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Soulcare is only using natural cleaning products, 80% plus organic foods and we limit the environmental toxins as far as we can to provide the healing platform set my Owner and Healer Omar Botha.
You may have heard about different ways our environment is polluted, but you may be surprised to find out about some of the specific poisons in our environments that can hinder us from overcoming symptoms and conditions and slow down our healing process. This article will show you how to protect yourself against these destructive forces. Know that there is much you can do to heal, no matter how many of these you are exposed to.
Environmental Issues Inside the Home
Allergies, monthly headaches during your menstrual cycle, asthma, eczema, anxiety, fatigue, hair loss, brain fog, confusion, weakness, aches and pains, and a host of other health issues can all be exacerbated by environmental issues.
With all of the triggers I’ll discuss, please don’t worry if you are in a circumstance where you cannot avoid or eliminate the trigger. Know that you can make the best choices you’re able to protect yourself in other ways, such as through food choices or with supplements.
Carpet Chemicals
Brand new carpet contains solvents, fungicides, and other toxic chemicals, which can trigger seasonal-affective-disorder-like symptoms and other conditions and symptoms connected with any active or inactive viruses you have. For example, if you have Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and you’re exposed to the chemicals found in new carpets, a host of symptoms and conditions may arise, such as fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Lyme disease, aches and pains, brain fog, migraines, Hashimoto’s, psoriasis or asthma.
Conventional carpet cleaners typically use a large number of different solvent chemicals mixed into a single, toxic brew. People don’t realize that the freshly cleaned carpets they’re walking on barefoot or letting their children play on have been saturated in a harmful solution. The solvents and chemicals found inside freshly cleaned carpets can trigger viruses in people’s bodies, such as EBV.
Another problem is that older carpets especially tend to begin breaking down and can harbor mold.
Soulcare only uses natural cleaning products!
Paint
Be cautious and mindful of painting projects inside the home. Fresh paint can have a negative impact on your health, and it takes time for paint fumes to dissipate. Viral and bacterial conditions are more easily triggered when someone is living in a freshly painted space.For example, streptococcus could be triggered, which could result in a health-related difficulties including SIBO, sinus congestion, UTIs, styes, and acne. If possible, use low-VOC paint.
Mold
Mold can be present in a variety of places. Different types of black mold that may appear inside the walls, underneath the kitchen sink, or other places around the home can trigger serious health symptoms and conditions. Black mold can be a major trigger for neurological viruses that create Lyme disease symptoms, a variety of multiple sclerosis, or a host of other health-related issues.
Water
From brushing your teeth to washing your hands to soaking in the tub after a busy day, you’re constantly encountering varying qualities of water. Many people know to avoid drinking tap water whenever possible. If you cannot afford a high-quality water filter, even a semi-decent filtration system can offer some benefits.
When you run a bath or step into the shower, you’re often bathing in chlorine and fluoride. These substances are not ideal for your health or healing. I worked with one client who developed chronic fatigue because of constant exposure to chlorine while showering, on top of an Epstein-Barr virus. After addressing the chlorine, the fatigue reduced by 75%.
We are only using borehole water for showers and it is all tested and filtered to Soulcare's standards.
Air
Every state in the U.S. has areas that are specifically designated for agricultural use. In many of these areas, workers lay down hundreds of billions of pounds of plastic throughout rows of produce. These often white (but sometimes black) colored row covers are vastly different than the row covers you may use in your backyard garden to provide protection and pest control.
These toxic plastic row covers blanket thousands of acres of crops throughout the U.S. and in other countries, and they’re sprayed multiple times a week with rodenticides, herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides. The barrels these chemicals come from display a unique variety of hazard label, which is a large skull and bones, and the mixture that’s eventually sprayed on the crops is concocted in a massive containment unit. The people who cover these plastics with those toxic chemicals have to wear hazmat suits to protect themselves.
Once the conventional crops are ready to be harvested, the plastics are gathered and burned. During this process, dangerous furans take to the air. Burning plastic by itself can be toxic, but this becomes an even greater issue because of the high levels of pesticides, fungicides, rodenticides, and herbicides covering these plastics. This hidden practice is wreaking havoc on people’s lives, but it’s slipping under the radar of experts and environmentalists.
