December and January Classes at Earth Lodge

Drum Circle (FREE)
(12/21, 1/19, 2/18, 3/18, 4/18)
Come join us for some Native American-style drumming  — drumming is free for all ages! We have extra drums and rattles, so come whether you have a drum or not. DON'T MISS our special Yule Solstice Drum Circle this December -- Yule, Solstice, Full Moon, and Full Lunar Eclipse, all on one day! It's a special time, and it'll be a special evening with warm teas, treats and a blazing yule fire in the hearth as we drum. Upcoming drum circles for 2011 will be held on or near the full moon at 7pm. 

 

The Crystalline Club
1st Wednesday of each month, 6:30 - 8 PM
(12/1, 1/5)
Each month’s Crystalline Club brings a new experience and shifts your reality to a different level. We have a guided meditation to show you how to “speak” with your stone’s inner spirit, you will receive a new stone to work with and enjoy, and we’ll talk about our experiences with the previous month’s stone, what happened over the month and discuss how it worked with us. Stones will tend to be the more rare and unusual gemstones, stones that most people haven’t heard of or worked with. Some stones that we have worked with include Indicolite, Eudialyte, Epidote, Fire Agate, Larimar and Alexandrite.
Pre-registration is required so that we can have a stone available for you.
Club fee: $25 (includes stone)
Please note: if you would like to work with the stones but can not attend our meetings, just let us know and we will have the stone and that month’s handouts available for you for $15. Or wait a month, and work with the stone as a crystal essence, available for purchase here on our website. 

 

Shamanic Journey Circle
This circle meets on the second Thursday of each month from 6-8 PM (9/9, 10/14) and is led by shamanic energy healer and author Maya Cointreau. Commune with your guardian spirits and power animals, journey to power places of wisdom and healing, and experience new levels of Spirit. Shamanic journeys are meditative visualizations, or miniature vision quests, that allow you to access divine wisdom through your subconscious mind. At each open circle we drum, journey twice, and share our experiences. Bring a drum or rattle, pen and paper, something to lie on and an eye mask. Beginners welcome. $15 

Reiki Share
(12/3, 12/17, 12/31, 1/14, 1/28)
This community-inspired Reiki Share meets every other Friday from 11am-1pm. Saturday reiki shares will resume in the new year. It is open to all Reiki practitioners, whether you are a Master or just beginning. Everyone who comes gives and receives, building their Reiki as well as new friendships. The share often begins with 2-4 people working on a person on the table for at least 10 minutes, then sharing views of what they felt. Then we move on to the next person, until all at each table have experienced the healing for 10 minutes. We find the sharing of perceptions provides useful learning and affirmation on our intuitive physical and ethereal scanning. $10 Donation for use of the space, which is regularly cleared, empowered and blessed by the healers at Earth Lodge.

Usui and Karuna Reiki Training & Certifications: I, II, III/Master
Available by appointment. All classes taught by Usui Reiki Master Maya Cointreau or Karuna/Usui Reiki Master Sandra Cointreau

Usui REIKI I: Level One teaches and attunes you to do hands-on healing work. introducing one to the basics of Reiki Healing and all the benefits that can be realized you are a Reiki Practitioner after this first class. Receive four attunements and your first sacred symbol. Experience a guided meditation to your Reiki Healing Guides, and exchange Reiki treatments also. Cost: $150
Usui REIKI II: Level Two teaches you to do distance/absent healing and karmic work. You will receive distance healing attunements and other sacred symbols, and instruction on how to use them. Cost: $150
Usui REIKI III/Master: Level III/Master brings in the final master symbol and attunement, as well as sacred symbols from other Reiki traditions, and teaches you how to pass on Reiki attunements. Cost: $350

Karuna Reiki I: Karuna Reiki is the next step up from being an Usui Reiki Master, bringing in significantly stronger symbols and healing methods inspired by the Reiki Masters of Japan and further improved over many years here in America by the International Reiki Center to raise the vibration of one's healing potential. Students must be certified Usui Reiki Masters with at least 6 months practice following certification. Registered Karuna Reiki® brings in healing energies that are noticeably stronger and more able to heal a wide range of challenges. The Level I Practitioner brings in use of 4 new symbols. $300
Karuna Reiki II: Only for Registered Karuna Reiki I® Practioners. Level II brings in use of 4 new symbols. $300.
Karuna Reiki Master: Receive Karuna Reiki Master training. Prerequisite: Karuna Reiki II. Registered Karuna Reiki Master students will be required to sign a code of ethics, developed by the International Reiki Center and will receive a training manual developed by the Center. Special training will also be provided on animal healing; and an Earth Lodge Animal Healing Level I Practitioner certificate will be awarded. $450.

New Teas from Earth Lodge for YOU!

We are pleased to announce three new loose teas, sold in three ounce bags, made just for you!

Rescue Me + Tea, for calming and immunity boosting.
Healing Thyme + Tea, a nutritive supplement to help you release the pain and stresses of the day.
Gentle Detox + Tea, a gentle tonic to benefit your liver, heart and kidneys.

Check them out today at www.earthlodgeherbals.com.

New and Improved Herbal Formulas for Horses and Other Animals!

Earth Lodge is proud to announce that we are introducing all new improved formulas for our Animal Herbals. After years of focused research and trials, the majority of our herbal supplements are benefitting from significant reformulations and your animals will enjoy better results from their formulas for the same great price. 8 of our current formulas have been improved with the addition of carefully chosen, even more effective herbs: for example, our calming formula will now incorporate calming passionflower and our digestion formula is benefitting from fennel.

We are also introducing a NEW formula, Anti-Viral Immunity Boosting Support in herbal form, using ginseng, elderberry, elderflower and astragalus to help fight illnesses and encourage speedy recoveries. 

