White sandalwood (Santalum album) and red sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus) are two different types of sandalwood that have distinct properties and uses, both in traditional medicine and spiritual practices.

Here is a comparison of the spiritual benefits attributed to both:

White Sandalwood

1. Spiritual Clarity: Often considered more potent for spiritual purposes, white sandalwood is believed to aid in achieving spiritual clarity and enlightenment.
2. Meditation Aid: Its calming fragrance is widely used in meditation, helping the practitioner achieve a deeper state of relaxation and focus.
3. Purification: White sandalwood is used in purification rituals to cleanse spaces, objects, and the self.
4. Healing: It is thought to have healing properties that promote mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
5. Chakra Alignment: Used to balance the chakras, white sandalwood helps in aligning the energy centers within the body.

Red Sandalwood

1. Grounding: Red sandalwood is considered to be more grounding compared to white sandalwood. It may be used to anchor the spiritual practitioner in the present moment.
2. Enhancing Intuition: Some believe that red sandalwood assists in enhancing intuition, insight, and inner wisdom.
3. Protection: Red sandalwood has been associated with warding off negative energies and providing spiritual protection.
4. Fertility and Love Rituals: Used in rituals related to love, fertility, and life force, red sandalwood symbolizes divine energy.
5. Healing: Like white sandalwood, red sandalwood is also believed to have healing properties but may be more associated with emotional healing.

​Summary

• White Sandalwood is often seen as more potent in spiritual practices, particularly for purification, spiritual clarity, meditation, and chakra alignment.
• Red Sandalwood tends to be more associated with grounding, protection, intuition, and emotional healing.

The differences in spiritual benefits might reflect variations in the fragrance, color, and traditional uses of these two types of sandalwood.

Again, the beliefs and practices around these woods can vary widely across cultures and traditions, so it may be beneficial to consult spiritual practitioners or guides from the specific tradition you are interested in to understand these differences more deeply.

Holistic healing practices aim to treat the whole person - body, mind, and spirit - rather than just targeting specific symptoms or illnesses.

They can provide a wide range of benefits, including:

1. Personalized Approach: Holistic healing takes into account the individual's physical, mental, and emotional well-being, as well as their lifestyle and environment. This leads to a more personalized approach to treatment that is tailored to the unique needs and circumstances of each person.
2. Prevention and Wellness: Instead of focusing solely on treating disease, holistic healing emphasizes the importance of maintaining good health and preventing illness. This includes a strong focus on nutrition, exercise, stress management, and other lifestyle factors that can contribute to overall well-being.
3. Natural and Non-Invasive Treatments: Holistic therapies often use natural remedies and non-invasive treatments, such as herbs, acupuncture, massage, and meditation. These methods can be less harmful and have fewer side effects compared to conventional treatments.
4. Stress Reduction: Many holistic practices, like meditation, yoga, and massage, can help reduce stress, which is a major contributor to many health problems. Reducing stress can lead to improved mental clarity, better physical health, and an increased sense of well-being.
5. Empowerment: Holistic healing encourages individuals to take responsibility for their own health. It empowers them to make informed decisions about their health and to be actively involved in their treatment and prevention strategies.
6. Emotional and Spiritual Growth: By focusing on the mind, body, and spirit, holistic healing can help individuals achieve greater emotional balance and spiritual growth. This can lead to a deeper sense of purpose, improved relationships, and increased satisfaction with life.
7. Long-term Benefits: Holistic practices often focus on creating sustainable lifestyle changes that can lead to long-term improvements in health. This is in contrast to some conventional treatments, which may only provide temporary relief from symptoms.
8. Complementary to Conventional Medicine: Holistic healing practices can be used alongside conventional medicine. In some cases, they may help enhance the effectiveness of conventional treatments or reduce side effects.
9. Whole-body Healing: Holistic practices focus on the interconnectedness of the body and mind, which can lead to a more balanced and comprehensive approach to healing. This whole-body approach can be particularly effective for addressing chronic or systemic health issues.

It is important to note that while holistic healing practices can offer many benefits, they may not be suitable for everyone or for all health conditions. It is important to consult with a qualified healthcare professional before starting any new treatment or therapy.

​Genetically modified (GMO) foods can be found in practically all supermarkets these days. Over 85% of the United States corn and soy crops are said to be GMO foods, while up to 70% of processed items available in U.S supermarkets contain ingredients that are genetically modified. 
 
What GMO foods mean is that the food  has an are altered genetic DNA that is not naturally occurring in nature. These foods come from various organisms and are combined in various methods such as introducing a new gene to an organism. We call it GMO when the genetic makeup of an organism is altered in anyway. Some of the most common GMO foods aside from corn and soy include cotton and maize. These ingredients come in many snacks, breakfast options, baby foods and others.

​There are two different opinions when it comes to GMO foods. The U.S government states that GMO foods tend to be safer and can be helpful to those who are starving, whereas the EU prefers to keep their food natural and organic. The EU believes that GMO foods are detrimental to local farming and the risks are too great to ignore. 
 
