Positive Impact Living

Sunday, 24 June 2007

Making money online

Text Link Ads are an excellent way to make money from your blog, if you aren't already you could be - just by copying and pasting a simple code into your layout and because a blog is free and simple to set up, it's a win-win situation.

By monetising your website, you allow yourself to earn income passively day or night - Easy Money! Finally there's a way! If you want to reach a wider audience the cyber gurus say:- have useful content, use keywords that would reflect the words people use in search engines and what the bots read, join search engines and blog carnivals like ezinearticles.com and blogcarnival.com. I'm not a cyber guru but I didn't want to disapoint by this article not having the goods it says it does.

There is a keyword selector tool at overture.com that allows you to see how many hits certain words and word combinations get, so that you can adjust your titles accordingly.

Text Link Ads offer an affiliate program, and a publishing and advertsing program. You can also become an affiliate with people like Auction Ads, Amazon.com, and Chitika eMiniMalls if you have enough traffic (over 10000hits/pcm). These are simple ways, but worth doing because they cost you nothing up front.

AuctionAds: Increase the bid on your site's income!

Operating a business over the internet has none of the overheads that a land based business is plagued by, and now it's possible to use an intermediary delivery service shop host like Cafe Press to create and sell your merchandise again with no money up front. The fact that you are creating a network with your site, that is self-revolving, enables you to put much more energy into what you really want to be doing.

You can produce your own e-book for free with lulu.com

I have also joined MyBlogLog.com because they allow me to see where readers come from and what they read and this gives me the ability to share their experience; so that if they have come from a google search, I can see what for and whether or not they were able to easily find what they were looking for on my site. Then I can change my site so that they are able to get to the things they are looking for and everyone is happy! You can join MyBlogLog for free initially and after that the up to date privileges are $3pcm.

Just trying out visionbuzz.com which claims to up my traffic, I'll let you know here how that goes Submit a Site

I will be adding to this page as I come across new cost-free ways of making money on the internet, please contact me if you know of something and don't see it included here.

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Related Articles:-
How to Help
Building Traffic

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Saturday, 23 June 2007

'Navigation Using the Sun' Guest Article by Mark Bradshaw

'Where am I ?'

Introduction
A basic introduction to a few methods of ROUGH direction finding using the position and movement of the sun in the sky.

Fundamentals
The sun rises in the east and it sets in the west. In the northern hemisphere at 1200 local time it is due south, at 0600 it is due east and at 1800 it is due west. Its travel across the skies is constant, it neither speeds up or slows down - so with those irrefutable facts determined we can work out the position of the sun in the sky using only the time of day.
We are going to look at three methods of finding the suns position; each method takes longer, and is more accurate, than the last.

Instant Method
• Ensure your (analogue) watch is set to local or solar time.
• Keeping the watch face horizontal point the hour hand as accurately as possible at the sun.
• An imaginary line that exactly bisects the angle between the hour hand and the 12 O’clock
position on the watch points due SOUTH.
• Continue that line in the opposite direction and you have north.
• Mark north with a stick or stone before you move around and lose its position.

The higher the sun is in the sky the more difficult it can be to determine its
direction.
Practice this skill when you have a compass handy so you become proficient without having to think too much about what you are doing, and practice without using a watch but visualising a clock face.
Even when you have a map and compass available you can use this method to make sure you don’t make one of those very common and embarrassing ‘180 degree’ errors, we have all been there!
Develop the ability to use this method as you walk, it is a great way of
checking your navigation on the fly.
Be aware, this is northern hemisphere specific, it is possible to do in the southern hemisphere but the technique is completely different.

Hasty Method
As good as the Instant Method is it has a couple of failings, if you
cannot see the sun for clouds or mist it is unusable, it relies on a
humans accuracy in pointing the watch in the correct direction, and
without knowledge of the correct time you are stuck!

This second method overcomes all those potential pitfalls but it has a
couple of its own; it is only slightly more accurate than the first method
and it needs 20 minutes or so to complete. Its big plus point is that it
works so long as the sun is strong enough to create a shadow.

• Place a straight stick vertically in the ground and mark clearly
where the end of the shadow is cast.
• After a period of time, the longer the better, place a second stone where the shadow now falls.
• The line between the two stones is the West-East line.

Don’t make the relatively common mistake of transposing the two and getting things horribly wrong. Just remember the sun travels from East to West so the shadow moves West to East!

Deliberate Method
The third and most accurate method. Key for this last method of determining direction to work is that it is started before midday and ended after. The longer before and after you take the measurements the more accurate you can be.

•Before noon place a stick in the ground in a similar way as for the
previous method.
•Mark the point where the shadow cast by the sun ends with a
stone.
•Using a piece of string as a guide scribe an arc around the stick
creating a circle where the first stone rests on the circumference.
•Watch while the shadow shortens, moves east and then lengthens
again.
•Mark the point where the shadow again intersects the arc with a
second stone.
•The line between the two stones is the West-East line.

Important Considerations
All times mentioned in this article are Solar Time, you may need to make adjustments for Daylight Savings Time and similar.

Unfortunately the sun, or more accurately the Earth, does not behave as we wish it might because it tilts on its axis so is not constantly over the equator. If you are in, or near, the tropics (defined as areas of the Earth where the sun is directly overhead at some point in the year) it may be impossible to determine North or South using the instant method. Keep in mind that the two solstices are when the sun is furthest from the equator and the two equinoxes are when it is directly over it.

The Arctic and Antarctic circles are the two areas where the sun refuses to set at midsummer and does not rise in midwinter. There is very little hope of judging the rise and fall enough to navigate by, it gets worse - because the sun is visible at night you will make a 180 degree error if you try these methods when it ‘should’ be dark!

