 | Editor's Notebook: April 2007Our anniversary.
by Greta deJong
Twenty-five years ago this month, the first issue of CATALYST hit the newsstands, born out of a party and a dare. Who would have guessed we'd be celebrating this most stable and accomplished of anniversaries?
But here we are. Look for reminiscing (and revisits to great old covers) in future issues.
Spring is upon us (though it snows as I write, we can still depend on this) and, pausing for a moment, you're sure to sense the unfurling energy: power of bodies, leaves and seedlings pushing upward and outward. We step outside and feel more alive. It's no coincidence that Earth Day comes in April.
I remember the first Earth Day. I was a senior in high school. I put together a slide show of images from a local auto junkyard. I remember the delirious joy of tramping through tall dead weeds, redwing blackbirds in the gnarled apple trees edging the country fenceline, shooting rusted old Fords and Chevies beneath billowy clouds.
I recall first reading the phrase "greenhouse effect" in the mid-'70s and thinking, "That's crazy." Greenhouse gasses make climate change. And now, 27 years later, we have an additional day devoted specifically to that: April 14, millions of Americans are gathering for the express purpose of catalyzing our elected officials to positive action on issues of human-induced climate change.
Check out the information in this issue, and show up at one or more of Utah's Step it Up events (info online at www.stepitup2007.org).
I just got back from my first-ever visit to Las Vegas-a quickie road trip to see the Tragically Hip at House of Blues, with a few thousand crazy Canucks, allowing me to reconnect with my French-Canadian ancestry.
I was prepared to tolerate Vegas at best. I was not prepared to be smitten by a venue. Yes, I know there are other Houses of Blues. For once, and maybe only once, I'll say it doesn't matter-I love it anyway. "Unity in Diversity" is painted above the stage, along with depictions of the world religions' symbols surrounding the heart logo. On a wall, while wandering, I found "the five Vedic principles of House of Blues: Love, Peace, Truth, Righteousness & Non-Violence." It didn't feel like a mindless commercial gimmick. It felt like somebody knew what they were doing. I am intrigued.
I'm running out of space, but not words. Thank goodness for the Web; I may meet you there if I decide to keep writing, and you want to hear the rest of the story. It's www.catalystmagazine.net, and worth visiting with or without me.
I won't keep you-read all the good stuff in this issue. Let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy this beautiful spring.
Greta Belanger deJong is the editor and publisher of CATALYST. greta@catalystmagazine.net.
(Late addition: At the time that page went to press, we did not have John Renteria's Web address [see p. 20, "Your Guide to the 2007 SLC Mayoral Candidates, Pt. 2, by Zach Abend.] His address is: electrenteria.com.)
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| |  | Don't Get Me Started: Presidential PrerogativesWill Congress and the American people succeed in their efforts "to sap and impurify" the precious presidential prerogatives?
by John deJong
Will Congress and the American people succeed in their efforts "to sap and impurify"* the precious presidential prerogatives?
It's a strange turn of events that the person most directly responsible for upholding the laws of our country has worked the hardest to undermine those very laws. Then again, maybe it's not so strange; every Republican president since Richard Nixon has appointed attorney generals who seek to strengthen the presidency at the expense of the other two branches of our government. My reading of history is that America's strong system of separation of powers and checks and balances was designed to thwart the reign of another king like George the Third.
We are now faced with damning evidence of the abuses of power by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who is essentially the Chancellor (counselor) to another George who fancies himself king.
One conservative pundit thought it unfair to call for Gonzales' resignation because no single thing Gonzales has done has risen, he thought, to a firing offense. But Gonzales' sole purpose in the Bush administration seems to have been to undermine the Constitution and the treaties and conventions to which the United States is a party. Signing letters, extraordinary rendition, secret detention, unauthorized domestic eavesdropping, no right of habeas corpus-Gonzales' fingerprints are all over the Bush administration's most blatant abuses of our constitution. Even the inept FBI, which reports to Gonzales, should be able to trip over enough evidence to indict him for a failure to uphold the Constitution that rises to the level of treason.
