Believe

don't wait.

don't wait for the opportunity to approach you...create the opportunity. Believing in yourself is hard to do sometimes... you have to believe in yourself before anyone else does, unless of course it's your mother or you spouse... seriously though.. even if it means pretending. Pretend you are what you want to be and in that act, you will become what you want to be.

We have so many obstacles but so does everyone, and it is those obstacles that mold us into being the best that we can be, without them we would be weak and predictable and I am not sure about you but I don't want to be weak and predictable.

With the economy the way that it is, with the shift that is going on, with the war with the the disaster in Haiti and around the world.. all of these things we need to work even harder, have even more faith and believe even more. It is a collective consciousness and if we just tap into it, then we can prevail.

Prevail in what ever it is that we want to prevail in. Yes, easier said than done but I won't stop saying it, I won't stop believing it and if it doesn't get me to where I want to go, then it will at least get me further than if I hadn't believed at all.

Breathe, believe and treat others the way you want to be treated. Stop being afraid and take someones hand, not someones hand that will help you up.. but someones hand that YOU can help up.

Only use organic house plants now???

Why would you want ONLY organic house plants?

Because the American Society for Horticultural Science says so... at least in September of 2009. "buy only organically grown indoor plants, wash them carefully, and replace any plastic pots."

We use to think that having indoor plants would help make provide a better air quality in our living spaces but we have found out that perhaps it has done more harm then good.

There are harmful toxins in carpets, paint, and in pesticides put on the indoor plants before bringing them home from the store, the plastic pots that these house plants are in often put off toxic fumes as well.

Where do we go from here? Do we drive ourselves crazy trying to avoid all the toxins that are in our daily lives from the fumes on the road or in the sky from the jet trails left behind? What about the plastic that our water bottles come in or plastics that we might microwave or freeze.

We tore the carpet up, we changed what we eat, we took our microwave out of the house,we try to keep positive, loving thoughts, we try to be humble (a hard hard one for me sometimes!) What else can we do??

We recently built an above ground organic garden in our backyard, I was proud of all the thought that was put into it, until someone asked me if the wood that we used to build it was treated or not. WTF? No, I did not think about the wood that was treated with who knows what type of chemicals that may leach into the soil that we babied for months and composted organic veggie scraps in, and then planted our Heirloom and Organic seeds in.

What else do I need to worry about, what about the hose that I water the garden from? How about the nicotine from the neighbors back yard that seems to always make it into our yard and into our house if the windows are left open? What about the bees that pollinate our plants but have visited lethal pesticide plants before mine.

The truth is, I can only do so much without driving myself mad. I have to trust that what effort that we put into the foods that we eat, growing organic foods and wasting little... will help. I have to let go of my fears and just do what I can do because that is all that we can do.

One of my patients that I saw today is trying to change his life for the better, he wanted to get off of all the pharmaceuticals that he was on, he was worried about his liver, he was worried about washing his vegetables, about who touched the fruit at the store before he did and if they ever washed their hands. He was worried about the air that he breaths into his lungs at the health care facilities, the water fountain that he took a drink at in the lobby of the health care facility,and so on and so forth...

I do believe that this patient was so sick with worry that "it" was even a health hazard... Worry is probably one of the biggest toxins to our bodies, I wanted to tell him to breathe, to relax, not be so fearful... but instead, I just listened... and learned. I learned that if we look; we will always find things to fear.

I chose to live and not to worry myself sick. What do you choose?

The Albatross speaks

As much as I would like to believe that my carbon footprint is better than my neighbors, I know that it isn't what it should be.

I don't drink tap water, and even though I have a water cooler... I find myself wanting to go buy a case or two of plastic water bottles already filled with water. It's just easier, quicker and more convenient all around. I made that decision two days ago, I rationalized it by stating to my boyfriend that I would drink more water if I had a water bottle that was already filled for me, I would drink my herbal tinctures in my water so that means I would be more consistent with taking my herbs and therefore I would be healthier! It makes perfect sense!

