Visual
Art and Spiritual Evolution Andy Gmür Biological evolution has advanced
to the point that a 'spiritual evolution' is taking place. This
natural process of growth, increase of complexity, or shift towards
divinity is happening, no matter if we humans are aware of it or
not, if we want it to happen or not.
The Dehydration Epidemic Jaime Larese Chronic dehydration has been
linked to a myriad of health problems and unfortunately, it's only
getting worse. Allergies, arthritis, even Alzheimer's disease is
linked to chronic dehydration. Our first step is understanding dehydration
and how much water we need to be drinking daily to maintain our
fragile health.
What's
Endangering Our Earth? Jeff Hernandez The everyday items that are meant
to facilitate our lives, in fact may be harming us more than we
bargained for. Ironically, we as consumers are the reason they are
produced. Organic chemicals are extremely cheap to produce and are
very effective in their job functions. Looking
Forward to Clean Energy Jon Heinrich Because of political uncertainty,
pure and simple shortage of oil, and detrimental environmental effects
from oil, we need to look for solutions for the furture before we
find ouselves left in the dark—literally. Fortunately, solutions
exist and if we are able to raise awareness and convince our policy
makers to consider it a priority, we can all look forward to a bright,
energy-rich future instead of one marked by environmental, political,
and social disaster.
E
Sustainability Aaron Ades You don't need to save for a
rainy day if you create a system that is in harmony with the needs
of the human animal. Create what you need and eliminate the reliance
on things you cannot create. Utilize all available technology for
meeting these goals.
Ten
Things You Can Do to Help Your Earth Chrystie Hopkins Whether you live in New York City or
Big Fork, Montana, everyday decisions that you make can impact the
environment. The revolution starts at home. From the Jersey shore,
to the waters of Lake Michigan, the top of Longs Peak, or the beaches
of La Jolla, here are ten things that you can do to help save YOUR
world.
Gaia Derek Gumuchian We are all one. In this article
we explore the idea of the Earth as an entire entitiy and as our
mother.
E
The
Fabulous Sylvan Sisters Dan Berthiaume An hour later, Donna was lazily
reclining in the passenger seat of Melinda's cherry red Volkswagen
New Beetle, consuming a brunch consisting of a can of Diet Pepsi
and a low-tar cigarette. She had put on a pink halter-top, black
microminiskirt and stiletto heels, which she figured would annoy
Melinda even more than smoking in her car without asking permission.
E
è
bella Designs in Peru Michael Weintrob Photographer Michael Weintrob travels
to Peru with è bella Designs, to capture how è bella
has helped to revive the art of weaving and the Peruvuian economy.
Rough
Around the Edges Jonathan Alsop
Invinoveritas.com Technically, first thing in the morning
is the very best time to taste wine since your palate is fresh and
unviolated. But I don't do it: the sight of daddy in his bathrobe
on a Sunday morning slogging down a half-dozen bottles of wine could
stay with a child.
Welcome to the fourth quarterly issue of Meniscus Magazine,
the most positive online art forum in cyberspace. We’re
excited to present to you, our summer issue all about the earth,
the environment and how we as humans interact with the overall
entity known as Gaia.
We are quickly approaching an epoch in history, full of both
excitement and anxiety. It is a simple fact that our planet
is going to run out of usable oil before too long. We are seeing
signs of that right now; gas just pierced the $2.00 limit and
it doesn’t look like its going down any time soon. When
all of the reserves have been tapped, things are going to change.
This is a good thing. Filling the atmosphere with CO2
and greenhouse gasses is not healthy.
However, as Derek Gumuchian explains, the atmosphere is an
exquisite example of the remarkable ability of our mother earth
to keep its delicate system in prime form for life to exist.
No matter how much CO2 we pump into the atmosphere,
the oxygen level remains the same, although we are only beginning
to see the effects of global warming.
But let’s take this down a notch on the intensity scale.
