Welcome to our now bi-weekly edition of the @ecoTrain magazine! We are very happy to welcome 
This week @ecoTrain have started an inspired initiative called the 'meditation-challenge'. We are all committing to this, and are inviting you to join us at any time
Will You Join Us For The Meditation Challenge?
Anyone who already meditates on a regular basis can testify to the powerful and wide range of effects and benefits that they get from it. These days meditation is starting to gain traction in mainstream media, and we are seeing meditation being taught in schools, even in Europe and USA. Many of us make important decisions every day whilst leading stressful lives. It is often when we are feeling fearful or under stress that we make bad decisions, and are unproductive and inefficient.
What better challenge could we have here on Steemit than a meditation challenge!? This challenge is for everyone, whether you have never meditated before, or you used to meditate but haven't in a while, or even if you do meditate regularly. I hope you will join us in this opporunity to make your day and the world even better!
The @ecoTrain will also be participating in this challenge, and we will be kicking things off starting on Sunday 21st Jan. Therefore we will start posting our experiences starting on Sunday 28th Jan. Are you ready for the details! !?
Click here for more information and how to join us
https://steemit.com/meditation-challenge/@eco-alex/7-day-meditation-challenge-everyone-wants-to-meditate-but-no-one-actually-does-it-join-us-today
The Earthship Hut Workshop. 20 Volunteers, $5,000 and 2 weeks! Days 6-10 - The Roof!
I meet hundreds of people every year who come to visit Earthship Karuna to learn more and be inspired. In fact I just had 8 guys from Madurai turn up at my door who are super keen to build something off-grid! Most of the people I meet are not builders, or architects, and nor do they want to be! What they do have is a desire to live off-grid any hopefully someday manifest their own home.
That was exactly the position I was in back in the year 2001 when I met Michael Reynolds, the inventor of Earthship Biotecture, in Brighton UK. I followed the path that led me to many countries, and over the course of nearly 15 years I found my way to finally achieving the great goal of self building, and finishing! I am sharing these stories to show you how we have built both big and very small off-grid homes. I also want you to see that people with no experience and a little guidance can self build successfully, and I hope to give you the inspiration and confidence that you can also do it!
Why we need personal boundaries and how to create healthy ones: The Path To Enlightenment, Initiation 6 of 9
When I was younger I really had no idea what boundaries meant. My friends would sometimes mention the word, but I didn't really understand the need for them. I used to feel like it was a negative thing that meant pushing people away or being difficult. As a people pleaser, I would never like to set boundaries or stop people from taking things too far. I also had a very submissive relationship with my step father, and a strong emotional need for approval from my Mother. She was able to control me and have a very strong effect with her words.
Sustainability for Kids: pollution
The last installment of Sustainability for Kids showed that capitalism isn't causing overconsumption. Capitalism is a system based on saving money that promotes competition between firms. Instead, it's the government's economic policies that are causing overconsumption.
But we've also talked about how corporations often push their own employees through Washington's “revolving door” to influence which laws are passed. So although it's true that big business is behind many policies encouraging overconsumption, it's not business using capitalism. It's business using the government, an entity that punishes saving money and passes laws to reduce competition.
Sustainability for Kids: bubbles
Is capitalism to blame for overconsumption? Certainly our shopping habits have been enjoyed by big corporations and maybe even encouraged in their advertising.
But do corporations really have that much power over us? Corporations can't pass laws that force us to spend. Corporations can't adjust the money supply to make it less smart to save. Only the government can do those things, and only the government has done them over the last hundred years.
THE LENGTHS SOCIAL SERVICES GO TO, TO LEGALLY KIDNAP BABIES IN THE U.K
Hundred's, if not thousands of babies are legally kidnapped from their mothers each year in the UK. The real number is not known, because if these mothers/parents speak out there are breaking the law and will be jailed for contempt of court in a secret process and as a result will hugely increase the risk of never seeing their babies again.
I reported one women's plight on here already, and whilst hearing about her case, it led me onto others. All of these cases are devastating. But something that upset me even further is the amount of women who are targeted and harassed by Social Services whilst pregnant. Women who have suffered with their mental health in the past or were in Care themselves in the past are being contacted by Social Services to say that they are deemed capable of emotional abuse to their unborn baby.
CONVERTING OUR BUS INTO OUR HOME- NOMADIC FAMILY
After writing my post The Call to be a Nomadic Family I got some really lovely feedback about the interior of the bus, so instead of continuing on our journey I thought I would take you all on a tour of our bus, from when we started to convert it, right up until we where living in it full time.
THE CALL TO BE A NOMADIC FAMILY
At one time in history all of humankind was nomadic.
We moved around, gathered our food from forests, the mountains, the sea.
We were more connected with the land, we moved with the seasons, each environment provided food for us.
We took only what we needed and moved on.
Nothing was wasted, everything was returned back to the earth, to feed the soil, that fed us.
How to Boost Big Pharma Profits
A heart for Big Pharma
The American voter will not be killed by ISIS but by diabetes.
So if ISIS were half-way decent at their job, they would open a chain of doughnut shops.
