Mood:  happy

com·mu·ni·ty      /kəˈmyunɪti/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kuh-myoo-ni-tee]

• A group of people having common interests
• Sharing, participation, and fellowship.

com·mu·ni·ca·tion      /kəˌmyunɪˈkeɪʃən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kuh-myoo-ni-key-shuhn]

• Activity by one organism that changes or has the potential to change the behavior of other organisms.
• Transfer of information from one cell or molecule to another, as by chemical or electrical signals.

com·mun·ion      /kəˈmyunyÉ™n/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kuh-myoon-yuhn]

• Interchange or sharing of thoughts or emotions; intimate communication: communion with nature.
• The act of sharing, or holding in common; participation.

Just a few words that came to mind.  What we are forming here is a community of support and of healing, working together to activate change through participation and sharing. 

It's very difficult to effect change all alone.  People naturally want to "fit in."  Let's face it...Living a lifestyle of natural health is not a value that's commonly held in the larger society, but in our little community here, we can offer each other support. 

I think it's a shame that topics such as those which we talk about are often thought to be "taboo" in polite conversation...Topics like thinking about what we eat...not just consuming what the market dictates, but actually thinking about the purpose of eating, which is actually for nourishment's sake!  Topics like natural healing are often thought of, also, as strange.  Most people just go to the drug store when they have a cough, they don't think about honey or wild cherry bark.  And flu shots are a REAL common thing.  To say I'm against vaccination sets me up to be ridiculed.  But you know what?  I don't care! 

There are many controversial issues right now concerning matters of health.  It can be very hard to sort out what is true and what is simply propoganda, advertising, and ideas bought into just for convenience, like tv dinners in the microwave.  

What we are creating here is a community of experts in our own right.  I would like this to be a forum where we can share what we've learned with each other, and where we can share our good results!  The mission of my work is to help Give Folk Medicine Back to the Folks, by Teaching People to Teach People to Teach!  In this way, perhaps we can make common again what is in our best interest for health, rather than the common beliefs held in our larger community now, which includes things like the belief that if it weren't any good for us, it would not be allowed on the shelf.  People actually believe that is true! 

So here we will try to distinguish what is just advertising, and what is actually fact.  We will look at research, at history, and at results, and we will learn to recognize the lies from the truth.

Where to begin?  I always like to start at the beginning!

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening ^F1 and the morning were the first day.

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament ^F2 in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, ^F3 the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day ^F4 from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, ^F5 and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth ^F6 upon the earth.

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing ^F7 seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, ^F8 I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

  In the beginning, God created the heaven and earth, and once all was created it was declared good...ALL was GOOD...IS good if we are to believe in life, love and goodness eternal, and we are created in the image of God.  So what does this mean?  It's all good!

So where does sickness come into the picture?  Destruction?  Pain?  Death?  I think these things come into the picture as part of our human condition on earth, and basically by not living in accordance with perfect law.

What?  Perfect law? Hmm...Is anyone of us perfect?  My answer to that is YES!  We all were created in the image and likeness of God...and so we have to accept our state of perfection as a part of our intended purpose and identity.

So what is the law...I believe it is the laws of nature, and the laws of goodness and love.  All of nature was created in perfection in such a way so as to support perfect life.  If God is perfect, then so are we and the whole entire creation of life as a whole!  That includes the whole entire way that nature was designed, right on down to the last little bug and way up high in the sky to the last little star.  It means to each cell in our body, as well.

All of nature is one.  COMMUNITY.

And all of nature communes...interacts.

The question of wellness comes down to whether or not we are participating in the communion of nature or are we working against our own greatest good?

It's really quite simple.  What were we given to start with?  Land...we should take care of it!  We have dominion!  We're stewards! If we love the land, the land will give to us in abundance and care for all of our needs.  Out of dust we were made, and to dust we will return.  It is the law.  It is simply the way that it is.  Our bodies are made of the soil in that our minerals needed to function in the living world come from the rocks and the dirt.

