The thought of Valentine’s Day brings smiles and warmth to young and old. Memories of cutting little Valentine’s cards and writing them to friends, events and hoopla with red and pink ribbon abounding, and chocolate everywhere! Ah, warms the heart it does - and that’s a good thing this time of year…
Maybe you’re lucky enough to have a few warm memories tucked away that include your horses and other companion animals. Frosty breath in the snappy air, bareback rides oh so toasty on the legs, and the dogs running alongside playing flip-the-snow with their noses all funny and wrinkled. Long walks – all bundled up and oohing and aahing over the branches and twigs wearing their magical diamond coats and shining their sunlit smiles. Unique tracks in the snow that stop you in your own, to ask yourself, who goes there? Perhaps you are blessed enough to have children around you to share your wonder with and to make stories together.
Well, whatever your memories are, it’s a sure bet that nature is included in them in some fashion!
Love has so many faces. Love is the Hollywood tale – yes indeed. But Valentine’s Day is about any one and any way of loving! It’s the dad showing his child how to strap on some cross country skis and laugh during the ups and downs (literally!) of learning. It’s the mom humming to her baby – pure love the sound. It’s the sweet dog licking her puppies and the cat purring and the tiny bird standing fast in the cold wind. It’s the skiffing sound of the wind on the dry snow and the late afternoon shadows of the sun warming the land. It’s kind and gentle music or a soft word and compassionate glance.
I know each of you love in many ways – I can feel the swirling of it in All That Is. This day, this month, help us re-member and celebrate Love in all its delicious finery and form!
Send us stories!
Love well!!
With loving thoughts,
Amber Hinton
The Natural Gait
Monday, February 04, 2008
Valentine Memories
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The Healing Garden
The garden as a vehicle of nature’s perfection and harmony is indeed a rich image. Throughout history and in the mythology of many countries, the image of the garden as a wellspring of spiritual and physical healing power emerges repeatedly. Realizing that herbal and healing gardens have been with us always, since when mankind was young, lends richness and depth to our connection with gardens and healing plants today. The garden was a place of innocence and knowledge. The garden was seen as a place of complete, natural harmony of body and mind. In the Old Testament, the garden of Eden is described as a place where boundless peace prevailed. Sweet smells filled the air and brilliant flowers shone like precious gems. The story of the Buddha and the “cosmic tree” offers an example of the Eastern view of the garden as a place one could attain deep peace and understanding. In Tibetan mythology, the goddess of healing brought fragrant healing plants to the world. The gardens she planted were capable of healing those who simply saw them or spent some time in them. Around 600 B.C. a famous king, Nebuchadnezzar created three acres of every type of tree, shrub, and flower for his Queen, a visual extravaganza. It became one of the seven wonders of the world, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. From Persia, the gardeners of medieval Europe learned to infuse the garden place with an expansiveness that nourished the spirit. The Japanese learned to use nature as a way to evoke various responses or moods in the viewer. Stones, tiny bonsai trees and shrubs, lanterns with the gentle light of candles were all part of their garden, which brought the understanding bond between the environment and well-being. I have gardened most of my life and there is no other place that I feel more at peace. If you need healing in your life, plant a garden. When you see the beauty in the garden, you will see it everywhere.
Jerry Hinton of The Natural Gait.
Sources: Growing and Using The Healing Herbs, by Gaea and Shandor Weiss. A wonderful book and guide for any interested in healing with herbs. Thanks Jeremiah Hinton
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Welcome Jerry and Amber -Love Is In The Air - Cupids Arrows Are Flying
As our thoughts turn to February you must naturally think of Valentines Day and love. Here is a package our new managers of The Natural Gait, Amber and Jerry Hinton put together for all you love struck folks and what is even better you can do this package any time of the year!
One of the most thrilling things that ever unfolds at The Natural Gait is how we celebrate Love in all its forms.
We love people, we love the land, and we love nature – the plants and trees, the horses, the wildlife that visits us, and the eagles soaring overhead. And perhaps most of all we love Lovers of all ages and all stages of relationship!
Know that if you choose to share that sense of companionship with the land and with each other, you will find a warm welcome here. Our cabins are warmly homey and overlook some of the prettiest land you’ll ever see.