For more information, visit www.earthlodgeherbals.com
or give us a call (860) 237 8801

Earth Lodge Books on Sale!

Buy any Earth Lodge book directly from our printer at lulu.com, and recieve a 10-20% discount this fall! Our books make the perfect present for any animal lover or person interested in natural health and relaxation.

Natural Animal Healing
Energy Healing for Animals & Their Owners
To The Temples: 14 Guided Meditations
Equine Herbs and Healing
Grounding and Clearing: Being Present in the New Age

Full Moon Drumming tonight, Reiki Shares this weekend!

Drum Circle is back! Join us tonight at 7pm for an hour of joyful Native American-style drumming — drumming is free for all ages! Upcoming drum circles for 2010 will be held on or near the full moon at 7pm. Check our newsletter or website for dates.

REIKI SHARES
(9/24, 9/25, 10/8, 10/22, 10/30)

Our community-inspired Reiki Share meets every other Friday from 11am-1pm, and on the last Saturday of each month from 11am-1pm. It is open to all Reiki practitioners, whether you are a Master or just beginning. Everyone who comes gives and receives, building their Reiki as well as new friendships. The share often begins with 2-4 people working on a person on the table for at least 10 minutes, then sharing views of what they felt. Then we move on to the next person, until all at each table have experienced the healing for 10 minutes. We find the sharing of perceptions provides useful learning and affirmation on our intuitive physical and ethereal scanning. $10 Donation for use of the space, which is regularly cleared, empowered and blessed by the healers at Earth Lodge.

Holly Flower Essence: Hurricane Holly #9

Hurricane Holly #9 was made during the buildup of a significant East Coast Hurricane, with two Holly flowers, a four-petaled flower and a five-petaled flower, and with 9 quartz crystals surrounding it. This Holly essence empowers and balances all the forces of nature and the five elements within you to create the strongest clearing effects possible. Parasites, miasms, dark beings and genetic disturbances scurry and flee before it. Damaged cells are purged and you are left feeling clean and clear. If you suffer any de-tox symptoms while taking this essence, drink an 8-ounce glass of water with ¼ teaspoon salt (the higher-vibration the salt, the better: Himalayan, Pure Sea Salt, etc) up to three times a day. Traditionally, holly essence is used to heal and expand the heart chakra, and to alleviate anger and envy while generating acceptance.

Available at www.earthlodgeherbals.com

Tasty Toning Tea from the Wood

This year I have been really enjoying the wild harvests of my yard -- stinging nettles cooked up like spinach, chive pancakes, daylily flower pods, and garlic mustard pestos. To accompany my foraged finds, I have been drinking Eastern White Pine tea, simply taking a handful of needles still attached to small branches which are freshly fallen to the ground and steeping them in boiling water for 15 minutes with a dash of honey or agave. The tea is delicious, nutritious, and not at all like pine-sol, I promise!

White Pine Bark is an old and trusted remedy for colds and flu. It loosens and expels phlegm from the respiratory tract, easing bronchitis and lung congestion, and its warming qualities stimulate circulation, which may ward off colds and flu before they settle in. The high content of nature's most powerful antioxidants (proanthocyanidins/PCSs/OPCs) in White Pine Bark have made it the focus of much attention in the area of combating free radicals, arteriosclerosis and strokes.

White Pine Bark is an excellent expectorant and is used to loosen and expel phlegm and mucous excretions from the respiratory system. The inner bark has been a longtime standard herbal remedy for coughs, whooping cough, croup, bronchitis, laryngitis and chest congestion due to colds.

As a warming and aromatic stimulant, White Pine Bark is said to increase circulation and further help to overcome or prevent the onset of colds and flu by raising circulatory action.

White Pine Bark contains the second highest source (the first is Grapeseed) of nature's most potent antioxidants, tannin compounds, called proanthocyanidins (also called OPCs for oligomeric procyanidins or PCOs for procyanidolic oligomers) that provide a high degree of antioxidant capacity, which fight free radical damage in the body. These compounds allow the body's cells to absorb vitamin C, which is helpful in protecting cells from the free radicals that can bind to and destroy cellular compounds. These qualities may be helpful in building the immune system and fighting invasive material and other infections. They are classified as flavonols, and the way in which these versatile healing compounds are distinct from flavonoids is their simple chemical structure, which allows them to be readily absorbed into the bloodstream. They work actively against fat-soluble and water-soluble oxidants, thus protecting the cells from damage, and their antioxidant activity is thought to have great potential in combating cellular damage caused by foreign infectious attack.

White Pine Bark's OPCs, which may also be derived from Grapeseed, Red Wine, Hops, Pomegranate and various other fruits, nuts and beans are believed to contribute to a lowered incidence of arteriosclerosis and coronary heart problems. White Pine Bark is also a source of resveratrol, which is thought to raise the levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs or “good” cholesterol) in the blood, while decreasing the low-density lipoproteins (LDLs, or “bad” cholesterol) and thereby possibly helping to prevent heart attacks and strokes. It is also said to prevent fat in the bloodstream from sticking together and clogging the arteries, which is thought to promote better circulation of blood throughout the body, especially to the heart.

The inner bark of White Pine Bark (cambium) is the source of resveratrol, a polyphenolic phytoalexin, which is produced in plants that is reputed to have antifungal properties.

According to recent research (2008) from Peninsula Medical School, England, the resveratrol found in Pine Bark, Grape Skin and Red Wine can protect against cellular damage to blood vessels caused by high production of glucose in diabetes, claiming resveratrol's antioxidant effects are well documented. But the new research establishes the link between high levels of glucose, its damaging effect on cell structure and the ability of resveratrol to protect against and mend that damage. Moreover, resveratrol could be used to block the damaging effect of glucose, which, in turn, might fight the often life threatening complications that accompany diabetes. It could well be the basis of effective diet-based therapies for the prevention of vascular damage caused by hyperglycemia in the future.

