Tag Archives: essential oils

The Road to 65, Mile 253: Auspicious Days

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Posted by on in Personal goals, Social

August 8, 2015, Granite Dells- I spent the greater part of this afternoon at Heaven on Earth B & B, in this lushest area of greater Prescott.  Friends Happy and John had their first event since the Illumine Film Festival, in May (which I missed, having been in Reno at the time.)  It was the first of three Launch Parties, by Green Living Magazine, a monthly eco-friendly living publication, out of Phoenix.  I went over, after two different friends mentioned it to me, independently; the second having followed me through Prescott Public Library, specifically to let me know of the event.

So, always glad to head out to the Dells, I drove over, after first checking out the Mountain Arts and Crafts Fair and a performance by a quintet of young ladies, playing violins and fiddles. The afternoon was then spent with presentations by various advocates of healthy living, from GMO-Free Prescott and Slow Food, to which I belong, to an essential oils distributor.  John sang, gently and sincerely, of “The Golden Age” and the powerful local artist, Celia, lent her rousing voice to the mood of the day- with three amazing songs.

One of the points which Happy made, during her emcee moments, was that today is  a triple treat:  8 8 8. This is how it has worked, since 2010:  March 3, of that year, was 3 3 3,  because if one adds 2+1, one gets 3, so 2+0++1+0 = 3.  April 4, 2011, thus sums up as 4 4 4, and so on, through December 12, 2019, which will be 12 12 12.

I have felt the “double dates” to be auspicious enough, from January 1 to December 12.  New Year’s Day is special for many people, just because of the sense of a new beginning.  We will dispense with 2/2, as some sort of prognosticatory event and note that some thawing starts, in some places, around that time. 10/10 is a National Day for Taiwan, commemorating the day when the revolt of the Chinese people against the corrupt Regent of the Realm, and his underlings, first got traction, resulting in the abdication, four months later, of the pre-teenaged Emperor, Pu Yi, in favour of Gen. Yuan Shi Kai. Yuan’s Nationalist Party eventually established what is now the Republic of China, on Taiwan. (Yes, Dr. Sun Yat-sen was the first elected President of China, but politics is complicated, and the Army stood in Dr. Sun’s way.)

The double dates most special to me are 6/6, the day that Penny and I were married (eighteen months, to the day, after we first met), and 7/7, the day that Aram was born.  I’ve often speculated as to whether some other double date will be special in my life, but now I think that might be rather gluttonous on my part. I will always treasure the two days, in mid-year, which have defined my adulthood.

Now I look to the task of viewing every day as auspicious.

The Road to 65, Mile 92: Balance

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Posted by on in Personal goals, Social

February 28, 2015, Prescott-  Over the past several days, we Baha’is have been participating in Ayyam-i-Ha, the gift-giving days signaling the approach of our liturgical year’s end.  We then will fast for the final month of the year, at least those of us who are between the ages of 15-70, and whose physical circumstances do not pose a risk to health.

During this time, people have indulged in a bit of fol-de-rol, online, regarding a certain multi-coloured dress.  I’ve weighed in on the matter, tongue in cheek, and see no harm in such activities.  All the same, the heinousness of many, around the world, also continues.  Angry, misanthropic men indulged themselves in the wanton destruction of ancient treasures, in a museum of Mosul, Iraq, much as they savage Christian and Muslim alike, in the territories unfortunate enough to have fallen under their control.  The same process repeats itself in northern Nigeria, western Myanmar and pockets of the resurgent nation of Somalia.   No one in those places is safe.

Here at home, a human monster is using a motor vehicle as a weapon, aiming it at other drivers, striking their parked vehicles and generally trying to instill fear in a peaceful neighbourhood, towards God knows what end.

Every community has to deal with the unbalanced.  For me, it is well that I have personal faith and its various avenues towards achieving balance in my life.  I am grateful for my friends and family, for the essential oils and organic foods that have kept me out of harm’s way, physically, over the past year or two. It’s a tough row to hoe, being mildly autistic yet capable of holding positions of responsibility and, most importantly, being able to see other people’s point of view.

The Hopi world view was presented, nearly thirty years ago, in a film entitled “Qoyaniqatsi”, or “World Out of Balance”.  Man’s departure from the world of nature was a central theme of this film.  Nature, by itself, struggles to maintain balance, and by itself is generally successful in that regard.  Humankind can maintain balance, in itself and with nature, only by following physical and natural laws, of which “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is the most basic.  To achieve and maintain balance, one must feel connected with all things.

