Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Exploring the Buddha


"If you want others to be happy, Practice compassion.

If you want to be happy, Practice compassion."

- His Holiness The Dalai Lama



I came across this posting on the gumtree website about a BuddhistMeditation Group in Coventry. So I went along last night to see what it was all about, as for a long time I have been interested in a more Eastern philosophical view on life.

I bought a book while I was in Cape Town in September (at the Obs holistic fair) and I was not quite sure why I was just drawn to it, but I just bought it anyway, figuring its use will be revealed to me later. Its called Pure Land Pure Mind: The Buddhism of Masters Chu-hung and Tsung-pen and I have now started reading it as it goes hand in hand with the meditation groups that I will be going to from now on.


I thought I would share some information about Buddhism, the school of Buddhism that is followed and practised at the meditation classes is based on Tibetan Buddhism which can be briefly summarised as:


Tibetan Buddhism - formerly also called Lamaism, after their religious gurus known as lamas - is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and the Himalayan region. It is a multifaceted and integrated teaching, naturally implementing methods for all human-condition levels: Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana (Tantric Path) and Ati Yoga.


The monk that leads us in the mediation class was taught at The Jamyang Centre, which is a centre for meditation and the study of Tibetan Buddhism in the heart of London. Since its establishment in 1978, our main aims are to provide Buddhist teachings to everyone interested, and to develop local community services. Jamyang is the Tibetan name for the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, and the name of our meditation and study centre in the centre of London. Another translation of the word Jamyang (or Manjushri in Sanskrit) is Gentle Voice. For more info, visit http://www.jamyang.co.uk/


Some Buddhism FAQ's


Who is the Buddha? What are the Three Jewels? What is the essence of the Buddha’s teachings? Why are there many Buddhist traditions? What are the various Buddhist traditions? What does the imagery in tantric art mean? What is the purpose of reciting mantras?


Who is the Buddha?



There are many ways to describe who the Buddha is, according to different ways of understanding . These various interpretations have their sources in the Buddha’s teachings.
One way is to see the historical Buddha who lived 2,500 years ago as a human being who cleansed his mind of all defilements and developed all his potential. Any being who does likewise is also considered a Buddha, for there are many Buddhas, not just one.


Another way is to understand a particular Buddha or Buddhist deity as omniscient mind manifesting in a certain physical aspect in order to communicate with us.


Yet another way is to see the Buddha -- or any of the enlightened Buddhist deities -- as the appearance of the future Buddha that we will become once we properly and completely have engaged in the path to cleanse our mind of defilements and develop all our potentials.


What are the Three Jewels?



The Three Jewels are the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Buddha is one who has purified all the defilements of the mind the afflictive emotions, the imprints of the actions motivated by them, and the stains of these afflictive emotions and who has developed all good qualities, such as impartial love and compassion, wisdom knowing all existence, and skillful means of guiding others.


The Dharma embodies the preventive measures which keep us from problems and suffering. This includes the teachings of the Buddha, as well as the realizations of those teachings the cessations of problems and their causes, and the realizations or paths which lead to those cessations.


The Sangha are those beings who have direct non-conceptual perception of emptiness or ultimate truth. On a relative level, Sangha also refers to the ordained people who put the Buddha’s teachings into practice.


The Dharma is our real refuge, the medicine we take which cures our problems and their causes. The Buddha is like the doctor, who correctly diagnoses the cause of our problems and prescribes the appropriate medicine. By assisting us in the practice, the Sangha is similar to the nurse who helps us take the medicine.


Taking refuge means that we rely wholeheartedly on the Three Jewels to inspire and guide us towards a constructive and beneficial direction to take in our life. Taking refuge does not mean passively hiding under the protection of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Rather, it is an active process of taking the direction they show and improving the quality of our life.


What is the essence of the Buddha’s teachings?
Simply speaking, this is to avoid harming others and to help them as much as possible. Another way of expressing this is, Abandon negative action; create perfect virtue; subdue your own mind. This is the teaching of the Buddha. By abandoning negative actions (killing, etc.) and destructive motivations (anger, attachment, close-mindedness, etc.), we stop harming ourselves and others. By creating perfect virtue, we develop beneficial attitudes, like impartial love and compassion, and do actions motivated by these thoughts. By subduing our mind, we cut away all false projections, thus making ourselves calm and peaceful by understanding reality.


The essence of Buddha’s teachings is also contained in the three principles of the path: definite emergence, the dedicated heart and wisdom realizing emptiness. Initially, we seek definitely to emerge from the confusion of our problems and their causes. Then, we see that other people also have problems, and with love and compassion, we dedicate our heart to becoming a Buddha so that we are capable of helping others extensively. In order to do this, we develop the wisdom understanding the real nature of ourselves and other phenomena.

Why are there many Buddhist traditions?



The Buddha gave a wide variety of teachings because sentient beings (any being with mind who is not a Buddha, including those in other realms of existence) have different dispositions, inclinations and interests. The Buddha never expected us all to fit into the same mould. Thus, he gave many teachings and described various ways of practicing so each of us could find something that suits our level of mind and our personality.


With skill and compassion in guiding others, the Buddha turned the wheel of Dharma three times, each time setting forth a slightly different philosophical system in order to suit the various dispositions of sentient beings. The essence of all the teachings is the same: the wish definitely to emerge from the cycle of constantly recurring problems (samsara), compassion for others and the wisdom realizing selflessness.
Not everyone likes the same kind of food. When a huge buffet is spread before us, we choose the dishes that we like. There is no obligation to like everything. Although we may have a taste for sweets, that does not mean that the salty dishes are not good and should be thrown away!
Similarly, we may prefer a certain approach to the teachings: Theravada, Pure Land, Zen, Vajrayana, and so on. We are free to choose the approach that suits us best and with which we feel the most comfortable. Yet we still maintain an open mind and respect for other traditions. As our mind develops, we may come to understand elements in other traditions that we failed to comprehend previously.


In short, whatever is useful and helps us live a better life, we practice, and whatever we do not yet understand, we leave aside without rejecting it.


While we may find one particular tradition best suited for our personality, do not identify with it in a concrete way: "I am a Mahayanist, you are a Theravadin," or "I am a Buddhist, you are a Christian." It is important to remember that we are all human beings seeking happiness and wanting to realize the truth, and we each must find a method suitable for our disposition.
However, keeping an open mind to different approaches does not mean to mix everything together at random, making our practice like chop suey.


Do not mix meditation techniques from different traditions together in one meditation session. In one session, it is better to do one technique. If we take a little of this technique and a little from that, and without understanding either one very well mix them together, we may end up confused. However, a teaching emphasized in one tradition may enrich our understanding and practice of another. Also, it is advisable to do the same meditations daily. If we do breathing meditation one day, chanting the Buddha's name the next, and analytical meditation the third, we will not make progress in any of them for there is no continuity in the practice.


What are the various Buddhist traditions?



Generally, there are two divisions: Theravada and Mahayana.
The Theravada lineage (Tradition of the Elders), which relies on sutras recorded in the Pali language, spread from India to Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, etc. It emphasizes meditation on the breath to develop concentration and meditation on mindfulness of the body, feelings, mind and phenomena in order to develop wisdom.


