Why I Cut Off A Foot of Hair and Donated it to a Stranger

It started off with a conversation with my sister, who said, "Hey, I heard you could cut off seven or eight inches of hair and donate it to have a wig made for kids…"

I chewed on this information for months. I'd wanted to trim my very long hair for a while, but eight inches of it?

So I went into research mode. Perhaps I could still be generous by only donating, say, 4 inches of hair.

What I found out about the process of making a wig for a child inspired me to happily get a foot of hair lopped off. That and one evening that tipped the scales and sent me running into the arms of my hairdresser.

First the wig research:

• Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.

• It takes as many as 30 ten-inch donations of hair to make one wig (!), which are made by hand, strand by strand.

• The custom fit wigs are then cut in  whatever style the child prefers. The wigs are designed to stay put while the child sleeps, swims, showers, and roughhouses with pals. Amazing!

• The minimum donation for the program "Locks of Love," which makes wigs for kids for free, is ten inches.

Gulp.

When I was in college I shaved my  head and sported short hair for a couple of years. What I learned is that  while it is fabulous to have people pet your fuzzy head when you have no hair, taking care of short hair is a pain. I  much prefer long hairthat you can  put up in a bun, braid, pull back, or leave long.

The turning point came when I  spent a week ignoring my hair through multiple trips in and out of the hot tub, choosing to the twist the entire pile into a messy but functional  bun. Each day my hair approached the distinctive status of resembling one massive dreadlocked bird's nest.

It took two of us armed with a comb each over and hour to detangle the result of my hair abandonment.  My friend is a professional dog  groomer who regularly demattes  long-haired dog fur. She spent the hour  quietly cursing my stubbornness for not brushing my hair for a week.

Nothing like a little motivation to spur me to action. Something had to change. And I had the perfect person to sever my problem hair.

Enter Bob, my hair savior.

Bob had been my hair savior and color deity for years when I lived in Santa Fe. My friend Gini and I spent hours every few months being pampered and primped and prettified by the brilliance of Bob's touch and his eye for just the right hue of brown or red. Or often purple, in my case.

Then I moved, and my hair has not been the same.

To my incredible delight, I discovered that Bob had moved back to his hometown of Marble Falls, TX last year and opened his own salon, Mojo. Marble Falls is a mere 45 minutes from my front door.

Road trip! My friend and Toltec Center teacher and minister Diana piled into her car one Friday afternoon and headed for the land of hair mojo. After much hugging, with glasses of wine in hand, Bob turned his sharp eye on my mop. He circled. He pondered. He asked "And what are you thinking about doing with your hair?"

I took a deep breath and surrendered myself into his hands. "I want to cut most of it off, and donate it to Locks of Love."

Soon Bob was skillfully creating one long braid down my back, and with three snips I was less years of growth, and a child I'll never meet was closer to a new head of hair.

To celebrate we dyed my hair purple, and added a sassy blonde streak.

I love it.

Each day when I effortlessly brush my hair, I send my blessings to the child who has or will receive what used to be hang almost to my waist. May it bring them self-confidence and enhance their connection to their inner beauty.

I wonder what color Bob and I will go for next.

If you are blessed enough to live in the Austin area, join Bob's facebook page and call him for a new look… His passion is "helping women (and men) to stop hiding behind their hair." (830) 265-6811

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marble-Falls-TX/Mojo-salon/69478564084

If you have an extra eight inches or more of hair, check out:

http://www.locksoflove.org/

http://www.pantene.com/en-US/beautiful-lengths-cause/Pages/default.aspx

http://hair.lovetoknow.com/Donating_Hair_for_Cancer_Victims

Coming Full Circle; Jerry Garcia and Krishna Das in San Francisco

You know those times when your life comes full circle, and you get to see the panoramic view of who you were and who you have become?

I had one of those nights last night.

What an experience to see not only the differences, but the similarities of this being who is now called HeatherAsh Amara, and was then called Heather MacKenzie-Gaudet. (If you want to know more about my name change, click here for the blog post.)

I flew into Oakland yesterday to attend a concert of two of my favorite kirtan "bands," Krishna Das and Deva Premal & Miten. Five minutes after sitting in my faded red velvet balcony seat in San Francisco's Warfield historic theatre I was immersed in chanting Sita Ram with hundreds of other people.

As Krisha Das and the audience passed the chant back and forth, I felt my heart get as big as the room. To my right and just below me, a man threw up his arms in devotion and swayed to the music. I followed the happy gaze of the woman sitting next to me, and saw that dozens of people were dancing and chanting in the upper aisles.