I would expect Bush to stand by his man to the bitter end. Bush has always been a "my man, right or wrong" type and expects the same from his minions as well as Congress and the American people.
Bush says he's standing on principle in not allowing Karl Rove, Harriet Miers and other presidential staff to testify to Congress under oath. Which principles would those be? The principles of a dictator? The principles of a spoiled child? The principles of a band of thieves?
Why is it every time a Republican president gets in trouble for abusing the powers of the presidency they invoke "presidential privilege" in their efforts to conceal their abuses? Their interpretation of "presidential privilege" seems to be that no one in the executive branch owes Congress, the courts or the American people any explanation for their actions. And further, that any explanation they do offer can be a pack of lies.
Bush has offered to let Karl Rove, Harriet Miers and others in the loop have conversations with "select" members of the Congressional committees investigating Attorney Generalgate - as long as they aren't "forced" to swear an oath to tell the truth and no recording of the conversations are made.
What's wrong with swearing to tell the truth? The first condition is important to the White House because if Rove and Miers tell the truth about Attorney Generalgate, it'll blow the lid off the whole scandal. Political operatives in the White House were elbow deep in the firings. The second condition is important because it allows Bush royalists in Congress to dispute any information that comes out of the conversations.
Monica Goodling, the Justice Department's liaison with the White House, has refused to testify before the Senate Judiciary committee, citing her fifth-amendment right not to incriminate herself. It would be unfair to judge everyone who invokes the fifth as guilty or having something to hide. After all, most people who plead the fifth are nice old grandmothers who never did anything wrong in their lives. Goodling's lawyer stated that Ms. Goodling could not receive a fair hearing before the Senate Judiciary committee. If she can't receive a fair hearing in the Senate where can she? The BYU law school moot court?
Gonzales' defense has been that he delegated the firing to an underling. Do you really believe that firing nearly one in 10 federal prosecutors is something a responsible executive would delegate? The real reason Gonzales delegated such a task was to provide himself with plausible deniability. That old, tried-and-true CIA trick of keeping the scene of the crime free from the fingerprints of upper-level management. Oliver North proved its value in the Iran-Contra scandal during the Reagan/Bush administration when he took the bullet for upper-level management. Everyone in the upper levels of Reagan's administration knew what was going on from the moment Reagan said "make it so," The reason Oliver North was the only person indicted was because Reagan invoked "presidential privilege," and no records of the meetings and conversations where the operation was discussed were available to Congress or prosecutors.
Why is it that whenever Republicans are caught doing something wrong, they accuse Democrats of "playing politics" whenever the wrong-doing is mentioned? With Attorney Generalgate they are essentially saying that there is nothing wrong with playing politics with the federal prosecutor positions across the country-that the people most responsible for seeing justice done are no more than pawns in a political struggle the Bush administration will use any means to win.
It comes down to Bush's boast that he is the decider. Judging by the fanaticism of the palace guard, he has obviously been getting "You're the decider, boss" from a chorus of greasy sycophants. But George and his sycophants have got it wrong; according to our Constitution, no one branch of government is the decider. In America the people are the deciders. Only in a dictatorship are the legislative and judicial branches rubber stamps for the executive branch.
* General Ripper, a machismo madman who fears the degradation of his male potency and sexual functioning, reasons that his actions will forestall the Soviet plot to fluoridate US drinking water: "I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion, and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids."
- from "Dr. Strangelove," 1964
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 | To Sum It Up: A Legacy of FailureAn endless list of bombshells: Is impeachment a mercy exit?
by Gary R. Couillard
President Bush's approval rating has plunged to new depths as his go-it-alone, at-any-cost Iraqi obsession marks its fourth anniversary. On the domestic front, Bush's legacy crumbles with record national debt, escalating home foreclosures, increasing credit card delinquencies, a stalled Katrina disaster recovery, unacceptable care for the war wounded, record energy prices and a hostile Congress.