The Mahayana (Great Vehicle) tradition, based on the scriptures recorded in Sanskrit, spread to China, Tibet, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, etc. Although in the Theravadin practice love and compassion are essential and important factors, in the Mahayana they are emphasized to an even greater extent.

Within Mahayana, there are several branches: Pure Land emphasizes chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha in order to be reborn in His Pure Land; Zen emphasizes meditation to eliminate the noisy, conceptual mind; Vajrayana (Diamond Vehicle) employs meditation on a deity in order to transform our contaminated body and mind into the body and mind of a Buddha.


What does the imagery in tantric art mean?



Vajrayana deals a lot with transformation, and therefore, symbolism is widely used. There are representations of some deities, which are manifestations of the Buddha, that are expressing desire or wrath. The sexual imagery is not to be taken literally, according to worldly appearances. In Vajrayana, deities in sexual union represent the union of method and wisdom, the two aspects of the path that need to be developed in order to attain enlightenment. Wrathful deities are not monsters threatening us. Their wrath is directed toward ignorance and selfishness, which are our real enemies. This imagery, when properly understood, shows how desire and anger can be transformed and thereby subdued. It has deep meaning, far beyond ordinary lust and anger. We should not misinterpret it.


What is the purpose of reciting mantras?



Mantras are prescribed syllables to protect the mind. What we want to protect our mind from are attachment, anger, ignorance, and so on. When combined with the four opponent powers, mantra recitation is very powerful in purifying negative karmic imprints on our mindstream. While we recite mantras, we should also be thinking and visualizing in a beneficial way so that we are building up constructive habits in the mind. In the Vajrayana practice, mantras are recited in Sanskrit, rather than being translated into other languages. The reason for this is that there is a special beneficial energy or vibration that is induced by the sound of the syllables. While doing recitation, we can concentrate on the sound of the mantra, on its meaning, or on the accompanying visualizations that the master has taught.


Other links:


Love, Light and Buddha!!
Orangeblossom xxx

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Twisted Records 10th Anniversary Halloween Party

Last weekend, Jo and I went to the Twisted Records 10th Anniversary Halloween party at the Renaissance Rooms in Vauxhall, London.

After waiting 3 hours in the "non ticket holders" queue with Rob (he is in the photo above with the blue Scottish guy!), lady luck was on our side (randomly yet again!) and we met these people with extra tickets - halleluja!!

So we spent the night from about 11:45pm until 7am roaming about the rooms and checking out all the strange, wacky, weird, wonderful, crazy, gorgeous, scary, intriguing people and listening to all the thumping, pumping and jumping psy trance beats.

My favorite room was the butterfly garden room and also ID Spiral chill out - because the guy serving there sneaked us some cola (organic I assure you! Dare they have coca cola there!).

I was testing out my new digital camera and it shows - because some of the photos came our really trippy and blurry and unintentionally arty!

Had such an awesome and fun night with Jo - we always seem to just party so easily together! By the end of the night - or morning I should say - we were knackered and hopped on the morning tube.

I am off to London tomorrow and joining in the ICount Campaign Against Climate Chaos March to Trafalgar Square. I am marching with the students first to the American Embassy - should be fun!

Love and light Orangeblossom xxx

Another Day In Camden

Whenever I am down in London, I always try to sneak a visit to Camden - those of you who have been to London will know why. Those who havent - well I will not elaborate on the spectacle that awaits you in Camden Town.

Anyway, Jo and I went there a few weeks ago and had mint tea and apple hookah pipe at a Morrocan cafe called Marakesh and its so authentic and charming.


Also we went for a walk along the canal and it almost looks a bit like Amsterdam.

OB xxx

Sharon and Steve's Wedding Day

As promised before, here are some photos of Sharon and Steven's wedding in Falmouth at the end of September.

It was such a special day and I was so privaleged to be there and share in their magical moments.

The sun even made an appearance while we were on the beach so the photos came out so great.

All the very best to you Shazzy Lobelia Fairy Princess and your Hobbit Knight Steven - you truly a match made in angel heaven :)


OB xxx

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Having Faith in Faith


Sometimes I find myself riding so fast on my own wave on the universal thought superhighway, that when I do slow down or indeed stop, there is a silence or sorts. Like I get so consumed with just believing everything will be alright and staying focused on being positive, that I hardly ever stop to think that maybe things aren’t going to turn out as brightly as I may want or believe them to. And when I stop to analyse the situation or thought from a different perspective, I invariably get into an argument with myself (only in my head of course, just in case you were really starting to get worried about me!)

All this optimistic and positive thinking is a universal truth. The laws of attraction. What you think is what you project and that which you project, you will receive.

So I always try to have faith or keep faith or rather just to believe in Faith. Without it, I fear that its glue that binds my mortal shell will slowly fade and all that will remain is a whole lot of scattered pieces that cannot be puzzled back together.

So I guess I will just keep going along, believing that my faith, not luck, will not run out. And even if Winter does stay around a bit longer, Spring is always around the corner.

As a fan of JRR Tolkien, I have included a short poem that he once wrote…


All That is Gold Does Not Glitter

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.


Love, Light and Faith
Orangeblossom xxx

Quotes of my Moment(s)

Some quotes and sayings and expressions that reflect my mood of late…

“You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.” - Frederick Buechner

"What most people need to learn in life is how to love people and use things instead of using people and loving things." - Unknown

"We do not inherit the land, we borrow it from our children." - Native American saying

“Well, it seems to me that the best relationships - the ones that last - are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship. You know, one day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch has been flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is... suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with.” - Gillian Anderson (American actress (Dana Sculley-X Files)

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” - Anais Nin

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within." - Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

A Much Belated Update

Shooooooo......(as Skippy would declare!) I have not updated my blog in ages. Since coming back from Cape Town, its been pretty much a blur these last four weeks. I started university last month and slowly settling in to the whole student life and all. At times I find myself strolling along and I still cant quite believe that this will be my way of life for the next three or four years. I am sure there will be lots of change, growth, development, socialising and oh yes education of course! But so far so good, I could definately get used to this lifestyle.

Ok but I have been doing other things besides living the student life...I was at Sharon and Steven wedding in Falmouth, Cornwall a few weeks back. I am still waiting for the pictures to be sent to me, and then I will dedicate an entire blog posting on the very special event that I was so lucky to share in.

Last weekend I was down in London visting Jo, we went to Camden (but of course) and I scouted around for some bedroom decor. I am going back down at the beginning of November to join the Campaign Against Climate Chaos rally to Trafalgar Square. The students are marching or demonstrating to the US Embassy first - not even a month at uni and already I am participating in demonstrations and all that glorious stuff!!

Oh this weekend we are having a house party, apparently! Details and pictures to follow. Oh yes I bought a digital camera (Charlene you will be proud of me, how I have finally succumbed to the digital technology!!! haha) so once I get that all figured out, I will be posting more pics, lucky for you!

And other than that, no other news really, but will be making a more conscious effort to blog more frequently.

Until then, ta da and too da loo until next time.