Hugh Laurie
Following Your Dreams: Lost? Stand Still. Our Story of Finding Land.
“Many take the path well-worn, but they are only given a half-lived life. To those willing to brave the unknown path, the dark thicket, a remembering of love, magic, and purpose returns. There is a wild woman under our skin who wants nothing more than to dance until her feet are sore, sing her beautiful grief into the rafters, and offer the bottomless cup of her creativity as a way of life.” Toko-pa Turner in her book, Belonging
When Was the Last Time You Saw Stars?
Standing out under the stars tonight, I am reminded how nourishing the stars are.
How they teach and remind us of what it is to be human.
Travel Synchronicities Bring Us Home: A Potato Called Compass, a Homesteader's Tale
This is a tale from our relative Beginning.. one that is very close to my heart.
It is a tale before we made it to the land we now caretake... of the synchronicities pointing the way...
Once upon a time in Peru...
Why is it Okay to Be a Little Selfish, Focus on Your Needs and Communicate them to Loved Ones
The dictionary defines being selfish as lacking consideration for others and being concerned primarily with your own personal benefit, pleasure or profit. Mostly, the term being 'selfish' is used when our actions somehow bring harm or pain to others, but benefit us in return. For instance, if you tell your sister you will sleep on the bed and this means she has to sleep on the floor, you are being a little selfish in particular if sleeping on the floor makes your sister uncomfortable.
Day 194 Homework SteemitEducation: Write a post about: Fundraisers! Fun ideas for raising funds for a school or charity
This week’s homework by @steemiteducation is to write a post about any fundraising you have done before and also give fun idea to raise funds for a school or charity. This topic brings back quite a lot of memories related to my childhood and school years so I am all excited to dive right into it.
A Collaborative Message To All Women: What Makes You Feel Beautiful? - #feelbeautiful Challenge #1
I read a post on what makes you #feelbeautiful by @hopehuggs and @eaglespirit about a month ago and was even invited by the lovely @hopehuggs to write my views on the topic. I was a bit occupied with some stuff at that time, but since I loved the idea behind this curriculum, I decided there and then that I would be a part of it. So here are my views on the topic.
New Beginnings: 40 Day Mantra & Meditation Practice
So starts countless creation tales from traditions the world round.On today's New Moon in Capricorn, Ini and I are beginning a 40 day mantra and meditation practice. It comes in a time of restoration when there is not much calling us outside in work-mode.
Collectively, we have spent many days piled on days compiled at meditation centers and in personal practice.
But recently we have fallen off on our practice!
We miss the benefits of increased inner peace, simple and basic happiness at being here, clearer mind, more focus, elevated thought, more relaxation, to list a few that come to mind from a consistent practice.
Homestead Solar System Challenges: What Do You Do When the Power Goes Out
And you're the one who has to fix it?!
And there are several hundred pounds of food in the freezer! All the food we put away this summer plus 2 and a half deer!
The cordyceps fungus, procreates through insects, this is so weird!
Eeeeew I'm totally grossed out by this fungus that I was planning on getting as a medicine.
As you can see in the video, the minuscule spores can enter the body of insects and digest them while controlling their minds to behave in the most suitable way for the spore to grow into another fungus. It's rather gruesome in my opinion.
It might be so that this 'plant/fungus' has evolved in such a way that it is close to the 'insect/animal' realm developmentally and that might be the exact reason why it is so effective and intelligent in treating all kinds of human ailments. As it can make a symbioses happen between species.
But... I am actually quite put off by it now.
Is there anyone who can tell me anything about this fungus that could possibly un-weird-me-out?
Yum, tried this in my mini oven: Paleo coconut banana cake.
I got a gardening calendar for my birthday from my neighbour, I look on it daily, or at least most days. ;-) Sometimes I get to rip off three pages at a time, which is also fun.
Yesterday an age old rhyme on my gardening calendar told me that the tree sap is moving back up into the trees and that if you still wanted to prune your trees...you were too late. Lucky I did my apple-, pear- and plum tree a few weeks ago.
It is more proof though that pre-spring season has started. (See my post about pre-spring here: https://steemit.com/ecotrain/@clara-andriessen/poem-awaking-wind ) And that makes me happy!
absolutely yummy, small and easy low-carb snack
I usually shop for food in the weekend, so on Friday all the exciting stuff is pretty much gone...or is it?
I combined three things I really like, to make a quick and easy snack. I took one of the delicious and sweet, tasty tom tomatoes I still had, sliced it and put a nice dollop of sundried tomato pesto on it. (The arabiata kind has a nice kick to it, because of the chilli in there.) Finished it with some pine nuts and munched it.
Meditation as a natural life Function. And the 7 days meditation challenge.
For the past two years meditation has been the utmost respected and crucial part of my daily life. After my Shaktipat experience meditation stopped being a choice for me. It was mandatory.
In tribute to the awesome challenge by Alex, I will write down some of my experience. Hopefully, some people follow along and get involved to join the Challange.
Let's talk about Ego death
Many spiritual practices have one thing in common and that is the Experience of a Temporary Ego death or Ego Dissolution.