And another bombshell-in the past three years, the FBI issued 44,000 national security letters authorizing 143,074 secret data requests for telephone, bank and credit card records. According to Inspector General Glenn Fine's report, the FBI may have violated the law or government policies as many as 3,000 times since 2003 as a result of failed management, lack of training and disregard of the law.
It's beyond belief that Homeland Security is investigating thousands and thousands of terrorist sleeper cells. The FBI failed to connect the dots on the nineteen 9/11 terrorists. Even six months after the World Trade Center attack, two of the terrorists were issued student visas for their flight schools. Does Homeland Security even need the private details for tens of thousands of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals residing here? This terrorist fishing expedition sounds more like the 1947 House of Un-American Activities Committee investigation.
It's now apparent that the Bush administration is intent on politicizing federal prosecution. Last December Attorney General Gonzales orchestrated the removal of eight U.S. Attorneys for what clearly appears to be retribution for targeting the investigation of Republicans or for failing to aggressively prosecute Democrats. In a March 21, 2007 NY Times OpEd piece, David Iglesias, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico, detailed the political pressure he received to prosecute Democrats.
Don't be misled that the firing of the U.S. Attorneys has anything to do with the President's prerogative to appoint the 93 U.S. Attorneys. In the normal appointment process, the Senate has oversight approval for all presidential U.S. Attorney appointments. Bush used a clause inserted in the March 2006 Patriot Act reauthorization to appoint loyal Bushies as interim U.S. Attorneys in order to circumvent Senate oversight. For example, Bud Cummins, U.S. Attorney from Arkansas, was investigating a Republican Governor when he was terminated and replaced by Thomas Griffin, a former Karl Rove advisor.
At a news conference last month, Bush professed his allegiance to his Attorney General, meaning that Gonzales will soon find a horse head on his pillow just like previous loyal Bushies did-Paul O'Neil, Colin Powell, Mike Brown (Brownie) and Donald Rumsfeld. Bush wants the public to know the truth so he offered Congress Karl Rove and Harriet Miers as witnesses on conditions that there be no transcript, no television, behind closed doors, no sworn oaths and no access to internal White House emails.
This U.S. Attorney mess reminds me of the time when Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox was discharged by President Nixon to restrict the Watergate investigation. Less than a year later, on August 9, 1974 Nixon became the 1st U.S. President to resign from office. Upon his discharge Archibald Cox uttered this profound statement that is eminently applicable today:
"Whether ours shall continue to be a government of laws and not of men is now for Congress and ultimately the American people to decide."
History is not going to be kind to George Bush-A Legacy of Failure. Impeachment might be a mercy exit for Bush compared to having his administration slowly bleed to death from the Iraqi quagmire, bungled management, national security violations, obstruction of justice, incompetence and an economic downturn.
Gary Couillard is a numbers guy, expert witness and founding CATALYST supporter who wears funny hats and sings with our publisher.
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| |  | Enviro UpdateKeeping up with Utah's Enviro happenings.
Washington Land Use Hearing Scheduled
A congressional hearing on the Washington County Growth and Conservation Act (S 3636/H.R. 5769) is scheduled for the Energy and Natural Resources Committee on November 16. The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance fears that following the hearing there may be an attempt to combine the Washington County bill with other legislation in an effort to get it passed without having to stand on its own merits. The bill is especially objectionable because it would sell off large areas of public lands and put the money into the hands of private developers. Conservationists are deeply concerned that the bill could set a terrible precedent for local governments nationwide to view federal lands sales as a possible source of revenue.
SUWA Zion/Mojave information: www.zionmojavewilderness.org/
Environmental Scorecard Ranks U.S. Congress
The League of Conservation Voters has released its annual environmental scorecard which shows how members of Congress voted on key environmental legislation. The rating scale goes from 0 (no pro-environment votes) to 100 (a perfect voting record on environmental issues). Both of Utah's House Republicans voted against the environment every time, including votes in favor of drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and against the Clean Water Act. Utah's senators avoided a zero rating by voting for a bill to help low-income families weatherize their homes.