Please practice these methods before you use them, trying to remember if the stones mark East - West or West - East as the smoke is still rising from your vehicle would not be a comfortable situation to find yourself in.

Mark Bradshaw writes of himself:-Born in Manchester, I joined the army at 16 after rebelling against an education that was better than I deserved. I served as a tank gunner before moving into reconnaissance where I became a section commander. I completed soviet studies at the intelligence school at Ashford in Kent then did a stint at the International Long Range Reconnaissance School in Weingarten. I also qualified as a Schools Instructor at the Royal Armoured Corps radio school in Bovington. In my spare time I climbed throughout Germany and Sardinia, and canoed from Guatemala to the Mexican Gulf through Belize. I also managed to spend several winters cross country skiing in Norway. I currently work for a UK Police force in the training department.

Some rights reserved mboutdoors@mac.com Mark Bradshaw/Mountainboy 2007

tags - navigation sun, orientation, orienteering, direction, finding, compass, bearing, sun navigation, learning navigation, teach yourself navigation, homestudy, online

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Music Therapy

The Ebers Papyrus

Imagine a medium of sound and environment which actually heals you. For thousands of years people have used sound as part of the healing process. The Ebers Papyrus from 1550BC one of the world's oldest known medical documents, it prescribes a variety of incantations that Egyptian Physicians chanted to heal the sick. Chants continue to be use today in all parts of the world and in various religious traditions - but how much do we actually know about what the effect of sound has upon our bodies?

All of us know the effect different sounds have on our state of mind. We know what a 'jarring' noise feels like and we know the quality of a 'soothing' sound. We also all have different tastes in music and use it just as film directors do to produce certain states within us. A good DJ can 'control' the vibration and mood of an entire Dance Club as unforutunately can a bad DJ.

'The lymph system (is) the special circulatory system where immune cells grow and "hang out" when they're off duty from battling the body's microscopic enemies... ...Researchers have discovered direct nerve links to sll the places that immune cells grow and cluster; the bone marrow, the thymus gland, the spleen and the lymph nodes. While attacking germs, the immune system may look like a microscopic guerrila squad. But like every winning army, the immune system's actions are highly co-ordinated by a commander-in-chief, the mind' Michael Castleman

The Body-Mind Link is further illustrated in the Buddhist tradition where meditations are accompanied by recital of sacred texts and sometimes elaborate visualisations with psycho/spiritual componens that modify and uplift the mind.

In Buddhist chants you can actually feel the results within your body as different channels of energy begin to open and move, and a master can heal people with certain chants like the Vajrasattva Mantra.

Sedative music that places no demand on a patient is said to have the best results. Most people know by now the results of an experiment using Mozart that elevated the IQ of the listeners from an average of 110IQ before to 119IQ afterwards. Other research has shown that playing music during operations has reduced the patient's need for anesthesia by 50%.

The opposite also is true, that background noise in a city 'raises blood pressure, ruins sleep and contributes to stress'.

Aristotle said 'The Soul's passions seem to be linked with the body, as the body undergoes modifications in their presence'. So be careful when you are choosing your environment and the sound that either assaults or caresses your ears because you are also choosing to have either a beneficial or deletorious affect on your body. With this in mind don't forget the power of music to cultivate health and enrich your life.

Here are two lists I've compiled the first is the slow more therapeautic one and I'm probably going to change it a lot. Please feel free to suggest music. I thought it would be great to compile something really healing so suggest away and I'll change the playlists below accordingly until we get one that's just right!
(having a bit of trouble finding the right code for blogger if you can help let me know, thanks Louise)

Below is a list of useful music.If you have enjoyed reading this site please help me to keep raising the standards by leaving a donation

Related Articles
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Depression-do you have an unnecessary ailment?
Progress is Process -The SAS Fitness Training Programme

To join my newletter, with the latest Positive Impact Living Methods and News and please fill out your information in the box below (it's confidential), it will arrive once a month and you can easily unsubscribe, thanks Louise

http://openskymusic.com/
http://www.blissfulmusic.com/
http://www.gburnham.com/
http://www.oginali.com/
http://www.enya.com/
http://www.lionharp.com/
http://www.healingsounds.com/
http://www.artashealing.org/
http://www.innerharmony.com/
http://ronmann.com/
http://www.sound-remedies.com/
http://www.stevenhalpern.com/
http://www.innerpeacemusic.com/
http://www.shiningstar.com/
http://www.healingsounds.com/
http://www.biosonics.com/
http://www.spiritsound.com/
http://www.shirleykaiser.com/
http://www.mysticalsun.com/

