reflections

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What I Like Most About Living Simply

02/16/2011 in Reflections & Discoveries, Thoughts, What Matters Most by Evelyn | No comments

Sunrise at Earthaven Eco-villageEven though this stage of our lives is only a little over a month old now I can honestly say that I do not miss any of the things we parted with and I do not miss anything we left behind. I’m finding living in community with the people here at Earthaven Ecovillage to be quite nice. In many ways it’s more like what I’ve felt living should feel like.  There is definitely  a sense of community. And even though each of us are unique personalities there is a kindred spirit. While making a life change like this might not be for everyone, it sure feels right for me.

Some things I’ve noticed so far that work well for me are walking out my front door and seeing my friendly neighbors every day. Listening to the sounds in the neighborhood; the lack of car and traffic noise, the Robins, Carolina Wrens and Eastern Phoebe’s singing at dawn, the wind blowing through the trees, the stillness of the winter air (when it’s still here it’s extremely still), the sound of footsteps of those passing by (people walk here!)… right now, it is so quiet I can hear Bandit breathing and Kitty’s little feet pattering across the floor.

The sound of wood crackling in the woodstove, the type of heat the woodstove produces. I also much prefer cooking my food over heat from wood, the energy of it feels more soul-healthy than other forms of cooking heat. Continue reading “What I Like Most About Living Simply” »

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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Silence

01/19/2011 in Living in Beauty, Reflections & Discoveries, What Matters Most by Curt Siters | No comments

Ohiyesa - Dr. Charles Eastman- Santee SiouxSilence is the absolute poise or balance of body, mind and spirit. The man who preserves his selfhood is ever calm and unshaken by the storms of existence…

If you ask him: “What is silence?” he will answer “It is the Great Mystery. The holy silence is his voice.”

If you ask: “What are the fruits of silence?” he will say: “They are self-control, true courage or endurance, patience, dignity and reverence. Silence is the cornerstone of character.”

Ohiyesa (Dr. Charles Eastman)

1858 – 1939

Santee Sioux

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Curt SitersCurt Siters

Webmaster

Shoals Creek Village - a new build intentional community.

My Eco Oasis - the hub for what will be a network of many ecovillages.

Big fan of living simply

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.  ~Albert Einstein

Man's heart away from nature becomes hard.  ~Standing Bear

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The Training of Children

01/12/2011 in Living in Beauty, Reflections & Discoveries, What Matters Most by Curt Siters | No comments

Luther Standing BEarTraining began with children who were taught to sit still and enjoy it. They were taught to use their organs of smell, to look where there was apparently nothing to see and to listen intently when all was seemingly quiet.

Luther Standing Bear

(1868-1939)

Oglala Sioux Chief

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Curt SitersCurt Siters

Webmaster

Shoals Creek Village - a new build intentional community.

My Eco Oasis - the hub for what will be a network of many ecovillages.

Big fan of living simply

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.  ~Albert Einstein

Man's heart away from nature becomes hard.  ~Standing Bear

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Laundry – at least the drying thereof

01/08/2011 in Health, Intelligent Designing, Reflections & Discoveries, What Matters Most by Curt Siters | No comments

Growing up I loved laundry day – not because I love doing laundry, but because in the summers mother would hang clothes out on the line to dry. The smell was fantastic and I loved climbing into bed at night because the sheets were so soft.

One of the great things about drying clothes on the line is that it costs nothing in the way of energy. It does take a bit of time on your part, but it is well worth the time spent.

This winter, in Western North Carolina, it has been a bit on the cold side which makes drying clothes on the line a bit harder, if not almost impossible. The water would freeze or the clothes would not dry during the short daylight. This prompted me to start experimenting on how to dry clothes on the line in cooler weather.

Here is what I have come up with:

  • If possible have 2 clothes lines – each perpendicular to two of the prevailing wind directions – but as close as possible to facing south as you can manage.
  • Have a washer that wrings/spins as much water as possible out of the clothes as can be managed – Bosch front loading washers do an incredible job.
  • When hanging the clothes, use a separate clothes pin for each sock.
  • With underwear, use 2 clothes pins if possible. If not use the pin to attach the waistband of the seat of the undies to the line with the front hanging open to the prevailing wind.
  • For shirts and jackets the open on the front, hang so that the opening faces the prevailing wind.
  • Pants need to be hung so the zipper opens to the prevailing wind and need to be hung with the waistband up.