To the common person with no spiritual interests, this can be felt as a state of Blissfulness and detachment from issues and day to day problems.
Life after Shaktipat in Central Europe
This is a follow up on my previous article regarding a lifestyle of Wu-Wei. In this one, I'm going to share a short life story that scrapes the surface of my experience. So let me share with you my life's story for the past two years, regarding how I Initiated myself in Shaktipat and what that did to me. What is Shaktipat ?
Steemit Teachings: Allowing the Flow
I have learned so much on Steemit. There are a lot of brilliant people on this forum. Honestly I came here knowing absolutely nothing about crypto and much too little about anarchy and decentralization. I've learned a ton about all those things and also things I already knew a lot about like parenting, education, and off grid living. This community has stood with me as I figured out how to handle some pretty big life shit, even though I have only been here since August. My writing has improved dramatically. Seriously, this is a really special community.
My textiles. The process as depicted by an artistic short video. The large copper pot dips into the icy spring creek water & the fire is blazing...
Continue watching this beautiful film my friends made about the process with making my hand woven and naturally dyed textiles.
Inspired by nature, her rhythms, her truths, her seasons....
I did share this video a few weeks ago, when I first joined Steemit, but since I was so new I think it is worth sharing again here for those that may have missed it! Thanks @walkerland for the suggestion!
What I Made on My Homestead. #homesteadphotography contest entry
I made this.
I first dyed the yarns over an open fire using plants and herbs from my garden and from the farm.
Jewelweed flowers, a native wildflower that grows abundantly here, as well as purple basil leaves from the garden went into the dye pots to make these beautiful colors which remind me of sunset on water...
Soaking Your Nuts For Optimum Health
Diet Hack You Must Know About!
If you love to eat nuts such as pecans, walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, cashews etc, then you know how versatile they are in the diet. Vegetarians and carnivores alike can often agree that nuts are an ancient superfood. Chock full of vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin E, folate, iron, zinc, potassium and magnesium; nuts are also a good source of fiber, and many are an excellent protein source. Regardless of the variety of nut, they make a great healthy snack.
The Baby Has Fledged - Baby hummingbird has left the nest - Photos + Video
I promise everybody that this will be the last post about this hummingbird this year.
But personally they keep intriguing me. The fact that they weigh less than 5 grams, are able to slow down their heartbeat and metabolism during the night, can flap their wings more than 50 times a second and are able to fly backwards makes this hummingbird a wonder to behold.
Flotsam and Jetsam - nature and garden photography
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien is probably my favourite book. I first read it when I was twenty and I’ve re-read it many times since. I’m not very original in this. The L.O.T.R. has been read by millions of people worldwide and is most likely one of the most read books of all time. This is my copy that I bought in 1993. There’s a chapter in the L.O.T.R. called “Flotsam and Jetsam”. In this chapter the hobbits Merry and Pippin finally meet again with Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas at Orthanc, the lair of Saruman. They share the stories of their adventures while enjoying food, drink and smoking some pipe-weed of course. The famous “Longbottom Leaf” that was found floating around in two small wooden barrels.
NOW IS THE TIME TO RISE UP!
Change comes when we embrace the fact that we are adaptable. When we allow ourselves to follow our instincts and help others along the way.
The world is changing, it is becoming more open. We are mixing, connecting with more and more people, allowing us to celebrate our similarities and differences in equal measure. We are now faced with this unique opportunity because of this global community we are part of, to come together and learn from our past. To really guide the future in the way we want to see it going!
Remembering Mr Smith (An Everyday Hero)
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
William Arthur Ward
I was reminded yesterday of my old physics teacher, Mr Smith. Like I've said before, I don't remember much of what I learned in school - partly because it was a long time ago and my memory these days is full of holes, partly because most of the time I wasn't really paying attention - and partly because good teachers (I mean REALLY good teachers) were few and far between...
Mr Smith didn't stay around for long, but he left a lasting impression on me. He was one of those rare and precious things - a really good teacher.
My first Steemit London Meetup - The REVOLUTION is happening, and we are part of it!!!
Things are happening at an increasingly faster pace than ever before, aren't they?
I've only just recently joined Steemit and I instantly fell in love with the community vibes and the innumerable possibilities that are opening up for me on this platform... Such as striking beautiful connections with real-life Steemians in the heart of London!
Yesterday I joined @redrica, @teodora and @immarojas at Gallery Cafe in Bethnal Green for food and drinks.
These lovely ladies received me with warmth and friendliness, and I immediately felt part of their group.
Diary Of A Free Spirit Ep. 1 - Introduction
"How could I read myself, if I don't write myself?"
That was the first line of Cristina's essay that got her an award at the national contest for Romanian literature and creative writing back in my school days. Cristina was my classmate, a talented writer and mysterious personality that barely ever revealed something about herself in public. Her writings, though, said it all. My heart had a penchant for Cristina – it resonated with her essence as a sensitive soul. It knew there is something special going on with this girl. My mind, however, was drowning in a strange mixture of jealousy, arrogance and reverence.
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