Well I’m back from my holiday and I have to say I’ve gone into slow motion. I didn’t even go to the Clinic yesterday. And how lovely to have today off as well! As much as I love my work it’s nice to stretch out the holiday a little further. I did do quite a lot of writing yesterday though. My “Après Holiday” Resolution is to create some webinars so I spent time yesterday preparing. I’ll let you know when I’ve got something online to show you.
Our time Bali was just lovely. With Harry and I both so busy with our businesses it was great to stop and smell the frangipanni. We had the second week there with our 2 grandchildren, our two daughters and their husbands. Marlie is 18 months old and Mason will be 4 this month.
We’ve been taking the kids swimming every week since they were about 6 months old and Mason is such a water baby. He spent most of his time in the pool duck-diving for rocks. I was very excited to get him into the ocean and let him see the fish and coral. He took one look under the water and quickly put his head up and with wide eyes said, “Nan, you’ve got to see this!!” It was another world.
I remember the first time I went snorkelling in the tropics. It was in Sri Lanka during our backpacking days. I’d never seen anything so beautiful. It was like being inside an aquarium. The water was crystal clear, the coral was spectacularly colourful and the fish were abundant. We were so impressed we returned to the same beach about 5 years later and we couldn’t believe the devastation. There was not a fish in sight, the water was murky and the beach was non-existent. The Sri Lankans had mined the coral reef for limestone to make concrete. 🙁
To their surprise and dismay the beautiful white sandy beach which had been protected by the reef quickly washed away. The town relied heavily on tourism and of course without a beach or coral or fish the tourists stopped coming. The economy was struggling. So what did they do? They built an artificial reef out of concrete! Hmmm… Not quite the same.
So why am I telling you this? Well I don’t have to tell you that that beach in Sri Lanka isn’t the only ecosystem that’s been destroyed for profit and ended up costing us dearly. It’s been happening all over the planet for the past 200 years or so. In fact in the past 40 years we’ve wiped out 50% of the animal species on Earth . That’s pretty scary.
We human beings don’t have a very good track record when it comes to looking after nature and the environment and it seems like we don’t have much longer to be complacent. It clear that the world is at a turning point.
You may be aware of the current conflict in America about the North Dakota Access Pipeline. It a 1825 Km pipeline to carry oil from North Dakota to the Gulf Coast refineries. It’s being built at a cost of $3.7 billion. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has opposed this pipeline since 2014 and now that construction has reached their tribal land the situation is escalating. Representative of all the Native American Tribes have gathered in their thousands to support the Standing Rock Sioux along with many other peaceful protestors.
There are three issues at stake. One is that sacred burial land is being desecrated by the construction, two is that the pipeline crosses the Missouri River which is the source of drinking water for the 10,000 Sioux and 17 million Americans who live downstream and the third issue is the increasingly strong sentiment that fossil fuel should be left in the ground rather than being extracted and adding to our climate crisis.
Of course there are always two sides to every story but it seems to me that this conflict is representative of a much bigger issue. A while ago I wrote about an ancient prophesy that exists in many cultures about humanity taking two separate paths many hundreds of years ago. The path of the Eagle and the path of the Condor. The Eagle represents the masculine energy of the intellect, science and profit and the Condor is the female energy of the heart and the intuition, nature and connection.
The ancient Mayans have a prophecy of a time (about now) when the Eagle and the Condor unite. When they dance together in one sky. The union between the two is said bring peace to the world.
Drawings on the Prophecy Rock of the Hopi Indians also refers to a choice between two paths that humanity could take; one of greed, comfort and profit, represented by a drawing of a head disconnected from the body, and the other is the path of love, wisdom and compassion, with a drawing of the head attached to the body and therefore connected to the heart. It is said that this path leads to peace, health and prosperity. The other leads to calamity. The Hopi Indians say these choices apply personally and collectively.
The conflict at Standing Rock is the conflict between the head and the heart, masculine and feminine energy, profit and the planet, oil versus water. I have a feeling that how it plays out will have a huge ripple effect around the world. If the sacredness of the land and the security of the water are honoured that will signify a profound shift in consciousness. An awareness that clean water, air and soil are far more precious than money.
This protest is gaining huge momentum online and both the United Nation and Amnesty International have become involved, sending observers to ensure that human rights are not violated.
While I was on holidays I read Dan Brown’s book Inferno. It also talked about impending calamity on the planet and said “the darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.” This hit home for me.
Just as I wish I’d been there to protest about mining that beautiful coral reef in Sri Lanka so my grandchildren could enjoy it as much as I did, I’m now taking sides with the Sioux at Standing Rock and saying let’s take care of this planet for the health and happiness of everyone not just the wealth of a few.
Now, take a look at the Right Hand column (or below if you’re on a mobile phone) to learn more about our upcoming classes, events and special offers >>>>
Have a great week,
Warm Regards,
Alison Burton
Health and Happiness Guru
Simply Natural Therapies
41 Tunstall Square
East Doncaster
VIC 3109
03 9842 7033
info@simplynaturaltherapies.com.au
www.simplynaturaltherapies.com.au