I have not yet figured out a way to dry the armpits of long sleeve shirts without draping the arms over the line and taking up more room than needed.

These are just some simple tips for drying laundry on the line in cooler weather.

When clothes come of the line they may seem a little stiff, but a simple shake will soften them up quick!

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Curt SitersCurt Siters

Webmaster

Shoals Creek Village - a new build intentional community.

My Eco Oasis - the hub for what will be a network of many ecovillages.

Big fan of living simply

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.  ~Albert Einstein

Man's heart away from nature becomes hard.  ~Standing Bear

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Parting with Our Things: what to keep, what to sell

12/05/2010 in How To, Reflections & Discoveries, Thoughts, What Matters Most by Evelyn | No comments

The attachment we have to our things is an interesting one. Sometimes I wonder where they are derived from; is it good marketing or our own thinking that we need these things. Whatever the origin the fact remains that we all have way too much stuff in our homes and in our lives.

We’re getting ready to move to an eco-village that’s off-the-grid and sorting through our things, what to keep and what to sell, has taken on a new meaning. Some things it’s easy to make a decision on; get rid of it or keep it. Other things aren’t so easy. Like keeping the flat screen TV, is it practical? On the one hand no, because we won’t have cable TV again. On the other hand, yes, because we can watch DVD’s… is it worth it to keep for occasionally watching a movie???

The kitchen appliances, KitchenAid standing mixer with all the attachments, Bosch washer and dryer (which is amazing in terms of energy efficiency, I’ve never seen anything clean so well with so little water and electricity), electric waffle iron, Dyson vacuum, and so forth. Discussing which to keep and which to sell. We ended up deciding to get rid of almost everything because even though many of these things were energy efficient there are equivalents that don’t require any electricity.

We made up our minds that we would keep things super simple, bare-bones. We need our computer because I have a Young Living Essential Oil business and build my business mostly through having an internet presence. Curt on the other hand, maintains my website and makes websites for others. OK, so three of our computers get sold (a Mac G3 and G5, and a Sony Vaio), the money we get from them goes towards a more energy efficient Mac Mini that we will share… that alone will be interesting since we’ve never shared a computer before, we’ll just find a fair way to deal with it though. Continue reading “Parting with Our Things: what to keep, what to sell” »

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

Follow Me on Pinterest

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Some thoughts: The Touch of the Earth

11/02/2010 in Living in Beauty, Reflections & Discoveries, Thoughts, What Matters Most by Curt Siters | No comments

Walking barefoot upon the earthThe touch of the earth is not something many of us have ever felt or feel on a regular basis. We are so wrapped up in our lives that we don’t connect or reconnect with the earth which provides us with what we need to live.

To indigenous peoples the earth is alive and touch is a wonderful healing experience. Since the earth has the power to feed us and provide us with medicine the simple act of walking barefoot, lying on the ground or sitting on the ground is a great way to relax, destress and let go of problems.

Science is showing that everything is energy so by blocking or muting good healing energy is to deprive oneself of of its benefits. We regularly put shoes between us and the earth. We clothe ourselves to protect us from the weather. We build houses and use man made materials to live in.

In effect we cut ourselves off.

I remember as a child the wonderful carefree days of summer running and playing barefoot in the grass, lying on the ground and watching the clouds or skies, rolling down the hills and playing hide and seek in the woods where we were constantly touching the plants, earth and trees.

We rarely got sick (although I did pretend to get sick because I really didn’t want to go to school that day – but that is different).

The old Native Americans could feel the life that was around them and the strongest life form for them was the earth – our mother – and to be cradle again in her bosom, even if only for a little while was very comforting.

We all could use more face time with the earth.

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Curt SitersCurt Siters

Webmaster

Shoals Creek Village - a new build intentional community.

My Eco Oasis - the hub for what will be a network of many ecovillages.