Anonymous 4. An English Ladymass; medieval chant and polyphony.
HarmoniaMundi, 1992.Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo De Silos. Chant. Angel Records, 1994.
BecVar, Brian and BecVar, Bruce. The Magic of Healing Music. Shining Star Music,1997.
BecVar, Bruce. Take It To Heart. Shining Star Music, 1998.
_________________. River of Gold. Shining Star Music, 1999.
Smooth Jazz Piano, Healing Music, New Age Piano MusicBecVar, Bruce and Shakti, Nada. Jiva Mukti. Shining Star Music, 1994.
_________________. Samadhi. Shining Star Music, 1998.Campbell, Don. Music for The Mozart Effect. Spring Hill Music,1997.Chopra, Deepak, and Franke, Christopher. Transformation of Mind. Earthtone, 1997.Erlian, Rick. The Sounds of Yosemite: Beautiful Music & the Natural Symphony ofYosemite (The National Park Series). Orange Tree Productions, 1995.Frankfurter, Aryeh. The Secret Bride. 1994.Gardner, Kay. A Rainbow Path, Ladyslipper, July 26, 1994.
______________. Drone Zone, The Relaxation Company, 1996.Kay Gardner writes, “the drone, or long, uninterrupted tone of chord, is the basisof healing music, the bed on which all other healing musical elements lie.”Goldman, Jonathan. Chakra Chants. Etherean, 2000.
______________. The Lost Chord. Etherean, 2000.Halpern, Steven. In The Key of Healing. Relaxation Company, 1996.
______________. Inner Peace. Inner Peace Music, 1994.
______________. Music for Sound Healing. Inner Peace Music, 1999.
______________. Serenity Suite: Music & Nature. Inner Peace Music, 1999.______________. Sleep Soundly. Inner Peace Music, 1994, 1996.Jones, Michael. Pianoscapes. Narada, 1985, 1990.
______________. Pianoscapes (Deluxe edition). Narada, 2002.
______________. Seascapes. Narada, 1984, 1990.
______________. Touch. Narada, 1996
Kaiser, Shirley. Journey Within. 2000.
Mann, Ron, Ph.D. Coming Home. 1994.
________________. Healing in the Light. 1994.
________________. Inspiration for Meditation. 1994.
________________. Self-Hypnosis for Stress Release. 1994.
________________. Sleep. 1994.
________________. Soul Journey. 1994.
________________. Zen Meditation. 1994.(Miscellaneous). Cloud Forest. The Nature Company, 1991.Monks & Lay Members of Self-Realization Fellowship.
The Divine Gypsy. Self-Realization Fellowship, 1982, 1997.Nuns of Self-Realization Fellowship.
When My Dream's Dream Is Done. Self-Realization Fellowship, 2002.Oliver, Jim. Harmonic Resonance, The Relaxation Company, 1995.Richardson, Stan. Shakuhachi Meditation Music. Sounds True, 1997.
Shankar, Ravi. Chants of India. Angel, 1997.
________________. Live In Concert. The Gramophone Co. of India and EMI, 1993.Tibetan Monks Of Drepung Loseling Monastery. Tibetan Sacred Temple Music.Shining Star Music, 1998.Walsch, Neal Donald. Conversations with God. Windham Hill Records, 1997.Weil, Andrew. Sound Body, Sound Mind: Music for Healing. Upaya, 1997.Anugama. The Lightness of Being, 1998.

This Article was written with quotes from Michael Castleman 'Nature's Cures' and Shirley Kaiser.

tags - music therapy, healing power music, sound, body, illness, recovery, speed, disease, chanting, chants, songs, composers, healing
therapy,

Thursday, 21 June 2007

Depression, an unnecesessary ailment?

michelangelo's ceiling in the sistine chapel and the Pieta

Here are a few things I consider to be uneccessary ailments: Headaches, Flu, Arthritis, Hepatitis (any letter of the alphabet), Eczema, Asthma, Insomnia, Depression, Stomach Disorders, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (I.B.S), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - M.E or C.F.S, M.S, Diabetes, Cancer of the (anything). Some people might be a bit upset because I've called a terrible illness an ailment and then said it's unnecessary, as so many professional Doctors say 'it's incurable, you're going to die, it's very painful but sorry we can't give you anymore painkillers'. Well what I have to say to them is 'Get Stuffed' and rather loudly too because...

...there ARE solutions, there ARE answers, there ARE cures, there ARE simple treatments that WORK!So without further to do, and to alleveiate all you sufferers out there. Here they are......no wait a minute... 'Who is this?' You're wondering, 'Are they qualified?, 'Do they know what they're talking about?'.

All I have ever been interested in is what WORKS, not what doesn't work, or what might work or what has side effects,; only what works. Read my 'About me' to find out a little about what I've got better from and how, and see my Myspace link there to find a truly horrible picture of me suffering as you do occasionally (or in a long term fashion) in a horrible suffery kind of way.

I have often wondered why, when there are stories all the world over of people having their miraculous cures why Packs of Doctors aren't hot on their tails like the Paparazzi and the headlines aren't 'Amazing Individual Cured of ---- (input various unnecessary ailment) because that's what should be happening in an ideal world, and God (Input own god/other----you pray to) knows 'An Ideal World' is where I'm building my house. That said in this and coming articles is a list of all the things I've used personally and daubed on other unsuspecting individuals to heal myself (and them), get better or otherwise look younger, jump around, climb mountains, grafitti billboards (and other forms of subvertising), scale buildings, look at fish in their own environment or whatever it is you might want to do with the prescious, beautiful, truly wonderful and delicious thing that-so-many-people-take-for-granted, quality called HEALTH. Health implies a scale; excellent, good-middling-bad-terrible-won't matter anymore tomorrow. Where do you want to be on that scale; where are you right now? Do you believe it's possible to be well, totally well? What qualifications have I got? I am qualified as a Homo sapien and have evolved from being a tiny blip in the space time continuum to where I am today which is probably still just a tiny blip in the space-time continuum, but we better not think about that had we or we might get depressed.

Depression
If you've done a search maybe you've looked up 'Depression' or 'treatment for depression' and maybe the search engine comes up with a very helpful list. Lets try it right now.

The first 'advert' says 'you might be nutritionally deficient' hey maybe they want to sell you some nutrition. The second tells you what it is, and gives you some broad good advice like 'eat whole foods, do cognitive therapy, take exercise'. The third from the Royal College of Psychiatrists gives a link to a very suppotive and practical advice brochure. So you've got your list of advice, now you have to 'motivate' yourself enough to do what it says on that page(s) and that's where some of us begin to fall down.

I mean maybe we didn't think it was depression and then slowly it dawned on us that it was, then the Doctor gives us drugs, but did anybody stop and say 'Why have you got depression?', and does even knowing the answer to this question do anything to make you feel better?