Here are the 2006 environmental rankings for Utah's congressional delegation:
House LCV Rating
Rob Bishop (R-1) 0
Jim Matheson (D-2) 57
Chris Cannon (R-3) 0
Senate
Bob Bennett 7
Orrin Hatch 11
2006 National Environmental Scorecard: www.lcv.org/scorecard/
Global Warming Threatens "Greatest Snow on Earth"
Utah's elected officials may not be worried about global warming, but Utah's ski industry certainly is. The "2006 State of the Rockies Report" from Colorado College predicts that due to worsening snow conditions, winter snow sports could become unavailable in the western U.S. as soon as 2050. By 2085 snowpack in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons could decline by as much as 84%. In response, Ski Utah has joined the "keep winter cool" campaign, a partnership between the Natural Resources Defense Council and the National Ski Areas Association to improve public understanding of global warming and spotlight opportunities to start fixing the problem.
2006 State of the Rockies Report: www.coloradocollege.edu/stateoftherockies/
Keep Utah Cool: www.keeputahcool.com/
Factory Butte gets protection from ORVs
Thanks to pressure from environmental groups like Friends of Factory Butte and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the Bureau of Land Management has restricted off-road vehicle travel to designated routes on 142,023 acres of public lands around Factory Butte, the spectacular Mancos Shale badlands along Highway 24 near Capitol Reef National Park. The notice says that the new rules are necessary to protect endangered cacti because ORV use has significantly increased in the area.
Friends of Factory Butte: www.factorybutte.org/
Utah's Redrock: Too Wild to Drill
A new report from The Wilderness Society includes Utah's Redrock Wilderness in a list of threatened U.S. public lands that should be excluded from oil and gas development because they offer immeasurable value for recreation, wilderness and wildlife habitat. According to the report, sacrificing Utah's redrock wouldn't even help solve the problem of foreign oil dependence. The Wilderness Society estimates that , "...undiscovered natural gas and oil resources on lands within America's Redrock Wilderness Act amount to less than four weeks of natural gas and roughly four days of oil at current United States consumption levels."
Too Wild to Drill report: www.wilderness.org/ OurIssues/Energy/TooWildToDrill.cfm
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 | The Artful Kitchen: Eating GreenConfessions of a salad convert.
by Judyth Hill
I never understood salad. Or, why "Soup or salad?" is the most frequently asked dining question except in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the official state query of "Red or green?" has been replaced by "Do you want foie gras with that?"
Salad has a certain inevitability, like taxes and your own website. You can run, but you can't hide.
Clearly, it was personal: Most folk seem to enjoy cold, crunchy, wet stuff with their perfectly delicious potatoes and whatever. I used to wonder if they were faking it, afraid to be the one who just eats the gnocchi and the chocolate mousse. This is probably connected to my mother; everything else seems to be.
But she would feed us arugula and radicchio. What kind of food is that for children? Thrusting bitter greens on tender, innocent palates that were still exploring the complexities of Bosco.
She never cut the crusts off our sandwiches either; she was tough. She figured we'd have a long time at her table, and come hell or high water, we were going to eat her way. She told us the sweetbreads were chicken. She didn't need to tell us what sushi was, we had already guessed.
At our house, salad was brought after the main course had been served and my priorities already set. I liked picking up the stuff with the heavy wooden spoon and fork; it felt cultured, as if I were at table in a Jane Austen novel.
I'd help myself with vigor, but what to do with it? Back in the '60s, my mother led the pack on balsamic vinegars. She loved vinegar actually, and lemon juice, under the commonly held theory of various Vogue diets, that anything with lemon was unfattening - how's that for a word?
