iHealth, Your Health Has A Voice!

Bliss is Your Birthright. Are You Spiritually Green?

Everyone is talking about "going green" these days. And rightly so! Far too long we humans have consumed carelessly, assuming the world that provides the rich resources that are vital to our life is indestructible and ever-productive. Now, study after study has proven that's not the case. If we don't change the way we consume, the earth's ability to provide the essentials for life will surely fade.
The word we use to describe a new, responsible, careful way of living on this globe is "sustainability." I've used it recently in my 'Going Green Series' and it's a big word that's not so common around the family dinner table; in conversations with friends, at work and in our own mental dialogue with ourselves when we sit with our thoughts. The big question is this: are we living and consuming resources in such a way that future generations will enjoy the same supply in years to come? Are we using the resources God has given at a rate and in the way that will allow them to replenish naturally? In other words, are we living in a way that will sustain the earth's ability to provide life-giving resources for our children and our children's children?
Most experts believe we are living unsustainably. If we keep living like we're living, the earth will not be able to provide for our ancestors in the way it provides for us.
Though ecological sustainability...going green...is a terribly important topic, that's not what I've been thinking about lately. My question is this: Am I living a spiritually green life? Am I orienting the activities and disciplines of my LIFE in such a way that will produce spiritual resources for the demands of my LIFE today, and for years to come? Is my LIFE spiritually green?

I'll even go a little further and ask more specifically, are we building churches in a way that is spiritually green? I was raised in the church; Christian on my mother's side and Catholic on my father's side; and as I've grown into my own person, I've chosen to be 'spiritually conscious' in accepting that there is a God, I know that S/He exists and we live in His/Her image, walk in His/Her light and love, but I've always felt that there's more. More in the fact of beyond the flesh, beyond the eyes, beyond the written word - more cosmically, esoterically; those things that we don't see with our eyes, feel with our hands but in our 3rd eye and in our heart - we FEEL some greater power, other life is out there and we're not the only spiritual beings having a human exist.
Now don't get me wrong - I love the fact that the church, when healthy, provides the critical ingredients of LIFE: acceptance, identity, self-awareness, purpose, connection, contribution, meaning and intimacy.
The question that's got me thinking these days is this: is our present model of doing church sustainable? Is it spiritually nutritious for LIFE today, as well as for generations to come? More specifically, is it spiritually sustainable for the pastors, ministers and volunteers who are responsible week-in and week-out for keeping the model running?

I'd love to hear from you on this. Have you ever given more than a few minutes to this question? What do you think? Is the program-centered, activity-driven, performance-centric model of church spiritually sustainable for those who consume the product, as well as those who who deliver it? Let's dialog about going green spiritually. How can we be sure the church we are building is spiritually sustainable for us today? Because if it is spiritually sustainable for us today, it will be able to provide vital life-giving nourishment for generations to come. If we are living and building unsustainable churches today, the future is less bright for our kids and our kids' kids.

Have you ever experienced true bliss? The kind where you can hear your own heartbeat and the Higher message being sent to you on what direction you should be moving in? Reaffirming that you're on the right path or on the wrong one? Felt this unexplicable surge of love flowing to you and through you until you're heady, and filled with this inner peace?

These are tough times not to be able to stand still amidst the noise, confusion and turmoil in your life knowing that there is a possibility of not making the ends meet, being laid off from your job but knowing that the rent and mortgage is due' the insurance for the car that needs to be paid, the kids needing new clothes and books for school; money set aside for their education and all those other life woes that burden us mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually daily.

We all have these ebbs and flows in life, particularly now during what is possibly the worst recession our country has seen in centuries and we're truly only at the beginning of the worst.

So, with all of life's pangs - are we a country that's spiritually green? How do you maintain your spirit, recharge your life and if you haven't discovered that bliss is your birthright - are you willing to find it if you knew it was something so easy and within your grasp to obtain and keep?

I have one word for you: Agnihotra. To learn more about Agnihotra please visit the below links and our organization: Heal The Atmosphere Association.

