High Mesa Happenings & Heartstrings

A Soothing, Summer Voyage into the Fantastic: a Must See

Summer is here! In past times, the car was loaded for a Summer vacation. Maybe not this year. We are watching that gas tank. Here is a proposal:

* secure a comfortable position in front of your screen

* rest your mind in knowing this trip will not add to pollution, road rage or stressors

* take a deep breath of anticipation

*  click Download FantasticTrip.pps, wait a couple of seconds,  enjoy!

(... and maybe you just get a still screen after clicking "open" in the dialog box; breath in; go to your taskbar, all the way down of your screen, to the right side and surf over the icons; click on the one that says: slideshow)

It's awsome!

Posted by NWH

DoSomething.org

 Barbara and friends of HMHC  support and encourage young people  (Peace Village) and causes which promote health today  and into future generations. Please take the time to read about Chad Bullock, a young Anti-Tobacco activist of North Carolina.  He took a leading part in making Durham Bulls Athletic Park a smoke-free park. Not a small feat in tobacco country !

"Chad Bullock, the 2006 South Regional Youth Advocate of the Year Award Winner, is currently one of the nine finalists in the Do Something Awards which will be presented as part of the FOX Teen Choice Awards show scheduled to air on August 5th. This contest honors amazing young people who have tackled a problem they saw in the world. Each finalist has been awarded $10,000 and the winner will receive an additional $100,000, all going to their favorite cause.

Chad has been nominated for his work as an Anti-tobacco activist and his youth advocacy work. He has trained 15,000 teens nationwide in developing an action plan, has led activists to make Durham Bulls Athletic Park smoke-free, and petitioned the Attorney General to sue cigarette companies targeting children.

But Chad needs our help to win. The winner is decided by an online vote. Voting is only open to 13-19 year olds so please ask your kids, neighbors, and other teens you know to vote for Chad. They can vote once each day. If Chad wins, his $100,000 prize will go to an organization working against Big Tobacco, making Chad’s win not only a great achievement for himself, but also a win for the lives it will help save. "

Click Do Something to hear Chad and the news media speak of the project.

Voting is only open to 13-19 year olds so please ask your kids, neighbors, and other teens you know to vote for Chad. Please go get the teenagers you to know and ask them to VOTE NOW for Chad!

Thank you for sharing the news, links and clicks for a smoke-free choice!

Posted by NWH

No More Plastic!

Enough plastic bags!  Or at least, lets use and re-use them with safe disposal in mind.

Barbara and friends of HMHC are concerned about how plastic bags are carelessly spread around the world, killing and damaging with a magnitude difficult to imagine from kitchens or grocery stores.

I remember when i lived in Europe several years back, I used to get a few free plastic bags from the supermarket to bag a whole lotof stuff. Stuff was overflowing and bags breaking well before arriving to the car. Then when people asked for more plastic bags at the check-out counters, markets started to charge for them. People grunted. Finally, i remember one day they were not available anymore, and my stuff went un-bagged from the cart into the trunk. Most markets at that time cut them off not so much out of environmental concern but mostly to reduce costs. No matter. It did help the environment. Most important however is that my stuff made it home safe without being wrapped, and wrapped and re-wrapped in plastic. It did not bother me that my stuff came unwrapped. But then, i did grow up in a country where people carried  bread under their armpit! Well. There is a middle ground between over-wrapping stuff and carrying food under the armpit: and that is, -drum roll, please, a re-usable bag. Let's do it! Please click Download Plastic_Bags.pdf to view what plastic bags do to the planet and join those who are responsible shoppers and environment conscious citizens. Thank you.

The picture is from reusablebags.com which has a counter running, showing how many plastic bags are consumed this year. Wow!

 

 

 

 

Posted by NWH

 

 

 

New ITP Group Forming

New Group Forming …

 

"Whatever your age, your upbringing, your education; what you are made of is mostly unused potential."

- G. Leonard

 

A new, local group interested in personal development, community involvement and establishing a long-term practice will be accepting new members for a minimum six month commitment at High Mesa Healing Center (HMHC). We are looking for interested participants eager to commit to a fun, working group that will start on July 14th, 2008 and grow into a close knit community. As of June 16th, you may drop- in to our current group and learn more about our ITP practice and how it will benefit your life.

The practice is based upon Michael Murphy's (Esalen Institute cofounder) and George Leonard's (human potential explorer and author) development of an Integral Transformative Practice (ITP).

 

What is Integral Transformative Practice (ITP)? 