That's when past and present merged, and I felt the overlay of being in this same place a double-handful of years ago, immersed in the energy of devotion in this same place as we sang to Jerry Garcia and his band.

What a long, strange, trip it's been.

For years I pilgrimaged to see Jerry and the Grateful Dead as often as I could. I was one of the long-haired, long-skirted girls dancing and spinning in the hallways, arms wide to the universe as I celebrated the divine marriage of the music and my soul.

At the Warfield once again, immersed in a peaceful sea of sacred song, I floated free of time and separation. Who I was, who I am, Jerry, Krishna Das, and all the beings around me, past and future, physical and spirit, all coalesced into one.

I spent the rest of the evening at the apex of the balcony section, alternatively sitting cross-legged on the top red-carpeted stair and singing mantras with my thousands of new friends,  dancing to gospel music "Jesus on the main line, tell him what you want...." or swaying barefoot in my long skirt to rocked-up ancient indian chants.

Krishna Das shared stories between songs, and one image in particular made me laugh out loud at the gloriousness of being human with all of our resistance and struggle.

There is a train that has left the station, and it is speeding towards its destination. Inside the train you may be running as fast as you can in the opposite direction, but when the train gets to the station, so do you.

Later in the evening, as Deva and Miten led us in singing "living in the light of love, we are home," I understood. Home has no past, no present, no future. And the train has already arrived AND it is still en route, and we are all going home, one way or another.

Here is a you tube clip from the gospel part of the show... Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFyprviFejE

You Can Help Peruvian Flood Victims Directly!

A week or so before we headed to Peru we started hearing the news: That intense rains were causing unprecedented flooding and landslides, mainly in the Cusco and Puno regions, the two areas on our tour.

It was difficult to get news on what was happening, but I finally found a Peruvian blog site that showed incredible photos and videos of the disaster.

http://enperublog.com/2010/01/26/emergency-declared-in-cusco-heavy-rains-flood-the-region/


As we flew to Lima on February 2, Raven and I talked about how we might be able to help. I was really hoping to do some hands-on support, and a sweet miracle allowed that to happen.


I wrote on facebook that I was in Cusco, and a college friend, Annika wrote back: Hey, are you going to see Pilar while you are there? So I emailed Pilar, and yes indeed she was in Cusco! We talked via skype and I found out she was leaving in an hour to deliver blankets to people affected by the flood.


And so I was soon snuggly packed into a jeep with four women and Pilar's 6-year old niece, Asraya. Pilar's sister, Sunday, lives in Cusco with her three children and husband. They are building a yoga retreat near Pisac (which was somehow miraculously not affected by the flooding..) So Sunday knows what was most needed and the areas most affected.

Our first stop was to buy blankets at a local store; we bought 100 but were only able to load 60 into our two cars. The remaining 40 will be brought in another run.

The government has set up blue tents for everyone who lost a home; one area was filled with blue tents curved into the hillside; another village was completely devastated: all the houses and crops remain underwater. This community is now wall to wall tents in a stadium in the closest town; over 300 families. They are in need of fresh food; the government and other organizations have donated rice and beans. In a few months they will also need seed for a new crop. No one knows where they will rebuild their homes, since the area they were living was a dry lake that is now not dry at all.


Thank you so much to all the people that donated money to help these people; as of today we have raised over $1,300! We are very grateful to have the opportunity to help in such a direct way. Sunday will continue to bring supplies out to the villages in the coming months. Pilar heads home tomorrow; we are leaving for Puno tomorrow, but will come back to Cusco in a week and be able to bring more money to Sunday.


For more photos, click here

To read Pilar's blog, which has extensive photos and video, click here 
It takes a while to download the photos, so be patient

To donate via paypal go to tolteccenter.org and scroll down to the donation button.... Blessings!

And here is the original letter Raven wrote, in case you have not seen it...

Greetings!

We are in Peru and it is truly magnificent. As usual the people are lovely and the land here is rich and nourishing. We are very excited to being doing a big ceremony with about 260 people and large number of Incan and North American native elders at Late Titicaca next week. Tune in, the energy is already Rockin!

Perhaps you have heard that Peru has had major flooding over the last few weeks. In the two areas we are visiting over 8000 people are now homeless from mudslides and flooding wiping out their houses and their crops. We are on the ground with people who are heading up relief efforts for these folks. Our dear friend Jorge Delgado is acquiring blankets and food for the people in the Lake Tittcaca region and HeatherAsh's college friend Pilar is doing the same for the people in the Pisac region close to Cusco and Macchu Picchu areas.

The Toltec Center has already donated $1000 to Jorge's effort and today we bought 75 blankets and HeatherAsh went with Pilar to deliver them to the folks by Pisac.

