Chiron Communiqué Author's Occasional Newsletter
From Steven McFadden in Santa Fe, NM http://www.chiron-communications.com/ Vol. 8 No. 1 © January, 2003 © - Copyright 2003 by Steven McFadden All Rights Reserved Your Food, Your Family, Your Planet: One Big Step Torward Renewal "Much is at stake, and we are the keepers of the Earth." - Lincoln Geiger, from Farms of Tomorrow Revisited The human race has only one or perhaps two generations to rescue itself, according to the 2003 State of the World report by Worldwatch Institute.. In its 20th annual report, Worldwatch emphasizes that the longer we delay wholehearted action to remedy the massive environmental and social problems we have created for ourselves, then the deeper the impoverishment and misery that humankind must bear. Life on planet Earth is now unmistakably and imminently threatened by overuse of resources, massive pollution and wholesale destruction of natural areas. Our life-support conditions are deteriorating rapidly. In most cases, nothing is being done. The political will to make changes is lacking. In a preface to the 2003 State of the World Report, Harvard scientist E. O. Wilson writes: "If we are going to reverse biodiversity loss, dampen the effects of global warming, and eliminate the scourge of persistent poverty, we need to reinvent ourselves - as individuals, as societies, as corporations, and as governments." While individuals may feel powerless to reinvent or to change the actions of governments and multinational corporations, there is one certain step that they and their household can take: joining and supporting a community farm (CSA). That's because every dollar we spend on food is a direct vote not just on our personal health, but also on the kind of environment we and our families live in. Most food dollars vote - albeit unconsciously - for pesticides, herbicides, synthetic hormones, preservatives, irradiation, and genetically mutated crops and farm animals. Before the year is out, we will likely also have cloned farm animals making their way along the food chain to our kitchen tables. This unappetizing reality - and the harsh economic consequences that follow from it - is not something most people have chosen out of informed free will. Rather, via an unconscious process stimulated by convenience and advertising, people have come to automatically support this system with their food dollars, unaware of the full chain of effects. As documented in the 1998 book I wrote with Trauger Groh, Farms of Tomorrow Revisited, CSA farms offer a range of clear, practical and enormously helpful alternatives in the realms of diet, open local space, work for local farmers, general economics, and specific environmental health. With a CSA the farmer can become a family's Ambassador to the Earth, and the land she or he tills in the community can become an Ecological Oasis of thriving health. A CSA farm is a community-based organization involving consumer households and growers. The households live independently but agree to provide direct, up-front support for the local growers by investing in a share of the harvest. The growers in turn agree to do their best to provide sufficient quantity and quality of food to meet the household needs and expectations of the shareholders. CSA farms typically produce a sizeable share of a family's fresh vegetables and fruits; many CSAs also offer shares of milk, butter, eggs, meat, and flowers; some also have formal links with consumer coops, giving shareholders access to a wide variety of goods. Within this web of economic relationships, the farms and families form a network of mutual support, whether the community is based in an urban neighborhood, a suburb, a church, a school, or some other social constellation. CSA has wide latitude for variation, depending on the resources and desires of the participants. No two community farms are entirely alike. As CSA pioneers conceived of it -- and as it is being practiced at many farms -- CSA is not just another new and clever approach to marketing. Rather, community farming is about the necessary renewal of agriculture through its healthy linkage with the human community that depends on farming for survival. It's also about the necessary stewardship of soil, plants, and animals: the essential capital of human cultures. For those with an interest in learning more about this alternative and the benefits it can bring to them, their families, and their communities, I offer links to two essays I have written on the subject, and links to resources and information. Community Farms in the 21st Century: Outside the Box, But Inside the Hoop http://www.chiron-communications.com/farms-2.html Farms of Tomorrow: Community Supported Farms, Farm Supported Communities http://www.chiron-communications.com/farms-1.html RESOURCES State of the World 2003 - Worldwatch Institute http://www.worldwatch.org/pubs/sow/2003/ Status of our food chain - from the farm to your kitchen table http://www.organicconsumers.org CSA Farms and Families Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Assoc. http://www.biodynamics.com/csa.html Alternative Farming Systems Information Center http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa/ Robyn Van En Center for Community Supported Agriculture http://www.csacenter.org/ Emergency Help for Buffalo Herd (A letter from Brooke Medicine Eagle) Dear Friends and Family, Because of the critical winter situation, our buffalo herd has broken out of their high pasture, where the only, scarce winter feed exists, and are standing at our door facing starvation. We do not have the resources to feed them. These buffalo are very special beings. We love them as our great friends, and want to help them. They embody the need to heal the drought-ridden and overgrazed lands that they inhabit, and are an integral part of the process of this healing. They and their companion horse herd provide a powerful part of the beauty experienced by those who come to Sacred Ground for healing retreat. We need to act now. It will cost $5000 to purchase a feeder and enough hay to ensure