But we do not eat rocks and dirt...we were given the herbs as our food. The action of the sun and the water and the earth together grow the plants to give us our food...to give food for every living thing on this earth!

I believe strongly that if we would live according to our true nature, we would reap the benefits of perfect health, because it is in our nature to be one with all life.  We were created in the image of God, and God to me is the giver of life, so how can we be sick except to interfere somehow with the connection to our own good?  Or to have this interfered with by somebody else or something outside our control.

So what's within our control?  Well let's look at what we were given in the beginning and take a look at our areas of control:

• Light - There is so much to be said about LIGHT and healing!  Light is energy in pure form, and has all power to heal us through warmth,  illumination, color, and through energy in every cell! 

• What kind of control do we have over light? 
  
  • Well, do we let it in? 
  • Do we light a candle of illumnination inside our heart?  Or do we cast ourselves and others into a realm of darkness and hate?
  • Do we let the light of day shine upon problems?  Or do we keep them all locked up in the gloominess of no relief?
  • Do we go out in the sunshine and let it touch our face and our body? Or do we stay trapped inside a world of flourescent and incandescent lighting? Light bulbs can't give what we need.  Energy comes from the sun!  (And by the way...so does Vitamin D!

• Darkness  - Darkness sometimes gets a bad rap.  Darkness was here from the beginning.  In fact, all was dark and void before Light.  Darkness represents many things which carry unpleasant connotations, but actually solitude is probably the best description I can think of...and void, as the Bible says.  I think darkness can be lonely if given too much, and there is no life, so therefore it represents death.  There is also no warmth.  Darkness, in essence, is what we are escaping from, yet we have to be unafraid, for fear lives in the dark realm and is ignorant to the truth of the light.  So we admit its existence and keep it in balance, I guess. Therein lies our question regarding control...
  • Day and night were divided.  Do we honor that?  It has been very well established in science and practical knowledge that sleep is essential to all aspects of health!
  • Do we balance our solitary time and add it into our life?  Quiet time?  Time set apart for just "nothing?"  Or are we busy, busy, busy all day and then wonder why we can't relax our minds and our bodies at night?  We need to respect the need for solitude in ourselves.  Neither should we live in complete solitude...we need to balance our "days" and our "nights." 
  • Do we understand that to go through periods of sadness is part of life, or do we try and medicate this away rather than learn to balance our highs and our lows?  The night will surely be followed by day!
• The sun, the moon, the stars to give us signs and to make our seasons and divide night from day.
  • Again, divide night from day.
  • Seasons...the natural cycles of life.  We would do well to eat what's in season, I think!  I believe this would be the natural thing!
  • It is okay to take our signs from the stars in the heavens.  This is not some "new age occultist" idea...this is the 14th verse of the 1st book of the Christian Bible!  Throughout history the stars have been considered to be signs of the cycles of nature, moving in the same cyclic patterns as us.  That's how our destiny is so easily read.  It also tells good growing times!  This holds true for the moon and the sun, as well...we are affected by these things which seem so far removed.  Our degree of control lies in using them as they were intended to be used by us...to mark the cycles and the passage of time...we need to learn to follow the signs and respect the patterns of life.

• Water - Oh wow!  Our bodies are made up of about 70% water!  Water is how we carry nutrients to every cell and carry out all the waste!  Water is as essential to the health of the body as it is to the health of the world!  (The earth is made up of about 70% water, too!  Water has the same benefits for the earth as for us...to carry nutrients in and to wash away the debris.)
  • How much water are we drinking a day?  We can exercise a huge amount of control over our health by ensuring we have adequate amounts of water to carry in the nutrients most efficiently and to carry out the toxic waste!!! 
    