It doesn’t take the threat of ice cap recession and species
extinction to see that the world is a beautiful place. Even
industry can be scenic when captured in the rapture of a mid-evening
sunset, as Will Springfield displays in his photograph
in this issue.
The important thing to ask yourself is, is there anything
I can easily change in my life that will have a dramatic effect
on the resources I use? For example, if you’re interested
in avoiding cleaning products that leave a toxic cloud hovering
in the air after a spring cleaning, check out Jeff Hernandez’
article “What’s
Endangering Our Earth?”
Am I buying products that promote positivity and peace, or
am I contributing to the problem? Nicole Linton, founder and
designer at é bella designs is doing all she can to help
the native Peruvian Indians revive a weaving tradition that
was all but destroyed by civil war. Her contemporary clothing
and home designs use ancient Peruvian weaving technique to express
her love of art and nature. And Michael Weintrob has captured
that culture of art and nature in a photo
essay he put together on an expedition to Peru last October
with Nicole.
It’s that perfect time of year in New England when things
have finally warmed up and summer’s just around the corner.
I was crossing the traffic-crazy Jamaica Way the other afternoon,
when I heard a car run over a thin plate of sheet metal in the
road. Having the opportunity between traffic bursts, I ran across
and picked it up. My first inclination was to move it to the
side of the road out of tire’s way. Then, thinking the
next day was garbage day, I realized it would be ridiculous
to not throw it in the trash. Walking down the street
with this big piece of metal under my arm, I noticed a dumpster
perched at the back of an apartment complex. On it was a sign
that read:
For Residents Only
Perfect! That’s exactly what we are! We’re all
residents of the same rock hurtling around the sun. I realized
in that instant, if everyone thought that way, things would
be incredibly different. If I only had a cardigan and some slippers,
I could really do something with this thought, don’t you
think? Neighbor?
The point is we need to be inclusionary and not exclusionary
in our thinking. This is not a fundamental teaching of our society
however. Take for example on May 14, 2004, when Salon magazine
reported that:
The bishop of Colorado's second-largest
Roman Catholic diocese issued a stark warning Friday, saying
voters should not receive Communion if they back politicians
who support abortion rights, stem-cell research, euthanasia
and gay marriage.
Let’s just think about that statement for a minute. (This
is a little off topic but it parallels my point.) First of all,
we’re mixing arguably the two most controversial topics
in the world—religion and politics—both putting
people at odds with each other. If this is how people are taught
about “morals,” we’re not going to get a society
that’s going to greet our brothers and sisters with open
arms, much less entertain thoughts of environmental kindness.
Despite the fact that church is about brotherly love, God,
the Golden Rule and all those words, it sounds like their not
very open to things like civil rights and personal responsibility.
It’s especially odd when the very definition of Catholic
is “comprehensive
and universal.” Look it up.
(What then does the church say about politicians that send
150,000 troops to another country with automatic rifles strapped
to their shoulders? Same sex marriage bad; killing and torturing
Iraqis okay; I don’t get it—but I digress.)
What I’m saying is that if we’re to live in a
world where we respect each other and our environment, we’re
going to have to start treating each other with a little respect.
Include people; embrace each other; see how
we’re the same and not how we’re different.
At least in the mean time, while the powers that be realize
that solutions need to be had, we can bask in the artistic genius
of this thriving culture. And perhaps while we take in the radiant
creative energy, we can learn something from these people that
see things so beautifully.
Andreas Gmür is a perfect example of such an artist.
As you will see in “Visual Art and Spiritual Evolution,”
life is a holistic process. If we can learn techniques from
the scholars of our species, we can realize how to channel the
Cosmic Energy to mental, physical and spiritual harmony. Art
is an amazing product of this consciousness, and so is a greater
awareness of our relationship with nature and mother earth as
a whole.
I invite you now to gambol through the summer issue of Meniscus
Magazine. Considering the sunshine, I’d recommend reading
in bare feet!
Jon
Click here to check out Andreas' article
and begin the flip tour!