I can’t believe this situation even exists. We’re actually reverting backwards to the possibility of legalizing whale hunting that has been banned for 24 years? Really? I just don’t get it. Aren’t people suppose to evolve through time? Aren’t we supposed to be a more enlightened people than ever before? How is it …possible that some countries support the lifting of this ban on these amazing and intelligent creatures? Boo and hiss to Japan, Norway and Iceland and any other country that is contemplating lifting this ban. Whales face man-made threats everyday. Please help keep some protections in place for them.

In my perfect world, humans take a stand against the leaders of those countries who support the killing of whales.  Japan, Norway and Iceland, to name three, who have been sliding by the ban despite the fact they are engaging in illegal activities – through a loophole, right.  From this point forward, I ban anything (that I am aware of) that comes from Japan, Norway or Iceland.

Here’s the full text from Avaaz.org.  Please sign the petition.

The International Whaling Commission has just unveiled a proposal to legalize commercial whale hunting for the first time in 24 years.

Now, countries are deciding whether support it — or push back. Already, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister has described some provisions as “unacceptable,” “inflammatory,” and “offensive.”

A massive global outcry is needed now, as other key countries choose how to react. Avaaz will deliver this petition to the Commission delegates each time it adds another 100,000 signatures — sign below and spread the word!

Please sign the petition!

Please join thousands of other Americans and pledge your support for our all-out Climate Countdown Campaign.

Go to the Environmental Defense Action Fund and pledge now…please!

To a sea turtle, a plastic bag floating in the ocean looks a lot like dinner: a jellyfish, to be precise. That’s why the plastic bags that find their way into the Pacific pose an often fatal risk to wildlife.

And California uses 19 billion plastic bags per year.

A key committee has approved a bill to ban single-use plastic grocery bags. This one simple step could have a huge impact, but it’s going to take a big push to win the votes we need for final passage.

That’s why we need you to help us build support by e-mailing your state senator and assemblymember, using the form to the right.

Sign Now!

Please help and take some action to protect the Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle.  Go to this link, put in your zipcode and Oceana takes care of the rest.

And so goes my first Souljourn- creating abundance. I had the original intention of starting this particular journey on January 16^th, but I allowed some unproductive thoughts to prevent me from moving in that direction.

I actually first began practicing the art of manifesting abundance a couple decades ago, so this is not a new concept for me. However, it’s been two, three or more years since I consciously set the intention and took action to create a new reality for myself; and this time I am approaching it from a new angle and fresh perspective. So, today, February 16, 2010, I begin a new process of creating abundance. I welcome others to join me. I will be offering some suggestions for you to create your own abundance as well.

Abundance – What is it?

Abundance is a curious topic. It is defined differently for different folks. According to The Free Dictionary two of several definitions of abundance include:

1. A great or plentiful amount.

2. Fullness to overflowing

I see it as creating a certain and specific (to the individual) reality that brings about a fuller life. Some would refer to the notion of abundance as new agey. And while it may seem that way, the concept of manifesting abundance has been around for a long time – thousands of years. There is some recent history explained on The Law of Abundance from an Examiner article. You can also check out an interesting site Manifesting Abundance.

I believe that people manifest their realities everyday – whether it is abundance, deprivation or something neutral. Abundance comes from positive intentions and actions whereas deprivation comes from maladaptive intentions – resisting thoughts and their coinciding actions. Abundance exists all around us if we take a moment to notice it – in nature, in our homes, in our hearts.

To me, having abundance is the result of 1) Manifesting positive intentions and 2) Engaging in proactivities (I just made up that word) that create the space – an expansion both internally and externally – for those intentions to come to fruition. It is an active and conscious process that is likely to surface when clear intentions are announced (to whom or whatever – the universe, a higher power, a trusted mentor or loved one). Having a clear intention(s) is an important part of receiving abundance. Without that clear vision, one is less likely to manifest a desired outcome.

First thing (I’ll call this Step 1) is to get clarity about your positive intentions. It is therefore important to know what you want to manifest. Get real clear about your intention and the type of abundance you want to create in your life. Your intention is a goal of sorts. How do you envision your ideal life? What specific kind of success do you want? Do you have ample time to pursue personal passions? Do you envision having more money? More comfort? More connection? More exercise? More spirituality? A different career? More quality time with your family? More health? More joy? More peace? Are you searching for the ideal lifelong partner?

Take a moment and think about what you want. What you really want. Dream a bit.

For myself, I have written a goal. My intention. It includes a vision. For now, I am sharing that goal with a select few folks. I think it’s important to write your intention and share it. Allow your intention to be witnessed by trusted others. Otherwise, it’s just a wish with no boundaries.