It is the disconnect that many have felt, for some time, that underlies the savagery we see, continuously, in so much of the world.  There are no easy answers to resolving the rage of Islamic State, Boko Haram, the Burmese Buddhist extremists, al-Shabab or any of the bullies who who cause distress, to a lesser extent, in communities around the Earth.  There is, however, a slow process of regeneration taking place, simultaneous to the destruction.  Balance will be restored, and in one state of being (physical or spiritual), each of us will see it.

The Road to 65, Mile 55: Challenges

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Posted by on in Hiking and Nature, Personal goals, Social, Travel

January 22, 2015, Prescott- I got a call at 5:38 AM, got out of bed, fumbled with the phone, hit the wrong button, and ended up with no work today.  It always goes the way it is supposed to go, though.  While I won’t earn money from today’s activities, I did reassure a transient friend that he has allies in this community, got him where he needed to go, and spent some time with a friend in Prescott Valley, at a restaurant on the north side of the sprawling town.  The place is called The Chalk Board.  It’s a breakfast and lunch spot and has an inventive, well-prepared menu- like Soldi, here on the hilltop.  Several of us will probably gather there on Saturday morning, for breakfast.  I want to look for the trailhead where I left off of the Black Canyon Trail, last Spring, so a hearty breakfast, en route, will be a great start.

Slow days like this are a good time to look at challenges that lie ahead.  So, between now and the end of May, I have these:

Work- The full-time job will happen, if it’s meant to, by the end of February.  Otherwise, I will show up at every charter school in Prescott and Chino Valley, give them each a copy of my sub certificate, focus on building my Essential Oils business (which I’ll do, anyway) and sock money away.

Service- I am with the Red Cross as a volunteer, regardless.  American Legion? My continuing there, past May, will depend on the political climate.  Right now, it looks iffy.  Prescott Family Shelter is on my volunteer radar screen, also, unless I get full-time work.

Recreation and Travel- Colorado, next weekend, is my most immediate focus- for a  Winter Summit.  Texas, the Gulf Coast and central Florida follow, from Feb. 6-17.  My MIL has a birthday during that time, in Leesburg.  Weekend hikes will be many, from mid-February until late May:  Continuing down the Black Canyon, McDowell Mountains’ Pemberton Trail(Scottsdale), Spur Cross Ranch (Cave Creek),Kendrick Peak (west of Flagstaff), Tucson’s Sahuaro National Park-West Unit, a few more places in Sedona and the rest of Tonto Natural Bridge State Park’s trails.  Then, there are the hikes I will no doubt take, on the spur of the moment.

Faith- Baha’i, like random acts of service, makes up the built-in cabinets and shelving of my Life House.  My growth, and that of the community, will continue in tandem with all of the above.

These may seem like trifling challenges, and they are.  Then again, I’m autistic.  Everything is a challenge.

The Road to 65, Mile 20: Now, Then

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Posted by on in Hiking and Nature, Personal goals, Social, Travel

December 18, 2014, Prescott-   I found out, early this morning, that someone had pushed the wrong button, in the course of my last financial transaction.  The deposit which should have been posted yesterday, never made it.  This will slightly alter my spiritual journey to western New Mexico, which I had planned on starting Friday night.  No matter, I will get a good night’s sleep here, and most likely be able to set out on Saturday morning.

Zuni, where Penny and I first met, in December, 1980, is first on my itinerary. El Morro National Monument, near there, is next, and I will head, in succession, to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, where we went crane watching, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument and Silver City, which we wanted to visit, but never did, Cochise Stronghold (one of my favourite meditation spots), and Tucson, where a few friends await.

Christmas weekend will find me at the Grand Canyon Baha’i Conference, where I have spent each of the past twenty-two years, save 1997.  It is a good place for spiritual regeneration, and coming on the heals of my time in the forests of western New Mexico and the serene desert near Vail and Avra Valley, it represents a double dose.  Of course, the crowds at GCBC are large, but I draw energy from the youth, and regard many of them as friends.  I have watched so many grow up from infancy, in the time I’ve been back in Arizona.  Now, they are taking on the world, on their own terms.