Communities
If you live in a gated community, retirement complex, condo, or other communal space, you are likely exposed to rampant pesticide use. The hundreds of pounds of pesticides used on lawns, bushes, and other greenery in these community spaces affect people who live in these places. These chemicals are also carried by the wind so they have adverse effects on people outside the community.
Golf Courses, Parks, and Lawns
Lethal fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides cover most golf courses, and most people who play on these courses will suffer some negative health consequences because of it. Not only are your feet, ankles, and legs exposed to tremendous amounts of pesticides and herbicides, but you’re breathing in these toxins as well.
Parks and sports fields are also heavily sprayed with chemicals. It’s unfortunate that places that bring joy to so many families can be highly toxic.
For your health, reconsider spraying your lawn with an herbicide or treating the inside or outside of your home with insecticide.
New Cars, Furniture, and Clothes
Toxic solvents create that new car smell and can linger in a vehicle and cause problems for up to six months. If you have allergies or chemical sensitivities and you get a new car, know that you may suffer with these symptoms more during the first few months after your purchase.
If you buy a new piece of furniture, it’s likely laced with fungicides and nanotechnology. It may also have a smell, which is due to the high-level of solvents typically found in new fabrics. Even if the furniture doesn’t smell, solvents are still usually present. Due to the toxic nature of the solvents, simply sitting on a new piece of furniture could slow down someone’s healing.
Whenever you purchase new clothes, blankets, towels, quilts, or other bedding, wash them before you wear them. Many of these new pieces have been saturated with formaldehyde, fungicide, and other toxic chemicals. Avoid traditional dry cleaners as well, as the toxic chemicals used at these places can hinder healing.
Detergents and Hair Care Products
When doing laundry, it’s important to use a natural detergent. Conventional detergents usually contain petrol oil, which may slow healing efforts.
Be mindful of the products you use, including creams, gels, sprays, and hair products. One past client returned to my office because her headaches had come back after a three-month respite. Spirit told me the client was using a different, more toxic brand of hairspray. My client confirmed this was the case.
No Hair Care Products are allowed at the lodge. You will all receive your Natural hair care products in each Chalet.
Perfumes and Colognes
Perfumes and colognes should be avoided whenever possible. Chemical compounds used in perfumes and colognes have the same chemical compound construction as particular pesticides and herbicides.
Perfumes and colognes are so toxic that simply breathing in the cologne or perfume of another colleague at work on a daily basis can set your healing back slightly.
If you’re hesitant to give up your perfume or cologne, switch to some high-quality essential oils. Essential oils can give you a wonderful fragrance without exposing you to toxins.
Air Fresheners
Plug-in air fresheners, like perfumes and colognes, possess the same chemical compound construction as certain pesticides and herbicides. Remove and toss any plug-in air fresheners or sprays. Air fresheners are so harmful that moving into a place where air fresheners were once used can actually slow down someone’s healing for a period of time.
How are Soulcare Protecting You?
Here are a few simple tips to help protect your and your loved ones:
Organic
We only Choose organic produce when possible. Animal products, are antibiotic-free, grass-fed meats and free-range chicken.
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Sustainability takes center stage at Soulcare, where a dedicated conservation team works to incorporate preservation processes into nearly every aspect of the lodge’s operation—from food composting and using energy-efficient lighting to recycling bath water for irrigation purposes.
The African style dwellings are air conditioned, with each bedroom having its own en-suite bathroom. Serengeti Safari Lodge welcomes families & has a luxurious swimming pool in the camp.
The Exclusive Entabeni Lodge is situated within the renowned 22 000ha Big 5 malaria-free, Entabeni Safari Conservancy. Known for its dramatic scenery, mesmerizing mountains & diverse wildlife, this luxury lodge is the ideal retreat to discover the secrets of the soul and the African Bush.
Entabeni Safari Conservancy, rightfully dubbed "The Place of the Mountain", is situated in the World Heritage Waterberg Biosphere. Approximately a three-hour drive north of Johannesburg, this 22 000 hectare malaria-free reserve boasts five eco-systems. A gravel road leads up to this Big 5 reserve, complemented by five different lodges. Each lodge comprises a unique blend of luxury and African wilderness, perfectly set in different immaculate locations of the reserve. The upper escarpment offers majestic craggy rock formations and wide-open grass plains. This is separated from the lower plateau by 600m high cliffs. The lower escarpment is approximately three degrees warmer and comprises of "sandveld" vegetation and a series of wetlands. It is a place where the lion still reigns as king and Mother Nature still mesmerizes with her power and beauty. Your modern African adventure starts here!