Try and explain to someone in a tribal/hunter gatherer society the words 'depression' and 'stress' and you'll have a very difficult job. They don't have any idea what you're talking about - maybe in terms of overcoming a challenge/physical hurdle of some sort, but that's it, they don't really get it. Why not? Because they don't get depression, they don't get stressed. They don't have bills to pay. They didn't have to get a mortgage to put a roof over their heads. They have always got someone to turn to. They know they're worth, because they have a purpose to fulfil within a social framework that recognizes and rewards them on a consistent basis. They don't have it easy, but I'm beginning to think that's not a bad thing, I mean I didn't want easy when I was a kid.

When I was a kid I wanted adventure; I wanted recognition for beating challenges. Perhaps not consciously but proving myself to myself was important. How strong was I? How far could I run? Was I clever, was I important? What was my special gift? What was I good at? Perhaps you never got to find the thing you're good at, boy that would be depressing. Or worse, you're really good at something but nobody knows because you became a ------- instead; why, because you had the rates/bills to pay, the kids had to eat/go to school, you're still paying for the car and now the credit cards have to be paid for. So nobody got to meet the next Michelangelo Buonarrotti/Picasso; (but we're waiting for you.) So you go on the internet and search for 'depression' well not really, because you don't actually want more of that do you? Seriously what's really stopping you from being happy, fulfilled and well? What is it? Why are kids going crazy, why are all these isolated individuals not being happy even though they can have everything money can buy? Why aren't you happy? I don't think that comes down to just being nutritionally deficient does it?Why is it that there are more searches for 'depression' than there are for movie stars. After all 'those famous people' they've got it all haven't they, but ten times more people check out 'depression' instead. That's seriously depressing.

'What's your name?'Imagine your name there in the search box on google/yahoo or whatever - imagine seeing the results come up for your name. Imagine what you want to see come up in those search results. Imagine what you would have wanted to see as a kid. Maybe it's 'Famous Astronaut' or 'Dancer - Broadway' or 'Wrote the top bestselling book worldwide' or 'achieved an Honours degree at Oxford'. le reve, Pablo Picasso 1932

Probably you're dreams have changed over the years maybe now, the dream you get to fulfil is to sit down with a cup of tea and biscuits now and then and watch your favorite program on TV; a program about someone else doing what they dreamed of, and then another program after that about how many people have been killed in horrible ways today. My professional advice is 'Turn off your TV' or have fun seeing how much you could sell it for on Ebay (though maybe you'd want to hang on to it to see yourself getting the Best Screenplay award at the Oscar Ceremony). Have even more fun by holding a 'How far can you throw your TV set Competition' in your garden, plus you get exercise, which, don't forget is good for depression.

Follow 'all' the advice you can find out about depression' the advice that feels kind. Notice I didn't say helpful, or professional, I said 'kind'. The biggest thing you need when you're depressed is 'kindness' and the person you most need to get that from is you. Once you are kind to yourself you can conquer all, you can get all the brochures, do all the exercises, take all the medicine (well perhaps not all of it). Doing everything is a surefire way of curing yourself, finding out everything is easy and I made sure the 'everything' that I knew was written in the top three seach results already so I don't have to repeat myself with the 'take St John's Wort and sign yourself up for a marathon or mountain climbing training program' to get better from depression or 'become an Outdoor Activity Instructor' which is what I did (it became a kind of Uplifting Immersion Course and it worked) though next time I would definitely drink less alcohol as now I know I'd have got quicker results (I was eighteen years old).

If you're reading this now, and you're depressed (I'm sorry), or have been depressed, do this right after you've finished reading; open a window, or go out to your doorstep - and breath some big lungfuls of air. Then come in again (because you might not want to do this in public) and jump up and down (or run round in circles if jumping is a sensitive subject) on the floor or a bed until you're in a sweaty mess and hurt. Then crawl to window and get more air, and maybe you need a glass of water. Then repeat process (all day if you've nothing else planned) until you're bored or exhausted (now this is important).Then come back and read the rest of this article. I said come back AFTER!. Now go jumping, you depressed person you.

AFTER JUMPING UP AND DOWN
If you're bored or exhausted from jumping, you're no longer depressed at least right in the moment of boredom/exhaustion. That's great, we've found out that one - you can do an activity for an extended period of time, so you can function, and two - that whatever you do if you keep doing it mechanically, you eventually get not-depressed; and if you're bored/exhausted from jumping then you know you can do something else/anything else. You've also helped your circulation, your lymphatics, your brain, your bones, joints and skin complexion; I'm sure there's more but anyway you've done something great for you. If you're bored doing jumping, you're not meant to be a Jumper, maybe there's something out there, that you won't get bored doing. You might take up the dream you've always had and just do that; but I'll bet that when 99.9% of us were kids there wasn't 1% that would have said of our dream 'I want to work in an Office from 9-5 when I grow up and then I want to get a Mortgage'. So if you're dream was 'I want to learn to be an underwater diver and then find treasure' and you're not doing that and you haven't even tried it, 'Come On!'

It's essential that you do something active, and yes do address your nutrition. Turn over every stone to make sure, you know more than the experts about how to beat depression - it would be silly if you've just got to eat more beans to be happy.

One last note, if all the depressed people in the world went to volunteer and stuff envelopes for charities, there would be a lot less suffering in the world and after a while there would be a lot less depression. One day you'll look back at the time you were depressed and, believe it or not, you'll laugh - why? Because you can. Just because you can and you'll also know that you know the right way to be kind, in the nicest possible Mary Poppins type way of being kind.

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Tags - depression. depression treatment, cures, heaches, M.E, C.F.S, M.S, Cancer, headaches, migraine, arthritis, self-help, medicine, motivation, depression support, depression help, solutions, answers, mental disorders, hope, happiness,

Sunday, 17 June 2007

Your highest potential?