White Pine Bark is considered a diuretic, and as such, encourages the flow of urine, which is said to be very helpful in cases of urinary tract infections and kidney problems.

Please note: Pregnant Women should probably avoid or limit their intake of White Pine, just to be safe.

(White Pine information found on herbalextractsplus.com)

September Classes and Events at Earth Lodge

The Crystalline Club
1st Monday of each month, 6 - 8 PM
(9/13, 10/4)
Each month’s Crystalline Club brings a new experience and shifts your reality to a different level. We have a guided meditation to show you how to “speak” with your stone’s inner spirit, you will receive a new mineral to work with and enjoy, and we’ll talk about our experiences with the previous month’s stone, what happened over the month and discuss how it worked with us. Stones will tend to be the more rare and unusual gemstones, crystals and minerals that most people haven’t heard of or worked with. Some stones that we have worked with include Eudialyte, Epidote, Fire Agate, Larimar and Alexandrite. Pre-registration is required so that we can have a stone available for you. Club fee: $25 (includes stone)
Please note: if you would like to work with the stones but can not attend our meetings, just let us know and we will have the stone and that month’s handouts available for you for $15. Or wait a month, and work with the stone as a crystal essence, available for sale on our website www.earthlodgeherbals.com.


Shamanic Journey Circle
This circle meets on the second Thursday of each month from 6-8 PM
(9/9, 10/14) and is led by shamanic energy healer and author Maya Cointreau. Commune with your guardian spirits and power animals,  journey to power places of wisdom and healing, and experience new levels of Spirit. Shamanic journeys are meditative visualizations, or miniature vision quests, that allow you to access divine wisdom through your subconscious mind. At each open circle we drum, journey twice, and share our experiences. Bring a drum or rattle, pen and paper, something to lie on and an eye mask. Beginners welcome. $15


Reiki Share
9/10, 9/24, 9/25, 10/8, 10/22, 10/30
This community-inspired Reiki Share meets every other Friday from 11am-1pm, and on the last Saturday of each month from 11am-1pm. It is open to all Reiki practitioners, whether you are a Master or just beginning. Everyone who comes gives and receives, building their Reiki as well as new friendships. The share often begins with 2-4 people working on a person on the table for at least 10 minutes, then sharing views of what they felt. Then we move on to the next person, until all at each table have experienced the healing for 10 minutes. We find the sharing of perceptions provides useful learning and affirmation on our intuitive physical and ethereal scanning. $10 Donation for use of the space, which is regularly cleared, empowered and blessed by the healers at Earth Lodge.

Drum Circle (FREE)
9/23, 10/22
Drum Circle is back! Sandra’s dogs had 14 puppies this summer (see them at www.sandracointreau.com), and all are healthy and well, making her ready and looking forward to leading drum circle once again. Come join us for some Native American-style drumming next month — drumming is free for all ages! Upcoming drum circles for 2010 will be held on or near the full moon at 7pm.

Summer Cinema and Circles at Earth Lodge

Summer is busy at Earth Lodge!

We have baby animals to tend to, herbs to grow, and essences to make.

To give us all a little more time to bask in the joys of summer, Dream Group & Drumming Circle are on hiatus until September.


JULY CLASSES

Crystalline Club, Monday, 7/12
Shamanic Journey Circle, Thursday, 7/8
Reiki Share, Friday, 7/2, 7/16, 7/30
Spiritual Cinema Night: The Secret (Original Version with Esther Hicks) , 7/16
Usui & Karun Reiki Certifications, Call to Schedule

AUGUST CLASSES

Crystalline Club, Monday 8/2
Shamanic Journey Circle, Thursday, 8/12
Reiki Share, Friday, 8/13, 8/27
Usui & Karuna Reiki Certifications, Call to Schedule

Cinema Spirit Night : The Secret, o.v. with Esther HicksJuly 16, Friday Night, 7 o’clock screening with discussion to followScreening Fee: $5

Cinema Spirit Night is designed to introduce you to movies with soul. Come relax, eat popcorn and enjoy refreshing herbal teas while you sit back and enjoy spiritual cinema with like-minded peers in a cozy home setting. After the movie stay and discuss the message of the movie, or feel free to quietly go home and ponder on your own or with family. Space is limited, so please do call or email and let us know if you plan to come.  Feel free to bring additional snacks or comfy blankets, etc :)

This month’s movie is the original version of The Secret, packed full of extra channelings and information from Esther Hicks and Abraham about the Law of Attraction and how to manifest the life you are wanting.

This version is much harder to come by, and a real treat. Don’t miss it!

For more information about any of our events or classes, visit www.earthlodgeherbals.com/classes.htm or give us a call (860) 237 8801

Larimar Crystal Essence for Calm Communications

May’s stone of the month for our Crystalline Club, Larimar brings you both the calm and power of the sea. The calm: the knowing that every tide out brings a tide in, the interconnectedness of all that dwell in the water, the cellular healing ability of the salted mineral waters. The power: the great waves that can wash away an island, the ability to mold rock and dissolve metal, the creative essence of the earth and all her fury. Larimar can help you make peace in the middle of a storm. It holds the knowledge of the earth’s oldest history, the origin of your species, the story of all who have come before. It is the womb of your mother, the essence of your father. It is a stone of deep answers, and soothing wisdom.