I’d like to add that I periodically write myself reminder Abundance notes to keep the intention moving in a positive direction. For instance, I’m looking at a note on my desk right this moment. It reads, Own it. Abundance. Mostly, this note is written to help combat the maladaptive thoughts that sneak into my brain. Thoughts of doubt, of feeling silly or defeated. Useless judgments.

Okay, so do you have a goal? A clearly written intention? Have you shared it with at least one other person? One of the benefits of sharing your goal, your intention, is to get a reality check. Is the goal realistic? Usually the goals are too small instead of being too large. I totally support a big intention with a reality check. For any of you more courageous folks, you can share your intention in the comment section of this post. I’m willing to freely and publicly own a part of my intention:

To synergize my greatest passions in a way that creates a comfortable living and a peaceful, simple existence.

My goal is actually much more detailed than that, but hopefully you get the gist.

The act of creating abundance is both an internal and external process. Internally, old thought patterns can cause a great disservice if we become stuck in unhealthy ways. On the same token, rewiring the thoughts to something more adaptive can help push us out of a comfort zone to pioneer new ways of being in the world.

Externally, abundance is more likely to flow when there are minimal obstacles in the way. Physical obstacles, take junk for instance, can create as much as an internal barrier to moving forward as do maladaptive thoughts. Junk clutters space, stops the flow of energy, is a constant distraction and is a reminder of procrastination. I believe that junk perpetuates procrastination and procrastination is an abundance obstacle. This brings us to the Step Two. The second step to creating abundance after making a goal/an intention is to clear out the clutter – both internally from a thoughts perspective and externally from a ‘stuff’ perspective. Minimizing or eliminating the clutter is a very important part of this process. Free up your mind and your space in order to expand and create room for your new abundance. I will be, for the next 20 days working a plan to minimize and remove clutter from my mind and home.

Here’s my plan:

Feb 16: Write the plan
Feb 17 – 22: Clear clutter from my office and deal with little piles of paperwork that I’ve been putting off (including taxes and working on a will)
Feb 23 – 28: Clear clutter from closets and drawers
March 1 – March 3: Clean up my computer
March 4 – March 5: Clear clutter from the garage
March 6 – March 7: Practice new thoughts and behaviors and begin a plan to bring the goal to fruition
March 8: Final clutter elimination – donate to various organizations

Everyday I commit to spending one hour on minimizing stuff aka junk and to clearing clutter. I commit to eliminating 21 random items that I’ve been holding onto – for whatever reason. I intend to eliminate enough paper to fill a large 35 gallon recycle bin. All along the way, I will also be working to clear clutter from my mind as it surfaces. I intend to employ thought re-framing tools, and I’ll share those with you.

Throughout the next 20 days I will be writing about my experience. It’s an experiment, so I have very little idea how it will all play out. While I only intend to post every three or so days, my posts will include thoughts and experiences from each day. I’ll also add some photos of the items I’m clearing out along with the various organizations to which I’ll be donating those items.

“Whatever we are waiting for – peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance – it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart.”
- Sarah Ban Breathnach

If you’d like to follow this journey from the beginning, the links below will direct you to each post in the series on Conducive Chronicle’s blog.

Souljourn for the Mind, Spirit and Earth: Days 2 – 5 of Minimizing Clutter and Manifesting Abundance

Souljourn for the Mind, Spirit and Earth: Days 6 – 9 of Minimizing Clutter and Manifesting Abundance

Souljourn for the Mind, Spirit and Earth: Days 10 –12 of Minimizing Clutter and Manifesting Abundance

Souljourn for Mind, Spirit and Earth: Day 13 Minimize Clutter Manifest Abundance

Souljourn for Mind, Spirit and Earth: Day 14 – 18 Minimize Clutter Manifest Abundance

Souljourn for Mind, Spirit and Earth: Days 19 – 21 Minimize Clutter Manifest Abundance

I am about to embark upon a journey, and I invite you to join me. While I have attempted similar journeys on a smaller scale at different points in the last several years, I seriously began thinking about this particular journey exactly eight months ago today. June 15, 2009. This is the day my Dad died. Kenneth Dale Swartz. As I witnessed my father taking his last breath, I was acutely aware of the finality of life. Sitting with him in those last moments, while it was an honor, it was also dramatic and traumatic for me. I watched the color of life slip out of his eyes, out of his face and out of the hand I was holding. It was as if a shade were being drawn over his physical presence. A death shade pulling the spirit out of my father and leaving an empty gray vessel in his place.

This experience for me, beginning with the early morning call and scrambling across the country, to planning his funeral, to sharing stories about him at the service, to sifting through a lifetime of paperwork threw me into an existential thought process. What’s my purpose here on earth? Am I reaching my full potential? Am I making a positive impact? Does it matter? Am I happy? At peace? Living with intention? Living my values?