Big fan of living simply

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.  ~Albert Einstein

Man's heart away from nature becomes hard.  ~Standing Bear

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Some thoughts: Take the breath…

10/26/2010 in Intelligent Designing, Reflections & Discoveries, Thoughts, What Matters Most by Curt Siters | No comments

Stonehenge at dawn - take the breath of the new dawnBreath. It is life – for without it we could not be.

The feather that is attached to a dream catcher and hung over a baby is there to teach them about the importance of breath and remember as they grow older that one breath is sacred – a gift from our creator. It is there to also collect bad dreams (dreams that cause one to not breathe correctly) and disperse them into the dawn of the new day.

Dawn is a time of new beginnings, freshness and rebirth. A time to inhale and give thanks for all that we have been given and will receive. It is a time of power.

To breathe in the breath of dawn and make it part of you is to take into yourself the newness and the energy of the new day, to gain strength from that first breath of the day so that you can become one with all that surrounds you.

For the dawn of the new day gives strength to all living creatures and sharing it makes us all related.

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Curt SitersCurt Siters

Webmaster

Shoals Creek Village - a new build intentional community.

My Eco Oasis - the hub for what will be a network of many ecovillages.

Big fan of living simply

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.  ~Albert Einstein

Man's heart away from nature becomes hard.  ~Standing Bear

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Some thoughts: We are of one mind…

10/19/2010 in Reflections & Discoveries, Thoughts, What Matters Most by Curt Siters | No comments

Mother Earth - We are of one mind

Being of one mind is a simple but powerful concept. It is to think in unison, though there may be differences.

Native peoples were aware that the health of the environment was reflected in the health of their body.

They also knew that the health of their body was reflected in the health of the environment.

By keeping in mind, though it may not have always been stated, the health of the environment when they made any decisions, they were able to keep both themselves and the environment fit and clean.

This concept lead to the formal declaration in laws of the Iroquois of “the Seventh Generation” whereby all decisions must consider the impact of that decision through to the seventh generation.

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Curt SitersCurt Siters

Webmaster

Shoals Creek Village - a new build intentional community.

My Eco Oasis - the hub for what will be a network of many ecovillages.

Big fan of living simply

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.  ~Albert Einstein

Man's heart away from nature becomes hard.  ~Standing Bear

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He fits into the landscape

10/11/2010 in Living in Beauty, Old Ways, Reflections & Discoveries, What Matters Most by Curt Siters | No comments

Luther Standing Bear - Oglala Sioux ChiefThe American Indian is of the soil, whether it be the region of the forests, plains, pueblos or mesas. He fits into the landscape, for the hand that fashioned the continent also fashioned the man. He once grew as naturally as the wild sunflowers; he belongs just as the buffalo belonged…

Luther Standing Bear

(1868-1929)

Oglala Sioux Chief

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Curt SitersCurt Siters

Webmaster

Shoals Creek Village - a new build intentional community.

My Eco Oasis - the hub for what will be a network of many ecovillages.

Big fan of living simply

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.  ~Albert Einstein

Man's heart away from nature becomes hard.  ~Standing Bear

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Some thoughts: A relative I am!

10/06/2010 in Living in Beauty, Reflections & Discoveries, What Matters Most by Curt Siters | No comments

White Buffalo Calf WomanThe four quarters. The East, South, West and North.

From Black Elk Speaks: “…west where the thunder beings live to send us rain; …the north, whence comes the great white cleansing wind; …the east, whence springs the light and where the morning star lives to give men wisdom;… the south, whence come the summer and the power to grow.”

For any native culture these are very important and drive their daily and yearly life. These directions have power.

By declaring “A relative I am” one says that we are all related, we have kinship.

In this prayer you acknowledge that we, as human incarnates, are not all powerful and we need help sometimes and who better to ask for help from than a relative. In native societies the social structure and paradigms revolved around family and clan with each member doing their best to support the whole.

By acknowledging that we are related to all that surrounds us we are able to gain help and knowledge from everything we come into contact with.

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Curt SitersCurt Siters

Webmaster

Shoals Creek Village - a new build intentional community.

My Eco Oasis - the hub for what will be a network of many ecovillages.

Big fan of living simply

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.  ~Albert Einstein

Man's heart away from nature becomes hard.  ~Standing Bear

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