Starfish

Based on the story by Loren Eisley...

I awoke early, as I often did, just before sunrise to walk by the ocean's edge and greet the new day. As I moved through the misty dawn, I focused on a faint, far away motion. I saw a youth, bending and reaching and flailing arms, dancing on the beach, no doubt in celebration of the perfect day soon to begin.

As I approached, I sadly realized that the youth was not dancing to the bay, but rather bending to sift through the debris left by the night's tide, stopping now and then to pick up a starfish and then standing, to heave it back into the sea. I asked the youth the purpose of the effort. "The tide has washed the starfish onto the beach and they cannot return to the sea by themselves," the youth replied. "When the sun rises, they will die, unless I throw them back to the sea."

As the youth explained, I surveyed the vast expanse of beach, stretching in both directions beyond my sight. Starfish littered the shore in numbers beyond calculation. The hopelessness of the youth's plan became clear to me and I countered, "But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up. Surely you cannot expect to make a difference."

The youth paused briefly to consider my words, bent to pick up a starfish and threw it as far as possible. Turning to me he simply said, "I made a difference to that one."

I left the boy and went home, deep in thought of what the boy had said. I returned to the beach and spent the rest of the day helping the boy throw starfish in to the sea.



My note: This is just one example of how helping just one animal at a time can make a difference to that animal . We in the rescue community sometimes feel overwelmed just like looking at the shore with so many starfish to save, but to every one that got thrown back in that day it made a big difference to that one.
We can't win them all nor can we save them all , but one by one we can and do make a difference .

Change

Change

Sometimes when you are ready for a change, and you kind of know it but won't admit it, when it comes, not only are you surprised, but it hurts.

Ya I know that doesn't help much, unless you remember the "ready" , part. Because there is no change that might ever transpire in time and space that happens before your fully able to use it for your own growth and glory.

The Universe

 So Hey You may as well just act like you had personally requested it, and soar, because , truthfully you did, a honestly, you can.

My Favorite Elf

MY Favorite Elf

By, Rebecca DiNolfi

     It was a beautiful fall day in October.  My girlfriends ,Julia , Cathy and I had finely arrived at the first ever Faerie Convention held  in Philadelphia , PA. 

     My  girlfriends  had reluctantly agreed to go with me to this amazing event that I had been waiting for all year. I'm more of a faerie lover than they are and I have been planning this trip since I first heard about it in Jan of 2007. The  actual convention was not until Oct of 2007, and here we were.

      As I looked around the large room in the Convention Center I could see all the wonderful artisans of the faerie realm  in front of me spread out like the beautiful petals of a magical flower.

     I immediately noticed  something I had not expected. Walking all around us were beautiful fauns and dragons ,a wizard with his dragon familiar on his shoulder, Pan playing his flute.  There were Faeries and Elves and big burly Green Men with leaves in their hair.. a few gorgeous Unicorns pranced around ,and there was glitter of every color imaginable sprinkled everywhere.

      Brightly colored tents  were set up as  booths filled with magic and art of every kind for sale. There were things you could only hope to dream of in your fondest dreams everywhere you looked.

     There were mystics, minstrels, Merlin's of every size. Trolls and goblins galore walked the floor..

      I was in awe to see all the leather waist coats and brocade jackets. The faerie gowns were breath taking. Their wings were vivid colors  as they flowed through the crowd like magic. There were children and grand parents , mothers and fathers all decked out in their mystical faerie tale costumes. I was mesmerized by the enchantment I was feeling all around me. I felt like I had just stepped into another dimension.  I knew that I had just arrived  in the magical land of the Fae.

     We walked through the crowd looking in amazement  at the costumes, and the different fantasy artists I recognized  because of their wonderful works of art that were on display to be sold. Oh my did I wish I had more money to spend here today.

      After finally coming back down from my cloud to earth, I spotted the man I came here to meet.

     Brian Froud  was  in the middle of the room surrounded by every kind of magical being you could imagine standing in a very long line holding books, pictures and anything you could get a signature on.

                   

   I walked to the back of the  line to await my turn. Brian was the reason I wanted to be here, I wanted to meet my favorite Elf , who was  at the other end of this very long line.

