Intriguing seaweed aka kelp

 by Diane Budd

My fascination of seaweed, which sometimes litters Cape Town beaches has grown over the years. Many years ago a friend told me how her dad would go to Moule Point and collect the (sea bamboo) seaweed washed up on the rocks. Once home he rinsed it of then worked it into the soil around their roses, which apparently were fantastic – all attributed to the annual addition of seaweed.

It might surprise some people to learn just how packed with vitamins and minerals seaweed actually is. If Steve Irwin was still around I am sure he would have gladly exclaimed and admired even the smallest of seaweeds/kelp with much admiration and pronouns.  It is packed with trace elements and an abundance of minerals, 10 to 20 times the amount found in land plants because they take in energy from sunlight and the sea. Seaweed is made up of the following:

Sulphur - which purifies the blood. Sulphur combats skin and hair disorder and is antibacterial

             In Search of the Meaning of Life

by Melana Gerber

Why am I here? What does this all mean? Does my life have a greater purpose? Is there anything permanent out there? Does God exist? Is there meaning to any of it?

These are the kinds of questions that we have been asking ourselves from the beginning of time, and often we think we have found some of the answers - I know I have. And if we cannot find answers, we make them up as we go, creating stories, myths and ultimately meaning for our existence. We hang our hats on this or that religion, love, work or belief. We create meaning by making things important - things like money, love, health and family. Then we give those things life and power over us.

Society teaches us that these things have intrinsic value and that without them, we cannot be happy. But these things have value only because we have collectively decided this at some time, and then forgotten that it is our choice. Do not get me wrong:  this is a good thing, but at what cost to the individual? How many times have I been asked, “So when are you getting married?”, as if I can only be taken seriously when I have a ring on my finger. Or, even more insulting, I may not have an opinion about how to raise children - just because I do not have any and do not intend having any. (“How can you NOT want to have kids?”)

For the last few months, I have been asking myself if these principles, that we so strongly believe must give our lives meaning, really do. I have been seeking meaning in my life, and find it difficult to pin down, because what I want for my life is not what I was brought up to believe will give me happiness. The truth is, I do not know if those choices give anyone happiness. How could I, when I have never walked that particular path? When I look at the world around me and I see people who have made those choices, and how often they complain, even if they have what they were seeking, it makes me wonder about their principles. I am talking about the modern pillars that we build our lives on - creating a family, finding a well-paying job, buying a car, house or dream, finding love…

Letting Go into the Flow

 by Alexandra Lawrence

 I’ve been thinking lately about what it means to be in your flow. To be able to effortlessly move forward, being carried by the currents of life. Maybe occasionally using your rudder to adjust direction slightly or move around an obstacle, but mostly allowing the power of the flow to take you to where you need to be and help you to move forward from there. It involves very little forceful pushing to make things happen according to a personal plan or schedule.

This perspective goes counter to a lot of what we’ve been taught over the last few decades, which has focussed on goal-setting and putting a plan in place to make sure you get there. And certainly, I believe there is a balance we can achieve between knowing what we want to achieve in our lives (notice I say what we want, not what someone else thinks we should want) and going for it, and watching for the currents that indicate we may need to adjust our direction.

There’s a part of me that believes that not making any effort to direct your journey would be like giving up. Then I’m reminded of a story I read once about how to find your way by seeing which way you float. Imagine you have been knocked down by a wave, and are churning under water, thrashing around but not sure which way is up, so it’s hard to know which way to swim (funny how life feels like that sometimes). If you just stop fighting and let go, you naturally bob to the surface, with no effort on your part. Then, once you’re clear on your direction and which way you’re naturally flowing, you can decide where to most constructively put your efforts to assist the process.

I think it’s the difference between giving up and letting go. Giving up is saying ‘oh well, there’s nothing I can do – I may as well not even try’. Letting go is saying ‘I’ve done what I can, I’m now handing this over to a higher power to take care of the rest in whatever way that needs to happen’.

Monthly Astrology Forecast

Forecast for November 2011

Here is a brief overview of what to expect for each of the Sun signs for the month of November. The astrological month starts on the 23rd of October and ends on the 23rd of November this year, as this is when the Sun enters and leaves the relevant sign that indicates the month that we are in. New Moon is on the 26th of October in the sign of Scorpio, and full Moon is on the 10th of November in the sign of Taurus.

Remember that we are all individuals and will respond differently to the cycles of the heavens. The forecasts below are merely themes of what might happen, not what will happen.

For a full individual forecast of how things are likely to unfold in your life over the next months, it is always best to go to a professional, accredited astrologer for a consultation.

Death, Change and Happiness!
by Melana Gerber

In the last few weeks, I have been thinking a lot about death, life and happiness. I have caught myself many times asking “why am I here, and what is the purpose of all this madness we call life?” I do not have an answer to these questions but it has brought up some very interesting thoughts and discussions, and I seem to have noticed a trend.

It may just be in my life and my circumstances, but it seems like there have been a lot more people passing into Spirit in the last two years, and at the same time, our planet and many of its people are going through some major life changes. I began to wonder if these elements could somehow have a common root.

We have all heard about the big changes that have been predicted for December 2012, when one of the great cycles of the Mayan calendar will come to an end. I really doubt that the world will end at the same time, but who knows? It has happened before and it can happen again (do you really think we are the first sentient beings that have inhabited this planet?). So what if it is the end of the world? It is just another change that we will be going through, collectively and individually.

Have you noticed how many people’s worlds are ending in some way or another? The very carefully-constructed security that we have worked to build up, and that makes us feel safe, is crumbling under our feet. Look at the great economic losses that some have experienced in the last few years, due to the collapse of outdated banking systems. Those who may have thought they had built up a nice secure retirement or livelihood have had to rethink their position in the world, maybe even go back to work. How many long-term relationships seem to have ended in the last few years? Is it happening more often than it was a few years ago, or is that just my perception? How many old government systems are failing or have crumbled, even just in this year? All of these things can be considered as a death of some kind.