Loving Mother Earth: Yin and Yang Out of Balance

Chinese philosophy describes Earth energy as the dark, yielding, receptive, primal power of yin. It is a female-maternal energy that works with, not against, male-paternal energy, which is the light, strong, activating primal power of yang. Yin energy complements and completes; while Yang energy competes and combats. However this is not a dualistic situation because each needs the other to not only co-exist, but also to thrive.

When we consider how we have loved Mother Earth since the dawning of the Industrial Age, we don't have to guess which kind of energy has been uppermost: It's Yang! There hasn't been a happy marriage of both Yin and Yang, which is why our dear Mother is in such trouble! Yang energy that is unchecked by Yin destroys habitats for its own gain without thinking of the consequences on the life that already exists in the region, be it animal, vegetable, human, or even mineral. It upsets the natural order and just keeps going, conquering one area after another.

Yin has been too overwhelmed to do very much to change the situation. But her voice has not been silent. It has struggled to be heard, and finally, the dominant Yang energy, that has created the destruction and devastation we see all around us, is beginning to understand that it has contributed to its own downfall! It sees that it can no longer go on as before. That something has to be done on a major scale in order to shift the energy back to the middle, and it has to be done pretty quickly or else we will all suffer greatly.

So this is not just about saving wild habitats and animals, or someone else's way of life. We have all contributed to the imbalance, and continue doing so every day. That's why it's so important for each of us to commit to saving our Mother Earth starting today!

HOW CAN WE LOVE OUR MOTHER EARTH BETTER?
Everyone can do something, even children. Here are some tips:
UNPLUG: Did you know that even in the off position each electric plug is drawing 40% of power that you are paying for? So unplug everything that is not in immediate use and watch your electric bill go down. You'll also be helping lower toxic emissions from the power plants that provide your electricity.
CHANGE A LIGHT BULB: Use CFC light bulbs. They not only use less energy and therefore also lower toxic emissions, they last much longer than traditional bulbs.
PLANT A TREE: Whether in your backyard, or in a Rain Forest on the other side of the earth, planting trees helps to increase oxygen and lower toxic emissions that create the greenhouse effect. National Arbor Day in the U.S. is on April 29th. For more information and/or to plant a tree in a Rain Forest or a fire-ravaged area visit http://www.arborday.org
USE LESS WATER: Share a flush. Install low-flow shower heads. Use less water in your garden. Create a Native Plants garden that needs less water to maintain.
RE-CYCLE ALL YOU CAN: http://www.earth911.org in the U.S. will give you information about what can and cannot be recycled in your area. All you need is your zip code: Look for similar programs in the country where you live.
WHAT'S YOUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT: Complete the survey to find out how your lifestyle choices are affecting Mother Earth: http://www.earthday.net/Footprint/index.asp
WATCH THIS: Sunday, April 22 : The Planet Earth Series Marathon starts at 9:00 am on The Discovery Channel in the U.S. It will change the way you feel about our Mother Earth.
GET THE DVD: An Inconvenient Truth is now available on DVD. Watch it with you family and friends. The time to save the Earth is NOW! Order it here.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!
Chris : )

Let There Be Peace on Earth, and Let It Begin With Me

STOP THE VIOLINS! VISUALIZE WHIRLED PEAS!

I saw these two bumper stickers several years ago, and I love them because they really make us stop and think. March 19, was the fourth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq, and I can't help but feel that nothing has really changed. I don't just mean with the current U.S. government. Human beings in general have not really changed that much. When my 19-year-old nephew Charlie was 8, he asked: "Chris, what's the most dangerous animal in the world?" I tried to guess, but before I could, he exclaimed: "Humans are the most dangerous animals in the world!" I had to agree. We are the ONLY animals who kill for pleasure; and wage long wars on others.

Humans will probably never stop killing, because aggression and the capacity to kill are by-products of our evolutionary past. These traits helped us protect or secure territories that contained necessary resources like food, water, and mating opportunities. But enough is enough! We also have a THINKING brain!

University of Oxford researcher Irina Bystron and her colleagues recently identified that the very first neurons in the human cerebral cortex (the part of the brain that sets us apart from all other animals) are in place much earlier than previously thought – approximately 31 days after fertilization. The cerebral cortex is concerned with cognition, perception, memory, thought, language, mental ability, intellect, consciousness, and our voluntary actions. Of course there are individual, genetic and biochemical predispositions that shape how we handle aggressive tendencies in our lives; but when you realize that humans have the building blocks in place for cognitive thought and voluntary action when the embryo is only 4 mm long, and before the development of arms, legs or eyes, isn’t it high time that we learn how to think and act differently about how to solve aggression and violence in the world?

The song, Let There Be Peace on Earth, begins: "Let there be Peace on Earth, and let it begin with me" and I agree. Before we criticize other people (your spouse, relative, colleague, friend), or governments and nations for their aggressive behaviors, we must also examine our own traits. It's important to do all possible to understand the history of our own aggression, even if it is passive aggression, and make concerted efforts to change that kind of energy. Whether engendered from our family of origin experiences, our current circumstances, or from genetic or biochemical predispositions, there is plenty of help available to change the way that we react to the world around us. So I encourage you to examine your heart and your mind and clear any aggressive energy that may be stopping you from walking in peace in your life.

NOTE: If you need help in clearing this kind of energy please have a look at my work on Emotional Freedom Technique/Thought Field Therapy <http://www.consciousconnections.com/eft.html> which is about Clearing Core Wounding so that you can Feel More Peaceful, Centered and Present in Your Life.