 

ITP is a long-term program initiated at Esalen Institute for realizing greater success, health, and fulfillment in our lives and for realizing the full potential of body, mind, heart and soul in the life we are given.

The practice is INTEGRAL in that it deals with the body (through exercise and eating habits), the mind (by reading and discussing books and articles concerning human potential), the heart (through group process and community activities, and the soul (via meditation and imaging).

The practice is TRANSFORMATIVE in that it is aimed at measurable, positive individual change in body and being.

It is a PRACTICE in that it involves long-term, regular, disciplined actions which are of value to the individual irrespective of any specific short-term external rewards. In other words, these actions and activities are of intrinsic value and demonstrate improved quality of life and nurture tangible human growth.

 

What we need from you:

 

Early participation! If you are looking to make a desired change, enrich your personal life or become more community oriented, pick up a copy of THE LIFE WE ARE GIVEN by M. Murphy and G. Leonard (ISBN# 0-87477-792-5) and join our discussion now. We are meeting every week on Monday evenings from 6-8PM. You can get more details by contacting VILLAGE WELLNESS at 258-2258.

 

 

"Body and mind reflect and influence each other with amazing fidelity." - G. Leonard

 

 

A cairn or (Irish carn) is an artificial pile of stones, often in a conical form. They are usually found in  uplands, on moorlands,  on mountaintops or near waterways. (Wikipedia)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by NWH

 

 

A Global Wave: One World, One Circle, One Cause

We all live on the same planet. We all are connected the same. We all long for the same.

Thank you Ginny and Kate for sharing this opportunity. Please watch the video below, then let's do it, on June the 18th at 7:00pm !

 "Such an easy thing to do. Send love and joy and healing to the earth and all living things at 7:00pm in whatever time zone you're in."

Posted by NWH

On Peace

Jane B-Y sent us words on Peace by Oscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdamez, known as Monsenor Romero, Archbishop of El Salvador. Witnessing ongoing violations of human rights in his country, he started a group speaking on behalf of the poor and victims during the civil war in El Salvador. He was assassinated in 1980 during a sermon, by a death squad. The movie Salvador by Oliver Stone renders the political stage around the life of Monsenor Romero and on the Civil War of El Salvador.

"Peace  is not the product of terror or fear.
Peace is not the silence of cemeteries.
Peace is not the silent result of violent repression.
Peace is the tranquil contribution of all to the good of all.
Peace is dynamism,
Peace is generosity,
It is right and it is duty."

Among others, Jane has included this photo (Bakersfield, CA,) titled "The Day when God dropped the Paintbox".

Sometimes, looking at beautiful colors of nature helps me to gratefully be still.

NWH 

Kids, We hear you !

Here is good news!  We hear you, Kids!   (See preceding blog post:The Girl Who Silenced the World for 5 Minutes)

Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council, writes to HMHC: 

"Celebrate our Arctic Victory! I'm thrilled to report that we just won an important interim victory in our long-term campaign to block Big Oil from drilling in Alaska's spectacular Western Arctic Reserve, one of NRDC's endangered BioGems.

 Thanks to your support, most of the Teshekpuk Lake region -- one of the most important tundra-wetland ecosystems left on our planet -- will not be opened to oil and gas development for at least 10 years.

 This victory is particularly sweet because we fended off the Bush Administration's plan to hand over this natural treasure to Big Oil before it leaves office next January.

Next, we will focus our campaign on Congress, in support of legislation to permanently protect this world-class wildlife habitat."

Visit the NRDC BioGems to find out how and where NRDC works to Save Endangered Wild Places and/or contact Frances Beinecke at biogemsdefenders@savebiogems.org .

Photos from http://www.savebiogems.org/westernarctic/

 

Posted by NWH

Amazing Striped Icebergs

I like Nature. I spent most of my 3 first years of my life outside, almost all day long and well into a night a lot of times. Don't ask, it's my story.  After these former years, it often has been a challenge to be drawn into cultures where nature seems to have become a stage backdrop or a prey to satisfy personal needs. I can't do it. I have to live with Nature: feel, see, touch, smell, nurture with it. Doing so allows me to practice awe,  respect and gratitude in my life. I like that.

Thank you Jane B-Y for sharing the below wonder of Nature.

Amazing striped icebergs

Icebergs in the Antarctic area sometimes have stripes, formed by layers of snow that react to different conditions. Blue stripes are often created when a crevice in the ice sheet fills up with melted water and freezes so quickly that no bubbles form. When an iceberg falls into the sea, a layer of salty seawater can freeze to the underside. If this is rich in algae, it can form a green stripe. Brown, black and yellow lines are caused by sediment, picked up when the ice sheet grinds downhill towards the sea.