    • Rule of Thumb - Divide your body weight in half.  The number you get is the optimal number of ounces a day your body requires for good health!
  • What kind of water are you drinking?  Is it pure water?  That means not mixed with koolaide, juice, tea, coffee, pop or anything else!  That also means, is it filtered?  Water HAS to be clean to do it's job like it should!  It does no good to carry in more waste in the water, just to be filtered back out.  It's like washing the car in dirty water.  It's just not going to come out as clean!
    • Buy a filter or be a filter, I say!  Contact me for more information if you'd like to see what I can offer to you in the way of water filter solutions!
    • Water can also be used therapeutically in the way of healing baths.  Make water a part of your life!
    • Take action to keep water, air and land clean for all!

• Air - No one can live long without breathing!  Are we making the most of our ability to breathe as we can?  Are we breathing in deeply and evenly?  Or are we breathing in shallow little breaths full of stress?  Are we exhaling completely?  Exhaling is a way of releasing toxins that otherwise stay trapped within.  Are we doing what we can to increase our ability to properly breathe?  Slowwwwwwwwly and deeply....Relaxed.  Oxygen has to get to every cell in our body to live!
  • We can use herbs to help clean out and heal our lungs, such as mullein leaves or lobelia.  There are many more of these herbs!
  • Be sure to get enough FRESH air every day!  Even in winter...open the window and breathe the air in!  Stale air inside a house is often full of bacteria and pollutants.  Having an air filter is best!  If you need help in selecting one, please let me know.  I may be able to help you out with a very nice system! 
    
  • Aromatherapy also helps clean the air.  People sometimes don't realize the antibacterial and antiviral effects of essential oils.
    
  • Click Here for some great info on the importance of breathing and how to increase your healing strength through your breath!
  
  
• Land, trees, plants, HERBS!  Herbs are our food!  They will supply everything we need in the way of nutrients to make our bodies strong and fuction the way that they should! 
  
  • Eat plenty of fresh fruits, veggies, and HERBS!
  • Use herbs for healing to nourish the body so that the body can heal itself according to its design.
  • Aromatherapy!  It's a lot more than just a good smell!
  • Take care of the land...Don't let it become polluted!
  • Support sustainable agriculture!!!
  • Work to strengthen your connection with Mother Earth.  Ground yourself by walking barefoot outside or hugging trees...YES!  The electromagnetic force of the earth is perfect for aligning our own energy.  We're going to feel weak and as if our energy's been sapped if we just sit in front of the tv or computer all day!

• Every fish of the sea, every bird, everything that creepeth and US!
  • Why are we given each other?  Every creature on all of the earth is here for a reason...Not to eat...the herbs were given as food.  They are here for us to LOVE!  There is incredible healing power in love...in taking care of another being, looking after someone, providing nurture and understanding, forgiveness, and helping each other out.  LAUGHTER is healing...it's so much more fun to laugh with a friend!  Compassion, sharing, considering each other's views...these are all real healthy ways to spend our time here on earth!
  • Plus don't forget to make use of our own bodies for healing!  MOVEMENT! Exercise is very important for health!
  • And since we do have others to love, don't forget the healing power of TOUCH!  There is so much we can do to be well!

There's even more than I mentioned, I'm sure, that was here from the start for us to heal.  We don't neeeeeeeed insurance and drugs to be well.  That's what I choose to believe.

Don't get me wrong, medical doctors do have their place.  If someone does not know natural ways then a doctor could save their life!  I know I'd like to be taken to one if my insides were laying out on the pavement and needed to be put back in!  But as for general wellness, it's all been provided for us!

Community, Communication, Communion...What does it mean for our health?  It means that we are all in this together, and that if we cooperate and interact with each other and with our environment as we were intended to do, then we will be ONE in our perfect design!  

Naturally Yours in Good Health...

Vibraceous, ND

Mary Jo Eshelman, ND, CTN, CNHP, D.D.

www.allnaturalhealthworks.com 

The information presented is the author's personal and professional opinion, and is intended for educational purposes only. Nothing printed here is designed to take the place of a physician's advice. If you are experiencing problems with your health, it is recommended that you consult with a licensed health care professional. All Natural HealthWorks! is not responsible for any damages or ill-effects resulting from the information presented herein, nor do we make any recommendations regarding your health. We are simply here as a resource for you in making your own choices for your health yourself.