Lodge Features
- Onsite organic garden yielding fresh produce for lodge meals
- Natural ppols with no use of chemicals
- Organic cleaning products
- Organic amenities
- Organic Spa appointed with airy treatment rooms, a steam room, and meditation lounge
- Organic Wine selection
- Free Wi-fi throughout the lodge
- Boutique featuring local souvenirs and handicrafts
- Solar borreholes and busy going of the Eskom Grid
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6 Health Benefits of Eating Organic Food @ Soulcare Retreat.
Organic food is a pretty controversial subject in health and wellness these days, with people having various opinions about the subject. Some claim that organic is the only way to eat if you want to maintain good health, others however promise that this is just a marketing trick to be able to sell food at a higher cost and nothing more. Today, we wish to try and demystify these claims by bringing up some facts about real, science-backed benefits of eating organic food.
1. Less Exposure to Pesticides
Mass-produced food is usually laden with all sorts of pesticides, some of them of artificial origin. There have been numerous studies about the effects of pesticides on human and animal health, and some of them have proven that exposure to pesticides in certain amounts can actually lead to learning disorders in children, can impair the function of one’s nervous system and increase the chances of breast cancer. Organic food is usually grown without the use of pesticides, so by eating organic you avoid these risks entirely.
2. Healthy Fats
Fats get a bad rep in nutrition these days, but the truth is that they’re absolutely essential to maintaining proper health. Monosaturated fats like omega-6 and omega-3 are something that the human body cannot produce on its own, and they’re very important for proper brain function so it’s crucial that you get enough of them. Healthy fats can be found in animals sources such as fish, but also in various plant food such as dragon fruit. Studies have shown that organic foods contain more of these fats than their mass-produced counterparts, so if you care about healthy fats, it may be time to switch to organic.
3. More Antioxidants
An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the oxidization of other molecules. This leads to a number of health benefits, most significantly preventing the formation of tumor cells, and therefore cancer. A recent study conducted by the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry proved that onions that were raised organically had a 20% increase in antioxidants compared to those that were not. Additionally, some rare foods very high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants (such as romanesco, or starfruit) are often only found in organic orchards and plantations, so going organic is pretty much the only way you can get them.
4. No Antibiotic Resistance
Mass produced meat like beef, pork and chicken is usually laden with all sorts of antibiotics – this is because farmers feed them to livestock in appalling amounts in order to prevent disease, since the animals are often kept in rather unsanitary conditions. The problem is that these antibiotics stay in the meat, and consuming this kind of meat often can make your body actually become resistant to antibiotics.
This is bad because when you actually do get sick from a bacterial infection, the antibiotics won’t be as effective and this can lead to serious health complications. Organic meat, on the other hand, comes from animals that 99% of the time do not receive antibiotics during their lives, so this risk is basically non-existent.
5. No Diseased Meat
While you are speaking for meat, even though mass-produced meats are theoretically kept safe from disease through the use of antibiotics, that doesn’t mean that animals living in unsanitary conditions are healthy. It doesn’t happen often, but you can end up with food poisoning if you come across meat from an animal that was sick before it was slaughtered. If this is something that you want to avoid, switching to organic meat is probably a good idea.
6. No GMO
Finally, let’s briefly touch on the oh-so-controversial subject of GMO. Although it hasn’t been absolutely proven yet that GMO introduces health risks, there have been some unofficial studies that suggest it might lead to an increased chance of cancer. Even if this is not true, GMO is still a relatively new branch in the industry, so there is a lot we don’t know about it, yet – especially when it comes to long-term health complications.
Conclusion
As you can see, there is definitely quite a number of reasons why you should try to introduce more organic food into your diet, especially if you care about your long-term health. To sum up, eating organic helps you stay away from pesticides, antibiotic-laden meat, GMO, and introduces more healthy fats and antioxidants into your diet. So stay organic, and your body will thank you for it with optimal health in the long run.