Larimar is finely tuned to the human body, especially the 5th chakra in the throat area of the body. Larimar benefits communication, supports the healing process (thymus), and increases the possibility of regulating thyroid gland malfunction. Larimar supports dissolving different kinds of energy blockages that cause physical problems or mental diseases. It enables the flow of energy within a person and helps promote an open mind to changes and improvement. It also softens the stress and tension that problems bring.

It is no coincidence that Larimar has appeared at a time when the world is going through important transformations. The blue gemstone softens, enlightens and supports the healing process of the physical, emotional-mental and spiritual bodies. It combines our mind and thoughts (elements of air energy) with our heart and emotions (elements of water energy), gathering them into a harmonious whole. In addition, Larimar helps us to view events from a different, more positive perspective.

Larimar vibrates to the master number  55. It accesses Higher Mind (55) and channels it through your individuality (1). 55 is a direct line to the mind of God or as some call it, the akashic records.

Larimar Essence is available for purchase on our site, www.earthlodgeherbals.com

Eudialyte Crystal Essence *NEW* from Earth Lodge

Eudialyte is a stone that allows you to GROW. It releases your fears which hold you back, and your fear of fears, too. It helps to ground your desires in reality and bring them to fruition in a balanced manner that blends joyful creation with logic and mass consciousness. It helps you to rationalize everything you want in a way that helps you to attain it more quickly and fully.

Eudialyte is particularly beneficial for getting things done, quickly and effeciently without any feelings of urgency or manic energy. You will be amazed at the end of the day by how much you did, and how calm you felt while doing it all!


Eudialyte helps with clairaudience, manifestation, and psychic resonance and abilities, and is a psychically protective stone. Eudialyte is also a stone of the heart, bringing harmony of heart matters and dispelling jealousy. It also brings the root and heart chakras into alignmentand activates the heart chakra. It increases the Alpha brain wave pattern during the creative state as well as the dream state. It is helpful for learning to trust oneself and others, and eases compulsive behavior. It bestows inspiration and confidence.

Eudialyte increases vitality, eye problems, pancreas, thyroid, and purifying the blood. It has also been used as a very accurate diagnostic tool. It opens the Kundalini with energy flowing from the crown to the base chakra, opening the chakra centers and allowing a clear pathway for the movement of the Kundalini. It is also a powerfully energetic stone and said to be able to clear the space of entities that have not been able to pass on after death. For those working with the terminally ill this stone is especially useful.

Barberry Flower Essence *NEW* from Earth Lodge!

Barberry strengthens the body, mind and soul. It takes delicate conditions and fragile energies and gives them a major boost. It helps raises immunity and increases our resistance -- to pain, stress, disease, seasonal allergies, anything at all that would generally weaken us loses its power in the face of barberry. Barberry works by creating an auric field of protection around the body. Tired of being afraid all the time? Tired of feeling like a victim? Feel like you need round-the-clock protection? Barberry is a great friend.

Horses Never Forget Human Friends

This great article by Jennifer Viegas was originally posted on Discovery.com.

Human friends may come and go, but a horse could be one of your most loyal, long-term buddies if you treat it right, suggests a new study.


Horses also understand words better than expected, according to the research, and possess "excellent memories," allowing horses to not only recall their human friends after periods of separation, but also to remember complex, problem-solving strategies for ten years or more.

The bond with humans likely is an extension of horse behavior in the wild, since horses value their own horse relatives and friends, and are also open to new, non-threatening acquaintances.

"Horses maintain long-term bonds with several members of their family group, but they also interact temporarily with members of other groups when forming herds," explained Carol Sankey, who led the research, and her team.

"Equid social relationships are long-lasting and, in some cases, lifelong," added the scientists, whose paper has been accepted for publication in the journal Animal Behavior.

Ethologist Sankey of the University of Rennes and her colleagues studied 20 Anglo-Arabian and three French Saddlebred horses stabled in Chamberet, France. The scientists tested how well the horses remembered a female trainer and her instructions after she and the horses had been separated up to eight months.

The training program for the horses consisted of 41 steps associated with basic grooming and medical care. For example, the horses had to remain immobile in response to the verbal command "reste!" which is French for "stay." The horses also had to lift their feet, tolerate a thermometer inserted into the rectum and more. When a horse did as it was instructed, the trainer rewarded it with food pellets.


With tasty rewards, the horses "displayed more 'positive' behaviors toward the experimenter, such as sniffing and licking," the researchers wrote. Horses do this as a sign of affiliation with each other, so they weren't necessarily just seeking more food.

The scientists added, "Horses trained without reinforcement expressed four to six times more 'negative' behaviors, such as biting, kicking and 'falling down' on the experimenter."

Nevertheless, after the eight months of separation, the horses trained with food rewards gravitated towards the same experimenter. The horses also seemed to accept new people more readily, indicating they had developed a "positive memory of humans" in general.

"From our results, it appears that horses are no different than humans (in terms of positive reinforcement teachings)," according to the researchers. "They behave, learn and memorize better when learning is associated with a positive situation."

While people often train dogs in this way, also using verbal commands, Sankey and her team point out that "the majority of horse-riding training is based on tactile sensations -- pressure from bits, movements of riders' legs, weight change in the saddle."

Since "horses are able to learn and memorize human words" and can hear the human voice better than even dogs can, due to their particular range of hearing, the scientists predict trainers could have success if they incorporate more vocal commands into their horse training programs.

Jill Starr is president and founder of Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue, a non-profit that provides refuge, training and adoption placement for otherwise slaughter-bound wild mustangs and domestic horses.

Starr told Discovery News that she's observed horses responding well to verbal commands, such as "trot," but she still feels "horses and people get along better if the person doesn't chatter, since this causes the individual to have greater awareness of body language that is more familiar to horses."

She, however, agrees that horses are loyal, intelligent and have very long-lasting memories -- of both good and bad experiences.