I sat down this morning with several of the Red Cross Disaster Response Team members, with whom I would be working, if chosen for the position mentioned earlier.  There is a plethora of detail to be worked out, each time a disaster happens.  Good thing there is no ‘I’ in team.  I have had a lot of practice, these past two years, both here and in Europe, in being an effective member of a team handling somewhat chaotic emergencies.  There is a reason for everything.

This evening gave me an hour’s worth of study on Essential Oils, vis-a-vis women’s health issues.  It is also going to come in handy, and this area was not something with which I had much familiarity, until now. That goes to show, in this day and age, an old dog had best learn new tricks, and skills, without hesitation.

Thankfulness

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Posted by on in Personal goals

 November 27,2014, San Diego- Buddha essentially instructed His followers to “want what you have”. Thankfulness for what already is, I have found, is also a springboard to the greater.  I can look back on 2014, and look around at what is right in front of me, in recounting my blessings.  As my sixty-fourth year winds to close, and I start the long countdown to Birthday 65, on Nov. 28, 2015, I give thanks for these:

A healthy, vibrant 26-year-old son, who has proven, time and again, that parenthood is one of the best investments of time, energy and resources that a person can ever make.

A body which, while looking every bit of its 64 years, nonetheless keeps up with the challenges I face-and craves more physical activity, in the form of hiking and my exercise regiment at Planet Fitness.

Having discovered  essential oils.  Not only have they helped overcome what few health challenges I have faced, over the past year, (most recently including a visit from Senor Streptococcus), but they are a vehicle for me to share holistic health practices with others, almost on a daily basis.

Having such a vibrant network of family and friends, both online and in real time.  We spent maybe two hours on the phone today, all told, and spoke with each of my siblings, my two sisters-in-law and both mothers.  I’m sure my dear soul mate and our Dads were listening in, from the other side of the fence.

Having had a wealth of enriching experiences this past year: Hiking in places like Seven Falls in Tucson; Bill Williams Mountain; Cave Creek and parts of the Black Canyon National Recreation Trail; touring Kartchner Caverns; being on Utah Beach, Normandy, on the 70th anniversary of D-Day; visiting the ruins of the church where my paternal ancestors were baptized, in Rouen, France; paying homage to St. Jeanne d’Arc, at the sites of her imprisonment and immolation; seeing several of the great sites in Paris, Mont St. Michel,  Amiens, Brussels, Brugge, Ghent, Luxembourg, Heidelberg and Frankfurt; paying respects to the heroes of the Battle of the Bulge, in Bastogne; getting the chilling reminder of my late father-in-law’s wartime suffering, while visiting the ruins of the POW camp, where he was held prisoner, in Berga, Germany; enjoying 1 1/2 days in Honolulu; sailing from that lovely city to San Diego, aboard my son’s ship and two trips to San Diego and other parts of southern California, besides.

Feeling ever more confirmed in my faith, and seeing how Baha’i helps those who place trust in God transcend the urge to conform to the prevailing sentiments of our larger society- Materialism, nationalism, racism and outmoded traditions.  The journey of the spirit is an endless one, and I feel like I’m just getting started, even after the passage of 33 years as a Baha’i.

The year ahead is looking to be equally busy and fulfilling; stay tuned.

Homefront Musings

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Posted by on in Personal goals, Social

November 17, 2014, Prescott- So, eleven days remain of one of the most productive years I’ve ever had.  2014 rates with 1972, 1982 and 1996, as years when I got enough things right, that the screw-ups and missteps that have sometimes threatened to define me, became mere background noise.  I won’t sum the year up, in terms of specifics, just yet.  That gets done on my birthday, which, as happens every so often, falls on Black Friday.

I don’t observe Black Friday, as I seldom visit shopping malls.  I barely observe Cyber Monday, and then, mainly to get gifts I wouldn’t dream of letting go unbought.  Most of my purchases will be from “Mom and Pop” stores, anyway:  Peregrine Books, Arcosanti Gift Shop, The Honeyman, Sam Hill Warehouse, Shannon’s Gourmet Deli.  Cerebral and muse-inspired trump the wan material.

I have been indulging a month-long Facebook campaign to post themed photos.  Today’s was “Cooking”, so I showed a quick dish:  Punjabi Curry, with Hot Portuguese Sausage.

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Most of my days, of late, have been spent either in a classroom, or trying to preserve a school in which I have worked, on several occasions, for the past three years.  It escapes me that more energy is expended in securing funds for a new jail than for keeping schools open.  I understand they are funded from different sources, but it is still the result of the same misplaced thinking.

