Category Archives: Imagination

What Are Your Wishes for 2019?

Dream big! What would you wish for? Continue reading

Words Images Life Art Dance

While following the events at Standing Rock, I ran across something that impressed me that was shared from the “Dancing Earth” fb page,  and so I began following them  (please do check them out if you like powerful dance images).

At the end of April, just before MCS/ES Awareness Month was to begin, Dancing Earth posted the image below, and it made me stop in my tracks (as I scrolled through my fb newsfeed). I returned to it over and over again, and I finally asked for permission to share it here, and for the  back story about how it came to be.

This image!


Songs From The Extraction Zones
Rulan Tangen at Santa Fe Arts Institute

I kept hoping to find the words to describe why I find it to be such a powerful image, and why I feel such a personal connection to it, but I’ve been struggling from the effects of too much pollution on my brain. Pesticides, laundry products, and who knows what else have been taking their toll on my ability to string words together to do this the justice I feel it deserves, so this will not be as eloquent as I had hoped it would be, but I still want to share this with you, and maybe you will find some of your own words, or just sit with the feelings.

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An MCS Awareness Visualization

May 12th is International MCS Awareness Day, and May is MCS Awareness Month.  Many people who have MCS also have  MCAS – Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, where chemical and other exposures cause anaphylaxis.

Guest Post from Raven

My request for you to visualize:

I’d like to ask each of my friends to sit in a quiet space for just 15 minutes and close your eyes. Breathe and get calm and relaxed.

Now I want you to think of yourself only. Visualize yourself in your body. Once you see or feel you, I want you to see yourself  Continue reading

How Big Is Your World?

How Big Is Your World?

The following questions are to help us think about how much space we have to enjoy, and what if it were to be taken away.

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MCSVille: A Canary Safe Sanctuary

Guest post by Laura Canary

Since I could not sleep, I thought I would bake a gingerbread house for our Christmas party. When I still could not sleep, I got carried away and baked enough to piece together this whole gingerbread village.

MCS ES gingerbread village kit 2(image for inspirational purposes only)

But, what to call it?
Canary City? Sansparfumville? Beneficidale? Healington? MCSville? Magic Canary Sanctuary?

Welcome to our Magic Canary Sanctuary, or MCSville!

See all the houses! They are all built MCS safe, to accommodate all Canaries in need.

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Can You Imagine A World Where…

imagine a world

Can you imagine a world where it’s unacceptable to profit from polluting people and the environment we all depend on for life?

Someone imagined it was ok to pollute for profit, it wasn’t always happening or acceptable.

What if it’s possible to live good lives while looking after the planet and each other?

For things to change, we have to imagine something different first.

Then, if we can imagine it, we can work together to make it happen!

which world do we want 2

Being a Caring “Consumer”, Giver, and Receiver of Gifts

‘Tis the season when we are encouraged or expected to participate in mad shopping frenzies, buying products that are mostly toxic and usually generate vast quantities of waste to boot. On some level, I believe most people know that this isn’t working out so well for anyone, but it’s hard to know why it’s so hard for people to show love in ways that don’t involve disposable packaging and toxic materials that are advertised as being cool or trendy. Or maybe it’s the advertising that has something to do with it?

Thankfully, we do have available a plethora of alternative ways to show our love to friends and families, and the trendiness factor is growing. There are ways that are kinder, gentler, more personal, and usually much more appreciated

more love

I’d like to share some ideas and resources that I have found helpful. Some are newer while others have been around for years but are still very relevant now, if not more so.

I hope you find something that not only inspires you, but also makes your life easier and allows you to become more attuned to your own gifts and needs, as well as those of others.

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Creative, Less Toxic, and Eco-Friendly Christmas Decor Ideas

The ideas and photos I am sharing are not designed specifically for people with MCS/ES, but they can be easily adapted to meet our needs.

The majority of people who celebrate Christmas do it with decorations, parties, and gifts, perhaps  with a visit to church, if possible. For people with MCS/ES, all of these traditions, as currently practiced, can be seriously problematic, if not downright impossible.

chapel of thanksgiving square dallas philip johnson

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Can a New Normal Be a Good Thing?

Over the years, when discussing life with MCS/ES, it is often mentioned that this is a life with a new normal. It’s a new normal that none of us asked for, and too often, it is not a very nice new normal at all.

Recently, I’ve been able to explore some of Charles Eisenstein’s work and ran across this quote:

ANewNormal

I’m pretty sure he wasn’t thinking about MCS/ES when he said that, as we aren’t the only ones on this planet who are experiencing radical changes, but those of us with MCS/ES have been learning important lessons that we can share as a part of this new way of being that is slowly emerging.

When we develop MCS/ES, everything (or almost everything) changes.

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Where Are We Going?

I have done a lot of thinking (when brain fog isn’t an issue) about my life, where I’ve come from, where I am, and where I am going… Over the years I’ve also tried to understand how things end up the way they are, how policy decisions are made, and how our own decisions and actions (or lack there-of) affect our future and how future generations will live.

We live in some very challenging times, and it can get quite over-whelming and depressing when we see that our so called “leaders” are taking actions that will make things worse for everyone.

I don’t like feeling hopeless. For lack of a better word right now, it feels yucky! And having a chronic, environmentally linked condition means I already have more than enough yuck in my life.

I think we have more power and capabilities than we understand or give ourselves credit for, but it’s not easy discovering how to access them.

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