Starr said, "Horses can be very forgiving, but they never forget."

Wild Horses Respond to Native American Drumming : Discovery News

Wild Horses Respond to Native American Drumming : Discovery News

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May Classes at Earth Lodge

The Crystalline Club
1st Monday of each month, 6 - 8 PM
(5/3, 6/7)
Every month we have a guided meditation to show you how to “speak” with your stone’s inner spirit, you will receive a new stone to work with and enjoy, and we’ll talk about our experiences with the previous month’s stone, what happened over the month and discuss how it worked with us. Would you like to join us for next month’s class? Email us to register and we’ll have a new and special stone waiting for you. Stones will tend to be the more rare and unusual gemstones, stones that most people haven’t heard of or worked with — each month will bring a new experience and shift your reality to a different level. Cost of the stones is included in the monthly club fee.
Pre-registration is required so that we can have a stone available for you.
Club fee: $25 (includes stone)
Please note: if you would like to work with the stones but can not attend our meetings, just let us know and we will have the stone and that month’s handouts available for you for $15. Or wait a month, and work with the stone as a crystal essence, available for sale on our website http://www.earthlodgeherbals.com/.

Shamanic Journey Circle
This circle meets on the second Thursday of each month from 6-8 PM (5/13, 6/10) and is led by shamanic energy healer and author Maya Cointreau.
Commune with your guardian spirits and power animals, journey to power places of wisdom and healing, and experience new levels of Spirit. Shamanic journeys are meditative visualizations, or miniature vision quests, that allow you to access divine wisdom through your subconscious mind. At each open circle we drum, journey twice, and share our experiences. Bring a drum or rattle, pen and paper, something to lie on and an eye mask. Beginners welcome. $15

Reiki Share
(5/7, 5/21, 6/4, 6/18)
This community-inspired Reiki Share meets every other Friday from 11am-1pm and is open to all Reiki practitioners, whether you are a Master or just beginning. Everyone who comes gives and receives, building their Reiki as well as new friendships. The share often begins with 2-4 people working on a person on the table for 10 minutes, then sharing views of what they felt. Then we move on to the next person, until all at each table have experienced the healing for 10 minutes. We find the sharing of perceptions provides useful learning and affirmation on our intuitive physical and ethereal scanning. Earth Lodge has a table for our use, but as the group grows, we may need some to bring their tables. $10 Donation for use of the space, which is regularly cleared, empowered and blessed by the healers at Earth Lodge.

Drum Circle (FREE)
3rd Wednesday of each month, 6 PM
(5/19, 6/16)
Bring a drum or a set of rattles if you have one. All Ages. Heartbeat native american style drumming.

Dream Circle (FREE)
4th Monday of each month, 6 PM
(5/24, 6/28)
Each participant will bring one dream to share and discuss. It can be an old dream, if current dreaming is minimum. In time, dreaming will increase, as one looks forward to the monthly circle and becomes more involved with their dream circle. Experience with dream circles shows that dreaming becomes richer, more intuitive, more prophetic, and provides more messages from Source, one’s higher self, and the subconscious. Each participant assesses their own dream’s meanings, with suggestive ideas from the Circle. Sandra Cointreau leads the circle.

Cinema Spirit Night : The Celestine Prophecy
7 PM screening, with optional discussion to follow
(5/28)
Cinema Spirit Night lets us share movies with soul with like-minded peers in a cozy home setting. Come relax, eat popcorn and enjoy refreshing herbal teas while you sit back and enjoy spiritual cinema. After the movie stay a while and discuss the message of the movie, or feel free to quietly go home and ponder on your own or with family. Space is limited, so please do call or email and let us know if you plan to come. And feel free to bring any additional snacks you might like :)
About the movie: Disillusioned and temporarily rudderless, John Woodson is about to experience a dramatic and profound metamorphosis. Through a mysterious set of coincidences, he finds himself on an adventure to Peru in search of ancient scrolls, known as the Celestine Prophecy. The prophecy and its nine key insights, predict a new awakening that redefines human life and provides a glimpse into a completely spiritual culture on earth. Resistant at first, skeptical and unsure, John finds that each step he takes, each person he encounters leads him to a new awakening. It is only in this letting go that he finds his destiny and comes to understand the meaning that had escaped him when his adventure began.
Screening Fee: $5

The Horse | Homeopathy in Equine Medicine Reviewed

The Horse | Homeopathy in Equine Medicine Reviewed

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New Events Coming in April: Crystal Club & Movie Night

The Stone of the Month Club

April 12th, Monday, from 6 to 8 PM

Do you love crystals?

Would you like to work more deeply with them, and be exposed to new and interesting stones that you may not be familiar with?

At the first meeting in April we will discuss how to work with stones, including how to make gemstone essences and have a guided meditation to show you how to “speak” with each stone’s inner spirit and program crystals to work for you. At the end of the meetings you will receive a new stone to work with and enjoy.

The following month you will receive another new stone to experience, and we will share our experiences with the previous month’s stone, what happened over the month and discuss how it worked with us. Cost of the stones is included in the monthly club fee. Stones will vary from the well-known (think quartzes, agates, and jaspers) to the more rare and unusual gemstones — each month will bring a new experience and shift your reality to a different level.

Pre-registration is required so that we can have a stone available for you.
Call or Email to sign up! (860) 237 8801  info@earthlodgeherbals.com

Monthly Club fee: $25
(if you can't attend but you would still like a stone to work with any given month, the fee is $15)

 

Cinema Spirit Night: Peaceful Warrior

April 2nd, Friday Night, 7 o’clock screening
with discussion to follow.