Love and light Orangeblossom xxx

Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,and remember what peace there may be in silence.As far as possible without surrenderbe on good terms with all persons.Speak your truth quietly and clearly;and listen to others,even the dull and the ignorant;they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,they are vexations to the spirit.If you compare yourself with others,you may become vain and bitter;for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.Exercise caution in your business affairs;for the world is full of trickery.But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;many persons strive for high ideals;and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.Especially, do not feign affection.Neither be cynical about love;for in the face of all aridity and disenchantmentit is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,gracefully surrendering the things of youth.Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.Beyond a wholesome discipline,be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,no less than the trees and the stars;you have a right to be here.And whether or not it is clear to you,no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,whatever you conceive Him to be,and whatever your labors and aspirations,in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,it is still a beautiful world.Be cheerful.Strive to be happy.

Written by Max Ehrmann, 1952.

Friday, September 22, 2006

The Earthdance Experience

As I mentioned in my previous post (I think!) I went to the Cape Town Earthdance last weekend with a bunch of my friendies. We set up our own little tent boudior and actually spent most of our time hanging out and being crazy and chillaxing and all that. We did mission to the dance floor (when it was finally put up at like 10pm!) and stayed there for a good few hours and stomped our little feet to the beats and sounds of some pumping psy trance tunes.

The weather was rather chilly and wet to say the least, but that did not dampen our spirits, we all got rather cosy and snuggled in the boudior.

So I have attached some pics of the weekend that was Earthdance, not many of Sunday though as most of us were in 'recovery' mode!

In the Daytime when the weather was fine(ish) :






And when the sun goes away, in the night time we play:



Monday, September 11, 2006

Earthdance 2006 - Global Party for Peace

EARTHDANCE September 16, 2006

THE GLOBAL FESTIVAL FOR PEACE - Uniting over 250 locations in 50 countries through music and dancein celebration of peace

The highlight of the Earthdance event is a simultaneous link up, when every event across the world plays the Prayer for Peace. Morning in the Australian rainforest, midnight in London, and sunrise over the Himalayas, the Prayer for Peace is a profound and powerful moment that unifies our intentions for World peace and healing.


"We are one global family
All colors, All races, One world united.
We dance for peace and the healing of our planet Earth
Peace for all nations.
Peace for our communities.
And peace within ourselves.
As we join all dance floors across the world,let us connect heart to heart.
Through our diversity we recognize Unity.
Through our compassion we recognize Peace.
Our love is the power to transform our world
Let us send it out
NOW..."

The Mission
Our mission is to promote peace by joining participants worldwide in a synchronized PRAYER FOR PEACE and to support humanitarian causes through the global language of music and dance.
The Goal
Our goal is to inspire participation from promoters, clubs, artists, musicians and peace-lovers worldwide to dedicate one day to support humanitarian efforts and help unite people from all nations in a day of peaceful celebration and harmony. This year we are expanding the circle to include anyone interested in world peace, even if you can't make it to an official event.
The Objective
Our objective is to create as many Earthdance events around the world as possible. From public stadium concerts to private living room gatherings, there are no conditions on how big or small an event has to be. The spirit of Earthdance is participation on whatever level possible.
In the spirit of "Think Global, Act Local," each local promoter must donate at least 50% of their profits to a local charity related to one of the following categories:

* The Welfare of Children & Urban Youth
* Indigenous Peoples
* International Relief and Development;
* Environmental Sustainability & Protection
* Organizations that help Promote Peace

Give Peace a Dance…check out http://www.earthdance.org/ for further details and the cities listing where the parties are going to be happening.

I am going to be lucky enough to be in Cape Town for Earthdance (like last year with Jo and Chris!) and I will look up at the moon and send out my love and energy to those I hold dear.

Peace, Love and Earthdance

Orangeblossom xxx

Friday, August 25, 2006

The Essence of Man - by Werner Klokow

Under stars underneath clear skies
Rhythmic pulsating sugary beat
Existence reflects in pure bliss
Humanity in a momentary pause of life
Rides the beat of our basic instincts
Bare feet in mud and dust pounding
Together write the story of our essence
Life becomes a reflection of a moment
All moments become one leading up
Upwards the music sends our psyche
Upwards our souls soar careless
Like children perfect when born first

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Checking out the Czech Republic

I am not going to drown this posting in the potholes that surrounded Jo and my trip to Czech. Instead I have decided to post some lovely pictures of our good times spent in Prague and Cesky Krumlov.

Prague and Cesky are beautifully preserved medieval places with towers castles and many spiers and bridges. The architectures is so detailed and glorious and I loved how the streets (especially in Cesky) just wind in cobbled mazes.

Some sights we saw in Prague were the Charles Bridge, Prague Castle complex, Old Town, New Town and a charming tea room not far from our pristine hostel (seriously, if you go to Prague stay at Miss Sophies!)

In Cesky we went up to the castle complex and gardens, lazed in another tea room and then just strolled around the town, absorbing this quaint and charming little town surrounded by a meanding river moat.

So despite all our hiccups and drama, we did still have a good time and we plan on visiting Hungary next year esp Ozora festival that we had to miss out on :( boo hoo

But such is life and I thought I would include a few travel quotes that have rung true on this little journey of ours:

* "Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the journey. " - Babs Hoffman

* "The rewards of the journey far outweigh the risk of leaving the harbor." - Unknown

* "For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move; to feel the needs and hitches of our life more nearly; to come down off this feather-bed of civilization, and find the globe granite underfoot and strewn with cutting flints." -Robert Louis Stevenson

* "If you come to a fork in the road, take it." -Yogi Berra

* "Tourists don't know where they've been, travellers don't know where they're going." -Paul Theroux

So ahoy I shout from my travelling ship, its off I go again, back home to Africa on Saturday for a few weeks before I begin the student life - horray!

Love, Light and Safe Travels
Orangeblossom xxx

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

The Truth about Soya

Soya. It’s a controversial story.

While the health benefits of soya consumption have been shouted from the rooftops for many years now, there are also frequent reports that it may actually be bad for your health.

So, what’s the truth? Jo handed me an article from The Guardian newspaper about soya.

I have copied the article in, and you can read at your leisure and decide for yourself if you would like to look into it further. I have stopped buying soya milk, and am going to make a conscious effort to look more at what is actually in the products that I buy. Its not just about the potential health dangers that soya poses, but also the unethical cultivation and fermentation methods in which most soya is forced to grow in.