She built salads around mysterious items, endive and hearts of palm, finocchio. How could I trust her? The day I found an anchovy draped languidly along the flip side of a lacy frond, I became hypervigilant. My sister cheerfully ate these things; she actually serves them in her home. I wrote about them.
But darlings, I've changed.
Since acquiring my own plot of loamy (ok, it's actually clay, but I am bio-remediating the heck out of it) heaven, I go somewhat bonkers with the joy of greens.
It started with seed catalogues. While skeptical about vegetables, I'm a sucker for adjectives. Descriptions of greens, found haiku, wove their way into my heart and mind, and thence my garden:
"Frilly leaves of endive,
Fast-growing beauties, Cream-colored hearts."
Pure seduction! Italian arugula -"leaves of deep, dark wine, midribs of pearly white" - made me woozy with desire. After these temptations, it was merely compost, peat moss, three bags full, and I had greens. And not just greens, but early greens.
These days you can find escarole at convience stores, right there with the 46 brands of energy drinks (are we tired or what? And should we maybe consider resting as an option?), and thanks to Paul Newman's mini-empire, tender gourmet greens, washed and rarin'-to-go, are de rigueur.
Historically, Santa Fe was one of the epicenters of the culinary horticultural revolution. A trend, begun in the '80s by Alice Waters at her San Francisco eatery, Chez Panisse, was carried to us by way of Coyote Cafe's Mark Miller, who cut his "think global, buy local" chef-ing teeth in her kitchens. Nouvelle greens took American dining by storm, and, way back when, were first grown for Santa Fe restaurants by Gallina Canyon (near Georgia O'Keeffe's Abiquiu abode) rancher, Elizabeth Berry. Elizabeth's delectable radicchio, tender arugula and baby endive began to win my stony heart.
Mirabile dictu, salad turns out to be the ultimo enthronement for the food closest to my heart, and my raison d'etre at table: cheese. Or, as Clifton Fadiman once gushed, "milk's leap to immortality." Lasciviously creamy chunks of gorgonzola, the velvety startle of bleu, the headstrong rush of a sultry Camembert; these fairly cry out for the crisp, lucent flavor of a fresh leaf.
In France, the earliest suggestions of spring are celebrated with a special first salad, a hardy rosette of green, called mâche, sprinkled with grated sweet white beets that have overwintered in the garden.
Don't you love it ? NYC born and bred and now I am overwintering heirloom beets to serve on my mâche.
Mâche, known by various names: lamb's lettuce, feld salat, and "corn salad," grows in a beauteous circle of deep green rounded leaves, and fairly melts, buttery, in your mouth.
Should you have somehow (tsk, tsk) neglected to plant beets, mâche's soft, rich-tasting leaves are magnificent, lightly tossed with toasted walnuts, topped with a finely chopped hard-boiled egg, a generous shower of crumbled feta, and a très simple raspberry vinaigrette. How my mother would have loved this!
The appearance of mâche, which once barely emergent I monitor ardently, is incandescently celebratory. Kneeling in the still cold earth, filling my colander, I can't resist caressing tiny cotyledons, the first-to-show paired leaves, of the "Sparkler" radishes, snow peas, tidy rows of sweet Dutch "Wolter" spinach, alternating with burgeoning mounds of sorrel, whose lemony twang I am already imagining into soup.
And the gift of early wild greens: lambs-quarter and most welcome, the salutary bitter leaves of the dent de lion. And we would be remiss, no? not to add a few vivid blossoms: pansies and a flutter of daisy petals.
Nothing will suffice but to dash my treasures into the kitchen.
Something in the dining room, however, is amiss. With the new season's Puckish mood, the table is just Wrong. Time to clear that many-candled center, the once fragrant boughs of pine, the slab of lichen-covered sandstone that just lately seemed so correctly gnomish. Out with 'em! We must refresh the eye as well the palate. A pot or two of tulips, just beginning, that go into the garden after their graceful blooms drop, and curvaceous branches of red willow, set, very Zenishy, in low water. These will make roots and also find a permanent home outdoors. Candles return, thick cubes of beeswax, to remind us of summer's sweet buzz soon to be upon us.
