders of select eco-friendly shoes and bags, including designer styles at Endless.com






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So, How Are You Doing With Your Green Living?

As I slowly and steadily made my way on the path toward earth-based spirituality, habits and practices that respected Mother Earth and nature became part of me. I've always been conservative with utilities to save money. I was thrilled to find out that I've also been helping the environment all these years. Occasional littering came to a halt (my purse and pockets hold trash when there's no trash can around) and I even stopped killing spiders unless they were poisonous. It was only natural to adopt the practice of bringing re-usable tote bags to the store.

And what a process that's been. First, I couldn't remember to put the bags back into the car. Then I couldn't remember to bring them into the store. Then I couldn't figure out how many to bring into the store. I'm doing fairly well with all of that now, but I still forget to hand them to the cashier half the time!

They are a slight nuisance. At least, the ones I purchased from Wal-mart and Walgreen's have been. They do fold up but won't fit in my purse, so I generally carry one with several rolled up inside it. Wal-mart employees look at me suspiciously when I walk in, trying to figure out if I have a return or if I'm planning to shoplift some electronics. On the positive side, I really prefer them over plastic and paper bags. They are so much easier to carry and handle, especially given my back problems. Being able to sling one or two over my shoulder causes me a lot less pain.

So, I'm really thrilled to find these BAGGU Reusable Shopping Totes from Endless.com. They come in about 52 colors, literally! and you can purchase sets of 3 or six and each comes with a matching storage pouch. They're machine washable but putting them in the dryer isn't recommended. Made of durable nylon, they should dry pretty quickly.




Endless is THE destination for shoe and handbag lovers and even has a line of eco-friendly apparel and accessories for the whole family. Endless.com is dedicated to providing the best prices, selection, and overall experience including free overnight shipping*, free return shipping, 100% price guarantee, and a 365-day returns window.




Browse my Living Green store for everything from clothing, furnishings and personal to pet care products to help you and Mother Earth live well.

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You Cannot Do A Kindness Too Soon

Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again. ~Og Mandino

On a somber note today -

Please bear with me - due to the confidential nature of the incident, I have to be careful in how I word this post.

About a week ago, I met someone whose reputation as a drug addict preceded them. Their behavior on our first meeting confirmed this. I was annoyed and a bit angry, but after some thought I decided that I would offer compassion and support instead of judgment at our next meeting, which was scheduled for yesterday. Goddess - and my friends and family - knows that my own actions have been less than perfect over this past year. I realized that if they were in such bad shape they probably needed some understanding.

But someone else showed up instead and when I asked about them, I was told that they had died that morning. It's unclear as to whether it was an accident or a suicide.

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The fact that I didn't have time to do that kindness before it was too late doesn't redeem me. I feel that I should have done something that day, but of course, I had to think about it first before I was able to do the "right" thing. I shouldn't have had to think about it. My heart knows that none of us have the right to judge anyone but my head doesn't always follow.

Please take a moment to send loving thoughts to their spirit and family, especially a significant other who is devastated.

Be well, and be blessed.
Parthena



Related Links:

Intervention: Helping Convince Addicts They Need Help

Words Can Kill

Meditate and Teach Your Brain Compassion

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The Divination Diva

Happy Tuesday! Optimist test: Are you one day closer to Wednesday or four days away from Friday?

Announcing my newest store - The Divination Diva

I've hand-picked a great selection of books, card decks, computer software and accessories on tarot, dreams, runes, oracles, astrology, personal growth, spirituality and more based on personal experience and review and more that look interesting and promising.

You may also enjoy The Dreams and Visions Shoppe, which focuses on art, creativity and small business inspiration and growth.

Spring has not quite made up its mind here but the azaleas and new blossoms have survived the intermittent frosty nights - a good omen of strength and resilience.



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Tarot - The Death Card

Not long ago, I saw a funny little video on the internet. The grim reaper was getting a tarot reading and the reader drew four death cards. The grim reaper asked, "Is that bad?"

The death card in a reading often freaks people out, but there's no need to be anxious. Death in tarot and in dreams rarely represents physical death, although it can. The majority of the time, it represents a symbolic death ranging from old patterns, careers, relationships, attitudes or perhaps an entire lifestyle.

My favorite death card image is from Karen Vogel and Vicki Noble's Motherpeace Round Tarot Deck.

The snake has picked the bones clean, symbolizing a complete dissolution of the old. The snake is symbolic in that it sheds its skin on a regular basis, remind us that this is a good emotional and spiritual practice for us as well. Snakes have a multitude of meanings in our dreams and renewal is one of them. They can also represent a "snake in the grass" about to hurt us. This might be a person or our own demons such as negative thoughts, patterns and behaviors that we need to shed.

The coming of spring along with the current supportive planetary influences make this an excellent time to reflect upon shedding that no longer serves us.

My blog posts today have crossed over a bit today. Please visit my Wordpress blog, Dreams, Visions and Reality and read the post entitled A Time For Resurrection.

Enjoy your weekend and no matter which holiday you observe this time of year, I wish you blessings and abundance.

Go Green With Your Spring Cleaning

Save 32% When You Pre-Order Debbie Ford's Latest Book, "Why Good People Do Bad Things: How To Stop Being Your Own Worst Enemy" due to be released on April 14, 2009.


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More on Retrogrades

If you're familiar with Mercury's periods of going retrograde, you already know that they are quite challenging to put up with. Mercury's retrograde motion affects travel and things tend to break down, but it wreaks the most havoc with communication. Anything and everything communication-related is almost certain to go wrong. Small misunderstandings often turn into major explosions and its not a good time to sign contracts or otherwise make any long-term commitments.

As I was looking for some information on this full moon to post, I ran across a short, sweet and to the point little PDF file by Diana Garber, "The Feng Shui Results Lady":

2009 Retrogrades, Eclipses and Moons

Diana explains all of them and provides the dates for retrogrades, eclipses and moons for the entire year. The booklet is extremely informative. Be sure to bookmark it.

She also briefly explains the implications of the astrological sign occurring with the new or full moon. This full moon is in Libra. According to Diana's article, Libra negotiates fairness and urges us to be sure that we have closure in our endings. There's also an Aries influence that supports enthusiastic new beginnings, so the two together make sense. It seems as though this is a time of significant changes for everyone. Keep a journal so that you can keep track of the events that are leading you to a better and more abundant life.

Here's another article that goes into detail:

Libra Full Moon

I know that I'm looking forward to change. There are so many things I want to do but realistically, I can only focus on one thing at a time. Determining which is the most important and will bring the most stability to my finances is very difficult. I'm hopeful that Pluto in retrograde can assist with this and thankful that Mercury doesn't go retro until next month!

Please visit my newest Squidoo Lenses:

• 
  
  Helping Aging Owners and Their Pets


• 
  
  Deadly Medical Mistakes


• 
  
  The Statute of Limitations Blocks Back Malpractice Lawsuits

Free and Fun Easter Craft Projects

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