     After I had been in  line for what seemed like an eternity , I  finally got a  glimpse of the man I  so wanted to meet. I could see the top of his bushy hair, and a peek of his Dutchman blue shirt.  I kept inching closer with all the others that were in line for the same reason.

     Brian Froud  is one of the most famous faerie artist in the world.  His wife Wendy  is also famous in her own right as a faerie doll maker and faerie artist. They have both worked with the late Jim Henson making puppets for the movie "Dark Crystal," as well as many other things in the faerie world to their credit.

     As we inched closer I could make out his elf like features. To me he looked just like some of the amazing characters he drew so well for so long. He had rather long wild looking brown hair  and dark rimmed glasses. A walrus mustache  sat under his nose. His smile was mischievous, and his eyes twinkled as if he knew something we didn't, and should.

      He was signing books, pictures ,and anything we had brought with us just for this special occasion.

     His face was beaming with pride as he looked at all of us waiting in this long line to meet him, and share a few minutes of his precious time to discuss his famous works. He was aglow with a special aura that just shouted, I have arrived, and I did it all for fun.

After what seemed to me like a very long time ,I was next.  I shook his artistic hand, and  I could feel a jolt of energy run up my arm. All I could think was, here I am actually shaking the hand of my very  favorite artist in the entire world. I was speaking with Brian Froud , the man who's famous works hung on my walls at home ,and who's books filled the book cases in my living room.  I couldn't believe this was happening to me.  I  was actually standing right here in front of my favorite ELF. 

     He greeted  me  with joy, and a hug so warm and friendly  I felt  I had known him all my life. Well, I guess I actually have, because I have followed his famous works  for many years.

     He was  a little shorter than I had pictured  in my mind's eye, but elves are rather small you know. He shook my hand as he took my book and signed it.

      After that Cathy tried to take a picture of me and Brian together and  my camera wouldn't work. The batteries were dead. I couldn't believe it. I was crushed.

     He shot me a mesmerizing smile ,and just hugged me. He could see in my eyes how disappointed I was.  I took my book from him ,and turned to leave.

     He told me to come back for my picture if I was able to get my camera working .   

  I said, "thanks,"  as I walked away looking back  over my shoulder just in time to see  his big wide smile and that famous twinkle in his eyes one last time..

     I was so disappointed, I smiled back and walked away with the book he had just signed for me. I knew I would never see him again, because we had to return to our hotel room to change into our Faerie costumes so we could go to the Bad Faerie Ball at the Trokadara Theater that night after the convention .

    Julia , Cathy  ,and  I returned to our hotel room to changed into our faerie garb complete with crowns of flowers for our heads and  beautiful flowing faerie wings of gossamer. We even had faerie dust for our hair. I was the only one that  had pointed elf ears  and a beautiful painted face mask of magenta with  purple glitter.

     I never imagined that I would ever see Brian again, but as we walked up stairs to the balcony at the Troc., guess who was standing at the top of the steps?  Yes, it was Brian dressed like a Hobbit.  I can't believe it, but we did  meet again that night at The Bad Faerie ball .

     He  posed with his arm around me in a handsome silk brocade jacket that made him look more like a Hobbit than an elf. I was in my Faerie wings, and gown. We were a sight to behold, and  I treasure that moment and our picture together  with all my heart.

    All in all it was one of the most exciting experiences I have had in a very long time, and one I can tell my grand kids and great grand kids .. Thank you Brian.

    

A Different Kind of Fairy Tale

       Most fairy tales begin with, “Once Upon a Time”, but not my fairy tale. It doesn’t start that way, because it isn’t from a long time ago, it’s from this time and place.  It is my fairy tale.  It began the day I moved into my new home in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. It was warm that day in July of 2003 when my two potbellied pigs, Reggie and Pepper and I arrived at our last homely place. I unpacked the SUV and headed to the front door of our new home nestled snugly in the enchanted woods. When I opened the door I was greeted with the overwhelming feeling that this was going to be an amazing new adventure. .

     I set my things on the floor, because there was nowhere else to put them. Unfortunately I had another month to wait before my furniture would be delivered, so that meant the house was empty except for one small chair left behind by the previous owner. The pigs were snooting around from room to room as I headed for the sliding glass door in the dining room to let in some fresh air and see what was happening on the deck out back.

