Engineered Versus Natural – the GM Food Question

By Diane Dandeneau

This opinion is in response to the articles by Steve Wratten and Kayann Short in the Lyons Recorder on the question of GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) foods.  I highly respect both of them as they share their views from their experience and perspectives and their belief that they are for the highest good.  As I share my perspective and beliefs, I am not going to site any scientific studies, as they are not necessary, and in fact distract from what I want us to consider.

On October 18^th, the Town of Lyons had a workshop with John Todd Ecological Designs on “ecological” wastewater treatment plants.  The purpose of this presentation was to introduce this concept to the town to consider as an option to implement into our wastewater treatment system over just using traditional industrial treatment processes.  I mention this here as I was reminded that this system relies on biodiversity to operate.  This design utilizes beautiful natural ecological systems such as plants and living organisms that use waste as food, and then recycles it into safe clean water and many resources for re-use.  The bottom line is it uses natural systems to work.

I hold a deep-felt belief that GMO’s are not the direction that we want to go in for our food system.  I believe this because no matter what, it can not be proven safe or not – as it is impossible to completely understand what will happen once this technology is out into the world, but more so that it is not a natural system.  The earth has naturally evolved in a way that uses biodiversity to support life.  Humans have focused on reducing to biodiversity in our food production causing problems that we are now trying to remedy with GMO’s instead of looking at the source cause and using our greatest resources.

We must use solutions that work with nature instead of battle with it.

When I bring up this concept, what I usually hear from those in the industrial food camp is that this is unrealistic. I agree that it is not an easy problem to solve – as we have created a monster. But, the question really is a larger one.  Do we continue down the path of short-term growth and profit being the focus? Or do we focus on quality of life, humane practices, and the long-term health of the system that we live in?

I hold the perspective and belief that if we are to survive as a species, we must reconnect with our deeper wisdom, and re-partner with nature and the biodiversity that has created us in the first place.  We are playing roulette as we tamper with our food system and are truly risking life on earth.

I believe that if more people could see the imperativeness of this perspective (look beyond profit) and we paid our brilliant scientist and engineers (like Steve Wratten) to focus on understanding how we can partner with nature versus focusing on how we can re-engineer it, we can solve our problems in a truly sustainable manner.

I have recently done a string of incredibly powerful channeled readings with the Messengers of Peace for some women in Austin Texas.  I did the first one for a woman who happened to hear me playing my music at the open mic at the Stone Cup in Lyons as they were passing through town.  She said she was touched by my song for Goldie, and picked up my brochure.  She called me a week later and we scheduled the session for over the phone.

The reading I did for her from the Messengers of Peace reached a new level of healing and transformation for her (and me).  As with most of my readings, I knew nothing about her other than her wanting some guidance on career.  The message that come through me had nothing to do with career (though eluded that everything would fall into place once this other issue was resolved) and totally about healing some family relationships.  When I read her the message, she was a bit surprised yet felt it was very true for her.  We then went into the next part of the session which is a guided meditation and coaching intro.

What happened next was very exciting and profound.  I felt the Messengers of Peace telling me that we were going to do some energy healing.  I was guided to take her into a process of forgiveness with the family member present in our meditation.  My client felt a physical energy shift and a profound release of a life-long anger and resistance.  Both were released from the bondage of their unresolved issues.

A day later I received a call to do a reading from the other woman who heard me in Lyons, who heard that her friend had a good experience with me.  Amazingly (probably only to me), the exact same thing happened.  I have since done 2 more readings from referrals from these women with one more next scheduled next week.  Each one being unique, yet as profound as the last.  The Messengers of Peace are now bringing a level of healing that is not just in their message, but through our session on an energetic level.  As I am doing this, I realize that this is an incredible gift that I have been given to help people make rapid profound shifts toward healing and awakening.

If you are struggling in any area of your life, please consider doing a session with me and the Messengers of Peace. It has been my prayer to serve and this is the greatest service that I believe I can bring.

Blessings,

Diane

I recently met John Dillan and Vivian Nesbit through showing up at a spiritual center in Albuquerque and asking someone (who happened to be Vivian) for directions to the fellowship hall.   We began to talk and I found out that they are songwriters and authors and do a radio show called Art of the Song.  We had a lovely connection, and I gave them my CD and John gave me his book.

I was very excited to meet them as they are truly inspiring and helping people to express and share their creativity – whether through music or any other means.  John’s book is called The 20 – 20 Creativity Solution. I LOVE his book!  He does a beautiful job of sharing his experience and science around creativity.  He talks about creativity being the culmination of inspiration, analysis and action.  He also talks about what I have been teaching about creativity being the integration of mind, body and spirit.

I was reminded by his book that to be creative is to have the ability to tap into our intuition, express what is coming out, edit and refine it, and then share it in form.  That being creative is the ability to follow through with a process.

Many people have commented that I am so creative and though I don’t feel that I am any more creative than anyone else, I realize that it is the process that I have mastered.   I also hear from people who say they do parts of the process, but not all of them and are wondering why they aren’t being successful in bringing creative expression to the world.   Some of them don’t know how to do all the parts and some don’t want to do all the parts.  The first step is understanding what the parts are and then deciding if you want to do what is needed to bring your creativity to the world.

