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Luxury
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Retreats | Spa
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Tours "What is time - the shadow
on the dial - the striking of the clock -
FALL - for many, this is the favorite time of year, despite the
fact that no matter your age, you can suffer those 'back to school"
blues. But fall is more than "getting down to business"
time. It's when we take stock, give thanks, and celebrate the bountiful
harvest that will sustain us through winter. This has been true
for millennia, and is true today for rural peoples everywhere. For
the urban dwellers among us living a 24/7convenience store-consumer
lifestyle, even if we strive to live organic conservation conscious
lives, the "harvest" may only be symbolic. But timeless
seasonal customs and rituals are imbedded in our emotional and spiritual
hard-drives, perhaps even stored on a cellular level in our DNA.
After all just the blink of an eye ago most of us lived off the
land. In two short centuries many of us have become disconnected
simply because we don't have regular opportunities to commune with
nature. Luckily a large percentage of us are eager to kindle the
still smoldering coals of our spiritual connection with the earth.
We're accomplishing this in unique ways. Through experiential short
and long term journeys to other cultures and natural habitats; by
regular practice of balancing and healing mind-body activities from
yoga to Pilates, to gardening and hiking, and by observing age old
holidays, or "holy days", that honor nature's cycles and
celestial happenings. Advocates of "deep ecology" suggest
that we find ourselves within nature through cultural and spiritual
rites. These may include dance, music, art, communal feasts, and
spiritual spoken words like prayers, hymns and chants, and silent
prayer or meditation. When we put these mind - body - spirit actions
together we have a celebration or tribute to our primal bond to
the Earth. By celebrating astronomical events that signal seasonal
change, and recognizing the circular energies of life, we move toward
healing ourselves through respect of the "topocosm", or
world order of a particular place. Discovering and nurturing this
healing connection, both through regular practice of mind and body
disciplines, and through Global journeys to natural habitats and
intriguing cultures is a main tenet of Health Habitravels. And so
this year, the quarterly HHT newsletter will provide information
on how to observe, celebrate, heal, rejuvenate and discover the
particular season at hand from the inside out. Other voices: healers,
mind-body practitioners, health experts, all types of therapists,
travel pros, artists, writers, musicians, and animal and nature
lovers will add their thoughts and advice here in the future on
topics that explore… THE SEASON: THE SEASON
Autumnal Equinox (derived from the Latin term "aequinoctium" or "equal and night") is the date when day and night are of equal length nearly everywhere on earth. Observed worldwide, it is know by many names, Alban Elfed, Cornucopia, Feast of Avilon (Avilon being "the land of apples" and a land for the place of the dead) Festival of Dionysus, Harvest Home, Harvest Tide, in Welsh lore it is called for Mabon - their God of the Otherworld of Darkness and by Medieval Christians as Michaelmas or the Feast of St. Michael, Night of the Hunter, Second Harvest Festival, Wine Harvest, and Witch's Thanksgiving. It is the first day of autumn, and arrives between September 21-24th. Humans have charted its arrival for eons. Ancient ruins such as the Mayan pyramids at Chichen Itza were engineered to record equinoxs and solstices. Some European Neolithic menhirs served the same purpose. Earth veneration ceremonies take place globally. In China the Mid-Autumn Festival equals the spring festival in importance. Called "Festival of Zhong Autumn" and "Reunion Day" families and friends gather to make sacrifices, observe the full moon, and feast on moon cakes. Globally these ceremonies respect the "spirits" and the four directions, north, south, east and west. The spirit's names may change - for example the "spirit" of the Fall, Oya - Queen of the Winds of Change, honored in Nigeria, the Caribbean and Brazil, is equivalent to St. Joan or St. Theresa, Hawaii's Pele, Coaticue to the Aztec's, the Greek Goddess Hecate, India's Kali-Ma, and as "Changing Woman" among North American tribes. Many of these ceremonies fall on the full moon, with some exceptions. The early California Chumash performed a "sun ceremony." In their cosmology humans were "sons of Kakunpmawa," their word for the sun. A Paha, or master of ceremonies, depicted the Sun Priest. Fall was the prelude to winter confinement. The Paha stressed it as the time to focus inward on spiritual matters so that the community could accept death and