It’s cold, by Prescott standards- went down to 14, last night.   This afternoon, I drove a homeless man around, trying to find him shelter.  He settled on a place where he felt comfortable, and could be in out of the cold at least.  I found myself in that situation only once in my life, and couch-surfed in my cousin’s living room, just for a day or so.  That was many years ago, in the dead of a Maine winter.  Fortune led me to several months with a rambunctious, but caring, blended family of adults, young and old.

Any encounter with the disadvantaged reinforces just how well I have it now.  Physically, I’m alone, but my eternal love is always watching, and sending message waves.  Financially, I’m not wealthy, but I’m out of debt and living carefully in a cash economy.   Health-wise, regular exercise, daily use of essential oils, and good sleep habits keep me going, so at nearly 64, I don’t look a day over 62!  Socially, I have a varied network of friends, both online and real-time, and have been meeting new friends constantly.  I don’t go into a friendship with expectations, so the flow is amazing in its depth and width.

Each day, whether at home or on the road, seems to bring far greater opportunities for growth than I would have expected in the darkness of 2011. Let this remain the way.

A Gleaming Citadel: A Journey to Salt Lake City, Part III

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Posted by on in Travel

Sept. 19-20, 2014-  Lunch hours at the the convention ran two hours.  On Friday, this gave me the chance to revisit Temple Square, home to the grand edifices and garden of the Mormon Faith.  The health systems and personal health regimen espoused by the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are the impetus to the essential oils movement.  So, although I follow another Faith (Baha’i) which prescribes strict adherence to healthy life practices, I am very appreciative of the Mormons’ dedication to a better world.

I first visited these buildings in 1999, during an educational seminar at the University of Utah. I got to engage a few people in the Tabernacle Visitors’ Center about spiritual matters, but did not photograph the complex.  On the latest visit, I was able to enter the Salt Lake City Tabernacle and the Tabernacle Chapel, but, as is customary, I did not enter the Mormon Tabernacle itself.

Here are some views of the sights in Temple Square. The first is the Tabernacle Chapel, approached from the west.

SAM_2806 Upon entering Temple Square, the first sight is the excellent Genealogical Research Center, open to all.

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The Mormon Tabernacle stands on the northeast quadrant of the complex, and carries its share of majesty.

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The Tabernacle Chapel is open to visitors, and young people serving their mission to the Church serve as hosts and guides.  A couple of young women from Taiwan were hosts on the day I visited.

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I next strolled the garden, before taking a brief look inside Salt Lake City Tabernacle, a domed structure, which houses the headquarters of the local LDS community.

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Most of the statues in the garden are esoteric to the theology of the Mormon Faith.  This statue of a Utah pioneer, however, speaks to the striving of many, regardless of Faith.

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This is the exterior of Salt Lake City Tabernacle.

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Here is its interior, similar to, but slightly larger than, the Chapel.

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There were many other visitors during this lunch period, including several of my fellow Conventioneers, but it was a serene and peaceful visit. Regardless of one’s personal creed, an appreciation of the gifts offered by such as the Mormons benefits everyone.

NEXT:  The Utah State Capitol and adjoining buildings

The Sheer Essentials: A Journey to Salt Lake City, Part II

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Posted by on in Personal goals, Travel

September 18-20, 2014-  The Salt Palace, and Energy Solutions Arena (home of the Utah Jazz, are imposing, spacious edifices.  We were able to switch from one venue to the other, on alternating days, this year.  Next year, both structures will be used simultaneously, for each day of the Convention.

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I started off the day with a lovely breakfast of Swedish pancakes, stuffed with lingonberries, and sausage patties.  Coffee was bracing and delicious.  Though Utah is not known as a haven for coffee drinkers, or alcoholic beverage drinkers, for that matter, I had no trouble getting a satisfying cup of joe, nor did anyone desiring a nip or three seem to have to go without.  Coachmans Diner and Pancake House is a large, clean establishment, with hearty meals throughout the day and evening.

The sessions on Days 1 &2 stressed the importance this company attaches to our voluntary adherence to safe preparation and use of essential oils.  What makes these products Certified Therapeutic Grade is the total lack of additives in all our offerings.  Here are some caveats:  Parents using the oils on their children need to exercise common sense.  Oils like oregano and peppermint, being harsh, need to be cut with coconut oil, before being given to people, such as children and seniors, with sensitive constitutions.  Check the label, and if the oil is supposed to be used TOPICALLY, do NOT take  it ORALLY.  More is not better; too much of an oil will counteract the desired effect.  