We would be honored if you choose to come and add your own beautiful energy to this place…
So we’ve put together a two-night couples package we think you’ll appreciate:
Cabin: $300
Or
Hostel-style double bed room $100.00
Options waiting in your accommodations:
Flowers $40
Candy $20
Delicacy Basket – cheese & other goodies (the wine is our gift to you!) $60
Limo rides are also available, call for quotes
And a further offer just for Valentine’s Day, 2008:
Concert with Switchback Feb 15: $20 per couple
Limo to Concert: $140 per couple
The Concert with Switchback (see http://www.waygoodmusic.com/) is in the Elkader Opera House and is a 20 mile drive from our facility.
We will give you directions OR you can choose to ride in style with our Limo Service (we can offer this special service only if three couples choose this option – or call for pricing on private limo).
We get the most wonderful people calling here who have experienced the magic of this place, as well as those whose hearts are drawn to it through our website and advertising. There’s just something very special here. Perhaps it’s the wildlife’s mysterious appearances, the eagle floating ever so close, the land’s hidden nooks and crannies, the wildflowers filling our eyes with precious colors.
Oh, those phone calls - from the young lovers wanting a romantic retreat to the writer or student needing a quiet and gentle place to create or study in. Then there’s the elderly gentleman who called wanting to create a special weekend for his wife. And the mothers and fathers bringing their children for family time – a break from tv and movies to do some marvelous things together.
We all know how wonderful it is to have relaxation, stillness, and healing time with nature come into our lives. This summer not only will you have this beautiful setting, but you’ll be able to choose many extra events to delight yourselves: Frisbee golf, horse obstacle courses, stargazing, eco tours, guided nature walks, survival training, tubing and kayaking, fishing clinics, mystery dinners, and perhaps even some Indian folk tale storytelling softly spoken in our cave! Let us know what the desire of your heart is and we will do everything we can to build your dream vacation. We are here for YOU!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Floating Islands
Floating Islands is an innovative water stewardship tool… BioHaven floating islands do five things:
1. They remove pollutants from a waterway, including nitrates, phosphates, ammonia and heavy metals
2. They provide critical riparian edge habitat – in fact, new land mass for use by all kinds of creatures, from microbes to humans
3. They sequester carbon and other greenhouse gases
4. They provide wave mitigation and erosion control
5. They beautify a waterscape Made from layers of recycled plastic “matrix” which are bonded together with adhesive foam, BioHavens are planted with sod, garden plants or wetland plants and launched onto a water body.
There the plants are allowed to grow naturally, and, as they develop, their roots grow through the matrix and into the water below. Over time, a natural eco-system evolves. The model for this is Nature herself - BioHavens “bio-mimic” Nature. We are part of a new branch of science, Biomimicry, or Biomimetics.BioHavens provide surface area for microbes to thrive. Microbes remove pollutants. BioHavens are a concentrated floating wetland – the huge surface area of fibers provides many times more surface area than an equivalent stretch of bare wetland. Surface area is the key factor for microbial activity to take place, and microbes (bacteria) are the key to removing contaminants from the water. Plants and their roots are also important, but more for the extra surface area the roots provide than for any nutrient uptake the plants themselves account for.BioHavens were invented eight years ago, have been successfully trialed for five years and have been on the market since July 2005. They represent a natural, convenient and cost-effective solution for some of the most intractable and expensive problems on the planet:· “Polishing” wastewater and storm water of nutrients and heavy metals to return it safely to the watershed.· Sequestering carbon dioxide and methane from effluent ponds to reduce global warming· Wave mitigation and protection of levees in the event of severe storms· Extraction of salt
Mining nutrient loads from any waterway and reducing algal blooms· Restoring wetlands without the need for new land· Restoring habitat for endangered species such as the trumpeter swan.They can be made in any shape and size and offer some fun uses to balance the more serious side:· Creating walkways, piers, docks, jetties
Supporting recreational uses, such as picnic tables, floating stages, gazebos….· Floating vegetable gardens which never need watering!· Restoring a natural look and balance to any waterway of any size· New land mass for human habitation.Not only are they natural, aesthetic and functional, they are cost-effective, “green” and virtually maintenance free. Why not add a Floating Island to beautify your world?
