I must admit that living in NC, I was isolated from so many things in our own country. I am embarrassed to say, but I thought the National Forest were being preserved for generations. I thought they would all be full of old forest with lots of old energy and nature would be safe in these small areas of our land. My heart longed to reach out and be in these wild and safe areas on my travels.

Imagine my surprise to find that our Federal Government has other ideas as to the purpose of our National Forest. They ‘manage’ the forest, which basically means they control who is allowed to harvest the natural resources and they usually require the land to be replanted once the logging or mining company comes through. Sometimes it is replanted in rows upon rows of trees and there is absolutely nothing natural about it. I should have taken photos, but I was looking for beauty and seeing so much pain. I spent a few weeks in shock, wondering how any animals can survive this raping of our lands as well as the constant fires that are used to burn down the underbrush. None of this is natural and such a big difference from what I thought. I am still learning about all these National Land designations, there are many and my concepts of their purpose is not the same as their true purpose, so I am learning.

Another thing that really surprised me on this trip are the large spaces of land in our country which are almost inhabitable. Most of our Southwest, entire states, consist of desert lands. Thorns everywhere, a lack a rain and sometimes extreme flooding. We actually drove on Interstate 40 for about 70 miles with no businesses or gas stations. I know many people have taken this route across our country and it is an odd thing to imagine a major road such as I40 with no gas stations… just miles and miles of desert. To know it and to see it are completely different. The trees in our country are so valuable. They create an environment that supports a much more comfortable life for us. They should be revered. One of my roommates was recently telling me when he was small, he lived in Orange County, CA and orange groves covered the land. Now, his mother has one of the the last orange tree in the entire county. Orange County no longer has orange trees. Doesn’t this seem odd to anyone else?

Oregon and Washington state still have lots of virgin forest, some of the fattest and tallest trees I have ever seen. This is the only rainforest the US has, it’s considered a temperate rainforest and it rains a lot here, so when the sun comes out, we are all very happy. Unfortunately, the loggers are busy. Many mountains have been stripped bare of old, beautiful forest that have been here longer than man. Unfortunately, the damage we have imposed on the land will take hundreds of years to restore the health to this once beautiful forest . Why are we doing this? To build stick homes that will last 60 years and then get bulldozed and fill up our landfills or our environment with fumes as the piles of debris are burned and cleared. If we don’t start living in harmony with our land, we aren’t going to survive as a species.

I wonder when people will understand that our own salvation will come from nature? It holds keys for our health, for our joy, for our long-lasting lives. It is through nature that generations will continue to live on earth and as long as we stay out of harmony, we are sentencing our own race to extinction. The Natives of this land have much wisdom when they say we should consider 7 generations in our planning. This type of planning would shift our focus to the long-lasting effects of our actions. Individually we feel weak and limited in our effectiveness, yet it is individuals that make up our collective and collectively we are destroying our world.

At this time, Zaanti and I are in Oregon and besides seeing the mountains stripped bare of their trees, this state still has a lot of beauty and the people are looking for more harmony with the planet. In fact, I haven’t met a single person that doesn’t understand the value of recycling. Oh, and the bikes seem to be almost as popular as cars, even in the cold rain and snow. It’s a crazy thing to see people biking in the snow – this is dedication. I think it’s great that you are allowed to raise chickens in the cities and some cities are considering goats and pigs too. There are little city lots full of winter and summer gardens while seed exchanges are busy as people are looking to provide for their own needs, searching for ways to live in harmony, creating smaller footprints on earth.

We can make a difference in our world, in our harmony with nature. It starts with small acts – start sending love from your heart to our government and our planet. Don’t lie to yourself. Understand the government has many agendas, but start sending love anyway. Send it from your heart, with no attachments. When a government official takes actions to harm the people or planet, don’t get upset, instead, send them more love, straight to their heart and their eyes. In this way, you are assisting in their awakening. Send love from the highest source to hearts of our officials to be used for the highest purpose and when you see an opportunity to make a change in our physical world, be courageous and take the action that brings harmony.

Also, be prepared for the two inner voices that guide you. The mind will confuse you with it’s logic, fear and facts, but the heart is where our true wisdom lives and it will lead you correctly every time. Look for the path of harmony, the path of respect – respect for yourself, for others, for all of nature.

A great set of books devoted to living in harmony with our entire universe are the Anastasia books. There are many books in the set and they are loving gift to our beautiful world. I highly recommend them to everyone who wishes for a more harmonious life for our families, our children, our world.

The Ringing Cedars Series

In addition, as Steve Pedery, the Conservation Director of Oregon Wild says, “Remind your representatives that safeguarding our air, water, wildlife, and public lands are vital to the health and prosperity of our nation, and we shouldn’t let the leadership of the U.S. destroy our natural heritage through backroom deals and stealth riders”

Many blessings to our forever spirits, our human existence and our beautiful planet. Many we all realize that life is joyful and abundant!

Aliya