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Make your wedding ceremony a testament to your love
Your wedding day is one of the most important events in your life and it requires a professional Officiant who recognises that importance.
At Spiritual Weddings we are dedicated to meeting your needs and to making sure that your ceremony is personal to you.
What does it mean to be spiritual but not religious? When interviewing couples who use this term to describe themselves, I ask what this term means to them. Typically, they say things like "we consider ourselves to be good people, but we don't follow any particular religion" or "we believe in some kind of creator or God but not the way God is defined in the major world religions" or "I'm not really sure -- we believe there is something more to life than the physical, but don't know what that is or how to talk about it."
Deepen Your Relationship with God
- Meditate
Meditation quiets your mind, calms your senses and opens your heart. Through the spiritual science of meditation, you can experience the peace of direct personal contact with God.
Meditation is not an emptying of the mind. It is the highest form of concentration in which the mind is focused entirely on God. Do not be discouraged if your attention drifts and worldly thoughts intrude. Simply begin again as if you had just begun. Continue your practice faithfully, with no expectations, and cherish whatever blessings come your way.
Briefly sit in silence and solitude after completing your practice in order to build a bridge of serenity between your meditation and the impatient world that awaits your return.
In time, with enough patience and practice, you will be able to access a deep inner stillness wherever you happen to be, no matter what is happening around you.
But enriching your inner life is only half the equation. If the peace and unconditional love you feel in meditation is not expressed through your every action, then you are not truly living a spiritual life. The goal of meditation is not to avoid the world, but to live in it more consciously and fully in ways that serve humanity.
Religion vs. Spirituality: What Is the Difference?
For thousands of years, humanity has passionately pursued the Truth with a capital T—the ultimate answers to life and the universe. This perennial knowledge constitutes the answers to what are often called the soul questions:
- Who am I?
- What do I want?
- What is my purpose?
- What is the meaning of life?
Historically, from the perspective of the soul, there have been two foundational routes to discover these truths: religion and spirituality. Although they have many similarities, there are differences between religion and spirituality.
Religion: By definition, religion is a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices; the service and worship of God or the supernatural.
Spirituality: Spirituality, on the other hand, connotes an experience of connection to something larger than you; living everyday life in a reverent and sacred manner. Or as Christina Puchalski, MD (leader in trying to incorporate spirituality into healthcare), puts it, “Spirituality is the aspect of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and express meaning and purpose and the way they experience their connectedness to the moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or sacred."
Origins of Religions and Spirituality
Religion: Religions are most often based upon the lives, teachings, and beliefs of a historical or archetypal figure (e.g.,
Christ, Buddha, Moses, Krishna, Muhammad). The details of their lives as holy or highly evolved beings have been carried to us across the mists of time through oral tradition and written scriptures. These figures are the subject of worship and devotion and form the foundation of religious practices and rituals.
Spirituality: By contrast, spirituality is more often based upon the practical application of the founder’s teachings. Spiritual aspirants heed the advice of Japanese poet Matsuo Basho, “Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought.”
The Lines Blur
If you feel these definitions get blurry and cross into each other’s territory, you’re not alone. For example, you may know people who consider themselves spiritual, but not religious. Conversely, there can be individuals who are devoutly religious but are not what most would consider deeply spiritual.
Let’s try to clear things up by taking a closer look at the most defining differences between religious and spiritual paths. Bear in mind that there are no absolutes in these distinctions. They are merely general markers meant to better explore the qualities between two equally valid approaches to seeking the truth.
Objective vs. Subjective Experience
Religion: On the whole, a formal religion is often an objective experience. In other words, there is usually a greater focus on the externals:
- Houses of worship (e.g., a church)
- Books of scripture
- Eternal rituals
- Observances
This is the equivalent of object-referral in which your attention is placed upon the objects in your experience.
Spirituality: Spirituality, however, leans more toward self-referral or the internalization of your awareness of your soul. Spirituality is an inward journey that involves a shift in awareness rather than some form of external activity. As such, spirituality is much more about inner understanding than outer worship. This is not to say that worship is not a part of spirituality; it’s a matter of where the devotion and worship are directed:
- To an external practice, object, or figurehead
- To your soul, higher self, or divinity within
Organized vs. Formless
Religion: One of the hallmarks of religion is its organization. It is a structured, frequently rule-based construct that to some degree governs the behavior of its members. Moral rules, laws, and doctrines, as well as specific codes and criteria, create the organized structure that contains the religion’s specific belief system. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In previous, more uncertain times, the rules and dogma of organized religion helped to give society a sense of certainty and helped to guide and comfort those whose faith was lacking.