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Think BIG - Dream BIGGER to Manifest Your Life
There is the story of the kindergarten teacher who asks a child what she is drawing. "I'm drawing a picture of God," the child replies. "But, sweetheart," says the teacher, "no one knows what God looks like." They will in a minute!" says the child. Now, that is a perfect example of Thinking BIG !! Big Thinkers possess this childlike faith. Not a childish faith that lacks maturity and understanding, but an attitude of deep faith in themselves. If you are a big thinker, you have an inner voice that asks "why not" and "what if" and you're in tune with your own skills, talents, and abilities to SEE the unseen or create the uncreatable. Here's another example of a Big Thinker: The Italian sculptor Agostino d'Antonio worked diligently on a large piece of marble. Unable to produce his desired masterpiece, he lamented, "I can do nothing with it." Other sculptors also worked this difficult piece of marble, but to no avail. Michelangelo discovered the stone and visualized the possibilities in it. His "I-can-make-it-happen" attitude resulted in one of the world's masterpieces - the statue of David. Yes, sometimes, all it takes is to have unstoppable belief and high-faith in your own creative talents to turn your imagination into reality. But, if thinking big is all it takes, by now, wouldn't we already have a world full of people steadfastly achieving their goals and bringing major accomplishments into their life? Let's look at an example of a Big Dreamer first; then maybe I can shed some more light on the question above. There is the story of Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner) who hears an ethereal message ("If you build it, they / He will come") that inspires him to construct a baseball diamond in the middle of his Iowa cornfield - with the promise that the ghosts of famous baseball players will inhabit it for games at night. Ray heard his inner voice (let's just say his connection to source or his higher-self), believed in the possibilities (however far beyond obvious), talked about it with intention, clarity, and passion. He took action on his inner promptings, regardless of how nonsensical they seemed at the time. One of the manifesting mentors I interviewed basically told me everything in the world is suggestion - just one step away from a dream. Life is indeed a dream and the producers of Field of Dreams make this point during a scene where Ray's father (John) asked: "Is this heaven?" Ray Kinsella: No - it's Iowa.John: I could have sworn it was heaven. Ray: Is there a heaven? John: Oh, yeah. It's the place where dreams come true. (Ray looks around, seeing his wife playing with their daughter on the porch.) Ray: Maybe this is heaven. Yes, Big Dreamers - just like Big Thinkers - find it easy to believe that all things are possible, and that life can be as passionate, pure and invigorating as fresh-cut outfield grass. However, oftentimes, this is where to two similarities end. For instance, to me, the movie Field of Dreams isn't so much a story of a possibility-thinking farmer, searching for boyish excitement in his life, as much as it is a story about TRUST and the power of VISION mixed into the manifesting process. A bonafide Big Dreamer is somebody who is what I like to call a Vivid Visionary. Just like Ray, they have a personally compelling belief in the "inner voice" that prompts them along to take the little steps that eventually lead to bigger steps, unleashing the power of manifestation in their life. And that power basically says: whatever it is you think constantly about, feel good about when talking about it, or become immersed in with unwavering emotion and focus, will become evident for you - not only to your own senses but to those around you who were involved while you took that first small step. Sure, we all know the movie was fiction - a fantasy film, based on W. P. Kinsella's 1982 novel "Shoeless Joe" - however, when you watch the progression of Kevin Costner's character (Ray), from the first few dismissals' of his inner voice to his KNOWING that he was personally responsible for turning his vision into reality, you get to see a Vivid Visionary in the making. My friend Dr. Michael Norwood, defines vision like this: "A Vision has many components. It may start off as a goal, a mission or even a dream. However, whereas the goal, mission and dream describe something one accomplishes, a Vision is something one becomes." The question was once asked of a highly successful businessman: "How have you done so much in your lifetime?" He replied, "I have dreamed. I have turned my mind loose to imagine what I wanted to do. Then I have gone to bed and thought about my dreams. In the night I dreamt about my dreams and turned then into my Vision. And when I awoke in the morning, I envisioned my day - I knew what action that I needed to employ to help me pull in the resources and people to support my Vision and make it a reality." Personal Accountability Check - How many of you reading this truly spend at least 15-minutes a night imagining what you want in your mind, energizing it with feeling (i.e., putting yourself in the picture versus looking at the picture screen from the auditorium), and then affirming it mentally when you wake up? Come on - be honest ! One of the Manifesting Mentors I interviewed told me emphatically: "Just 15 minutes of creative visualization a day can change you life in unimaginable ways. It's just that most people don't believe in their own imagination".Read that twice. Three times, if you want to. There's incredible