Swayambhunath Temple

This site has been growing really fast. I'm hoping to post Mark Bradshaw's article 'Orientating yourself by the sun' up soon. If you've just arrived at this page, you may be wondering exactly what this site is about. On the home page you'll find introductions to my most recent articles, but I would suggest searching my Categories for a clearer picture.

I am dedicated to something I've called 'Positive Impact Living'. It doesn't matter who or where you are or what circumstances you might be in, I'm posting 'practical' information here that will help you and I make a positive impact from within those circumstances. If I can inspire someone to be just a little bit positive, that's great. From the comments I'm receiving it's working and that's motivating me massively to persist in optimising this site for your/our benefit.

It's not positivity alone that I want to encourage, though this is an essential ingredient. There are skills that we as human beings are supposed to have to live well on this planet. They are skills that feed us with our optimum diet, ways of living that enable us to not only have the things we need but to feel the most 'alive' that we can possibly feel. Try to imagine just that - you feel the most 'alive' you have ever felt. Your body is buzzing with energy, your mind is clear, calm, focused. You have the confidence to achieve anything you put your mind to. Your body is luxuriating in feelings of exhilaration, potential and love. We should feel like this - all the time!

We shouldn't be putting up with low energy levels, headaches, blotchy skin or any of those complaints that so many people complain of, that's not even touching on illness.It is possible to live for a long time and in excellent health. It is possible to live without financial worries or burdens. It is possible to turn around from dullness, depression and any unfulfilled state and have the experience of fulfilment. Right now!

When I was little (and not so little) I was enthralled by magical tales. Magicians, witches, magical beasts, animals that could talk - they all filled my mind. The possibility of magic made me leap out of bed in the morning. My imaginary adventures took up days and weeks, months and years of my childhood.The boundary between reality and dreams was so thin then that I revelled in my own imagination - it made me feel ALIVE. It propelled me from the edges of my skin and perception to places that nourished my confidence and my soul.

If you are unhappy now, in any way - remember that place in you that really believes anything is possible. Anything is...

I'd love to find treasure. Real ancient treasure. I'd love to learn an ancient script and leaf through texts that bring forgotten civilisations to life. I'd love to build a boat and sail around Britain and then further. I'd love to travel across Europe and Asia on horseback. I'd love to live in the Himalayas and do a pilgrimage to where all the amazing teachers I have read and been told about achieved their own enlightenments. To go where Babaji, the immortal Yogi is said to wander and appear. To travel in the footsteps of Shabkar who began his journey with only a sheepskin coat as his possession which he gave away and then was later responsible for covering the temple in Kathmandu (with the eyes) in gold leaf. He sang many songs of Awakening. Then there are the Lung Gompas who are said to run long distances in trances - appearing to fly above the ground. The yogi who received a King while a Lion sat on one side of him and a deer on the other. Saint Frances who the animals loved. The Nepali Prince who practised levitation; his daughter brought him his lunch from the beginning of his practise to the point where she couldn't reach him!

The capabilities of awarenesses like telepathy, prediction, knowlege of the past and the future and curing of diseases are referred to as side-effects. They aren't even goals in themselves. There is an incredible state of Awareness or feeling 'alive' that many of us don't even consider.'Why not' I ask ? Why is it that millions of people have fought and died for us to have a freedom to do what? To not consider what our greatest potential might be?

We have a debt to pay to all of those living today and all of our ancestors who believed that there was something worth fighting and dying for. When I remember them and the manners of their lives; their stories and tragedies I can find no better reason to change my own life for the better - to fulfil my own potential, to touch my own destiny and turn it into gold.

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To join my newletter, with the latest Positive Impact Living Methods and News and please fill out your information in the box below (it's confidential), it will arrive once a month and you can easily unsubscribe, thanks Louise

tags - potential, maximum capacity, ultimate energy, energy, motivation, achieving, achievement, encouragement, support, headches, depression, skin conditions, astma, eczema, treatment, cures

Monday, 11 June 2007

Organic gardening - tree growing

Free Apples at the Ecovillage of Canada!

There is such a thing as forest gardening. Most people imagine a small holder to grow a few lettuces and tomatoes but it is possible to hold far grander visions and have a Grand Holding instead.

A forest garden takes full advantage of all of the seasons so that when the most light reaches the ground in the early spring, the smaller plants are ready and waiting without being obstructed by enormous tree canopies. As the larger plants grow they are ready for harvesting before the larger plants can take a way from them. This means that a diverse yield of vegatables, fruits and nuts can be harvested in large quantities. Unlike the monocropping that we are used to there are no vast swathes of land covered in single crops such as wheat. But instead a clever design system provides huge varieties without massive monetary or energetic input. A clever forest gardener will have all their dietary requirements met with only 5minutes work a day harvesting and maybe time spent adding a little 'mulch'.

Robert Hart was the founder of Forest Gardening as it is known and he has written two wonderful books about the subject which are well worth a read as they are so positive and inspiring. The reason I've included forest gardening on my site is because it is so inclusive, simple and rewarding that it couldn't be left out and if ever we needed trees we need them now.

Another lovely tree book is Jean Giono's 'The Man who Planted Trees' that if you're not already fired up to go out and plant your first forest; should do the trick.

Forest gardening is an intensive form of gardening, it really is simply planting a forest that is full of the plants we use and rely on. They used to exist once; Councils in Britain who in the 1970's took out all of the fruit trees from town centres will be finding themselves putting them all back in again.

To get started see below and if a forest garden is too much for you try growing Basil and Parsley in your kitchen just for starters!