      As I stepped onto the deck I noticed a wonderful old maple tree.  A strange feeling crept over me as I was gazing at this tree. I got the feeling I was not alone. I could not understand why I was feeling this way. All I knew was that I felt happier at this moment than I had felt in a long time. I felt a sense of peace and overwhelming gratitude to finally be here. It had been a very hard time I had just gone through to get where I was now after my divorce.

     I continued to unpack and settle into my new place. A month passed and my stuff   arrived.  It was suddenly August and the nights were getting a lot warmer so I was able to keep my doors and windows open for longer periods of time. It was a delightful summer and I could see the autumn leaves starting to appear here and there in the forest behind my home.  My Potbellied pigs and I spent a lot of time there just walking among the wild flowers and trees. Of course they did taste a few flowers here and there.

     Whenever I was in the forest I always had a strange feeling of being watched, but I could not tell where it was coming from. This feeling was something I never experienced before. It was a little unnerving, but not scary. Somehow this actually made me feel protected. As time went on this feeling of being watched got stronger.

     This was the first time I had ever lived by myself and I absolutely loved my new- found freedom. Then one day like magic I discovered where the feeling of being watched was coming from.  It was coming from my old maple tree.

      Since I am a professional dowser I decided to use my pendulum, and A-B-C chart, to locate where the strange feeling was coming from. My pendulum told me it was the  maple tree. I had just discovered how to use a pendulum to speak to my animals and trees any time I wanted. This was the beginning of something  amazing. My tree told me his name was “Old Man” and he was my guardian. Then he gave me a special name. It was, ‘My Lady Rebecca Fire Elf Shimmer.”  He even told the forest creatures, and now they  call me My Lady Rebecca. I knew that day I was living in a magical place and I was blessed to have been brought here by my Angels and Higher Being. Strange things started to happen after that day with Old Man.  

     Time was moving fast my first summer here. One hot summer morning  I was working on a zoning case and I glanced out the window of my office.  I noticed my neighbor’s cat  Peanut playing with something in his yard.  I realized he had a chipmunk and was tossing it in the air. I grabbed my garden gloves and  rushed out the front door. Peanut saw me and took off. I ran to the little chipmunk lying motionless on the ground and picked it up. I cupped him in my hands and immediately began sending Reiki energy. Reiki is a very old Japanese alternative healing modality that uses life force energy to heal. I am a Reiki Grand Master and it is just natural for me to do this. It seemed like forever, but he finally opened his eyes and looked at me.  I could see the blood running down his tiny cheek. He was scared to death. All of a sudden he jumped out of my hand and scampered away.  I said goodbye and went back home to finish my zoning case.

      A few weeks later I was by my feeders and I noticed a chipmunk with scars on his face. I asked him if he was the same chipmunk the cat had hurt, and he told me yes and introduced himself as Odie.   From that day on Odie and I became the best of friends, I saw him inside my home one day looking out my sliding glass door at his friends on the deck to let them know he was special. He left me many presents of seed and peanuts that summer and many summers to follow. Odie has since passed into spirit, but he will always be very special to me because he was the first wild animal that talked to me. I even befriended a mole named Moe who would allow me to pet him while he ate seed from under the fallen leaves.

        Summer had suddenly turned into fall and the trees were dressed in every  color you could imagine. There was a golden glow coming from my enchanted forest. I loved talking to my trees and animals all summer. It was an amazing experience to feel the closeness I felt to these creatures.

       Then one morning in mid September, I received a phone call from my psychic friend Nancy . We talked a while ,then she said, “Becky, do you know that you are living on a port hole?"   “No!” I said, “but I wouldn’t be surprised.”  I proceeded to tell her everything that had been happening here since the day I arrived. She also told me there is a tribe of 27 forest fairies residing here with me and my two pigs. I was really excited to know I that. I have always believed in the Fey ." Nancy," I said, "This explains so much."  