We would like to do even more, the people by Pisac need fresh vegatables, water and meat to feed all the folks whose homes were flooded, and we would like to get them and the Lake Titicaca folks more help over the next two weeks we are here.

It is hard to work toward personal freedom when you don't have food and shelter. Help us help these folks feel a little more spaciousness, a little more gratitude to Spirit, a little more like they are held by the Divine, by sending the money they need to aquire that food, shelter, and warmth that is a bit scarce here at the moment! Just click on the "donate" image below.

All donations are tax deductible, we will happily send you a donation letter with our EIN number for your tax records.

You do not need a paypal account to donate, simply click on the "continue" button at the bottom left of the donation screen to pay with any major credit card without having a paypal account.

Thanks for your time

In Love

HeatherAsh, Raven and the staff of the Toltec Center

Immune Pushups for the Winter

Immune Pushups for the Winter

After being sick for six weeks with the flu and then bronchitis and then a sinus infection, I've been gathering lots of information about healing and prevention that I wanted to share. Especially since when I went to the doctor he said that the flu season has not yet officially begun; its cycle is December/January, and this is only the first wave!

The best thing we can do to avoid the flu is simple prevention measures, as outlined below. And I also added good support for if you do get a virus this winter.

One thing I loved about being sick is that is helped me slow down, and I got to see that illness no longer makes me suffer (okay, just a bit of whining here and there!) My body was tired and icky, but I stayed happy most of the way through.

And I got to connect with so many people sending me healing wishes, their stories, and remedies... What a great web we are all weaving on the internet.

ELDEBERRY

From a friend of a friend:

I'm not sure how much flu concern is in your world, but there's plenty happening here in Austin.  I just received this information today, so i thought I'd pass it along in case any of you are immersed in germs or the public or exposed to flu. Apparently elderberry is an excellent natural flu preventative and if used for flu treatment, can reduce the intensity and length of the related symptoms significantly...and its not hard to find.

...from the last sentence of the study: "The H1N1 inhibition activities of the elderberry flavonoids compare favorably to the known anti-influenza activities of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu; 0.32 microM) and Amantadine (27 microM)."

A former classmate of mine now studying at bastyr passed this along today (please) - http://bastyrcenter.org/content/view/1146/

Here is a link to diff brands: http://www.iherb.com/Elderberry-Sambucus -

Elderberry flavonoids bind to and prevent H1N1 inf...[Phytochemistry. 2009] - PubMed Result

Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

H1N1 AND ALL FLU  PREVENTION

From Gini Gentry:

Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital , Bombay Hospital , Saifee Hospital , Tata Memorial etc..     

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.  

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):   

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications). Carry hand sanitizer with you when you go out into the world and use after all interactions.

2.  "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (except to eat or bathe).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected o ne. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at using a Neti pot to clean nasal cavities, but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5.. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.             

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

       

ESSENTIAL OILS

From Robin Karlstedt via facebook

"i am way into aromatic botanical medicine and peppermint oil clove oil cinnamon oil tea tree are all great to inhale mix in a little lemon or rosemary to protect your liver .mix a few drops of each and rub them on the soles of your feet and palms then inhale / every three hours blessings"

And from Celena Kuhlman

Rub together juniper and lavender? and inhale deeply. I think Celena said lavender, I'll check and get back to you! Rhonda recommended rosemary oil as well...

MASTER CLEANSE

A great way to clear out your system.... lots of information on the internet, just google "master cleanse:

To make a gallon (recommend amount to drink per day while fasting...)

1 make 10 oz of lemon juice and pour that into a empty 1 gallon jug.

then i measure out 10 oz of maple syrup and pour that in..

far as cayenne pepper goes i mix it in per glass as i find it i put it directly into the 1 gallon jug it just all settles to the bottom anyway.

Feel free to send in more ideas!

Bypassing the Flu to talk about Food and Gardening....

I was going to write about having the flu for the past month:

For the past month I've been the reluctant host to an influenza 
virus that moved in and metaphorically cleaned out my refrigerator 
and then invited another unwelcome guest, bronchitis, to move in 
and start rearranging the furniture.

The good news is that while influenza and bronchitis where 
partying it up, I got to rest.

But I just realized I'm tired of giving the flu attention. I'd rather
write about my garden and food : )

The greens I planted last month are already three times the
size and ready to be harvested. I planted more greens after
clearing out six large bushes of basil; and now we have jars
of pesto lining the freezer, along with canned tomatoes from
the local farm.

