Perpetuating the use of radical knowledge, subversion, frugality, and creative expression to empower personal healing. Created by, Kathy Fitzpatrick & Lucinda Hodges.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Happy Birthday, Rachel Carson, The Gentle Subversive


Book By, Mark Hamilton Lytle, Oxford University Press 2007
Book Review, By Lucinda Hodges




"Each person has the right to be secure in his own home against
the intrusion of poison's applied by other persons."
Rachel Carson, May 1963

What is most striking to me about Rachel Carson, having just read Lylte's concise profile of her life, is how frail her health was during the time she was writing Silent Spring, how nearly the infamous book was not written at all, and how closely Carson's illnesses mirrored what would today would be described as an environmental illness.

Any person coping with the daily struggles of balancing work, family, and health problems will be inspired by Mark Lylte's portrayal of Rachel Carson. His biography brings her to life and reveals how she dealt with ordinary obligations while accomplishing extraordinary tasks that have withstood the test of time. His book is a quick read, well referenced, and divides Carson's life into seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. I think she would have approved.

Clearly, Rachel Carson was an uncommon woman. Born on May 27th, 1907, she defied the conventions of her time and choose a career in science. She never married. Her early books about ecology and the sea earned her national recognition. But, it was her final book dubbed the, “Poison Book,” by her best friend and confident, Dorothy Freeman, that earned her the legacy as the, “Mother of the Environmental Movement.”

Author, Mark Hamilton Lylte, writes, “The more I learned about Carson --- The environmentalist, career woman, scientist, animal-rights activist, faithful daughter and beloved aunt, female role model, devoted friend, gifted writer, and political dissenter --- the more interesting she became. Her struggle to write Silent Spring while fighting against cancer was inspirational. The battle she waged against the male dominated science establishment was truly heroic.”

And Carson was a true heroine. She devoted the last years of her life to personally caring for her invalid mother, adopting her five year old nephew who was orphaned when Carson's sister died suddenly of the flu, and somehow finding the time in between these challenges to research and write Silent Spring. Throughout her life, she always was able to meet her personal and career responsibilities in a manner that was consistent with her convictions and sense of ethics. No small feat.

On June 28, 1958, Carson writes about her health in a letter to her dear friend Dorothy, “we can't lay it all to that my dear, for I was miserable much of the time in Maine last year, even when doing practically nothing.” Carson's letter to Dorothy indicates that she was ill and suffering long before any official diagnosis of cancer. Later on, “The flare-up of a recurring duodenal ulcer forced her into bed for several weeks.... though on many days she could barely leave her bed and wondered “whether the Author even exists anymore.”” Lytle writes, “Despite her intention to work quickly, she could never overcome the limitations imposed by her family and her own mounting health problems.”On December 2nd, 1958, Marion Carson, Rachel's mother, died with Rachel by her bedside holding her hand.

In March,1960, Carson was diagnosed with breast cysts and underwent a mastectomy. At the time, her doctor chose to hide the true nature of her health from her and told her she did not have breast cancer, merely benign tumors. Only later in November did she learn the truth when, she discovered a hard swelling on her left side... her doctor recommended radiation treatments. Immediately after, she came down with the flu that left her bedridden for two weeks. What ensued was a train of woes worthy of Job. A minor bladder infection gave way to blood poisoning. Antibiotics brought on painful phlebitis that left her knee and ankle painfully swollen. Unable to stand, much less walk, she was confined to a wheelchair. For over a month writing was impossible.”

In typical Carson fashion she rallies and brings the focus of her mind to bear upon her book, Silent Spring. Lylte writes, With her project on track, Carson suffered what she considered, “the most frustrating and maddening,” of all of her ailments. In late November she contracted a case of severe iritis, an inflammation of the irises in her eyes. For two weeks she was nearly blind.”

Silent Spring, was at last published in the summer of 1962. Her book created a firestorm of controversy. Despite her failing health Carson met the firestorm with candor, grace, and the firmness of her facts. She testified before Congress on, June 4th, 1963, I hope the government will fully support research on new methods of pest control in which chemical use will be minimized or entirely eliminated. One of the outstanding values of biological controls for insect pests is that they are specifically adapted to a particular species or group of species. We must search, not for a super weapon that will solve all problems, but for a diversity of options, each precisely adjusted to its task.”

Mark Lylte concludes his book on Carson with these insightful words, "Rachel Carson grew up in an America whose leaders preached that the nation had achieved greatness by conquering and controlling nature. How then could they accept a woman who challenged them to be respectful of nature, to recognize the limits of their own understanding, and to seek out the mystery and wonder of the unknown? They were, after all, practical men. Rachel Carson urged them to be men of vision.” 
 