Call it becoming more “food conscious”, but I think in today’s world of mass production struggling to keep in demand for global food consumption, its worth thinking about it a bit more about what actually is being put into everyday foods.

~~~ The Guardian 25th July 2006 - by Felicity Lawrence

Should we worry about soya in our food?

Whether you know it or not, you'll probably be eating soya today. It's in 60% of all processed food, from cheese to ice cream, baby formula to biscuits. But should it carry a health warning?

For Dr Mike Fitzpatrick, the saga of soya began in Monty Python-style with a dead parrot. His investigations into the ubiquitous bean started in 1991 when Richard James, a multimillionaire American lawyer, turned up at the laboratory in New Zealand where Fitzpatrick was working as a consultant toxicologist. James was sure that soya beans were killing his rare birds.

"We thought he was mad, but he had a lot of money and wanted us to find out what was going on," Fitzpatrick recalls.

Over the next months, Fitzpatrick carried out an exhaustive study of soya and its effects. "We discovered quite quickly," he recalls, "that soya contains toxins and plant oestrogens powerful enough to disrupt women's menstrual cycles in experiments. It also appeared damaging to the thyroid." James's lobbying eventually forced governments to investigate. In 2002, the British government's expert committee on the toxicity of food (CoT) published the results of its inquiry into the safety of plant oestrogens, mainly from soya proteins, in modern food. It concluded that in general the health benefits claimed for soya were not supported by clear evidence and judged that there could be risks from high levels of consumption for certain age groups. Yet little has happened to curb soya's growth since.

More than 60% of all processed food in Britain today contains soya in some form, according to food industry estimates. It is in breakfast cereals, cereal bars and biscuits, cheeses, cakes, dairy desserts, gravies, noodles, pastries, soups, sausage casings, sauces and sandwich spreads. Soya, crushed, separated and refined into its different parts, can appear on food labels as soya flour, hydrolysed vegetable protein, soy protein isolate, protein concentrate, textured vegetable protein, vegetable oil (simple, fully, or partially hydrogenated), plant sterols, or the emulsifier lecithin. Its many guises hint at its value to manufacturers.

Soya increases the protein content of processed meat products. It replaces them altogether in vegetarian foods. It stops industrial breads shrinking. It makes cakes hold on to their water. It helps manufacturers mix water into oil. Hydrogenated, its oil is used to deep-fry fast food.

Soya is also in cat food and dog food. But above all it is used in agricultural feeds for intensive chicken, beef, dairy, pig and fish farming. Soya protein - which accounts for 35% of the raw bean - is what has made the global factory farming of livestock for cheap meat a possibility. Soya oil - high in omega 6 fatty acids and 18% of the whole bean - has meanwhile driven the postwar explosion in snack foods around the world. Crisps, confectionery, deep-fried take-aways, ready meals, ice-creams, mayonnaise and margarines all make liberal use of it. Its widespread presence is one of the reasons our balance of omega 3 to omega 6 essential fatty acids is so out of kilter.

You may think that when you order a skinny soya latte, you are choosing a commodity blessed with an unadulterated aura of health. But soya today is in fact associated with patterns of food consumption that have been linked to diet-related diseases. And 50 years ago it was not eaten in the west in any quantity.
In 1965, the earliest year for which the Chicago Board of Trade keeps figures, global soya bean production was just 30m tonnes. By 2005, the world was consuming nine times that a year, at 270m tonnes. World soya oil production, meanwhile, has increased sevenfold over the same period, from 5m tonnes to 34m tonnes a year.

To feed demand, new agricultural frontiers are being opened up in Brazil, where large areas of virgin rainforest have been illegally felled to make room for the crop. US-based transnationals are now exporting soya back to China, the country from which it originated, as newly urbanised Chinese switch to industrialised western diets. Thanks to US agribusiness, we have developed an apparently insatiable global appetite for the bean produced by farmers in the Americas.

James and Fitzpatrick became convinced early on that this entirely new dependence on soya was, in fact, a dangerous experiment. The dead parrots were no joke - they were the canaries in the coalmine.

For James and his wife Valerie, breeding the exotic birds down under was a retirement dream. They wanted to feed their young birds the best, so they began giving the chicks a soya feed. Parrots do not eat soya beans in the wild but the high-protein animal feed had been marketed in the US as a new miracle food.

The result was a catastrophic breeding year. Some of the birds were infertile; many died. Other young male birds aged prematurely or reached puberty years early. "We realised there was some sort of hormonal disruption going on but we'd eliminated other possible hormone disrupting chemicals such as pesticides from the inquiry," Fitzpatrick says.

So the toxicologist began a systematic review of the scientific literature on soya. After finding out about the plant oestrogens in soya, Fitzpatrick says, "My next thought was: what about children who are fed soya milk?" He calculated that babies fed exclusively on soya formula could receive the oestrogenic equivalent, based on body weight, of five birth control pills a day.

In fact, it had been known since the early 1980s that plant oestrogens, or phyto-oestrogens, could produce biological effects in humans. The most common of these were a group of compounds in soya protein called isoflavones. Food manufacturers had variously marketed soya foods as an antidote to menopausal hot flushes and osteoporosis, and as a protective ingredient against cardiovascular disease and hormone-related cancers. Large quantities of mainly industry-sponsored scientific research have been produced to back up these claims.

The American soya industry spends about $80m every year, raised from a mandatory levy on producers, to research and promote the consumption of soya around the world. The rash of new soya foods can be seen as the latest in a line of innovative ways devised to use soya.

The hypothesis behind the health claims is that rates of heart disease and certain cancers such as breast and prostate cancer are lower in east Asian populations with soya-rich diets than in western countries, and that the oestrogens in soya might therefore have a protective effect.

Fitzpatrick, however, looked into historic soya consumption in Japan and China and concluded that Asians did not actually eat that much. What they did eat tended to have been fermented for months. "If you look at people who are into health fads here, they are eating soya steaks and veggie burgers or veggie sausages and drinking soya milk - they are getting over 100g a day. They are eating tonnes of the raw stuff."

Mass exposure to isoflavones in the west has only occurred in the past 30 years due to the widespread incorporation of soya protein into processed foods, a fact noted by the Royal Society in its expert report on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in 2000. When the independent experts on the scientific committee on toxicity trawled through all the scientific data, they concluded that soya milk should not be recommended for infants even when they had cow's milk allergies, except on medical advice, because of the high levels of oestrogenic isoflavones it contains.

On breast cancer, they decided that "despite the suggested benefits of phyto-oestrogens in lowering risk of developing breast cancer, there is also evidence that they may stimulate the progression of the disease". The lower risk of certain cancers among Asian populations might be due to other factors - their high consumption of fish, for example. They advised caution. On the effects on menopause symptoms, the evidence was inconclusive, the experts ruled. On bone density, the committee thought there might be some protective effects, but the data was unclear. The evidence on prostate cancer was mixed. Since isoflavones cross the placenta, the implications of pregnant women eating large quantities of soya were unclear. There was some evidence that soya-based products had a beneficial effect on the good HDL cholesterol but they were not sure that was down to the isoflavones. On the other hand - reassuringly - they judged that a study linking soya consumption to decline in cognitive function was not convincing.

What the committee also pointed out was that the way soya was processed affected the levels of phyto-oestrogens. Traditional fermentation reduces the levels of isoflavones two- to threefold. Modern factory processes do not. Moreover, modern American strains of soya have significantly higher levels of isoflavones than Japanese or Chinese ones because they have been bred to be more resistant to pests. (One way to tackle pests is to stop them breeding by making them infertile. It turns out that unfermented soya did play one role in traditional Asian diets - it was eaten by monks to dampen down their libido.)

Sue Dibb, now food policy expert at the National Consumer Council, was a member of the CoT working group that compiled the final report. She questions whether infant soya milk should still be on public sale and is troubled by the latest marketing of soya. "We looked in detail at the claimed health benefits for adults for soya consumption and concluded there was not sufficient evidence to support many of them. There may be benefits but there are also risks. The groups of adults of particular concern are those with a thyroid problem and women with oestrogen-dependent breast cancer. It worries me that soya is being pushed as a health food by a big soya and supplements industry. We ought to be taking a more cautious approach."

The Food Standards Agency advice is that soya's potential to have an adverse effect on babies' hormonal development is still controversial, but that soya formula should only be given to infants under 12 months old in exceptional circumstances.