Raven and I have shifted our diet, and we are mainly eating
vegetables and organic, grass-finished meats (which means
the animals are either wild or spend their entire lives out to
pasture and are not fed grain). There is interesting research
around eating a diet that is free of grains, dairy, and legumes....
For more info check out: http://www.paleodiet.com/

This weekend we had fresh venison, shot with a bow and
arrow by my friend T's cousin. Blessings to that beautiful
critter that nourished us on Saturday night.

I'm also experimenting with raw food recipes from a Gabriel
Cousins book. Latest creation: cashew cream with cinnamon
and agave nectar, yum! Today I am soaking oat groats to
make Raven raw cookies.

I was also inspired by reading Barbara Kingsolver's book
Animal Vegetable Miracle, which describes the adventures
of Barbara, her husband and two daughters living only on
food grown within a 100 mile radius from their home. So
I'm also focusing on buying as much local, organic produce
as possible. I've loved talking to the farmer's who grow the
food (we have a wonderful farm just down the road from us.)
We are also part of a cooperative that buys produce and
meats from local farmers; we get an order from them every
two weeks. It is a joy to go online (www.bountifulsprout.com)
and order what is fresh from the local farmers, then pick it up
in a large bushel basket on Wednesdays.

Raven still drinks milk in his tea, and I still love rice, we are
still eating bananas from Puerto Rico, and it has been fun to
incorporate more mindfulness and new habits into our world.

One other thing I just did that is making me very happy is to buy
a bunch of glass canning jars to store food in, rather than using
plastic. I can then also fill these directly at the store from the bulk
bins, saving on plastic bags (if you do this make sure to weigh
themfirst and write down the tare, so it can be subtracted from the
totalweight.) I also just bought a $12 bottle of cheap wine just for
theglass bottle! So now I can keep this bottle in my car, refill it
easilyat Whole Foods, and use it to top off my smaller glass
water bottlesthat I'm carrying around. Less plastic makes me
VERY happy!

Here are some photos of the growing garden and of T and my
canningproject this weekend. Regular canned tomatoes, italian
stewed tomatoes(garlic, onions, tomatoes and basil basil basil!)
mexican stewed tomatoes(with HOT jalapenos), and four types of
pesto: regular, jalapeno, magic (jalapenos and homemade
sundried tomatoes) and vegan pesto.

The garden photos are taken near dusk.... my favorite time to garden!

Stay healthy this flu season! Probiotics, Wellness Formula or AirBorne, Colloidial Silver, and eating healthy will help keep your immune system strong. And respect the flu virus. It has the capacity to travel by air (when someone near you coughs or sneezes) and can also live from 2 to 8 hours on surfaces. So wash those hands, give coughing and sneezing people a wide berth (and your love!) and be mindful.

Blessings!

Gardening in the Dark

Blessed Fall Equinox!

I have a new passion:  Gardening at night.

My batch of baby mustard greens, collards, chard, and cabbage starts that needed nestled into the earth before the forecasted rain. It was too hot during the day, so after class Tuesday night I put on my my camping headlamp, slipped on my gardening clogs, and planted under the stars.

Under the still covering of darkness, the world is wonderfully alien and new. The eyes of teeny tiny spiders glow in bright pairs, reflecting blue-green as I pass the beam of my flashlight over the ground. I can only focus on one thing at a time, peering through a window of illumination from the light on my forehead.

I laid out all the plants on their new beds where I thought they should live, and then dug them into the freshly turned soil, rich with compost and blood meal and cottonseed meal.

There is very, very little soil where we live, since we are up on the top of a ridge that was once under a vast sea. So two years ago we trucked soil in, and an apprentice build me beautiful stone beds. Now under the beam of my light they make a soft, smooth contrast to the dark soil.

Once the plants were tucked in I watered them deeply and sent them love for their first night of freedom. Raven slept, an owl called in the distance. Peace.

At four a.m. I woke up to the joyful sound of rain and snuck downstairs, past the sleeping dog. I put on my raincoat so I could go out and giggle with the plants and relish the rain washing everything clean, bringing life. Roots spreading down, leaves drinking in each drop.

Here are before and after pictures.... I had let the garden go completely this summer, since it was sooo hot and dry. It was surprising to see what survived: one eggplant, a few zinnias, the thai basil. When I was turning the soil I was gifted with quite a few potatoes that popped out of the depths. I made corn and potato chowder with them; so sweet! I look forward to many fresh greens in the not too distant future.

The Little Red Heart Car

About seven months ago Joe Vitale asked me in an email, "Are you ready to use your mind to attract any car you want?"

I clicked on the link http://www.attractanewcar.com/ and scrolled through the pages and pages of writings and testimonials. It felt a bit hyped up, but I recognized the solid principles behind Joe's words.