Early April is when to plant the important greens of summer: the romaines. This year, I shall give myself over to a swoony "heritage" red lettuce, deep-hearted, as we say, with large, broad leaves that color to a rich ruby, gorgeous in the garden, dramatic on your plate. And what could be more suited to the rebellious spirit of this salad convert, than a gently tweaked (no egg yolks!) version of that old standby, the noble Caesar.
I admit I love a dressing I can measure - it's the baker in me. Salad dressings that are described by proportion drive me to distraction, adding oil and then vinegar, then more oil, and so forth, until I have a veritable vat of an utterly inedible potion, destined to haunt the back corner of my refrigerator for months.
My beloved friend, landscape painter Joseph Biggert, has whipped up this potent salad on amany a summer's eve, to repose side by side, in equal glory, with a whole side of salmon, marinated in a pungent drench of garlic, ginger and extra virgin olive oil, then tenderly lain above a bed of coals to sear and just slightly char.
Luscious as these greens are, they answer the question of what shall we happily eat, and a meal might be well made with a crusty loaf, spread with good, sweet butter, a glass or two of sturdy Pinot, and of course, thou.
Judyth Hill is a stand-up poet, living at Rockmirth, her 111 acre Eco-Arts Atelier in Northern New Mexico. She is the author of six books and the internationally acclaimed poem, "Wage Peace."
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| |  | Animals Animals: Make Mine ChocolateAn Easter plea to protect bunnies and chicks. Also: Another perspective of chicks in the city.
by Sunny Branson
On a recent trip to a farm supply store to purchase bedding for my guinea pigs, I heard the soft delicate sound of chirping birds. I followed the peeps to several stacked cages stocked with dozens upon dozens of baby chicks in all their Easter promotion glory. Two women were each holding a chick gushing about their cuteness.
Working in animal rescue, I know all too well the harsh reality faced by most live animals purchased as Easter gifts. Each year, come May and June, after the novelty wears off, unwanted Easter chicks and bunnies fill local rescues; or worse, are dumped outside where the animals are ill-equipped to find food or protect themselves from predators, cars and illness-a virtual death sentence.
Well-intended purchasers may try for several months to raise the animals and provide them good lives. Most soon realize they are not prepared to raise an adult chicken or a rambunctious rabbit.
In 2002, in an attempt to address the problem, the Columbus House Rabbit Society began the "Make Mine Chocolate" campaign to educate the public on the realities of living with a rabbit and encouraging giving chocolate bunnies as Easter gifts rather than live rabbits.
"The goal of the campaign is to break the cycle of acquisition and relinquishment of live animals," said Terri Cook, vice president of the society. "Our aim is to educate the public about the responsibilities involved in keeping a companion rabbit."
Acquiring a rabbit is a long-term commitment; they can live more than 10 years. They can make wonderful companion pets, but people should know the realities of living with a rabbit before making a decision to bring one home. They are not the easy-to-care-for inexpensive pets we've been led to believe.
Rabbits are intelligent and have a highly developed social order, so do best with the companionship of at least one other rabbit. Exercise and mental stimulation are crucial, which means they need plenty of out-of-cage time, which also means "rabbit proofing" your home. In addition to daily pellets, veggies and hay, they need regular visits to an exotics vet experienced with rabbits. Another consideration is space. Most pet store-bought cages are not nearly big enough for an adult rabbit.
Considerations when
raising chickens
Chickens, too, can live up to 10 years and need commitment and proper care for their entire lives.
Raising a chicken has its challenges, but starting with a fuzzy Easter chick removed from its mother only days after hatching presents additional challenges.