Professor Richard Sharpe, head of the Medical Research Council's human reproductive sciences unit at Edinburgh University, was also a member of the committee's working group on phyto-oestrogens in food. He has been studying the decline in male fertility in the past half-century. He recently completed studies on the effects of soya milk on young male monkeys which showed that it interferes with testosterone levels. "In the first three months after birth, baby boys have a neonatal testosterone rise. The testes are very, very active in hormone production at this point and there is a lot of cell activity going on that will determine sperm count in adults and will affect the developing prostate. If you introduce a phyto-oestrogen, which can, in large amounts, alter these changes, you may predispose children to later disease. Soya formula milk is a [recent] western invention. There is not the historical evidence to show it is safe."

Manufacturers, however, argue that soya infant formula has been widely used without problems. "The industry has said that if the CoT comes up with clear science, we will take note, but the case is not proven," says Roger Clarke, director general of the industry's Infant Dietetics Food Association. "A lot of the work it looked at was based on experimental work with animals. There does not seem to be clear evidence of adverse effects, and there is demand for it. There are some markets, such as vegan usage, where soya is the only alternative."

While 30-40% of all infants in the US are raised on soya formula - not least because it is given away in welfare programmes - soya milk for babies has always been confined to a small minority in the UK. So does Sharpe think exposure to soya from other sources - vegetarian soya proteins, the soya flour in factory bread, the hydrolysed proteins added as flavourings, for example - has a cumulative effect that might be worrying to other age groups? He says he is not concerned about people who eat soya foods in moderation or in the way they are traditionally used in oriental diets, but when it comes to modern processed foods, which use soya proteins in different ways, he prefers to turn the question round. "If someone said they were adding a hormone to your foods, would you be happy with that? There may be lots of effects, some of them may be beneficial, but would you be happy with that? I am not a fan of processed foods, full stop. And these quick fixes for protecting against ill-health - you know they can't be true," he adds.

A steaming hiss fills the kitchen of the top London restaurant Nobu, even after the lunchtime rush. Japanese chefs are filleting the evening's fish while stock bubbles and concentrates in its stainless steel vat behind. Executive chef Mark Edwards hands me a teaspoon of one of his soy sauces. Cool from the fridge, it is thick, rich, dark and sweet, yet remarkably clear from its long fermentation. The miso that he uses to marinade his famous black cod for three days is dense and strong from its lengthy brew too. Muslin cloths envelop delicate curds of tofu, made fresh each day and added in small cubes to miso soup.

Soya is used in traditional oriental diets in these forms, after cultures, moulds or precipitants have achieved a biochemical transformation, because in its raw form the mature bean is known not only for its oestrogenic qualities but for also its antinutrients, according to the clinical nutritionist Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story. Soya was originally grown in China as a green manure, for its ability to fix nitrogen in the soil, rather than as a food crop, until the Chinese discovered ways of fermenting it, she says.

The young green beans, now sold as a fashionable snack, edamame, are lower in oestrogens and antinutrients, though not free of them. But raw mature soya beans contain phytates that prevent mineral absorption and enzyme inhibitors that block the key enzymes we need to digest protein. They are also famous for inducing flatulence.

Christopher Dawson, who owns the Clearspring brand of organic soy sauces, agrees. He lived in Japan for 18 years and his Japanese wife, Setsuko, is a cookery teacher. "I never saw soy beans on the table in Japan - they're indigestible."

Dawson describes the traditional craft method of transforming the soya bean through fermentation, so that its valuable amino acids become available but its antinutrients are tamed. The process involves cooking whole soya beans, complete with their oil, for several hours, then adding the spores of a mould to the mix, and leaving it to ferment for three days to begin the long process of breaking down the proteins and starches. This initial brew is then mixed with salt water and left to ferment for a further 18 months, during which time the temperature will vary with the seasons. The end result is an intensely flavoured condiment in which the soya's chemical composition has been radically altered. Traditional miso is similarly made with natural whole ingredients, slowly aged.

Most soya sauces (and misos) are not made this way any more, however. Instead of using the whole bean, manufacturers short-cut the fermentation by starting with defatted soy protein meal. Soya veggie burgers and sausages generally use the same chemically extracted fraction of the bean.

This meal is the product of the industrial crushing process the vast majority of the world's soya beans go through. The raw beans are broken down to thin flakes, which are then percolated with a petroleum-based hexane solvent to extract the soya oil. The remains of the flakes are toasted and ground to a protein meal, most of which goes into animal feed. Soya flour is made in a similar way.

The oil then goes through a process of cleaning, bleaching, degumming and deodorising to remove the solvent and the oil's characteristic "off" smells and flavours. The lecithin that forms a heavy sludge in the oil during storage used to be regarded as a waste product, but now it has been turned into a valuable market in its own right as an emulsifier.

In so-called "naturally brewed" soya sauces the processed soy protein meal is mixed with the mould spores and given accelerated ageing at high temperatures for three to six months. Non-brewed soya sauce, the cheapest grade, is made in just two days. Defatted soya flour is mixed with hydrochloric acid at high temperatures and under pressure to create hydrolysed vegetable protein. Salt, caramel and chemical preservatives and flavourings are then added to provide colour and taste. This rapid hydrolysis method uses the enzyme glutamase as a reactor and creates large amounts of the unnatural form of glutamate that is found in MSG.

Most commercial soya milk today is made from soya isolates, although some of the pioneers of soya foods as health products in Europe avoid the chemical extraction process and use whole beans to make their milk. The key selling points for both types of soya milk are that they contain complete proteins and oestrogenic isoflavones.

Bernard Deryckere, president of the European Natural Soyfood Manufacturers Association, says that his members' products, made using natural processes, are a healthy alternative to diary products. "A lot of people in Europe are lactose-intolerant. Soya milk was invented in China 4,000 years ago and today it's consumed by all types of people as a cholesterol-free source of quality protein."

Daniel's detailed examination of the history of soya milk, however, suggests that soya milk was made not to drink, except in times of famine, but as the first step in the process of making tofu. After the long, slow boiling of soya beans in water to eliminate toxins, a curdling agent was added to the liquid to separate it. The curds would then be pressed to make tofu and the whey, in which the antinutrients were concentrated, would be thrown away.

Dibb points out that if you are drinking non-dairy milk because you want calcium without cow's milk, there are plenty of other sources such as green leafy vegetables and nuts. And only those eating extremely limited diets are likely to be short of protein as adults.

Dawson, a lifelong vegetarian, does not drink soya milk and only eats tofu in moderation. "I will only use a product for my family if there is 200 years of tradition behind it. You are asking for trouble if you take an isolate from soya - yet so much effort seems to go into taking industry's waste and turning it into new food."

The effort that has gone into creating the global soya market has indeed been enormous. Today it is dominated by a handful of American trading companies. Three of them - Bunge, ADM and Cargill - control 80% of the European soya bean crushing industry. These three, together with allied companies, are also estimated to control up to 80% of European animal feed manufacturing. They dominate the US soya market, and also account for 60% of Brazil's soya exports.

Before the first world war, only a very few soya beans were crushed. The Americans had begun experimenting with using the protein meal as animal feed, but farmers were reluctant to take it up because it was indigestible to chicken and pigs. The oil produced was considered "a bit of an embarrassment", according to Kurt Burger, a fats and oils technical expert at the Society of Chemical Industry, whose experience in the food industry goes back to 1944. It was mainly used in soaps because it was considered unpalatable. (Henry Ford later funded research projects to turn soya into plastic for car parts.)

Cottonseed oil, a byproduct of the cotton industry, was the main edible oil used in the US. But then the combination of disease in monocropped cotton and demand from European allies in the first world war for oil both to eat and to make the glycerine needed for nitroglycerine in explosives, stimulated American soy oil production.

It was not until the 1940s that industry worked out how to deactivate the enzyme inhibitor in the protein meal sufficiently for animals to tolerate it, and it was only technology taken from the Nazis at the end of the second world war that solved the problem of the oil's horrible smell and flavour. That left the way for the US to promote the soya that suited its agricultural conditions as part of the reconstruction of Europe through the 1950s. Soya oil exports to Europe tripled under the Marshall Plan, and heavily subsidised exports of surplus US soya ensured the commodity's dominance in animal feed. The subsidies continue. Between 1998 and 2004, US Department of Agriculture figures show that its soya farming received $13bn in subsidies from the American taxpayer.

Until 2003, the US was the largest exporter of soya. But through the 1990s, multinationals promoted the expansion of the crop in Latin America, helping finance farmers and building the infrastructure for soya exports. The attraction of Latin America is that land is cheap and labour costs are minimal too. Three years ago, the combined exports from Brazil and Argentina surpassed US exports for the first time. The cost is now being counted there in environmental damage and social upheaval. The cost to western consumers may yet be counted in health.”
~~~