As John writes about the 3 parts of Creativity, he says:

Creativity is a three-phase process that occurs at the intersection of inspiration, action and analysis.  The phases can occur in any order or simultaneously.

1. Inspiration is the generation of new ideas, a right-brain process.
2. Action involves taking the idea and bringing it into physical form.
3. Analysis is the left-brain phase of editing, refining, and changing the original idea.

This has made me think about my creative process and looking at the parts.

1. Intention: Create time and space for connection.  Meditate and connect to Source and my heart, where my creative impulse lives – open to the mystery and receive the inspiration (this is first and part of every step).
2. Preparation:  Buy the materials, instruments, tools, go to the studio, or travel for source material and more inspiration.
3. Action: Write, record, photograph, paint, play…
4. Evaluate and analyze:  With discernment and self love, review, edit, repaint, retouch, enhance.  Ask what is being called for in the world and take the inspiration, song, painting, or program idea and put it in a form that can be shared.
5. Share.  I am adding this as an additional step because I know many artist, musicians, authors, teachers, (OK, just about everyone fits in here), who have gifts in their closet and haven’t truly shared them.  Whether they are inspirations that have never come to form, or piles of paintings or finished songs that have not been displayed or sung.  This is the final step in the process.  And then it begins again.   Once you share your gifts, you might find that it requires more creative time, more analysis, and then more action to be more helpful or refined.  But unless you share it, you will never know.

If you want to live a more creative life, I can help you.  I find I am coaching people in all areas and love to share how to master the process with you.  I have created a new call called Living a Creative Life.  You can learn more here: https://dianedandeneau.com/coaching/living-a-creative-life-teleclass/

I heard this story on NPR http://www.npr.org/2011/08/29/139641794/where-generations-of-soldiers-healed-and-moved-on about Walter Read Hospital and it inspired me to write in my journal. In a few short hours, it turned into this song:

Why? By Diane Dandeneau

He once was six foot three, now he’s five foot two
Someone put a landmine in the path of his boots
His life has changed forever, as he waits for stumps to heal
The good news is they have for him new feet made of steel

One of the lucky ones, he has a life to live
Wants to raise a family, would like to coach some kids
The interviewer asks him, can’t that dream still come true?
He hesitates… saying yes… not sounding very sure

Chorus
He’s a hero to his county
A hero to his wife
But no-one asks the question…
Why?

I listen to this story on NPR
Wondering why the real question’s left on the floor?
In this crazy world there must be another way
To deal with the insanity, than playing these deadly games

Chorus

For it is the economy that really matters now
The more it grows the more we need to protect what is ours
We should all be grateful to those we sacrifice
Their lives and limbs to protect our privileged, cushy lives

Bridge
Can we hear him crying late in the night
And feel the pain that’s shattering all of our lives?

Chorus

I just got an email about a group called Strategies for Sustainability Working Group that is working to document and share sustainability ideas across the Colorado Front Range. I skimmed through their Powerpoint looking at their objectives and the number one thing on their list was:

Don’t reinvent the wheel.

This really struck me in a different way today. Now, I have been working in business and on sustainability issues for many years and have worked on making programs that could be scaled. There is a great cost and time savings when you can build something once and use it many times. McDonalds has made billions on this concept – but the product is not what I could call exceptional (or healthy). But what struck me today and what I have been realizing is that we have traded time and money savings for creativity, invention and quality. I have seen over and over where the money for sustainability projects has gone into top-down government run programs, but they aren’t really inspiring the public and have not been very successful. I have also been involved in local community inspired initiatives and seen amazing things happen.

What I would like to see is for the leadership to set some objectives – energy or carbon savings goals, then provide the resources to the local communities who need to meet those goals. Then ask them to create what would work in their community. I think it is vital to share with each other what others are doing, as knowledge is power. But, I believe that inspiring and supporting creativity is the answer. People want to solve problems and be part of the solutions for their own lives. We can’t keep doing things the way we have been doing them. So please, reinvent the wheel!

Promoting the greatest health, wealth, and happiness is simple: Take your daily M.E.D.S.

Many years ago, I realized that if I wanted to truly show up in the world to help others, feel good, and enjoy life, I had to take care of myself first. At different times, I focused on diet, sleep, and exercise. But, even as I focused on these areas, I realized that there was another area of focus equally important: an introspective practice, such as meditation. I discovered that it truly takes consistent practice in all four areas to be healthy, happy, productive, and at peace with life.

One day my (now deceased) father showed me the pile of pills that he took for a myriad of mostly lifestyle ailments.  He said “takin my daily meds”.  I thought to myself that I had a different idea about what my daily “meds” should be.  In that moment I put the very simple yet important pieces together and laughed as I realized that my daily “meds” are: Meditation, Exercise, Diet, and Sleep (M.E.D.S). (more…)

I’ve recently been working with a young colleague and noticed that she communicates mostly by text messages, twitter length email, or Facebook comment. Operating in a world where “Pardon my brevity” is becoming the norm, I find it difficult to have a clear and authentic exchange with her and others who largely rely on “sound bite” communication.  The result has been a working relationship that has been full of assumptions, misunderstandings and frustration.  I long for, and truly need, old-fashioned dialogue and verbosity, a slower, more thoughtful, give-and-take, which allows for greater understanding and connection. (more…)