Taking Cuttings

Use a very sharp knife/secateurs
Put the cutting into a plastic bag and keep there until ready to pot
Take cuttings from strong, healthy, non-flowering shoots, including a tear of stem (heel) at base
Take cuttings in the morning when the plant has more moisture
Use a free draining compost with 50% sharp sand/perlite
Remove all but two/three leaves and if they are large cut them in half to reduce moisture loss

Softwood cuttings need to have an artificially humid environment because they root fast. Most deciduous shrubs/climbers are suitable for softwood cuttings.
Semi-ripe cuttings are taken from mid-summer to autumn from the current new season's growth that has begun to harden off. They are more robust than softwood cuttings.
Hardwood cuttings are very slow to root, but because they are taken from ripened wood in the Autumn, or even winter they are slow to dry out and die. They are used for deciduous trees, shrubs like roses and fruit such as currants.

Take cuttings from dahlias and delphiniums from the new shoots that emerge from the crown of the plant in early spring, taking as section of the root at the base.

Use a fine mist propagator as it reduces the rate the plant wilts and warmth from a sun-warmed bench increasing the growth of roots. Mistifying!

I will be posting pictures of my own attempt at forest gardening, there's more to it than simply growing cuttings, but one step at a time hey!

If you've planted a tree as a result of this article please send me a line and I'll put in on the 'Tree Tally' that is the number of trees planted since this site began.

My thanks to Monty Don 'The Complete Gardener' for his concise advice. Not exact quote.
Go grow! May apples and pears, cherrys and peaches, olives, grapes, hazelnuts, walnuts, beechnuts and more abound and flourish all over the place. may there be free fruit on everyone's tables!

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Related Articles:-
The Backyard Bushcraft Experience,
The Tree Tally

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tags - sustainable agriculture, forest gardening, growing trees, bioculture, taking cuttings, soft wood, hard wood, free food, fruit, nuts, future, CSA agriculture, polyculture

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• Vision Quest – motivation
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Soon to come:-Local Exchange Trading Systems, Living Machines, Ecovillages, Worker's Co-ops, Housing Co-ops, CSA's, Trusts and more...

Your Optimum Diet

It's easy to overlook the importance of physical conditioning, but it really is the foundation for everything else. If you're fit you have the capacity for more happiness - really, and don't forget the glowing complexion. 'We are what we repeatedly do' Aristotle said, and that's exercise in a nutshell. You build muscle, it's like memory made flesh.

The problem is many of us these days don't have jobs that require us to form peak physical fitness, so long as we can drag ourselves into the office and sit at a desk and manage to answer the telephone coherently, that's acceptable. It's sad beacuse as kids many of us had visions of being superheroes when we grew up, or Fire Fighters or something similarly heroic or admirable. Then we end up desk bound eight-ten hours a day, and don't get to even know what it might be like to be our most powerful selves. We settle uncomfortably for less.So being fit is the first thing I put in my First Aid kit.

You know for many years I've practised massage and other therapeutic techniques, there's nothing worse than massaging the strain out of someone's back for an hour or two and then have them come back because they've put the strain right back again - week after week. It's not just strain, it might be smoke - believe me you know if someone smokes or not when you give them a massage - it just leaches out of their pores. All of us walk a tight rope in our lives, it goes something like this:-

I really look after my body__________ I'm really self destructive
I love and accept myself ____________________I hate myself

At some time in our lives, we all of us will have tested both extremes, or hovered at the middle. I've used a gentle approach to heading to the best extreme where I look after myself properly. I try and complement the things that I know are bad for me with something that I know is good. Then slowly where I may have only had a bad habit, the good effects of a good habit make themselves felt and over time I don't want the thing that was bad for me anymore. It doesn't mean I do any crash diets, or failed fitness fanaticism weeks. I don't fall over, beating myself up when I'm not 100% angelic either.

So, my First Aid Kit has an ounce of common sense in it. Unless you're brought up by family who are already fitness fanatics you have probably already inherited self-destructive tendencies without even knowing they're bad.

In Britain the popular diet has been something that evolved during the industrial revolution; when flour, fat and sugar came along - polished by the second world war by rationing and rounded off nicely by the arrival of supermarkets. Which meant that our diet is stodge, with stodge on top, followed by stodge. The original diet that mankind was meant to eat is nothing like the one we are accustomed to; we are so alienated form our natural diet that our body's get over acid, dehydrated and we suffer from all sorts of complaints into our usually less than old age, becuase our diets and our attitudes toward eating, kill us off early. Even our pets are suffering from our dietary ignorance, dogs aren't meant to eat processed grains - when did they ever grow a field of wheat, harvest it and grind it into flour to make 'dog biscuits'?
The same applies to us, our bodies haven't evolved as fast as our manner of mechanically processing foods - we're still attuned and built for a seasonal hunter gatherer diet. If we eat such a diet, the stress leaves our bodies along with the fatigue, headaches, constipation, hair loss (seriously), and all the other complaints a lot of us just 'put up' with.

So now I'm going to introduce to a few foods that our ancestors would have regularly eaten.They would have eaten fresh seasonal greens, up to 70% of their diets. That's a massive difference in comparison to what we eat, most of the time there's a pile of potatoes/pasta, a pile of meat (sometimes but not enough times fish) and veg/salad on the side. Well veg/salad shouldn't be 'on the side' - it should be right in the middle along with a pile of fresh herbs'.

People used to eat forty to seventy differnt kinds of 'herb' in their 'sallets' or salads. Including:-Dandelion, lemon balm, mint, lavender, hyssop, feverfew, nettles, marigold, plaintain, hawthorn leaves, blackberry(bramble) leaves, beech leaves, fennel, chickweed, chamomile, borage, ramsons (wild garlic), Linden Flowers, Burdock, Marshmallow, Meadowsweet, Wild Marjoram/oregano, Cleavers, Rose, Red Clover, Sage, Thyme, Yarrow, Yellow Dock root, Wild Lettuce.