"I have many different animals on the farm, and hens are by far the best mothers," says Faith Ching of Ching Farm Animal Sanctuary. "They start communicating with their chicks while still in the egg and form very strong bonds. Once hatched, they teach their chicks everything they need to learn about... well, about how to be chickens."
Optimally, chicks should stay with their mothers for three to four months to learn all they can from her-where to find food and water; where to roost and nest, how to protect themselves from predators, and when to get out of the sun. Baby chicks are very delicate and without their mothers moderating their temperature, they can easily die.
The first consideration before obtaining a chick is the zoning laws. Space is another consideration - overcrowded chickens may become irritable and peck one another. Chickens are temperature sensitive, require dust baths to keep feathers clean and free of mites, and must be kept safe from predators. Like rabbits, they are social animals who do best in groups or with the company of at least one other chicken.
The point is that all animals have specific, often complex needs. Just being small does not make an animal disposable, and they should not be purchased on impulse or for novelty. Bringing any animal into your home should be a planned, well-thought out decision and never just "for the kids."
Animal rescues and municipal shelters don't have the resources to deal with all the unwanted chicks, bunnies and other small animals abandoned after Easter, so they often resort to euthanasia even if the animal is healthy and friendly.
Please make an informed decision when considering your Easter gifts. Toys and books make wonderful Easter basket fillers. Or, maybe you could make yours chocolate?
Sunny Branson is co-owner of Single Malt Media, volunteers for Wasatch Animal Rescue and sponsors two pot-bellied pigs at Ching Farm Sanctuary.
Resources:
www.makeminechocolate.org
www.chingsanctuary.org
www.columbusrabbit.org
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 | Good Dog: Pay Attention to Me!"Watch" this - my dog looks me in the eye.
by Johanna Teresi
Does your dog barely acknowledge you during your daily walks? Teaching your dog to "watch," or look at you on command, is very helpful.
It is easier to get your dog to ignore a nearby distraction such as your dog's best friend playing on the other side of a busy street. When your dog is looking at you, his eyes and attention focus on you. You will have a much easier time requesting other commands such as "sit," "down" and "stay." Also, "watch" can relax your dog. If he is whining or barking, this command will usually quiet him. And your dog will "watch" voluntarily, and he will be more attentive to you during your walks. Finally, if your dog has aggressive behavior, "watch" is an excellent alternative to lunging. Be certain to consult a professional reward-based dog trainer for aggressive dogs (see APDT.com to find qualified trainers in your area).
"Watch" is easy to teach. Because the "watch" behavior tends to happen quickly, it is easier to teach if your dog is clicker trained (visit www.catalystmagazine.net and see the January article "Clicker Training"). Place a visible treat in your hand, then lower your hand to the dog's muzzle. Next, move your hand diagonally to your eyes; your dog will follow the motion and give you direct eye contact. Click and treat (C/T) immediately when your dog's eyes meet with yours, even if the eye contact lasts less than a second. Practice this five to ten times. Say "watch," and repeat the same hand movement without the treat in your hand. C/T when your dog's eyes meet yours. Practice this five to ten times. Finally, you are ready to use the verbal command without the hand movement - say "watch" with your hands stationary at your side. C/T when your dog's eyes meet yours. Practice this five to 10 times. Once your dog is readily watching you on command, you may occasionally reward him with a treat.
Of course, a short "watch" is not effective in keeping your dog's attention. The next step is to gradually increase the duration of your dog's "watch" in one second increments. Practice and C/T five to 10 times at each new time interval. When your dog readily "watches" you for one second, increase the "watch" to two seconds. Then repeat the same for three four and so on until you reach your desired duration (probably five to 10 seconds). As soon as your dog gives reliable eye contact for the desired length of time, reduce the rewards to an occasional treat. You will also want to vary the duration of the "watches" so that your dog does not have to "watch" you for 10 seconds every time. Otherwise, your dog may learn to dread the command because he knows that the "watch" will always be long and boring!