Thursday, August 03, 2006

Being a Lefty

“Everyone is born right-handed; only the greatest can overcome it!”

I thought I would shed some light on us creatures of the Left existence because well we are few and far between (only 13% of the population around the world) and although no one has come up with a definitive reason for WHY some people are left-handed, our uniqueness should be celebrated!

I found most of this info on a website actually dedicate to being left handed!
http://www.lefthandersday.com Celebrate left handers day on 13th August!

FASCINATING LEFT-HANDED FACTS
· Most left-handers draw figures facing to the right
· There is a high tendency in twins for one to be left-handed
· Left-handers adjust more readily to seeing underwater.
· Left-handers excel particularly in tennis, baseball, swimming and fencing
· Left-handers usually reach puberty 4 to 5 months after right-handers
· 4 of the 5 original designers of the Macintosh computer were left-handed
· Left-handers are generally more intelligent, better looking, imaginative and multi-talented than right handers. Fact.


WHAT MAKES A LEFTY, LEFT?
The way the brain works is incredibly complex, but this simplified explanation will give you some understanding of where our left-hand dominance comes from. The brain is "cross-wired" so that the left hemisphere controls the right handed side of the body and vice-versa and hand dominance is connected with brain dominance on the opposite side - which is why we say that only left-handers are in their right minds!

The left hemisphere (RIGHT HAND CONTROL) controls Speech, Language, Writing, Logic, Mathematics, Science, this is the LINEAR THINKING MODE.

The right hemisphere (LEFT HAND CONTROL) controls Music, Art, Creativity, Perception, Emotions,Genius, this is the HOLISTIC THINKING MODE.

This brain dominance makes left-handers more likely than right handers to be creative, and visual thinkers. This is supported by higher percentages of left-handers than normal in certain jobs and professions - music and the arts, media in general.

Left-handers are also generally better at 3-dimensional perception and thinking, leading, for example, to more left-handed architects than normal. Left-handers are also usually pretty good at most ball sports and things involving hand-to-eye co-ordination.

The view that left-handers are clumsy and awkward is not down to their natural abilities, but being forced to use right-handed tools and machinery which is completely back-to-front for them.

See illustration below...


It's not easy being a lefty.

Statistics show left-handed people are more likely to be schizophrenic, alcoholic, delinquent, dyslexic, and have Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as mental disabilities. They're also more likely to die young and get into accidents. So if evolutionary theory dictates survival of the fittest, why do lefties still exist?

Then again, as many lefties might point out, being left-handed can also offer intellectual prowess. Tests conducted by Alan Searleman from St Lawrence University in New York found there were more left-handed people with IQs over 140 than right-handed people. Famous left-handed thinkers in history from Albert Einstein to Isaac Newton to Benjamin Franklin seem to underline the point.

THE SCIENTIFIC BIT
The way our brains are organised, with the right hemisphere controlling our dominant left-hand, means we do things differently to right-handers. This is called Brain hemisphere division of labour.

The left hemisphere (RIGHT HAND CONTROL) controls Speech, Language, Writing, Logic, Mathematics, Science, this is the LINEAR THINKING MODE.The right hemisphere (LEFT HAND CONTROL) controls Music, Art, Creativity, Perception, Spatial awareness, Emotions, Genius, this is the HOLISTIC THINKING MODE.

This is the most commonly accepted theory of handedness. The premise of this theory is that since both speaking and handiwork require fine motor skills, having one hemisphere of the brain do both would be more efficient than having it divided up. And since in most people, the left side of the brain controls speaking, right-handedness would prevail. It also predicts that left-handed people would have a reversed brain division of labour. Lastly, since other primates do not have a spoken language (at least of the type we have) there would be no stimulus for right-handed preference among them, and that is true.

On the balance, it appears that this theory could well explain some left-handedness, but it has too many gaps to explain all left-handedness.

Several brain-scan studies have verified a fundamental difference between left-handed and right-handed brains. A right-handed person's brain is typically highly specialized, with a specific portion of the brain dedicated to each task. This same specialization is much less prevalent in left-handed brains. Left-handed stroke victims often rehabilitate more quickly than right-handed stroke victims, as the left-handed brain has a lesser tendency to compartmentalize and specialize its abilities.

LEFT-HANDED HISTORY
Stone Age implements discovered seem equally divided between left and right and studies of cave drawings have indicated a preference for the left hand. When tools became more sophisticated, a clear hand preference emerged. The right hand preference may have originated in sun worship.

In the Northern hemisphere you have to face south to follow the sun and move from left to right until the suns sets in the west. This gave moving to the right and the right hand side a great significance. Another theory says that as the heart is on the left hand side, a shield would have to be in the left hand to defend it and any weapon therefore had to be held in the right, which became the dominant hand.

Recent theories have included one that right-handedness is the normality and left-handedness is a deficiency which results from a traumatic birth!

FOLKLORE AND SUPERSTITIONS (the source of Lefty Phobia!)
For thousands of years, the Devil has been associated with the left hand in various ways and is normally portrayed as being left-handed in pictures and other images.

In the seventeenth century it was thought that the Devil baptised his followers with his left-hand and there are many references in superstitions to the "left-hand side" being associated with evil. As an example, in France it was held that witches greet Satan "avec le bras gauche" or with the left hand. It is also considered that we can only see ghosts if we look over our left shoulder and that the Devil watches us over the left shoulder.