I've purposely picked things that we don't have in our diets that people would have once eaten 'regularly'; and this is what they're good for:-

Dandelion - (Use root, stem leaves and flowers) Liver tonic, promotes bile flow, diuretic ( make syou pee ), mildly laxative, antirheumatic, purifies blood, clears skin disorders

Lemon Balm - (Leaves and flowering tops) Antioxidant, antihistamine, carminative, antispasmodic, antiviral, anti-bacterial, nerve relaxant, anti-depressive, stimulates bile flow, lowers blood pressure, use for anxiety, depression, stress, flatulence, indigestion, insomnia.

Mint - (Leaves and flowers) Antispasmodic, digestive tonic, prevents vomiting, carminative, peripheral vasodilator, promotes sweating, promotes bile flow, analgesic, stimulates liver and gall baldder function. Used in ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, travel sickness, fevers, colds, flu, and to improve the appetite

Lavender - (Leaves, stems and flowering tops) Relaxant, antispasmodic, anti-depressive, nervous system tonic, circulatory stimulant, anti bacterial, antiseptic, carminative, promotes bile flow. Used for colic, depression, exhaustion, indigestion, insomnia, stress, tension headaches.
Hyssop - (Leaves and flowering tops) Antispasmodic, expectorant, promotes sweating, mild pain killer, diuretic, antiviral against herpes simplex, reduces phlegm, soothing digestive. uses for asthma, bronchitis, colds, coughs, influenza, fevers, flatulence.

Feverfew- (Leaves) Anti-inflammatory, dilates blood vessels, digestive. Uses for preventing migraine headaches, inflammatory arthritis. Avoid use inpregnancy as it stimulates the uterus. Fresh leaves may cause mouth ulcers in sensitive people.

Stinging Nettle -(Leaves, flowers and root) Astringent, blood tonic, circulatory, stimulant, diuretic, eliminates uric acid fromthe body, nutrient (high in iron, chlorophyll andVit C), promotes milk in breast feeding, (root is astringent and diuretic). Uses - a general, everyday nourishing tonic, for iron deficiency, aneamia, gout, kidney stones, as a blood tonic in pregnancy, diabetes, poor circulation and chronic skin disease. The root has a strong action on the urinary system and is useful for water retention, kidney stones, urinary tract infection, cystitis/prostate inflammation, and swelling.

Marigold/calendula - (Petals) Astringent, antiseptic, antifungal, heals wounds, menstrual regulator, stimulates bile production. Acts as an aid to digestion and as a general tonic, eases menopausal problems, period pain, gastritis, peptic ulcer, gall bladder problems, indigestiona and fungal infections

Plaintain - (Leaves) Anti -bacterial, soothingexpectorant, provides mucilage rich protection to digestive tract, nutrient, antihistamine, astringent. Uses for coughs, bronchitis, allergies, IBS Irritable Bowel Syndrome, gastric ulcer.Hawthorn (Leaves and flowering tops, fruits) heart Tonic, improves circulatory function. Used for angina, hypertension, poor circulation. Consult Doctor if using other heart medicine before using this.

Beech (Young Leaves (I eat a lot and they're fine and tasty), and Seeds (not eaten in large quantities) The bark is antacid, antipyretic, antiseptic, antitussive, expectorant, odontalgic. A tar (or creosote), obtained by dry distillation of the branches, is stimulating and antiseptic. It is used internally as a stimulating expectorant and externally as an application to various skin diseases. The pure creosote has been used to give relief from toothache, but it should not be used without expert guidance. The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Intolerance', 'Criticism' and 'Passing judgements'.

Fennel-(Leaves and seeds) soothing diuretic, antiinflammatory, antispasmodic, soothing digestive, promotes milk flow, mild expectorant. used for indigestion, flatulence, increasing milk in breastfeeding, relieves colic in babies when taken by nursing mother, used directly for colic, coughs. Avoid high doses in preegnancy because it is a uterine stimulant

Chickweed - (Leaves, flowers, roots and stems) Anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, astringent, heals wounds, demulcent. Uses for rheumatism, constipation, mucus in the lungs, cpoughs, colds, tumors and blood disorders. Externally for eczema, psoriasis and other skiin conditions (along with Marigold/calendula)

Ramsons/wild garlic - (leaves and bulbs) Anti microbial, antibiotic, cardio-protective, hypotensive, anti-carciongen, promotes sweating, reduces blood pressure, anti coagulant, lowers blood cholestrol levels, lowers blood sugar levels, expectorant, digestive stimulant, diuretic, anti-histaminic, antiparasitic. Uses - garlic inhibits cancer cell formation and proliferation. It lowers serum total and low density lipoprotein cholestorol in humans and reduces the tendency of the blood to clot, reducing the risk of blocked arteries and heart disease. An antioxidant and immuno boster. Strongly antibiotic and anti inflammatory. a ghood wound medicine. it protects organs from damage induced by synthetic drugs, chemical pollutants and the effects of radiation.

Borage - (leaves and flowering tops) Adrenal gland restorative, expectorant, increases milk in breast feeding. Uses for coughs, depression, streess, to strengthen adrenal glands after medical treatment with corticosteroid drugs.

Burdock-(Leaves, Stalk, Seeds, Root)- Leaf is Mild Laxative, diuretic. Root is mild laxative, antirheumatic, antibiotic, diaphoretic, diuretic, alterative, a skin and blood cleanser, burdock stimulates urine flow and sweating. root and seed s are soothing, demulcent, tonic, used to soothe kidneys and relieve lymphatics. It is a cleansing, eliminative remedy, helping to remove toxins that cause skinproblems like eczema, acne, rashes and boils, digestiove sluggishness, arthritic pains, supports liver, lymphatic glands and digestive system. The seeds prevent fever, are anti-inflammatory, anti bacterial, reduce blood sugar levels, are a soothing demulcent tonic used to sooth ekidneys and lymphatics.