The free market is a good thing, for essential oils, as well as most other products.  No matter what brand you use, do exercise due diligence in your purchase.  I, for one, will always vet my product, to make sure it’s worthwhile for the customer.  Our mantra is:  The long-term goal of essential oils use is WELLNESS. Essential oils are not snake oils.

Coming back from lunch on Thursday, I spotted a robotic plane (not a drone), controlled by a hand-held remote, coming in for a landing outside Salt Palace.  No innocent bystanders were either scared or hurt in the lunch-time festivities.SAM_2831 Nearby, there is also the pleasant-looking Maurice Abravenel Music Hall.

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Salt Lake City spares no expense in providing cultural enrichment to the citizenry.  In 1857, Devereaux House was built, as a literary salon and public meeting place.  It remains an historic site, open to reserved, guided tours.

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Day 3 was another series of product demonstrations and celebrations of individual and collective personal achievements. This is as good a place as any to hone one’s self-sufficiency and health & wellness skills.

Here are a supply of prizes, a parade of hard working oils consultants, and a Youth Choir providing the closing songs.  It was a solid three days of instruction for those like me, who are not always brimming with good business sense.

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Next, I will close with scenes from visits to Temple Square and Utah’s own Capitol Hill.

Navajo Tacos, Urban Nomads and Essential Oils- A Journey to Salt Lake City: Part One

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Posted by on in Personal goals, Travel

September 17-20, 2014– There are a number of interests which have presented themselves to me, in the past three years.  The latest such is the wellness-inducing power of essential oils, when used properly.  Let’s be clear:   Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils can, and do, relieve many conditions.  They cannot be said to cure communicable, or progressive-degenerative diseases.  With that said, I share some snippets of my recent attendance at a business convention, in Salt Lake City.

I set out around 10 AM, on September 17, with the goal of getting up to Salt Lake by 10 PM.  The first stop, for lunch at Cameron Trading Post, about 50 miles north of Flagstaff, brought me back to an old stomping ground.  I worked in the Tuba City Public Schools for five years, in the early 1980’s.  We had several visits to Cameron, an interesting Navajo crafts center situated on a bluff above the Little Colorado River and always enjoyed the traditional dishes available at the restaurant there.  It has become a favourite stop for busloads of retirees, as well.  On this day, there were seventy people in a group ahead of me, so I moved to the side of the scrum that was closest to the Host’s station, and got him to seat me at a table by the west wall. Time was a factor.

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The interior of the dining room, in which I enjoyed a “fill-you for the day” Navajo taco, is preserved from its Victorian-era beginnings. Not wanting to disturb other patrons during their lunch, I took these shots of the wall near my table,and of the glass ceiling- one occasion when that term is not offensive.  By the way, a Navajo taco is a hybrid dish, using fry bread (itself devised by enterprising Native Americans of various tribes, as a use for the worm-shot flour given them as ration, during the 19th Century.), pinto beans, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and shredded Cheddar cheese, with salsa or hot sauce available on the side. Some people add ground beef to their tacos; the Navajos usually do not.

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I made it through the northern Arizona and Utah back country, not stopping, save for a picnic supper from my cooler, at the Hoovers Rest Area, north of Panguitch, UT.  The area was deserted, save for me and a skittish deer, which took off as I got out of the car.  There is a small restaurant and store across the road, but I ate my fill of my own stock, and kept going.

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As you can see, Utah has lots of beauty, and I will be back in the intervening areas, over the course of the next two years or so.  Salt Lake City continued to beckon, though, and I drove on, arriving at 9:30 PM.  I settled into a cheap motel on South Hwy 89.  It turned out to be owned by fellow members of the Baha’i Faith, and I was warmly welcomed, and was safe among the urban nomads who reside there.  There were conflicts between a few of the people, which were resolved by the Baha’is getting the contending parties to sit down and talk it out, rather than having to get police intervention.  Nobody was anything but kind to me, though.

The first session of the convention began bright and early on Thursday morning, and included some Samoan fire dancers in performance.

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Considering that Salt Palace was host to upwards of 18,000 people, I was quite happy to have even this vantage point.  The overriding message was clear:  The translation from Mandarin was “God helps he who help himself”.  This was how I was raised, and it is a major tenet of the company.  I will have more to say about the oils, in Part 2 of this series.