This is not the first time I’ve asked myself those questions, yet it was the first time that I was blown into an altered reality and asking those questions. It was the first time I asked myself those questions in the midst of the most devastating, acute, personal upheaval of my life to date. I had the sense that when my Dad died a part of me died too. I didn’t know what to do with this lifeless part. I didn’t know if I should acknowledge it or bury it. I didn’t know if that part could ever heal. Carl Jung would’ve labeled my experience as part of individuation while Erik Erikson would have called it a mid-life crisis.

I suppose that since I was, at the time, having a personal crisis and according to our society in midlife, then Erikson would have been spot on.

And so my journey began…and continues on today. I spent a great deal of time reflecting on my father’s life in relationship to my own. He was a District Forester and a conservationist in nearly every sense of the word. My Dad took great care of the land – the earth – and he instilled those values in me. At a very young age, I knew how to count the years of a tree and why that was even important. I understood that litter was not just aesthetically unpleasing but could actually cause harm and in some cases death to wildlife. I was taught there was no place for plastic in our natural environment and that eating off the land and buying local were just a normal way of life. I learned how to protect the earth and respect resources. I vividly remember at age ten my Dad telling me, “Kenda. In 50 years there’s going to be a water crisis. For many people, it will be hard for them to have access to clean drinking water. It’s important to conserve it now.”

Even then it struck me – even if only selfishly – I knew that I would want clean drinking water for the rest of my life. The thought of struggling for clean water gravely impressed me and still does today. But that’s not what my journey is about. It’s bigger than that.

This journey is about soul searching in a way that can help me connect to myself, to others and to the earth. This journey is about healing and growing. On a grand scale, it is an exploration; and on a lesser scale, an experiment. I intend to separate this souljourn into several 21 day missions. These missions will carry on throughout 2010. You are welcome to step in or step out at any point along the way.

Each 21 day mission will have a specific focus. Ultimately, I hope these missions will teach me something about myself and will help me be on a path of continuous growth. In some cases, I hope certain aspects of these missions will simply help me be. I have a goal to live with intention – mindfulness, to learn new behaviors, to obtain a little wisdom from others, to see how I can impact my environment and to be solutions-focused while supporting others to do the same. I have another goal of turning the pain of loss into a proactive process of helping to affect healing on the earth –even if only at a microcosm level. I anticipate these missions will facilitate bringing those goals to fruition.

There is no scientific purpose for my choosing 21 days. It simply seemed like a workable number with 14 not being challenging enough and 28 being too challenging – especially in light of the fact I have a full time day job! I do plan to write every day that there is something to share, yet I will only post about every three days.

Here are the 21 day missions – keeping in mind that this is an evolving process and may look slightly different as I approach the start time of each one. I welcome your thoughts!

• 21 days of Minimizing Clutter and Manifesting Abundance (February 16 – March 8, 2010)
• 21 days for World Hunger (starting around March 20 in honor of World Meatout Day)
• 21 days of Litter (starting around April 20 in honor of Earth Day)
• 21 days of No Garbage (starting around mid-May)
• 21 days of Speaking with Random Strangers (adults) and Experts about the Earth (June)
• 21 days of Zero Consumerism (July)
• 21 days of Speaking with Children about the Earth (August)
• 21 days of Discovering the Greener Side of Italy (Fall tbd)
• 21 days of Gratitude (November)

Tomorrow is the official kickoff of Souljourn for the Mind, Spirit and Earth:

21 Days of Minimizing Clutter and Manifesting Abundance

I feel my stomach turning when I think of humans killing off elephants (or any animal for that matter) in the name of greed.  Elephants are amazing creatures and they need our help.  Please sign this petition.  Please help place a higher value on life over ivory trade.

This week, two countries are seeking to break the worldwide ban on ivory trading — a decision that could wipe out whole elephant populations and bring these magnificent animals closer to extinction.

But many African states and conservationists support extending the ban on elephant-slaughtering ivory trade. The decision will be made at a UN meeting in Doha on 13 March, and global public opinion could tip the balance!

Sign the petition now using the form below, then spread the word — let’s deliver hundreds of thousands of signatures to the UN convention before it’s too late:

To the 175 parties of the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species:
As citizens from around the world, we call on you to reject any exemptions in the global ban on the ivory trade, to extend that ban for at least 20 years, and to take all necessary steps to enforce that ban and protect the elephants.

Click the link and use the form to the right to send an e-mail to your Assemblymember, and tell him or her to ban Styrofoam takeout containers.

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/action/oceans/assm-ban-styro?id4=tafsent

Check out the Environmental Defense Fund’s site to learn more about Cap and Trade.  They offer a video that detail interesting and easy-to-understand facts.

http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=51254