Rachel Carson died at home on April 14th, 1964, at the age of 56.


To learn about more about the legacy of Rachel Carson's work check out these websites:

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Thoughts on Subversion, By Kathy Fitzpatrick


"Using one plant at a time is a subversive act, a reclaiming of simple health care."
-Susun Weed 





This summer i took my health into my own hands.  And with these hands
make my own medicine, work the rows between my vegetables, nourish and tend the food that in return nourishes me back to health. I am empowered. In so doing i am no longer being ruled  by the medias' "intelligent" sabotage, i am opting out of a no longer working medical system.  I am no longer part of a population that has been dumbed down by glossy magazine ads and slick media presentations or the lies perpetuated by the government, FDA and pharma/chema companies. 

Everything in my healing protocol is an act of subversion. Something as simple as my morning jar of nettle infusion, a liver flush and coffee enema, the four gallons of kombucha blissfully brewing on top of my fridge, the kim chi, and sauerkraut, chopped up and fermented, bursting with vitamins, a new batch of kefir grains, an ion cleanse foot bath.  All are subversive, because i do them myself, for myself, without the support or permission of the medical industrial complex.   

Today more than ever,  these simple acts of survival are perpetuating the use of radical knowledge, subversion, frugality and creative expression.  There is a satisfaction from crafting my own medicine, from growing my own food whether it's sprouts on the kitchen counter or food in my backyard garden.  There is a feeling of empowerment that can be used to promote a collective awareness against the tactics used by modern mega corporations.  There is deep pleasure in going against the political grain, of following the beat of my own heart instead of the beat of an institution that is failing us.

We have a right to time honored simple healing.  A right constantly under assault against indigenous people all over the world.  An assault that takes place in this country against any practicing doctor or healer who dares speak out against those in power.  Good health isn't just for the rich or those lucky enough to have insurance.  It's for everyone.  When we take our health back into our own two hands, where it belongs, we take back a part of the earth.  And as we heal, so heals the earth.  












Spring Time Rituals, By Kathy Fitzpatrick


Science has never drummed up quite as effective 
a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day.
W. Earl Hall



It's spring! We have made it through the darkness of winter and into the light. This is the time to renew hopes and dreams, honor new growth and open ourselves to the unlimited possibilities and miracles of the season. As we take time to honor the changes in the earth we see that even though the season is the same year after year, we are not the same. We have grown and with growth comes change. Spring is an invitation to plant the seeds of intention. Spring is a dance where we plant the seeds to cultivate our lives. It's a time to clear out the old and bring in the new. The Equinox is a time to get rid of the old beliefs that weigh us down and create barriers to healing. It's a time to bring balance into our lives, eat fresh green plants and celebrate the rebirth of earth!

Spring is a time to let go of the control we try to have over our lives and just let go! It's a time for spontaneity, to let the child in you come out to play. Here are a few simple spring rituals ......




1. Create a spring altar by collecting bits of nature to bring inside the house to enjoy.
 

2. Start a journal.


3. Spend more time connecting with the earth, start a garden whether it's in a actual plot or in containers.


4. Simplify your life, clear out the clutter.
 

5. Make appropriate dietary changes. (see recipe below for a refreshing spring beverage)
 

6. Enjoy a bath with sea salts.


7. Renew or begin a daily mediation practice.


8. Begin a daily 15 minute ritual of yoga.


9. Indulge in a "do nothing" day.


10. For increased health and vitality discover your plant ally, it's probably growing right outside your door!

Outside Looking In, A Reading by Kathy Fitzpatrick



Who are you? 

I am the one that forces you to keep your distance.  I am the one who keeps you away from your family.  I am the one that keeps your friends away because it's too "difficult" to be around you.  I am the one who tests your patience.  I am the one that ebbs and flows.  I am the one only you can feel and  no one can see.  I am the parasite that came to suck the life out of you.  I am the one who makes people think you're crazy.  I am the one who changed the course of your life, I am your new spiritual path. 

What do you have to give me? 


After a lifetime of speaking up for others I force you to speak up for yourself in order to survive.  I give you the gift of time for creative pursuits and time to enjoy your home and garden.  I have taken away your old life as a rat on a  tread mill and have given you large expanses of time to be.

What do you want from me? 

I want you to speak up for yourself.  I want you to know when people lay their trip on you it's really all about them.  I want you to question everything and then go deep inside yourself for answers.  I want you to stay away from energy vampires and people who live in fear.  I want you to rest, eat well, exercise, and to continue creating new life out of the rubble of your old life. 

Is there anything else you have to tell me? 