rebirth. Every cultural group has their Paha - a shaman or priest, who functions as a spiritual guide. Celts and Christians of old, and Neo-pagans of today who keep traditional European tribe and clan rites and ceremonies alive, as well as indigenous peoples of the Americas, Asia and Africa join this guide and observe the harvest moon or the Equinox. They may circle round a fire, ideally under a full moon, with an offering - an object or a concept - to put in the fire and that way give back to nature. At harvest time or "The Time of Mudjekeewis, the Spirit Keeper of the West, the Father of all the Winds" the Bear Tribe build a fruit and vegetable altar, and after a night of ceremony and celebration they return the contents back to the woods for the Earth and all their relations. The ceremonies are simple, and you could easily create one to practice alone or experience with loved ones and kindred spirits. At Health Habitravels - YMCA 2002 Fall Equinox retreat Olivia Regalado, a gifted healer and ceremonialist born with "hot hands" into a family of Curanderas, who recently returned to Los Angeles after years of living, learning and conducting ceremonies among Latin America's indigenous peoples, will conduct a full moon ceremony. If you can't attend but have questions for Olivia about herbs, healings and ceremonies, contact her at chachadani@earthlink.net. At the Equinox, which we will observe on September 21st , day and night are in balance. Though short days and long nights contribute a touch of melancholy, I welcome September's symmetry. I've lived most of my life in California, where sultry Indian summers are a given, but my first 8 years I lived in the Canadian prairies, a place famous for ultra-defined seasons. There the leaves turn fall's flame colors, winter is stone cold white, spring's flowers are lush, and summers smolder. My young memories of trick or treating in Halloween's early frosts make me seek solitude, soulful provocative music, good books, candles, campfires, warm cider, stews, and hikes on fall leaf strewn trails, even if it is still beach weather in L.A. Coming up are tips for autumnal mind, body and spirit well being. Visit the site again soon for info on Halloween (Samhain), Thanksgiving, getting toned and in the spirit for winter celebrations, as well a news on upcoming Health Habitravels workshops, retreat and journeys. BODY: KAYAK & CANOE TRAINING: The Criss-Cross - This is part of the abdominal "series of five." Lying on a mat on your back, head resting in your hands, elbows opened wide, and bring your knees toward your chest. Lift opposite shoulder to opposite knee, extending the other leg, and alternate shoulder to knee 10Xs each in a criss-cross pattern. Do at a moderate pace, keep your low abs engaged and breathe so that your ribcage expands, and exhale as your shoulder crosses your torso. This exercise strengthens your core, targets the oblique muscles, and helps with rotational and rowing moves. Yoga: HIKER'S TRAINING Yoga: Ìand Here's a simple, festive recipe to tryÌ CHINESE HARVEST MOON CAKES RECIPE (yueh ping) SPIRIT: MUSIC: All over the world music speaks to the spirit and provides
us with a universal tongue. MIND: Read The Red Tent by Anita Diamont for a look into women's lives in Biblical times when lunar cycles, birth, ceremonies, death and worship of the earth were integral to daily life. Check www.amazon.com THE SEASONAL BLUES: The melancholy that people used to say is "just in your head" actually generates from imbalances in your brain which unnerve your biological clock. SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) occurs in 4-6 % of the population. The body's clock, regulated by the hypothalamus, doesn't adjust to September-March's diminished light. Cravings for sugar and carbs fire up. Both increase SAD's depression, lethargy, and sleep disorder symptoms. Regular exercise (Pilates, yoga, gentle cardio at least 3 times weekly) and exposure to as much sunlight as possible - nature is a natural elixir, will help. St. John's Wart was all the rage as a natural anti-depressant, but recent studies on negative side effects suggest caution. Herbalist Susan Weed's books are wonderful resources for natural remedies that lift the spirit, calm the mind, and fortify the body. You'll find information on light therapy, which helps 80% of SAD sufferers at www.sltbr.org, and www.normanrosenthal.com—the site of the Doctor who named the SAD. I am in no way prescribing treatments or herbs, only providing study information so that you may be proactive in addressing your personal well-being. HHT FALL JOURNEYS TO JOIN: AUTUMN IN THE TROPICS - MAYAN MAGIC BEST FALL DESTINATIONS: GLOBAL CEREMONIES World Festival of Sacred Music: the world comes to my home base,
L.A., California! Venues all over the city - 9/14-9/29, 2002. See
www.festivalofscaredmusic.org
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