wisdom and stinging truth in that statement. More so than just personal confidence, big picture thinking, or being an idea-driven person, being a Big Dreamer is all about taking your wants to sleep, thinking constantly about them, talking about them, planning them with focus, and adding all the spices to your dreams that will give you the realization of actually manifesting your dreams - bigger, better, and faster than ever. The ability to image, and the ability to expect what we dream about to come true, are two of the finest qualities of being a human being. Together, with belief in our own reality-creating power, we can truly be a Vivid Visionary. As Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the U.S., said: "We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers." So, dream on - but, add some ACTION (without it, you're just a Big Thinker), sprinkle in some FOCUS (think about your dreams / desires enough to bring them into consistent awareness), and top them off with TRUST (that you will, without question, always get exactly what you ask for). You truly are the one who STARTS it all - from day dream, to night dream, to living out your dream - regardless of how outside of you it may SEEM! I'll leave you with one final quote / scene from Field of Dreams. [ On wondering who the voice was - telling him "If You Build It, He / They Will Come" ] Ray Kinsella: What are you grinning at, you ghost? Shoeless Joe: "If you build it -" (gestures toward catcher, who is Ray's father, John Kinsella) "- he will come." Ray : It was you? Shoeless Joe: No, Ray. It was you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barry Goss is the author of The Manifesting Mindset – which can be downloaded for free HERE - and the co-Founder of ManifestLife.com ~ From asking the questions very few dare touch to being fascinated by the authors, coaches, healers, and spiritual guru's who do things in a seemingly 'magical way', Barry has dedicated his life to connecting with these the world's top manifesting mentors and sharing their secrets, techniques, and strategies with you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Picture The Yellow River - Courtesy of The Natural Gait
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Natural Gifts for the Holidays
We at The Natural Gait would like to wish you and yours a happy holiday season. Here is a free gift idea "Herbal Sea Salt Scrub".
Herbal Sea Salt Scrub.To make it you will need:1 large handful of a dried herb of your choice2-3 Tablespoons of sea salt½ teaspoon olive oilabout 4 Tablespoons of waterA note about choosing herbs:I chose chamomile. It is relaxing and astringent. Falconi also says it is great for “healing nervous and inflamed skin conditions.” You might also choose comfrey roots or leaves.Both are mucilaginous and so will be good for dry or irritated skin. Rose flowers would make a beautiful gift scrub and they are stringent and toning for the skin.Choosing a mint would create a refreshing, stimulating quality to your scrub. You get the idea. A little bit of research on the properties of the herb will help you choose the right one for each person on your gift list.To make the scrub, put one large handful of your herb of choice into a mortar and grind it into a powder with the pestle. Add the sea salt, and grind a bit more. Add the water and stir. Finally add the olive oil. This makes enough for one treatment. Use it by massaging it into the skin and allowing it to stay on for 10 minutes before rinsing. It will have a crumbly texture. If bits of herb fall off in the application, simply reapply.I imagine the shelf life of this scrub is fairly short, so you probably want to make it just before sending it off and include instructions to use it fairly soon.Another possibility is to make a basic salt clay scrub by mixing 3 tablespoons of clay with 2 tablespoons of sea salt. Include instructions to mix it with 4 tablespoons of water before massaging it into the skin. For this one, leave it on for 5 minutes or until the skin feels tight. Without the water, the shelf life will be longer.You might also leave the liquid out of the herbal combination and just include instructions with your gift if you would like to make it further in advance.Buying supplies...Of course you can get Sea Salt at the market, but Mountain Rose Herbs DOES carry salts carry herbs and they even have herbal gifts already made up. If you dont have the time to make your own you can purchase a gift there. You can also get containers there. Enjoy!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
A Natural Healing
I want to share with you a particularly poignant story from one of the guests at The Natural Gait. We are always amazed and grateful at the wonderful things that happen when folks stay at The Natural Gait.
"I cannot begin to describe the peace and healing this beautiful place has provided for me finally. My personal life has been chaotic with the death of one child, my husband of 20 years, another child with CP, a 2nd marriage and divorce, lost job, bankruptcy, moving to a new town and my oldest son leaving for college. I used to have a deep and sustaining faith which was nurtured by nature, however much of that was lost during all the tragedies.
These past 2 days have brought much of that back - this is truly a piece of heaven and you two must be angels - I am so eternally grateful I thank you! Sue"
"This is my dream vacation home and I had a lot of fun. We made smores by the fire pit. It was also fun seeing the sites around here. But most of all I had fun because I was with my family. I hope you have fun too. Michael ( with CP)"