For what you can do visit:

http://truths.treehugger.com/video/contest_entry_what_can_i_do.php
To learn more about the healing modalities of agnihotra, please visit: http://www.homatherapy.org

Photos of Shanti Villa University/Heal The Atmosphere Association:

Agnihotra-Ayurvedic, or referred to as the " Healing Fire". Agnihotra purifies the atmosphere, reversing the effects of pollution, rejuvenating and restoring nutritional balance to the environment from the ancient science of Ayurveda. This process involves a specially prepared fire performed at sunrise and sunset daily. Anyone in any walk of life can do Agnihotra and heal the atmosphere in his/her own home. Thousands of people all over the world have experienced that Agnihotra reduces stress, leads to greater clarity of thought, improves overall health, gives one increased energy, and makes the mind more full of love. Agnihotra also nourishes plant life and neutralizes harmful radiation and pathogenic bacteria. It harmonizes the functioning of Prana (life energy) and can be used to purify water resources.

I've been sharing my experiences with Agnihotra since I've started performing it diligently over the last year and half; mastering myself in sitting in silence; going to Shanti Villa in Atlanta and Shanti Villa University in Tuskegee, Alabama to ask questions, and experience a truly pure environment void of noise, pollution of the mind, body, and the spirit; learning how and when to properly perform Agnihotra; the significance of the tools needed; learning the mantras, which I am still mastering and it has been a wonderful journey with each new twist, turn and blessings at each road; and I give thanks for this science that I've been introduced to. I awaken each day feeling renewed, an extraordinatry sense of clarity and purpose; and am now better able to harness my energy and channel in into the things in my life that matter most to me: having a stronger relationship with God, myself, my spiritual, mental and emotional well-being; a lover understanding with my family and friends that no one is perfect, and accepting things as they come without having an attachment to the outcome, but in all essence learning to surrender to the knowledge that the outcome is beyond your control and you can only control your own response to the situation. In doing Agnihotra I've gained more insight that my work is more than just the 9 to 5 job, freelancing and trying to make the ends meet - but in trusting that in doing work that helps others, that heals the planet and my environment - the ends will not only meet, but they will come full circle and all that I need will be provided.

It's a scary yet exhilarating feeling to know that you're in the passenger seat of your life and trusting that a Higher power is not only moving you, but moving through you to get you where you need to be, surrounded by those that add to your overall well-being and bring a significant positive change to your life, and that there are no mistakes - everything that you're doing, going through and experience has a purpose. That is what I've learned thus far in my journey with Agnihotra.

All the resources and materials are there that we need to heal the planet and our spiritual well being; all we need to do is dig a little deeper, ask the questions, do the research and then do the most seemingly easiest thing in the world...take the first step.

Shanti Villa of Atlanta is a wholistic healing center that focuses on healing our total environment as well as individuals within the community. They are a satellite branch of Shanti Villa University (home of Heal The Atmosphere Association), a 13 wooded acre Wholistic and Wellness Retreat center based in Tuskegee, Alabama. Their services include over 30 years of experience in providing classes on Ayurvedic Medicine, Agnihotra/HOMA Therapy, Stress Management, Massage Therapy, Esoteric Yoga, Nutrition/Diet Therapy, Sweat Lodge, Vibrational Therapy and much more. We also provide certification classes on many of these healing modalities. We also have our own Homa Farm and grow organic fruits and vegetables to help our community live a healthy, and balanced life.

If you are interested in learning more Shanti Villa University, Shanti Villa of Atlanta and Heal The Atmosphere Association, please contact the Shanti Villa Atlanta Administration office via email at: shanti.atl@gmail.com or via phone at: 404.941.7495

If you would like to partner with Shanti Villa Atlanta/Shanti Villa University, the Grassroots Green Teams and Heal The Atmosphere Association's efforts to HEAL our Earth's atmosphere or wish to order an Agnihotra/Homa Therapy healing kit; dung, ghee and or other healing materials please visit us at:

http://www.shantivillainstitute.com

Light & ♥
Nkiru Ink.