Cinema Spirit Night is designed to introduce you to movies with soul. Come relax, eat popcorn and enjoy refreshing herbal teas while you sit back and enjoy spiritual cinema with like-minded peers in a cozy home setting. After the movie stay and discuss the message of the movie, or feel free to quietly go home and ponder on your own or with family. Space is limited, so please do call or email and let us know if you plan to come. Feel free to bring your own snacks or comfy blankets :)

Peaceful Warrior is based on Dan Millman’s book titled “The Way of the Peaceful Warrior,” and is a “Rocky” type movie without the violence and a lot more inspiration. Arrogant, talented Dan has the perfect college life and a shot at the Olympic qualifiers in men's gymnastics. One night, awakened by a nightmare, Dan goes for a run through his foggy neighborhood and comes upon a well-lit service station. Behind the counter, an old man seemingly moves without regard for space or time. One moment, Dan is paying for his snacks, the next the old man is on the roof of the station. Stunned by the impossibility, Dan begs the old man, whom he instinctually names Socrates, to share the secret of his abilities in order to help Dan achieve his goal of Olympic Gold. Thus begins a journey of discovery for Dan that will shatter every preconceived notion he has about academics, athletics, and achievement. Guided by Socrates, Dan will consider a whole new ideology--one that values consciousness over intelligence, strength in spirit over strength in body. But in order to succeed, Dan must somehow let go of all of his expectations and desires--and simply live in the now.

Starring Nick Nolte, Amy Adams and Scott Mechlowicz.

Screening Fee: $5

March Classes & Healing Services at Earth Lodge

March Classes : Mark Your Calenders!

Shamanic Journey Circle, Thursday, 3/11

Reiki Share, Friday, 3/12, 3/26
Drum Circle, Wednesday, 3/17

Dream Circle, Monday, 3/22

Usui & Karuna Reiki Certifications, Call to Schedule

Course in Miracles Circle, Call to Schedule

For more information about our classes see our full March schedule at www.earthlodgeherbals.com/classes.htm

Earth Lodge Services

Make an appointment for healing!

We offer many wonderful healing therapies and services at Earth Lodge. Our therapists are all certified with 100s of logged table hours between them. We enjoy working with all ages and species: We all can use a little boost from time to time, don’t be afraid to treat yourself or ask for help.

Call (860) 237-8801 or email info@earthlodgeherbals.com

To schedule an appointment and put yourself on the road to health today!

Reiki: 45 minutes, $65

Shamanic Healing: 1-2 hours, $120

Polarity Therapy: Initial visit, $90. Follow-up: $75

Animal Reiki: Cat/Dog, $45 Large Animal, $80 (House-call $125)

Tarot Reading: $30

Palm Reading: $80

Home & Property Clearings: $150 Followups $50

Lymphatic Drainage: $90
Immunity Boost Treatment: $30

Channeled Readings & Advice (online only): $20-$80

For more information about any of our treatments visit our website or give us a call.

If you need help and are in financial distress, please don’t let that stop you from calling us: we are often willing to barter our services on a need basis.

We Agree with This Statement on Chicken Ordinances from Mother Earth News

To Whom It May Concern,

Chickens have been animal companions of humans for thousands of years. When allowed to range in the yard, they are very entertaining and they provide more benefits to us than cats or dogs. They provide outstanding pest control, eating ticks, slugs, mosquitoes and many other insects. And they produce eggs that are much more nutritious than those you can buy at the supermarket.

Backyard chickens will generally get far more humane care than those raised in filthy, crowded “factory farms.” Industrial production is creating numerous problems, including pollution from manure, antibiotic resistance and higher risk of a more dangerous strain of bird flu. Keeping a few chickens at home is one way we can each do our part to address these problems. Limit their numbers, and require clean, humane care — sure. But there is no legitimate reason for any city to prohibit keeping a few chickens, any more than there is reason to ban the keeping of dogs or cats. Indeed, I believe ordinances prohibiting chickens are probably unconstitutional.

Cheryl Long

Editor in Chief

MOTHER EARTH NEWS

Topeka, Kansas

A Haiku

Spring breeze blowing

Anticipating sweetness

Maples flowing.

The Many Benefits of Drumming: Circle Meets Tonight!

Tonight is our monthly drumming circle from 6-7PM, free for all ages. We drum in the Native American heartbeat style. Rattles and chanters are welcome, too. Drumming is a wonderfully healing and therapeutic activity that gets us in tune with our own hearts and minds, and allows us to release the stresses of the day, week, and month. Drumming helps us relax and enter meditative states (read more about that below), and tends to also increase feelings of ease and joy for those who attend the circle. Children of all ages and attention spans are welcome, making this a community-minded event that re-awakens our memories of being one-family, one-village, one-and-all. We have plenty of extra drums and rattles, so don't feel like you can't come if you don't have one :)

Below, I have compiled a list of many more benefits of drumming: even if you can't make it to our circle, just see how a little drumming at home could increase your well-being:

Blood samples from participants of an hour-long drumming session revealed a reversal of the hormonal stress response and an increase in natural killer cell activity (Bittman, Berk, Felten, Westengard, Simonton, Pappas, Ninehouser, 2001, Alternative Therapies, vol. 7, no. 1).

Stanford University School of Medicine conducted a study with 30 depressed people over 80 years of age and found that participants in a weekly music therapy group were less anxious, less distressed and had higher self-esteem (Friedman, Healing Power of the Drum, 1994).

Subjects who participated in a clinical trial using the HealthRhythms cancer protocol showed an increase in natural killer cell activity and an enhanced immune system. While this does not indicate a cure for cancer, such results may be of benefit for those facing this disease. (Bittman, Berk, Felten, Westengard, Simonton, Pappas, Ninehouser, 2001, Alternative Therapies, vol. 7, no. 1).