The various risks associated with GMO foods include resistance to antibiotics, contamination, toxins in foods, altering nutritional content and possible effects on the environment. Since GMO foods are still in the early stages it is hard to tell what the consequences of these foods will have on our health. These foods have the possibility of creating entirely new types of bacteria that can severely affect our body. 
 
It is known that diverse genes are more healthy and strong, therefore those that are altered can have less capability of handling drought, handling fungus and bacteria as a natural option would. If we modify and reduce the diversity of genes then it could affect areas that rely on crops that are GMO. 
 
When we put GMO foods out into the world, they will affect seeds and create traits that were not there in the first place. Even though the GMO was designed in a lab, the way that it interacts with nature will have its own effect, such as killing out essential foods or resources. 
 
One of the pitches of the US government that advocates that use of GMO foods states that it is better for the future of global food supply. However, since the introduction of GMO there has been no particular leap in yield boost or reduction of the use of pesticides. GMOs need a large amount of chemicals such as herbicides, fungicides and pesticides, which will affect our water and food supply. 

​Have you considered growing your own herbs at home? Starting a small kitchen herb garden could be easier than you think and can be your next DIY project...

Herbs are amazing in the sense that they add unique flavor to food and come in handy as natural medicines. In addition, fresh herbs are beautiful to look at and have unique colors, textures, and aromas.

​Today is World Environment Day... when we look at the deforestation statistics, it is just plain appalling!!

It seems 4500 acres of forests are cleared every hour by forest fires, bull dozers, machetes etc. as per the information provided by www.conserve-energy-future.com/various-deforestation-facts.php  The total world forest loss till date is 7.3 million hectares per year.

I hope, today we all can make a stand that we will support nature- in our own little or big way.

​By embracing Green Living, we are not only choosing better health and lifestyle for ourselves, we also ensure that we are living in-sync with nature.

What better way to honor and celebrate the world environment day... Happy World Environment Day everyone!!

Categories: 
Green Living,   Natural Living   and   Our World Today

Keywords and Tags:
​#worldenvironmentday2020 #worldenvironmentday #savingourplanet #sustainability #greenliving #sustainablelifestyle #stopdeforestation #plantmoretrees #honornature #celebratenature

Happy Earth Day everyone!!

Today it is April 22 nd., which is celebrated the world over as the Earth Day, to show our support for environmental protection. With changing weather patterns and annual forest fires, it is more than apparent that each one of us needs to be a responsible citizen of our planet.

Our Mother Earth, Gaia, is kind and bountiful. She is very capable of regenerating and rejuvenating herself- till we do not exploit her resources in the name of progress. We need to practice responsible behavior not just at the corporate level but also as an individual. Each one of us needs to take concrete steps to reduce our carbon footprint!

This year’s theme is “Restore our Earth” … and it is surely high time that we start paying attention to our lifestyle choices and ensure that they are in alignment with sustainable and green living principles!
​
On this earth day, let us re-state our commitment to lead a sustainable and green life.

​Categories: 
Green Living, Natural Living and Our World Today

Keywords and Tags:
#greenliving #sustainableliving #earthhour #sustainablelifestyle #carbonfootprint   #cleanenergy  #environmentalimpact   #happyearthday #EarthDay2021 #sustainability #environmentallyconscious

A sustainable lifestyle is one that encourages us to use as little of the earth’s resources as possible. It also suggests the use of renewal resources in order to have less of a negative impact on the world. It is basically a way of life that asks us to be conscious of what we are taking from the earth and to minimize our use of unnecessary products and resources.
​
​There are simple yet effective ways that everyone can make a difference to future generations and to make the world a better place to live in. These changes to maintaining a sustainable lifestyle include our choices of food, energy and transportation. 

While this may sound like a dramatic change, the small changes we make do not mean we have to live a less comfortable life. In essence, we should just use what we require and no more than that. Nowadays, people waste with no good reason, such as leaving the water on during our bathroom routine when washing our faces or brushing our teeth.
 
If you are interested in living a sustainable lifestyle then one of the easiest changes to make is to change your diet. We should aim to eat foods that are naturally occurring and that support the food chain. There are suggestions that following a vegetarian diet is the best option for a sustainable lifestyle because it requires the least amount of resources to grow and produce, as well as typically having less impact on the environment.
 
If a vegetarian diet is too extreme then look for foods that are free of pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals. These chemicals are detrimental to the environment and can severely impact conditions for humans and animals. Ideally, choosing food that is locally grown is also beneficial because it means less transportation and is typically grown in healthier conditions.
 
Housing can also be sustainable by using fewer resources that are nonrenewable than a typical house. Sustainable housing is also meant to have the least impact on the environment and use less energy to function. Typically, houses that are constructed with sustainability in mind are constructed using materials that are friendly to the environment, such as brick, stone or adobe. To take it a step further, you could create a power resource that uses wind and sun instead.
 
To live a sustainable lifestyle means to tread on the earth with light feet and leave less of a carbon footprint.