Before I went out and bought a couple cases from Costco, I went home. I checked the mail and received a magazine "Spirituality and Health". I picked it up and I read a little bit then came across a photograph of a dead bird, partially deteriorated, feathers, beak and skeleton and in the center of those feathers were a multitude of colors, unrecognizable pieces and parts of plastic, fishing line, balloons and who knows what else. I read the piece and realized that it is my responsibility, as small as an impact that myself would make, it is still my responsibility to do my part. The story was sad and the photos were even more sad but impact it made on me was big.
I will be honest, I am not sure how long the impact will last or how soon it will be before I forget about "my part" or "my responsibility" but for today, and tomorrow and probably at least this month... I will take part on lessening my carbon footprint by recycling or not wasting. I did want to share this with others though, hopefully to get them thinking too...
The pictures you see here are from the magazine Spirituality and Health Jan.2010 issue, photos by Chris Jordan who will be speaking at the Sharpless Auditorium at Haverfor College in Haverford, PA Jan. 28th.

unsafe products who claim to be Healthy

As Herban Chica followers may already know, I am an herbalist and have been playing around with making products for skin that are healthy alternatives to what is offered out there to the general public.

I have learned so much, I have learned how easy it is to make a good for you, good quality product that is fun... I have also learned what big manufactures put in there so called, "healthy products" are not healthy at all.

A company will put in preservatives that make a shelf life incredibly long, that is good for the manufacturer but not the consumer. Most of these preservatives are proven unhealthy.

A company can put a trade mark name on a product that says "ORGANIC" and legally NOTHING in the product is organic. That is because it didn't say.. "this is organic", it simply named it's UN ORGANIC product "organic".

One product in particular is called "the healing garden" it's trademark is "skin organics" and "re nourish" but when looking at the ingredients they only listed a few of the ingredients and those were proven bad, unhealthy and when promising to filter UV rays... it actually inhibited the protection from the sun and therefore enhancing the damage caused by UV rays. Nothing organic was listed.. wouldn't you list an ingredient if it were organic? I would and do.

This product " the healing garden" also carried a warning label that stated that if swallowed contact a poison control center right away....

My question is WHY would you want to put something that was this harmful on your skin, the Biggest organ of your body?

It is scary to think of how ignorant that I have been for years, and it isn't our fault. We are deceived and lied to. We want to believe but are learning that we cannot believe.

We must start being responsible for our own health, educate ourselves, fight back by not promoting these companies who are in it for pure profit and not interested in the long term effects that it has on our health and our children's health.

Product ingredients that you may want to further investigate, stay away from but please don't take my word for it, investigate it yourself... research it. Don't be fooled anymore.

Avobenzone
Oxybenzone
Octinoxate or octyl metghoxycinnamate
Octisalate

Even some of the ingredients in Burts Bees has been recently classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer to be "possibly carcinogen to humans" WHY... use something that is even POSSIBLY cancer causing? Why if you don't HAVE to use it? It just doesn't make sense to me and is very upsetting.

I would love to hear opinions on this subject, I would love to learn more if you have other information that would be of value to this topic.

And,.... to promote my products which are completely safe and healthy.. visit herbanchica.etsy.com, I also custom make products. If you have a need for something that I don't make, allow me to formulate something for you and if I haven't made it yet or don't have another product that will help then your first sample will be free, even the shipping and handling!

random post

The year is at an end and what a year it has been. If I had to share one thing that I learned it would be to let go of fear.

As soon as I let go of my fear, doors opened up for me. The universe is plentiful and always has been but only until I was ready, was I able to accept the wonderful gifts it had to offer.

I would have to say that in my journey to become an herbalist, that it was indeed the herbs that brought to me an array of opportunities. How does that make sense? I am not sure... it could have been the like minded people that I was surrounded by, or mother natures energy wrapping her arms around me while I wrapped my arms around mother nature. I won't sit and contemplate the whys too much. It is a waste of my energy, I just need to show my gratitude and share my soul and my knowledge with others.

If I could tell you one thing that would be of some importance in life then it would be to open up to taking chances as scary as it may be.

I have started a business, am still a student of Holistic Health (and life), am pursuing many adventures and feel the urge to retreat to blogging a bit more. I miss it, I must find the time to express myself in order to balance the emotions and the adventures that I have been on.

Life is good, Herban Chica
Silybum Herbal