To see more colored and shaped icebergs, go to

Australian Antarctic Division.

Enjoy.

Posted by NWH

Soul Sisters by Linda

Linda has sent us several of her poems, some of  which have appeared in the HMHC Newsletter and others on this blog, the High Mesa Happenings & Heartstrings.

I like these poems of precisely chosen words, yet of a diaphanous quality inviting readers to give them a unique interpretation. Thank you Linda for sharing.

Soul Sisters

Silent sentinels of light

Holding me up

With higher frequencies

When I sway

In the breezes of life

With stormy skies

Dark, cold days

Indecision ice

That encases my heart

With morbid fingers

That stab and plunge

Me into fright

Anger and judgment

Their quiet warmth

Thaws my core

Cracks the abandoned

Aloneness of my prison

Through kindness and love

Opening the padlock

I have placed on my heart

As I perceive the harmony

Of life encircle my being

Rhythm of intention

Blossoms with breath

Perceptive, accepting

That I am growing

In spite of winter

Budding with promise

And nourishment

From soul sisters

Linda Grau Powell

April 28, 2008

Posted by NWH

On HMHC Peace Village Camp: from Barbara

Peace Village

"If we are to attain real peace in this world we have to begin with the children." Mahatma Gandhi

Peace Village is a day camp for kids ages 7-13 held annually at High Mesa Healing Center located in Alto, New Mexico. This year the dates are July 21- 25; 9:00 am - 3:30 pm daily. This is our fifth year to host PV. Our focus is to teach kids about non-violent conflict resolution in all situations, while giving them tools to be at peace within themselves. The teachers are made up of young adults that have been team leaders in previous years and adults that have also been involved in Peace Village. This year we have a special treat for the day campers; three mornings will be spent at the Ruidoso Equine Center interacting with the horses.  Kids are our wonderful future and we feel they need to be nurtured and taught to be aware of the world around them, as well as self awareness.

Our classes will consist of non-violent conflict resolution (tools for handling various situations peacefully), nutrition (tools for knowing how to take care of their bodies), recycling/caring for the earth and media literacy (tools to decipher marketing and other information thrown at them daily).

These are the words from one of our teachers:

" Four years stand between who I am now and who I was when I started working with Peace Village at the 2004 inaugural camp at High Mesa Healing Center. (This was the first in New Mexico) A soon-to-be-high school senior then, I had little experience working with kids and even less experience teaching kids about peace.

  I can confidently say that week so long ago defined who I am to this very day. I have just finished my junior year at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. During my first two years at Reed I reflected on those times I had at Peace Village and decided I wanted to become a teacher. I have since taught the non-violent conflict resolution curriculum the last two Peace Village camps, and I will be returning to Ruidoso in July to teach at our fifth camp.

  But of course, the most important aspect of Peace Village is the connection we make with the kids. My first year, I met a thirteen-year-old, a boy who came to us to work off some community service he had (for some reason unknown to us) already accrued in middle school. He was surly, he had some problems at home and he just wasn't opening up to us. By the end of the week, he managed to crack a smile or two.

  It was the next year, when he came back to us, that he really began to shine. Since he was older than the other kids, I asked him if he wanted to be my assistant age-group leader. He obliged, and with this new responsibility, he became a mentor to the other kids. We invited him to eat lunch with the staff, where he hung out with the other teen volunteers. Though none of us have seen him since, we know that he will remember his two weeks he spent with us, because we took the time to make a connection with him. I believe that he felt genuinely cared about by everyone he worked with.

  Peace Village teaches students about non-violence, about how to resolve conflicts, about taking care of oneself and one's neighbors, about getting along with nature, and most importantly, about building community. Peace Village unites children from Ruidoso, Alto, Capitan, Mescalero, and even Roswell and Las Cruces with each other and with caring adults and teenagers from the community. Many of our volunteers have been with Peace Village more than one year, some as many as all four! Some of the children who have gone through all four years with us are now returning as volunteers for the fifth. Peace Village works to build community and support youth, we invite you to join us in this project and help us continue our mission and strengthen our program we love so much. "

It does indeed take a village to raise a child and this village has stepped forward to this call on behalf of our children. Several restaurants donate meals for the volunteers every year for which we are most grateful. Many have given scholarships so that all children may have the experience of Peace Village As we grow and expand there are even more ways to be of service in this community building process.

If you feel so moved to become a part of this in anyway please contact Kaylah Glasgow, Director at 937-0876, or Barbara Mader at 336-7777.

Posted by NWH