Linden Flowers - (Flowering tops) antispasmodic, promotes sweating, diuretic, loweers blood pressure, relaxant and mild astringent. relaxing for stress, anxiety, tension headache, insomnia. relaxes and nourishes blood vessels, useful for high blood pressure and heart disease. it promotes sweating and is useful in colds flus and fevers

Marshmallow - (Flowers, leaves and root) Root - Soothes mucous membranes, diuretic, expectorant, Leaf - soothes, cleanses, heals external wounds, Flower - soothes mucous membranes, diuretic, expectorant, soothes, cleanses and heals external wounds, expectorant. Uses for ssothing mucil;age of digestive tract, the kidneys and the bladder, peptic ulcers, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, urethritis, hiatus, hernia, cystitis, diarrhea and gastritis. the leaf is used for bronchial inflammations, and forulcerative conditions. The flower is used in a syrup as an expectorant for coughs.

Meadowsweet - (Aerial parts) Anatcid, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, astringent, antirheumatic, diuretic, liver supportive, promotes sweating, used for rheumatoid arthritis, cystitis, peptic ulcer, hyperacidity, gastric reflux, for certain types of diarrhea. It protects mucous membranes of the digestive tract and does not produce the stomach bleeding side effect that is caused by long use of aspirin

Goosegrass/Cleavers-The tender young shoot tips - raw or cooked as a pot-herb. A rather bitter flavour that some people find unpalatable, they are best used in the spring. They make a useful addition to vegetable soups. It is said that using this plant as a vegetable has a slimming effect on the body The roasted seed is a coffee substitute. One of the best substitutes, it merely needs to be dried and lightly roasted and has much the flavour of coffee. A decoction of the whole dried plant gives a drink equal to tea. Uses - Alterative; Antiphlogistic; Aperient; Astringent; Cancer; Depurative; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Febrifuge; Homeopathy; Skin; Tonic; Vulnerary.Goosegrass has a long history of domestic medicinal use and is also used widely by modern herbalists. A valuable diuretic, it is often taken to treat skin problems such as seborrhoea, eczema and psoriasis, and as a general detoxifying agent in serious illnesses such as cancer. The whole plant, excluding the root, is alterative, antiphlogistic, aperient, astringent, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic, febrifuge, tonic and vulnerary. It is harvested in May and June as it comes into flower and can be used fresh or dried for later use. It is used both internally and externally in the treatment of a wide range of ailments, including as a poultice for wounds, ulcers and many other skin problems, and as a decoction for insomnia and cases where a strong diuretic is beneficial. It has been shown of benefit in the treatment of glandular fever, ME, tonsillitis, hepatitis, cystitis etc. The plant is often used as part of a spring tonic drink with other herbs. A tea made from the plant has traditionally been used internally and externally in the treatment of cancer. One report says that it is better to use a juice of the plant rather than a tea. The effectiveness of this treatment has never been proved or disproved. A number of species in this genus contain asperuloside, a substance that produces coumarin and gives the scent of new-mown hay as the plant dries. Asperuloside can be converted into prostaglandins (hormone-like compounds that stimulate the uterus and affect blood vessels), making the genus of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry] A homeopathic remedy has been made from the plant.

Rose - (petals and rosehips) to come
Red cloverYarrowYellow dockWild Lettuce

I am going to keep adding to this list as I come across information that is relevant and useful. As you can see many of these herbs, plants and trees have solutions for illnesses that are prevelant in society today including - digestive problems, arthritis, cancer, lymphatic disease, skin and lung problems. Note - There are also certain herbal combinations that are being found to help/eliminate symptoms from Cancer, Diabetes and M.S (To Come - see articles on Essiac/Caisse Tea for cancer and Diabetes, histamine patch treatment for M.S, Dandelion Root tea and diet for Hepatitis C Cure) There is a very effective herbal treatment for AIDS presently being used on a small scale in Africa.

Where can you find them? If you just head out your door to the countryside and find a hedgerow - you'll find them (please see my article on Identifying Plants which has advice on how not to poison yourself accidentally). A lot of these food were well known by country people, my nan called Hawthorn leaves 'bread and cheese' because when she was little, and they only had a bit of bread and dripping for their lunch, they used to pick the leaves to supplement their meal. She didn't know what they were good for, though in villages of the past a lot of these remedies were popular knowlege which they should be today.

I resourced this list largely from 'The Juicing Bible' by Pat Crocker and Susan Eagles and the www.pfaf.org site. Both of these I suggest as reading resources for the Bushcraft and Positive Impact Living Life Skills Courses.

PROJECT
There's also a Project for you to do and that is find out what the medicinal effects are of your kitchen herb and spice rack, like in the following list:-Basil, Cayenne, Thyme, Mint, Cardomom, Alfalfa, Dill, Ginger, Fenugreek,Garlic, Licorice, Nutmeg, Parsley, Sage, Turmeric, Marjoram/oregano

Herbs are very easy to grow. You can grow basil, parsley, coriander indoors in a tub by your kitchen window and pick them to add them fresh to your meals. They are like fresh vitamin/mineral supplements. Don't forget that the minerals in the plants you grow reflect the minerals that exist in the soil you grow them in. Many of us suffer mineral deficiencies because our diet relys heavily on food that is grown in deficient soils - these deficiencies can manifest as illness in odd and sometimes hard to diagnose ways. I have met many people who have recovered from a nagging problem simply because they have switched to organic food - organic farmers spend a lot of effort building a healthy soil base for their plants.

Also find out the benefits of some of your basic food staples like Oats, Lentils and vegatables etc. I suggest also that you keep a little book with all of these in, to pass on through your family. Your own P.I.L.L.S pages. Like mine has how to build a still and make fruit/herb wines and beers like blackberry wine, elderberry wine, nettle beer!

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