According to Clair, Bernstein and Johnson (1995), Alzheimer’s patients who drum can connect better with loved ones. The predictability of rhythm may provide the framework for repetitive responses that make few cognitive demands on people with dementia.

Rhythmic cues can help retrain the brain after a stroke or other neurological impairment, according to Michael Thaurt, director of Colorado State University’s Center of Biomedical Research in Music. Researchers have also discovered that hearing slow, steady rhythms, such as drumbeats, helps Parkinson patients move more steadily (Friedman, Healing Power of the Drum, 1994).

AND From "The Healing Power of the Drum" by Robert Lawrence Friedman, who quotes Layne Redmond, author of "When the Drummers Were Women."

"One of the most powerful aspects of drumming and the reason that people have done it since the beginning of being human is that is changes people's consciousness. Through rhythmic repetition of ritual sounds, the body, brain and the nervous system are energized and transformed. When a group of people play a rhythm for an extended period of time, their brain waves become entrained to the rhythm and they have a shared brain wave state. The longer the drumming goes on, the more powerful the entrainment becomes. It's really the oldest holy communion. All of the oldest known religious rites used drumming as part of the shared religious experience.

It is interesting to look at these ancient drumming practices from the perspective of the latest scientific research into the functioning of the brain. Using electroencephalographs, scientists can measure the number of energy waves per second pulsing through the brain. A system of classifying states of consciousness according to the frequencies of these waves was created.

Normal outwardly focused attention generates beta waves which vibrate from 14 to 40 cycles per second. When awareness shifts to an internal focus, our brain slows down into the more rhythmical waves of alpha, vibrating at 7-14 waves per second. Alpha is defined by relaxation and centering. Dropping down to 4-7 cycles per second the brain enters the theta state in which there is an interfacing of conscious and unconscious processes, producing hypnologic dream-like imagery at the threshold of sleep. Theta is the course of sudden mystical insights and creative solutions to complex situations and is marked by physical and emotional healing. People with a preponderance of theta brainwaves are also able to learn and process much more information than normal. Without some form of intensive training it is hard to stay awake in theta--one slips quickly down into delta. This is the slowest brainwave frequency, 1-5 cycles per second, the state of unconsciousness or deep sleep.

The brain is divided into two hemispheres that are basically split in their control of the thinking process. The right brain functions as the creative, visual, aural and emotional center. The left brain is the rational, logical, analytical and verbal administrator. Generally, either the right or left brain dominates in cycles lasting from 30 minutes to 3 hours. While one hemisphere is dominant, the memories, skills, and information of the other hemisphere are far less available, residing in a subconscious or unconscious realm. Not only do the right and left brain operate in different modes, they also usually operate in different brain wave rhythms. The right brain may be generating alpha waves while the left brain is in the beta state. Or both can be generating the same type of brain waves, but remain out of sync with each other. But in states of intense creativity, deep meditation or under the influence of rhythmic sound, both hemispheres may becomes entrained to the same rhythm. This state of unified whole brain functioning is called hemispheric synchronization or the awakened mind.

As the two hemispheres begin to resonate to a single rhythm, a sense of clarity and heightened awareness arises. The individual is able to draw on both the left and the right hemispheres simultaneously. The mind becomes sharper, more lucid, synthesizing much more rapidly than normal, and emotions are easier to understand and transform. The conscious and unconscious levels of the mind interface and integrate more easily. Insight quickens and creative intuition flourishes, giving one the ability to visualize and bring into manifestation ideas more easily. An expanded, more complete and integrated state of consciousness comes into existence. Scientists believe that hemispheric synchronization may be the neurological basis of transcendent states of consciousness.

Research has shown that rhythmic music is one of the most effective ways to induce brainwave synchronization. Musical comprehension is a joint function of left and right brains and rhythmic sound can drive the brain waves into alpha or theta states. Many ancient religious practices seem to have originated in attempts to induce the transcendental experiences of hemispheric synchronization. Traditional drumming rituals appear to be efficient techniques for entraining the right and left brains, leading to emotionally and physically healing experiences."

Drum on!

February Classes

Shamanic Journey Circle
The second Thursday of each month from 6-8 PM (2/11)
$15

Reiki Share
(2/12, 2/26)
This community-inspired Reiki Share meets every other Friday from 11am-1pm and is open to all Reiki practitioners, whether you are a Master or just beginning. $10 Donation for use of the space, which is regularly cleared, empowered and blessed by the healers at Earth Lodge.

Drum Circle
3rd Wednesday of each month, 6 Pm (2/17)(FREE)

Animal Healing Clinic
3rd Saturday of each monthly, 2-4 pm. (2/20)
The time for each session will be a minimum of 10 minutes. Sessions are $10, as these are introductory demonstration sessions by Sandra, Maya and Lisa.

Dream Circle
4th Monday of each month, 6 PM (2/22)(FREE)

Course in Miracles Circle -- FREE DEMONSTRATIONS
Sandra is conducting free sessions to demonstrate the planned Course in Miracles Circle - contact us to set up your 2-hour demo.

Usui & Karuna Reiki Certification Classes - Levels 1,2,3 & Master
$150 - $350
Call to Schedule!

Please see our full class schedule for more details.

Antibiotics Inhibit Plant Growth

Studies continue to confirm what environmental agencies and waste management specialists have been worrying about all along: that the antibiotics and other chemicals in our wastewater is leaching into water tables throughout the United States, affecting people, animals, and even plants with unforeseen consequences. This latest article from Discovery News brings our attention to the silent victim of human waste: the Plant Kingdom.

Antibiotics Inhibit Plant Growth : Discovery News

We are all connected. Let's not forget that. Without plants, there can be no humans. Don't flush medication down the toilet: make sure it is sealed and properly disposed of. Don't throw your CFLs or batteries in the trash. Use less, live more.