        After we said good bye, I used my pendulum to ask my fairy queen her name. I connected immediately and she told me her name was Noni.  She said she has been here forever. Noni also told me how happy they all were that I had moved here and  they were here to take care of me. Then she began to explain how upset they were with me for putting my lawn tractor by the shed, because it killed all the grass. I explained to her that this was the only place I could put it, and then she said “You should have put it in the shale drive way.” I apologized to her, and I said, "As long as the grass was already dead I am going to leave it there."  We agreed ,and she explained to me that I needed to warn them before I cut the grass so they could get out of my way in time.

     I was amazed about the fairies and I never told anyone I was talking to them or the trees and animals. I guess I was still skeptical, but that disappeared the day some fairies were seen dancing in my hair. This actually happened the next summer at Sacred Spaces a Healing Zone and Angel gift shop I frequented  for classes .  That  day I was with my friends Nora and Patty watching an Eagle soar over the brook out back of the store. Patty started to laugh and she began to tell us she could not see the Eagle because of  the fairies that were dancing in my hair . Nora said that she was not surprised at all. Well needless to say I was shocked , but because of what happened that day I am now known to my friends as the fairy lady, and I was asked to work with the children at summer camp making fairy houses in the local parks near my home the next summer.

       Since that time I have watched my forest fairies at 3:00 am twinkling in the trees in my front yard and I have made fairy gardens of my own around my home for my friends to enjoy, but I have a special place that is still untouched and wild for them to dance and play, as they really do love wild places.

      I  have adorned my SUV from front to back with fairies, and across the front is a statement that tells it all. “Don’t Piss Off the Fairies”. This is what they tell me all the time, because they are not at all happy with us humans of late. This is the exact reason they disappeared from this dimension many long years ago. Today they will only appear to special children and adults that take them seriously. The ones that keep Mother Earth free from harm.

     I always call on the fairies when I hold my Medicine Wheel Drumming Circles to help heal Mother Earth, or when I open my Elven star gate to allow the Elf Masters return. I know in my heart they are with me everywhere I go to protect me, because I have become one of them in spirit. I am now and will always be a fairy ambassador and activist who keep’s a very special place in my heart and my home for the wee folk, because they were here way before we ever stepped onto this planet.

     The message they want me to convey is this. Fairies are real and they will be showing themselves to more people from time to time.  They told me to ask you to keep your eyes, and your heart open to feel the love they have for you and our Mother Earth. They want you to learn where to look for them, but most of all you must believe  with all your heart and soul.  Become like little children again.

       Do not fear to be the way you were meant to be before you were told that it was not ok to be that way. I believe that the hardest part of becoming an adult is leaving our inner child behind and all alone. She is the child I had to say good bye to many years ago. I have found my inner child again since I arrived here in this special place in the enchanted woods, and she is now free to be who she was meant to be. You see, I am her and she is me.

      I'm not afraid to tell my Fairy Tale, because of what someone might think of me. I 'm way  past that nonsense now.  I am now an outrageous  older woman, who in my golden years has been cut free ,and I owe it all to my potbellied pigs , my Old Man tree, my forest creatures, and especially the faeries.  Yes, fairies  are real to those of us who believe, and  I really do believe in fairies with all my heart, maybe you should too. It is amazing to finally become who I was meant to be, and live my life happily ever after.

The End

  