the herd makes it through the winter. That breaks down to $100 per buffalo. Our hope is that you will sponsor 5 or more buffalo by making a tax-deductible contribution to Sacred Ground International. Your $500 will guarantee the survival of a bull, 2 cows and their beautiful calves. If you cannot sponsor five, then four or three...even one, would be a wonderful gift. One calf is a $50 donation. Smaller contributions of course are also welcome. Send your contribution to: Sacred Ground International The Buffalo Fund PO Box 78 Pryor, MT 59066 Tax ID# 81-052-1256 SCHEDULE - 2003 Santa Fe Medicine Circle, the final Tuesday of each month, 2003 - With Marcia Starck and Steven McFadden. All are invited to take a seat in an open Medicine Circle that will meet rhythmically at the end of each month in Tribes Coffee House in Santa Fe. Come and join the circle for an evening, or come each month. The circle will explore relevant stories, teachings and observations for the month ahead. Within the context of group wisdom, the Circle will consider the spiritual currents at work in the world, and how we might best meet the times. The Final Tuesday of each month 2003 Jan. 28, Feb. 25, March 24, April 28, May 26, June 30 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM - By donation At Tribes Coffee House 139 W. San Francisco St., Santa Fe, NM January 25-26, 2003 - Level I Reiki Training: Healing with Heart and Hands. In Santa Fe, NM. Reiki (pronounced Ray-Key) is a Japanese word meaning universal life energy - the energy that flows through all living things. It is also the name of a simple, effective technique for healing via the laying-on of hands. Reiki is a natural method of healing with the use of this basic life energy. Everyone can heal with their hands. The Reiki system for doing this is based on a 2,500-year-old tradition that allows practitioners to consciously direct energy for the benefit of other living beings. Learn this approach and then for the entirety of your life it will serve you, your family, and all who need a healing touch. Reiki Master Steven McFadden has 25 years experience with Reiki, and has been a Reiki Master since 1990. He helped John Harvey Gray and Lourdes Gray write their new book: Hand to Hand: The Oldest Living Reiki Master Tells His Story (2002 ). Classes will be held in Santa Fe, NM, 10 AM to 4 PM both Saturday and Sunday. The cost of the training is $175. To register send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] January 30 - Santa Fe's Land, Farms and Families: Steps Toward Environmental and Economic Renewal - As with other American communities, Santa Fe could readily establish environmental oases on open land, use water wisely, and provide both good jobs and fresh, clean food for families and households. Free evening talk by Steven McFadden, co-author of Farms of Tomorrow Revisited. Starts at 7 PM at Longevity Cafe, 112 W. San Francisco St., Santa Fe, NM. For information contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] or see http://www.longevitycafe.com March 7 , 2003 - On the Road to 2012: Legend of the Rainbow Warriors, an evening circle with discussion of 2012 and the dozens of Native legends and teachings that apply directly to the present moment of history. In Sedona, AZ. For information contact Tarri Otterlee: [EMAIL PROTECTED] March 8-9 , 2003 - Level I Reiki Training: Healing with Heart and Hands. In Sedona, AZ. Please see the description of the Reiki I class above. For information about the Sedona program please contact Tarri Otterlee: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or Steven McFadden [EMAIL PROTECTED] March 21-22 - On the Road to 2012: Legend of the Rainbow Warriors. A Friday evening Circle, and all-day intensive workshop on Saturday. At Soul Works in New Hope, PA, just north of Philadelphia. With story, sound, breath, encounter, movement, and meditation, we will explore the legend of the rainbow warriors and its urgent relevance to our lives and our times. For information contact SarahLouise; she gets a lot of e-mail and needs to sort it so please place "Steven" in the subject line when your write to her at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or you may call 215-794-0347. April 5-6, 2003 - Level II Reiki Training: Healing at a Higher Level. In Santa Fe, NM. The Reiki II class is for students who have already completed Level I training, and who are ready to take a quantum leap in their ability. The instruction and the attunements you receive in this class will spark a many-fold leap in your capacity to channel Reiki. Certificates awarded. Classes will be held in Santa Fe, NM, 10 AM to 4 PM both Saturday and Sunday. The cost of the Level II Reiki Training is $200. To register send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] May 2-4: Earth Walk Gathering in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.. Steven McFadden will present three classes over the weekend. Friday evening: Legend of Rainbow Warriors. Saturday: Steps Along the Earth Path: Principles and Practice of the Spiritual Journey. Sunday: Inner Pilgrimage. For information contact Phyllis Robinson in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: [EMAIL PROTECTED] June 2 - Chiron: Wanted Dead and Alive. At The Wisdom School in Santa Fe. An intense 3-hour evening excursion into the mythology and reality of the forces personified in the story of Chiron. Bring your head, your hands, your heart, your astrological chart, and your sense of adventure. Steven McFadden to teach. For information contact The Wisdom School [EMAIL PROTECTED] More to come... - 30 - The Chiron Communiqué arrives via e-mail for people who request it. If you wish to be added to this list for future mailings, send a return email with the words "Subscribe Communiqué" in the subject line and your bidding will be done. You can unsubscribe at any time. Your e-mail address will be neither shared nor sold. Copyright - 2003 - All Rights Reserved Steven McFadden Chiron Communications 7 Avenida Vista Grande #195 Santa Fe, NM 87508 http://www.chiron-communications.com/