And the truth was, I really did need a car. Raven and I had been sharing our green 2000 Honda CRV for years, and it was time for us to have our own individual wheels.

As read the last I-attracted-the-car-of-my-dreams-in-one-day testimonial, I thought, "Well, I'm good at manifesting. I'll just intend to call in a new car." Manifestation is all about getting clear with the feeling state you want, so I kept building in detail about what it would feel like to have my new car. My anchor was of a driving a convertible with the wind streaming through my hair and a smile on my face. My neighbor, BillieLee, has a little rabbit convertible that I have coveted ever since I first rode in it, and I used it as my inspiration.

Another part of my intent was that it had to be no money down and very low payments. "Definitely not too likely, but why not?" I thought.

Then I let it go.

A week later my mom called and said, "I've decided I am going to give you my car." Boom. Not a convertible, but suddenly I was gifted a beautiful, reliable, silver "adult" car. Ah, with a sun roof. Perfect.

I still held my vision of a convertible, without attachment, which is one of the main secrets of the law of attraction.

About three months ago my neighbor, Zaneta, asked me, "Do you know anyone who could use a car? I really want to get that out of here." She pointed out the window to a neglected, dusty car in her yard, overgrown with weeds.

Since my mom's car was overheating and acting up a bit, and I figured I could always pass Zaneta's car on to someone else in need, I said "Yes, I would be happy to take it."

At that time I didn't realize that, you guessed it, the car was a convertible. A red convertible. She was a twenty-two year old mare who had been "ridden hard and put up wet," as they say, but she sported a white rag top.

Brian, our neighborhood's car guru, worked on her and managed to get her running after lots of lubricants and replacing the alternator. Trisha picked up the car and drove it up to my house, so when I got home from Mexico my new car was parked in front.

After unpacking and settling into my house a bit I was ready to take the red mare for a ride.

First things first; top down. After a bit of creaking, manouvering, and pushing the top nestled flat against the trunk. Good.

Key in ignition. Clutch in. Turn key counterclockwise. But I was not rewarded with any engine revving sound, only silence. Not even a click or a hum.

Dang. I took a breath, tried again. Then closed my eyes and felt into "What is wrong?"

Dead battery was the answer that arose in my brain. I looked and noticed that the lights had been left on.

Okay, that I can fix! After a few phone calls I located some jumper cables, and neighbor Laura walked them over. After searching a bit for the Lincoln's battery (it is actually in the trunk!) and calling a friend to verify which cable to put on first, I had everything hooked up.

Except I couldn't find the keys. Twenty minutes and much searching later, I retracked my steps to our RV, where I had gone initially to look for jumper cables.

Key in ignition. Clutch in. Turn key counterclockwise. And still the little red car wouldn't start.

I took a deep breath, and decided to leave everything running for a bit.

And then I did the most logical next step: I went inside and washed dishes.

For me, washing dishes is one of the ultimate mind-cleaning activities. Sudsy water and intent bubble into the crevices of the mind and dissolve crust and goo. And the dishes get clean, too! What a deal.

As I soaped and rinsed plates, I asked "What is going on here?" and shut down my internal dialogue so I could listen into the silence for an answer.

The reply: There was heavy energy around the car because Zaneta had bought it from her ex-husband. Their relationship was as tumultuously messy as a muddy, debris-filled river that overflows its banks and deposits dirt and sticks on all the nearby first-story floors.

"Ah, I can work with that," I said outloud.

So I waited. I prayed. I did ho'oponopono (a Hawaiian clearing system) http://www.zerolimits.com. And when I felt clear I rinsed the last dish, dried my hands, and went and started the car.

As I drove the little red car up and down our areas' curvaceous hills, I made a vow to help Zaneta clear her relationship "karma" whenever I drove her car. And to help all women to not compromise their strength and vision by getting into relationships that do not support their beauty and power.

Zaneta gave me the little red car because she was cleaning out her past. She died last month after a long fight against the cancer that had spread throughout her body. She never had the opportunity to clear out her stuck places and attract a mate that matched her fierce love of spirit and her bright shine.

But I have. So my final gift to Zaneta is to drive her little red car with love and use my intent, love, and prayers to clean out any unprocessed, heavy energy Zaneta, and all women, are carrying around relationships.

I know she would have done the same for me.

So this little red car is not only a manifestation of an intent I set last year. It is now a power object, a heart car, an anchor for equal, supportive, magical relationships. I love multi-tasking.

Blessings and love to Zaneta B. Matkowska. Sister, may you travel lightly. Thank you for your gifts.