Kinesiology

·

TEST BEFORE YOU INGEST When I first learned about muscle testing from my friend Andrea Mandel, I was amazed that we have such a biofeedback tool available to us that can determine what resonates with our own bodies. As Andrea says, "Our bodies have an inner wisdom, and this is a way for us to communicate with that wisdom." Since then, I have learned many methods of muscle testing from a variety of people, and share it with my students and clients. While muscle testing is usually done with a partner, there are self-testing methods we can perform. A favorite self-testing method is the "Sway Test" which you can begin practicing today. Kinesiology (pronounced kin-easy-ology) is a form of biomechanics which investigates and analyzes human motion. In 1964, Dr. George Goodheart, Jr., introduced the world to Applied Kinesiology which is based on the fact that the body never lies. Applied Kinesiology has become a standard for many chiropractors, nutritionists and homeopaths who use muscle testing as a means of dialoging with the body. Muscle, or Energy Testing, is the response of our individual energy systems to the vibrations of certain substances, people and even statements we make. Our nervous system is a 37-mile-long antenna which discriminates subtle frequencies that scientific instruments can't measure. While MRIs, EEGs, and CAT scans give us vital information, for more subtle feedback most professionals rely on muscle testing. In her book, Energy Medicine, Donna Eden says, "If I had the power to impact the medical profession in just one way, it would be that physicians add energy testing to their diagnostic tool kit." Donna also states that in maintaining health, knowledge is power, and suggests using muscle testing to determine what foods, vitamins and supplements we should and should not take in to our bodies. Each person has an unique energy system just like each of us has our own fingerprint. The foods we eat and the supplements we take impact each of us differently, making nutrition an individual matter. Our body resonates with certain vibrations and tenses against others, either stabilizing or stressing our system. What better way to find out what is good for our body than to test it ourselves? In the mid-1070's, Dr. John Diamond began muscle testing the positive and negative effects certain thoughts have on the Thymus Gland, which lies just beneath the upper part of the breastbone in the middle of the chest and is the master controller of our life energy. This is where we hold substances with the Sway Test. THE SWAY TEST   A Self-Testing Method for Vitamins, Supplements and Food · Stand with your feet no more than shoulder width apart. Either test barefoot or in flat shoes such as sneakers. Heels are not recommended. · Place the substance you are testing in one hand and close your fist over it. Hold this hand up to your heart center, which is your thymus gland. Then place your other hand over the first one. · State: "This is good for my body." · Become still, centered, close your eyes, take a deep breath, release it and let go. · After a few moments you become aware of your body either being pulled forward or falling backwards. If you feel yourself falling forward, your body is embracing the substance in a positive reaction. If you feel yourself going backward, away from what you are testing, your body is repelling it in a negative reaction. Sometimes we don't get a reaction or are not sure what answer our body is giving us. If you feel you are not getting a true reading, take the following steps: · Perform the test again. Make sure to take a deep breath and clear your head. · Drink water —your energy system may be dehydrated. · If you can, take the vitamins or supplements out of the plastic container and place one pill or tablet in your hand (not recommended in health food stores). · Program your body to go forward for a positive answer and backward for a negative answer. I had to do this when my body started swaying sideways! Simple tell your body "Go forward for a yes answer," and "Go backward for a no answer." Then test your body by saying "yes" and waiting for a response, then saying "no" and waiting for a response. Once your body continually sways forward for "yes" and backward for "no" you can be more assured of a true reading. Remember that since the body is electrical, energetic, physical and metabolic, it is always in a state of flux. What is good for us one day may not be as beneficial the next. And we may overload on certain foods or vitamins, creating a toxic, or allergic, reaction to our energy system. Therefore, it is best to test before you ingest at various times. Test your vitamins, supplements and other products on a regular basis, or at least when you buy a new supply. And make sure to test different brands of the same product to find which brand is best for your body. With foods, test them at different stages of processing or cooking. Although raw green beans may test positive, canned or micro-waved beans may not be as healthy. Although you can learn the Sway Test in a few minutes, it may take some practice before you feel comfortable using it. Since this method is always available, day or night, requires no instruments, and is free, you can practice it regularly with almost any product or food. The more you practice, the more instinctive it becomes. When I first learned muscle testing, I even asked my body what color clothing was beneficial for me each day! Colors have vibrations, and sometimes one color especially resonates with our bodies. And I received lots of funny looks and questions in the health food stores. I even ask my body if supplements are good for my husband before I buy them. I have since learned other less noticeable ways to muscle test. However, the Sway Test seems to be the easiest method to learn and gives people a way to instantly take control of their own health. USING THE SWAY TEST TO DETERMINE DOSAGE · Hold one capsule or tablet in your hand and state, "This is good for my body." · If you sway forward, add another capsule and state again, "This is good for my body." · Keep adding capsules, one by one, until you sway backward. Then you have exceeded the optimum dosage by one. · Also ask the body, "I take this dose once a day." · If you go forward, state, "I take this dose twice a day." · When you go backward, the previous statement that tested · positive is best for your body. REMEMBER: Your body is constantly changing, so your optimum dosage may also change. If you use this method with prescription medications, use the results to open a dialogue with your doctor. DO NOT change prescription medications without first talking with your physician. (author unknown )