Welcoming the Newest Earth Lodge Team Member

Earth Lodge welcomes the newest addition to our team:

Jocelyn Sophia, 8 lb 15 oz, born Jan 20 at 12:48 pm after a very easy and joy-full delivery. Appropriate, of course, since her name means "joyful wisdom."

Quiet, Easy and Warm. That's our baby.

One Day Old

Buying Seeds for Your Garden: A guest blog

(This is a guest blog by Maya, from her green healing blog, http://healinggreen.blogspot.com)

Having turned the corner through the dead of winter, our New England days are getting longer and everyone is dreaming about Spring and days that don't begin with a stoking of the fireplace. Seed and plant catalogues are a great way to feed the mind and soul during winter, with beautiful images of flowers and vegetables, herbs and exotic grasses. I recently found a great article from Mother Earth News that had links to seed companies all over America. This is a fantastic resource, because when you buy seeds locally you are accomplishing two things: you are supporting local business communities and your plants are more likely to thrive in your soil, having been bred for generations in that spot of earth.

When you are reading about seeds, you will come across the terms Hybrid (F1), Open-Pollinated (OP) and Heirloom. Hybrid seeds produce specially bred varieties that are often disease and drought-resistant, or have special production properties. They are also usually designed to create more seed buying and protect the seed company's economic interest in their stock, which means that they will not breed true: if you want the same plant next year, you'll have to buy the seeds again. If you try and use seeds you collected from the plant, they will grow into a different plant, generally with different fruit production, or not even germinate at all.

Open-pollinated seeds breed true, and are often organic or grown without pesticides. You can save seeds from an open-pollinated plant and expect the exact same plants the next year. Environmentally, they present a better heritage for our children because these seeds are dependable and safe. Heirloom seeds are generally considered open-pollinated seeds which have been growing true for over 50 years or plant generations -- these are the seeds of our grandmothers, and theirs. Some heirloom varieties are endangered, and I love knowing that I am preserving a little bit of istory by planting these varieties in my garden.Here in Connecticut, I chose to order from two companies. The first is Comstock, Ferre, which had many OP seeds to choose from, does a lot of their own growing, and is the oldest seed company in the United States. How cool is that?? The other is a small company just a few towns aways from me, in a really tiny town, actually, called John Scheeper's Kitchen Garden Seeds.

Another great resource for those of you who are serious about saving and using your seeds for next year is the fabulous book, Seed to Seed.

Saving Heritage Breeds (A Guest Blog)

(This post is a guest blog from Maya's personal blog, Healing Green.)

Heritage Breeds are farm animals that have been around a long time, and in general are not used by large scale agriculture. These breeds are dwindling due to commercial unavailabilty or viability within CAFOs, but they are vital to insuring the survival of farming in the future.

For example: the modern turkeys that are used on most meat farms and sold in most hatcheries have been bred to have such large breasts that the males can no longer mount the females to mate naturally: they must be artificially inseminated. Many of the most commonly sold chicken breeds on the market no longer care to hatch and raise their own young -- quite simply, the desire has been bred out of them. Many animals have lost some of their natural foraging and mothering instincts, along with natural disease resistance. Pigs on large operations are being born with poor leg structure, because the breeding sows don't get to walk or even turn around in their cubicles while they gestate, and no one is noticing or caring that their legs are weak and being passed on to their young.

Holsteins have been bred with overactive pituitary glands which stimulate exorbitant milk production that is results in milk laced with similarly raised amounts of growth hormone -- making more milk than an average family could ever drink in a day.

For these and many other reasons, a lot of people think its important to assure the survival of the "old" breeds which may not be super-producers but tend to be more disease resistant and better suited to life on small farms or homesteads. Smaller cows such as Jerseys and Guernseys are easier to manage and produce milk in quantities that are better suited to family use. Pigs that know how to forage are better suited to pasture life and may feed themselves for free, especially if you have great stand of oaks for them to rummage through. Baby chicks that are reared by their mamas grow up to be good mothers, too, eliminating the need to buy incubators and monitor hatching.

Life on a farm, even a small one, is a lot of work: why not choose animals that help out and simplify matters wherever possible?

Even scientists are getting in on the action. Check out this NY Times article about a heritage breed sperm bank: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/dining/06frozen.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Winter Schedule at Earth Lodge

No classes and events at Earth Lodge for the month of January will be meeting.

Maya, our vice president, is expecting her new baby mid-month, and Sandra and the rest of the Earth Lodge staffers will be busy lending a helping hand, in addition to tending the animals and Earth Lodge throughout the cold and snow.


Events will resume in February:


Shamanic Journey Circle
The second Thursday of each month from 6-8 PM (2/11)
$15

Reiki Share
(2/12, 2/26)
This community-inspired Reiki Share meets every other Friday from 11am-1pm and is open to all Reiki practitioners, whether you are a Master or just beginning. $10 Donation for use of the space, which is regularly cleared, empowered and blessed by the healers at Earth Lodge.

Drum Circle
3rd Wednesday of each month, 6 Pm (2/17)
(FREE)

Animal Healing Clinic
3rd Saturday of each monthly, 2-4 pm. (2/20)
The time for each session will be a minimum of 10 minutes. Sessions are $10, as these are introductory demonstration sessions by Sandra, Maya and Lisa.

Dream Circle
4th Monday of each month, 6 PM (2/22)
(FREE)

Course in Miracles Circle -- FREE DEMONSTRATIONS
Sandra is conducting free sessions to demonstrate the planned Course in Miracles Circle - contact us to set up your 2-hour demo.

Please see our full class schedule for more details.