· Evil spirits lurk over the left shoulder - throw salt over this shoulder to ward them off. In Roman times, salt was a very valuable commodity, giving rise to the word "salary" and was considered a form of money at the time. If salt was spilled, that was considered very bad luck, that could only be avoided by throwing some of the spilled salt over your left shoulder to placate the devil.
· Joan of Arc (burned at the stake in 1431 for being a heretic and a witch) was not necessarily left-handed, she may have been depicted in this way to make her seem evil.
· Getting out of bed with the left foot first means that you will have a bad day and be bad tempered . i.e. getting out of bed the wrong side.
· An itchy right palm means that you will receive money. An itchy left palm means you will have to give money.
· Wedding rings worn on the third finger of the left hand originated with the Greeks and Romans, who wore them to fend of evil associated with the left-hand.
· The Romans originally considered the left to be the lucky side and used for augury. However, they later changed back to the Greek methods and favoured the right-hand side.
· The right hand often symbolises 'male' while the left hand is 'female'.
· When leaving to go on a journey, if your right foot itches you're bound to have a good journey. If your left foot itches it will end in sorrow.
· It is thought to be bad luck to pass a drink to another person with your left-hand or anti-clockwise around a table.

FAMOUS LEFTIES
Lefties have excelled at both ends of the scale - the very good and the very bad. They seem to make exceptional leaders, inventors, artists, musicians and murderers! (I only picked the ones that I recognized, there are of course many more!)

Ramses II, Egyptian pharaoh
Alexander the Great, Greek conqueror
Charlemagne, Holy Roman emperor
Julius Caesar, Roman general
Napoléon Bonaparte, French emperor
King Louis XVI of France, Queen Victoria of England, King George II & VI of England, Prince Charles of England, Prince William of England
Fidel Castro, Cuban leader
Henry Ford, automobile manufacturer
David Rockefeller, banker
Edwin Buzz Aldrin, astronaut
John F. Kennedy, Jr., lawyer/publisher
David Letterman, host
Matt Groening, The Simpsons cartoonist
John Dillinger, criminal/bank robber
Boston Strangler (Albert Henry DeSalvo), serial killer
Jack-the-Ripper, serial killer
Mark Twain, novelist
H.G. Wells, British science fiction writer
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, composer,
Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci, Italian Renaissance artists

Go the lefties!!!

The Lefty Orangeblossom xxx


Friday, July 28, 2006

The Story of Todo

I live in my magical forest; where hobbits, goblins and elves wander through. I sit on top a canopy of furry green moss, just listening to the sweet, still sound that whispers along the glade.

Sometimes I am alone, and sometimes I am with my fellow fairy sisters. Always exploring, always laughing, always connected, and always free.

I dip and dive in the chilly mountain stream, nestled in the hidden overgrowth and climb up my favorite mushroom stalk to dry my wings on its furry grooves.

Then along comes a hobbit I have never seen before, so I keep very quiet and watch him down below. He has followed the white rabbit and has found himself in this new and different forest, but is strolling with wonder in his eyes, but caution in his step.

Boom! I fly crashing into him and knock him to the forest floor. Maybe I should of just said Boo instead! But I offer him my hand and help him to his feet, where he shakes off the gathered leaves and grants me a smile as warm as the summer sunshine rays that filters through the trees. How blessed I do feel.

A friendship begins and I find myself asking why I never bumped into this gracious creature before. I feel somewhat deprived, but not really because we were only destined to meet in this forest when our paths merged at the right moment for both of us.

I want to take him to a secret place, a place that exists under our forest umbrella. This place where we can play freely in the wondrous woodland, and be connected with the universal energy. A place that binds our spirits and connects our souls.

This place is my heart, where my hobbit has turned the dormant dew of its night into sparkles of water that gently nourish and rejuvenate the flowers of my soul.

Times drifts by and the days of spending time with this fairy fantastical hobbit and discovering all who he is, illuminates my being.

My thoughts of him are never ending and I jump in ecstatic joy, tingling happiness and unbounded love.

I just want to say thank you, Tyran, for being Orangeblossom’s Todo, but most of all for just being you and for allowing me to crash into your world – you have repaired my broken wings. I hope I can show you more around my magical fairy forest world where we can walk and run, stumble and tumble, trip and skip, hop and bop, dash and dive and fly and float…together.

Love Orangeblossom xxx

Thursday, July 27, 2006

The Flight for Freedom

Freedom.

That scene from one of my favorite movies, “Braveheart”, immediately springs to mind. The one where William Wallace is brought into the public square for execution. He is offered clemency (a quick death by beheading) in exchange for declaring himself the king’s loyal subject. He refuses and is strung up, first by his neck, then by his wrists and ankles and pulled until his bones dislocate from their joints. He is then tied to a cross and disemboweled alive. Refusing the taunts of the executioner to accept subjectivity to the king, he yells with a piercing roar that silences the crowd…"Freeeeeeeeeeeedom!".

Freedom. Is that not what our most inner human need is? The freedom of choice, of speech, of religion, of beliefs, of Life.

I know that if I were to be granted one super power, it would be to fly. How I look at birds, with envy, at their ability to soar to the heavens, play in the clouds and still come down to earth to feed and rest.

Like the mythological story of Icarus. When Icarus took flight on his feathered wings, the exhilaration was so intense that he decided to try and reach the gods in the heavens. So he ignored the guidance to fly at a moderate height and eventually the sun melted the wax that binded the feathers of his wings, and Icarus plummeted and disappeared into the frothy sea below.

Ok maybe not the best story to use as an anology for flying - I was going for the historical human desire to fly like the birds, but ultimately it seems that in our pursuit for freedom, we mostly are always met with opposition.

I feel like flying today. To be able to glide and drift on currents, to be able to feel the cooling air wrap around every part of your body, to be able to just feel afloat and…free.

Freedom is a birth right. It is not something that should be fought for. But over the ages, we have seen mankind battle each other for this and murdering or torturing those who fought back.

With all the wars and fighting going on around the world, I often wonder if these people actually still know what they are fighting for. Take the Middle East, they have fought for thousands of years, over what? For the promised land? For religion? Does it really matter anymore now? The prospect or concept of peace is something so far removed, that i wonder if they even know what it is, seeing that for all these years they have just been engulfed in war, death and destruction. How can you fight for peace if you have never even lived a day in it? I wonder if they even want peace, or if they just want to carry on fighting, as they have always done, and have only even known.

Its sad to know that we have not learnt our lessons from the past. Perhaps it is just our time on this planet to go through these vicious cycles or war and restricted freedom. And it is hard to justify or understand the political situations that are going on if you have only ever lived where you have been given your own freedom.

I have included an extract from the Prophet for his take on freedom…

“Ay, in the grove of the temple and in the shadow of the citadel I have seen the freest among you wear their freedom as a yoke and a handcuff.
And my heart bled within me; for you can only be free when even the desire of seeking freedom becomes a harness to you, and when you cease to speak of freedom as a goal and a fulfillment.
You shall be free indeed when your days are not without a care nor your nights without a want and a grief, But rather when these things girdle your life and yet you rise above them naked and unbound.”


I need to find other ways to fly, and resist the urge to jump off things! Maybe I just have a fear of being locked and bounded in an emotional and spiritual cage and this realization urges me to find the earthly freedoms that I do actually already have. The freedom that my cherished friends grant me. The freedom of the love that my family gives me. The freedom of being in love.


