Welcome from Daniele!

October is here... How amazingly fast this year has been passing! For most of the people I know who are consciously following their Spiritual or Soul's path, life has been quite chaotic and, (Surprise!) that chaos is going to continue for a bit. There are myriad websites and articles on the reasons for and the results of the chaos but I'm finding that one concept has not been talked about much.

Are you aware that, as you live your life from the perspective of Soul first and personality/ego second you release the 'protection' of reincarnation? What I mean by that, and what I have observed in my own life, is that each Soul is infinite and immortal... each Soul has only one life... so if you live your life as Soul then you live with the understanding that you have only one life and that life has several chapters to it which our personalities refer to as past lives.

So why is this important? Because, dealing with past life issues has been an easy, fun, meditative, interesting and instructional process. Dealing with those same issues as past events in your present lifetime changes their impact, importance and urgency quite a bit.

Should you panic because you have never done past life work or you never forgave your lifetime as an axe murderer? NO! Just embrace your past by loving who you are today... all of you... good, bad, dark and light... and then take care of whatever new business comes your way. Unfinished lessons will always reappear as new opportunity... or... present day chaos!

Worth thinking about...

Living Light and Balance

Life is Beautiful... People are Beautiful...

Every person you meet is a reflection of some part of you. Every event in your life is the result of what you have thought and prayed for. This mantra is designed to help people love their creations and the results of their thoughts thereby encouraging new results and more wonderful experiences with elegance and ease.

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Last Month:

I Am Growing!   I Am Learning!

Are you ever bored? If so, your Spirit is sending you an urgent request for new growth and new learning! When this request is ignored for a long time, the result can be fast or premature aging, mental confusion, surprising life events that are 'unintended'. The cure, however, is simple...

Begin to focus on welcoming new growth, new learning... new adventure! The above two mantras are designed to support that effort well...

Guest column: Notes from Bug Camp………..

New Way to Protect the Environment:  Drink Tap Water!

By Sally Kniffen, Environmental Specialist

Maybe it’s just me and the strange way I look at the world around me, but, this has really been “bugging” me, lately.  Maybe someone can answer this question for me?  When did bottled water become the only way we get our daily recommended 8 glasses of water? 

Sure, I’ve read the newspapers about contaminates in water.  Chlorine and Fluoride additives fuel the debate about tap water safety.  Does this imply that bottled water is “safer”, more “pure”, “healthier” or “better” for a person than a glass of tap water? I’ve, also, noticed that a trendy bottle of water is more like a fashion accessory or status symbol than a life sustaining requirement.  When I discovered that Evian® is Naïve spelled backwards it made me think twice about who’s involved in the marketing of this $15 billion per year industry.  (Yes, billion with a “B”) I would like to share some of my findings with the Readers……..

In 1999 the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) started a four year study on bottled water.  They tested over 1,000 brands from all over the USA and found 1/3 of the bottles tested violated existing contamination standards for bacteria and arsenic.  The Food and Drug Administration only requires bottled water to be tested annually---whereas tap water, from a municipal supply, is tested quarterly.  My question is: “Shouldn’t the standards be more stringent because bottled water costs much more than tap water”? 

The second finding the NRDC reported is that most bottled water comes from a ---(surprise!)---municipal supplier!  Coco Cola Co. which bottles and distributes Dasani water and Pepsi Co. Aquafina (registered trademarks) are bottling the same water they receive from their municipal supplier.  Without having to add the sugar and flavoring, etc…they charge the same amount for a bottle of soda as a bottle of “purified” water.  Brilliant!!  Of course, it takes talented marketing to convey the “illusion” the water is coming from some enchanted, virgin, glacier- fed spring where tiny fairies and galloping  unicorns rendezvous under rainbow skies while blue birds sing a catchy jingle. (whew!) But, this confirms the aforementioned status symbol/accessory theory.  Evian is naïve spelled backwards, remember? 

I know, bottled water is convenient, and it’s better for our health than soda.  It is not a bad thing to have safe, sanitary water when you’re in the field, at Bug Camp or on the road.  However, the amount of convenience vs. the amount of waste from discarded bottles is a grand, moral question.  Even if every bottle was recycled the numbers are astounding!  2.6 billion (yes, a “B”) cases of water were sold in 2006.  It took approximately 1.5 million gallons of oil to make the bottles and endless dollars in transportation, refrigeration, distribution and trash costs to provide the convenience of that bottle of refreshing water. 

I can hear some of you thinking, (wink), “But, I reuse my bottles and that cuts down on the waste.”  Well, that leads me to my next question, “What about the safety of the bottle?” It’s not breakable, but there are some nasty chemicals that leach out of that plastic, especially if the contents become heated, for example, by sitting in your car in the summertime.  These chemicals leach more severely if the bottles are reused  #1 polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) is the most common resin used in disposable bottles.  However, as they are reused they can leach DEHA a known carcinogen, and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) a potential hormone disrupter. Also, the plastic is porous thus you will likely get a swill of harmful bacteria with each gulp if you reuse #1 plastic bottles. (See Journal of Environmental Monitoring Jan. 2006 for additional chemical leaching and safer types of plastic)

Goodness!  What ever can we do?  Some simple things will really save you money and help the planet; it just takes a decision to do things a little differently!  Much like real life, huh?

·         Enjoy more tap water!  Install an NSF approved filter and change it regularly to filter out taste and impurities.

·         Use stainless steel or #2 high density polyethylene (HDPE) water bottles for “on the go”.

·         Support public policies that promote safe, affordable, public tap water.

·         Supply carafes of water and glasses during public events. 

·         Use bottled water sparingly; sometimes it’s unavoidable.

·         Try to be creative!  I often think, “What would my grandmother have done in this situation?” Mason jars, thermos containers, glass re-sealable bottles all work. 

So in the meantime, enjoy some wonderful, cool water and be grateful we have clean healthy water right at our faucets.  Whatever form of water you are fortunate to consume, give thanks, and remember ‘Words Purify Water’, Cheers! 

We want your articles! What we are looking for are articles on spiritual topics. Short ones might be included in a monthly SoulFull Notes Newsletter and longer ones might be included on my website in the Articles by Others section. I use the word might here because the editorial staff maintains the right to choose which articles will be included. There is no payment for this simply the joy of sharing your message in a global venue!

Articles by Others

Wonderful Words

Perpetual:  1a. Continuing forever; everlasting b. valid for all time; 2a. holding for life or for all time. [Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary]

Forgiveness:  the act of forgiving; the act of ceasing to feel resentment against (an offender); 2. to give up resentment of or claim to requital for (an insult, etc.), 2b. to grant relief from payment of (a debt).

Perpetual Forgiveness: The act of forgiving forever. The act of ceasing to feel resentment against (an offender) forever (past, present and future). One of the greatest tools for living life in freedom, joy and unconditional love.