Yes, i am not the enemy and chemicals aren't the only thing that are toxic.  People can also be extremely toxic, be wary of those who are mired in a life of fear and implement censorship.

How will I remember? 

Everytime you enter a space and have to leave you will remember.  When you're around family or  friends or loved and have to leave because someone "forgot", you will remember.  Whenever someone says it's "all in your head" you will remember. 

An Interview with Kathy Fitzpatrick about her new enterprise, Empowered Goddess


Attitude is everything so you might as well have a good one!
Kathy can you share with our readers what you have been doing to improve your health while Pariah, A Healing Journal has been on hiatus? On August 31st i completed 92 days of a 92 day juice feast.  According to David Rainoshek, MA, juice feasting "isn’t about abstinence of solids. It’s about an abundance of enzymes, vitamins, minerals and protein in liquid form." Juice feasting is a way to allow the body "to cleanse, rebuild, rehydrate and alkalize by drinking 1 gallon or more of freshly made juices each day of the feast".  It was an incredible, life altering, health promoting experience, really the ultimate urban vision quest. Everyday my body was flooded with an abundance of raw living enzymes and all the vitamins, minerals and proteins it had been missing.  I never once felt hungry because i was juicing between 10-15 pounds of raw organic vegetables and edible weeds on a daily basis. My energy increased exponentially after the 4th day, gone were the days of coming home from my part time job and crashing, there was life after work!  Along with the daily juices i also drank a daily quart of a drink called "the master cleanse", took liquid B-12, MSM, chlorella, hemp oil and when the urge to chew came munched on bee pollen. I also did coffee enemas [not daily], ion cleanse foot baths, a parasite cleanse, body brushing, daily detox showers and used a zapper. To some this may seem over the top, extreme even, but i've always been one to push just beyond the edge of my limits in order to open myself up for the next thing.  In truth, without even knowing it, i had been working toward this feast for a very long time by creating gradual and consistent changes in my diet with the idea of transitioning to raw foods. I am now doing a whole food diet with an emphasis on raw food and have transitioned from juice to green smoothies and the most amazing energy rich food! Which of course means spending lots of time playing in the kitchen creating all kinds of wonderful raw feasts. It's a blast and the increase in my over all health and well being are so amazing i can't possibly begin to express it. And to celebrate, i begin Feldenkrais sessions.
 Feldenkrais Method
Juice Feasting
Raw Reform
Emax Health

Kathy I know your friends have asked, what took you so long to create your own website and showcase your unique and eclectic talents. Can you tell us what inspired you to finally create the Empowered Goddess website? 

Hmmmm, that's funny but you know what they say...."other people's opinions are none of my business!"  The simple reality is, until i did it i wasn't ready.  And truthfully, i've been working on it for a very long time, but it was "inside me" and now it's "outside."

Where does your passion and commitment for taking your health into your own hands come from?

That's easy, frustration with the western model of medicine. After years of knowing something wasn't right and not getting answers i took my health into my own hands and became my own doctor. And so began the process of experimenting with different methods and modalities and fine tuning the nutritional aspects of healing. I became interested in learning about what others have tried but at the same time was not at all interested in emulating them. We are all wonderfully unique, what works for someone else may not work for me. My rule of thumb is, if it doesn't resonate with my own innate wisdom, i don't do it.
 
In spite of illness, in spite even of the archenemy sorrow,
one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration
if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity,
interested in big things,
and happy in small ways.
 
Edith Wharton. 
My commitment and passion comes from REmembering good health and knowing it's my birthright along with a deep rooted refusal to settle for poor health. It also stems from a desire to find economical ways to improve the health i have that transcends the traditional western model. Good health doesn't require health insurance or a doctor, of any kind, other than yourself. There are simple, every day things, that can and do make a difference. It's work, there isn't a magic bullet, however working toward providing the body with what it needs to heal is an incredible act of self-love and discovery.

That is not to say i don't ever go to a doctor or think doctors are bad, i have simply made a conscious decision to only work with those willing to work as a partner in the process. I have a right to be listened to, respected and heard, it is after all my body, my time and my money, i will not squander my resources!
You are the co-creator of this E-Zine. Pariah's mission is, "Perpetuating the use of radical knowledge, subversion, frugality, simple health care and creative expression to empower personal healing from chronic illness and injury." For you, those are not just words on a website, they are a big part of who you are and how you live. How will the Empowered Goddess website be an extension of these ideas and beliefs?  
You know, i'm sure all those things will be included in some way but it's too soon to "know" the how of it. There is a natural progression that happens whenever something is created. Hopefully, as it evolves, the end result will be a lively site filled with a natural flow of information that is as practical as it is thought provoking and everything in between.