Spirituality: Spirituality though, breaks free from the restrictions and rigid structure sometimes associated with traditional religion. The spiritual aspirant recognizes that he or she is on a “pathless path” of self-discovery. They are following not a set of external rules, but their own inner call to spirit. In this way, spirituality can sometimes feel like a rebellious act of going solo and leaving the tribe, very much in the spirit of American philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson when he said, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
Traditional vs. Evolutionary Approach
Religion: Due to their centuries- to millennia-old histories, religions are by nature often deeply rooted in tradition, ritual, creed, and doctrine. Religious institutions conservatively guard their practices and values, holding rigidly to the past and the original interpretations of the founder’s teachings. This is understandable in that all religions wish to preserve the essence of their teachings so they may be accurately transmitted through history.
Spirituality: By comparison, spirituality is often less focused on the rigidly traditional approach and often favors an evolutionary mentality. This refers to both a more flexible and adaptive mindset toward core teachings of the great wisdom traditions but also reflects the understanding that, as the name implies, spiritual growth is an evolutionary process. Spirituality embraces change and the evolution of consciousness. With spiritual practice, ideas and interpretations change as individuals, societies, and the world move forward.
Exclusive vs. Inclusive
Religion: Traditional religious belief systems, sometimes based upon rigid interpretations of key teachings, can create an exclusive worldview that isolates those who may not share their views or interpretations. Sadly, this religious “in-group” mentality can be used to justify the exclusion of minorities or those deemed unworthy of God’s favor.
Spirituality: Spirituality makes no such distinctions. Instead, it favors an inclusive approach. In the recognition that pure spirit is a unifying force, no one is left out. You are part of the universal hologram, all gods and goddesses in disguise. As Krishna explains in the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, verse 11: “As men approach me, so I receive them. All paths Arjuna, lead to me.”
In other words, from a spiritual perspective, no one has a monopoly on the truth. All are welcome in God’s eyes.
Belief vs. Experience
Religion: At its core, religion is about faith. That is to say, belief in something based upon unconditional acceptance of the religion’s teachings. Unlike the scientific worldview, religions don’t require evidence to validate their claims. Through religion, you are taught to have faith in God or the scriptures as being the infallible and ultimate truth of reality. Acceptance and surrender to the divine are taught as the path that leads to ultimate salvation.
Spirituality: Spirituality doesn’t dismiss faith; however, it often leans more heavily on direct experience of the soul or divinity. Practices such as meditation, yoga, silence, and contemplation allow you to make conscious contact with more expanded states of consciousness, thus helping to experientially validate the teachings rather than accepting them on faith alone. You know something because you have tasted the experience yourself as opposed to taking the word of another.
Fear vs. Love
Religion: Despite the best of intentions, religions can sometimes contain a subtle (or not so subtle) undercurrent of fear woven into their teachings. The concepts of original sin, divine judgement, God’s wrath, or eternal punishment can create a mental environment burdened in worry and anxiety over your worthiness and whether your actions will result in divine retribution or karmic punishment. Your fate in the afterlife can loom like a specter in the back of your mind, subtly influencing your thoughts and behavior.
Spirituality: By contrast, spirituality typically discards the vestiges of fear and worry in favor of a more loving, compassionate approach to life—and death. Spirituality embraces a consciousness-based worldview that supports all beings on their path to awakening in unconditional love. Your choices and behavior are guided not by fear of punishment, but rather by a desire to end suffering and create a peaceful and loving world for all.
As you can see, there are noticeable distinctions between spirituality vs. religion; however, these comparisons aren’t meant to be absolutes or an attempt to polarize one against the other. Religious and spiritual beliefs differ in the ways in which they are practiced. However, each practice serves as a vehicle to lead you closer to the truth you seek. Whichever path or combination of the two you follow is the personal and subjective expression of your journey of awakening.
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Check out the infographic "Why Grasslands Are Important" and find out why grasslands are an important ecosystem that is essential to your health and the environment.