“Just living is not enough... One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”
- Hans Christian Andersen (Danish fairy tale author)

May you always feel the sunshine of love, carry the freedom of being alive and may you always hold a flower in your heart to remind you that wherever you are, you are always surrounded by the beauty of your earth and her inhabitants.

May you fly on your wings of your own freedom!

Peace, Love and Freedom
Orangeblossom xxx



Monday, July 24, 2006

Soul meets Body – by Death Cab for Cutie

I want to live where soul meets body
And let the sun wrap its arms around me
And bathe my skin in water cool and cleansing
And feel, feel what its like to be new
Cause in my head there's a greyhound station
Where I send my thoughts to far off destinations
So they may have a chance of finding a place
where they're far more suited than here
I cannot guess what we'll discover
We turn the dirt with our palms cupped like shovels
But I know our filthy hands can wash one another's
And not one speck will remain
I do believe it's true
That there are roads left in both of our shoes
If the silence takes you
Then I hope it takes me too
So green eyes I hold you near
Cause you're the only song I want to hear
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere
Where soul meets body
Where soul meets body
Where soul meets body
I do believe it's true
That there are roads left in both of our shoes
If the silence takes you
Then I hope it takes me too
So green eyes I hold you near
Cause you're the only song I want to hear
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere

Thursday, July 20, 2006

The Weekend that was The Glade

Last weekend I was at The Glade Festival and as promised, here is the rundown and some pictures that I managed to take amongst all the happy madness that surrounded us 24/7

What is The Glade? This review sums it up pretty spot on:

“This is Glade festival, a three-day electronic dance music festival in a field near Reading, and one that was fully sold out. Directions to this year’s event was only sent out on the week leading up to the festival.

The line-up is filled with quality; underground and credible dance music talent, one that confirms Glade’s status as the most leftfield electronic festival in the country. For Glade’s attendees, dance music is a lifestyle choice and a hedonistic attitude, not a weekend pastime, or something you would hear on the radio. Here the hippies are very much in the majority.

It’s like a village, full of young, happy, people, all intent on the same thing - having a good time.

From the moment you step out of your tent at dawn to a barrage of morning greetings, to the queues for the toilets, and the shared germs. Dirt is a unifying factor at Glade, it’s an all-pervasive dust that covers you from head to foot, and gets under your eyelids and toe nails. There’s no use trying to stay clean - best to embrace it and accept the smell for a few days- you cannot escape the dirt!

The chillout zone is called ID Spiral - which is an area of immense beauty, comes complete with a transparent bio-dome and floating objects - wouldn’t look out of place on a Mars exploration mission.

People are wearing anything, from pixies, angel wings, to Y-fronts, and pirate hats. This festival isn’t reality. It’s a fairy tea party, a pirate ship, and a tree-hugger’s paradise.

It’s anything you want it to be.”


So yes in a nutshell, that was it. There were about 12000 to 14000 people that were sprawled out in a maze of tents and marquees that surrounded the enclosure. Oh and it was a scorching weekend with temperatures well in the 30C and above.

Security was really tight – which of course is a necessity at these sorts of things, but I won’t deny that it put a damper on things a bit.

And it must be said that as far as logistics go, someone clearly didn’t do their homework – 80 toilets and 20 showers for 12000 people. The maths just don’t add up! But such is the nature of a festival I guess! Luckily Jo, Shazz and I found a bunch of less used cubicles and we stood by at 7am when the cleaning van came round and sprayed anti bacterial in – we were straight in there. My chant was “Find a Happy Place, and don’t touch ANYTHING”!!! And this is why we never drank as much water as we should of (considering the heat and all) because we just didn’t want to go to the loo – ah such girls hey!!

The showers were separated male and female and were very much prison style. We got in there at 8am on the Saturday morning, waiting (half and some fully naked) under the shower nozzles and then we are told that the water had run out!! But we were not deterred and we waited until not very long when the water was refilled.

Being clean again - Life’s greatest pleasures as so simple when you suddenly feel deprived of them! Of course our clean and fresh feeling only lasted for about an hour, then we were back in the sunshine, dust and breathing in the sweaty air and bodies!

But I am going a bit overboard, as I should be used to all the roughing it hey?!

Anyway, back to the festival. We wondered around to all the tents and one can appreciate the different sounds and music, even if it’s not really your sound. The décor and organization I cannot criticize – it all went off superbly.

My favorite tents were Origin and ID Spiral. ID Spiral was just such a happy place and was open all the time at whatever hour of the day and night you just felt like escaping. It was nestled in the corner under the forest trees and shade. And they served yummy Chai Tea – horray!! The music was also so….sublime.

The inflatable Glade Church was set along side The Rabbit Hole and yes people were getting married! Along with a pop infused reception to go along – very random. A bit of a mockery some would say, but then again I was not surprised as this was a festival and anything goes.

The food was also amazing – mostly vegetarian and a lot of organic stuff too (so I was in my element!) with fresh fruit juices and smoothies. So we ate healthily!

We had a good crowd with us too – Jo, Shazz, Chris, Mark, Irene, Zane and Mike and we could always just retreat back to our tenting spot and unwind and relax for as long or as little as one needed.

Overall, I am glad I went – it was my first British Festival! At times I found the big crowd a bit too much, so many different energies and vibes that are constantly changing and moving about. I prefer a smaller and more intimate crowd – maybe I have just been spoilt by the Alien Safari and Origin parties back home.

But still, it was an experience and I had a fairy fantastical time!

Festival Love and Peace
Orangeblossom xxx


Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson (25/05/1803 to 27/04/1882) was an American author, poet and philosopher.

Emerson was noted as being a very abstract and difficult writer who nevertheless drew large crowds for his speeches. The heart of Emerson's writing was his direct observations in his journals, which he started keeping as a teenager at Harvard.


An extract from his piece, "The Over Soul":

“We live in succession, in division, in parts, in particles. Meantime within man is the soul of the whole; the wise silence; the universal beauty, to which every part and particle is equally related, the eternal ONE. And this deep power in which we exist and whose beatitude is all accessible to us, is not only self-sufficing and perfect in every hour, but the act of seeing and the thing seen, the seer and the spectacle, the subject and the object, are one. We see the world piece by piece, as the sun, the moon, the animal, the tree; but the whole, of which these are shining parts, is the soul.”

I have put together a few of his quotations, even though he once stated “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”

I, however, love quotations, because they express some of the thoughts, opinions and feelings that I harbour, but have just not been able to set free literally and/or verbally. Although there are only a handful that I can remember word for word. I don’t think quotations are there to be memorized and used in repetition. Instead I like to read them, think about them and finally absorb them into my conscious and subconscious so that it may pick out their kindred energy and become a part of my being.

So this is what Ralph had to say…
  • The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him.
  • A chief event of life is the day in which we have encountered a mind that startled us.
  • A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.
  • Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.
  • Beauty is an outward gift, which is seldom despised, except by those to whom it has been refused.
  • Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes.
  • Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
  • Judge of your natural character by what you do in your dreams.
  • Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods.
  • Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.
  • Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.
  • People only see what they are prepared to see.
  • People that seem so glorious are all show; underneath they are like everyone else.
  • The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.
  • Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.
  • To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.
  • We find delight in the beauty and happiness of children that makes the heart too big for the body.
  • What you do speak so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.
  • When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.

Love and Light, Orangeblossom xxxx