Lastly, teach your dog to retain his "watch" in the midst of distractions. As you add distractions, decrease the duration of the "watch." Once your dog "watches" well for short durations with distractions, you should increase the time duration. Remember to C/T your dog's "watches" until they are reliable with distractions; then you can switch to occasional rewards.
Now when you walk your dog, you can feel you're really communicating with your pet, who heeds you rather than jumping, barking or running toward passersby!
Johanna Teresi is a professional dog trainer and owner of Four Legged Scholars LLC. fourleggedscholars.com.
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| |  | Chef Profile: Jack Mormon CoffeeA chat with owners of the Avenues' newest coffee venue.
by Mandy Jeppsen
I clearly remember the day I tried my first slice of fresh-baked bread. I was in a Seattle bakery and the flavor and texture of that artisan loaf left a mark on my taste buds forever. After that, I tried to endure thin store slices but nothing compared until I discovered local bakeries in Salt Lake. I have never gone back, my addiction to 'good' bread is sealed forever.
Similarly, the Jack Mormon Coffee Company, located in the Avenues, roasts exceptionally fresh beans that make store-bought coffee taste like brewed sneaker mud. Partners Cruser Rowland and Michael Madrid say freshness is their niche.
"Customers often get hooked on a cup of our coffee, and that usually leads to the purchase of a pound. Then they might go back to their other place, and realize that it's just not as fresh," says Rowland, who began his career in the coffee business in the early '80s working in bulk coffee and eventually co-founding Texas Coffee Traders in Austin and Lola Savannah Coffee in Houston. He also lived on the Pacific coast of Mexico, where he worked with Indian coffee growers, building a relationship and learning about the coffee trade from a growers' standpoint.
A talented craftsman and builder, he and his wife Sandra Jensen started the E Street Gallery in 2000 after moving to Salt Lake to care for Jensen's ailing parents. But after six years he'd grown tired of isolating himself everyday to build ("I'm not the cloistered type," he says) so he returned to his coffee roots-refitting the gallery into the Jack Mormon Coffee Company.
Rowland enlisted the help of son-in-law Michael Madrid. The two had been roasting at the Farmer's Market, using a nifty one-pound roaster to provide ultra-fresh batches, when Rowland chanced upon an exciting new coffee-making device, the Clover vacuum brewer. The brewer makes a single-cup of coffee combining French press and vacuum brewing methods, creating a superbly fresh cup of coffee. "Eureka," thought Rowland. Coupling fresh beans with the Clover seemed like grounds for opening a coffeehouse. The two also wanted to provide a place for educating consumers about coffee, as well as a place to buy beans.
Jack Mormon Coffee (which got its name as a friendly joke between Rowland and his LDS mother-in-law) is not a place to sit for hours and study. There is one table inside, and Rowland plans to build a few more out front- but the concept is modeled after a bakery. Currently, JMC carries 16 varieties of single-origin beans, with plans to expand to 50. "As opposed to blends, we want to carry beans that stand on their own and make a good cup by themselves," Madrid explains. Each day, he selects a sampling of beans to roast and sell by the pound, but tries only to roast on an as-needed basis. He encourages customers to call in orders ahead of time. "It takes 15 minutes to roast a batch of beans. So people can call in and request their pound, and have it roasted to pick up later that day." Each customer can get a coffee card which tracks purchases and likes and dislikes, making it easy for JMC employees to make suggestions about new beans they might enjoy.
Since opening in December, the Jack Mormon Coffee Company has established a cadre of regulars. They plan to open a Web store soon, so customers can order online and have beans shipped right to their door.
So, whether you are a Jack Mormon or just a lover of fresh coffee, next time you're in the Avenues drop by and try a cup. But buyer beware-it could mean a fresh-bean addiction for you, too.
For more info visit www.jackmormoncoffee.com.
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 | House & Home: Fan-Tastic GizmosPlan now for a cool, energy-efficient summer with attic and whole-house fans.
by James Dulley
Q: Our house feels warm even with the air conditioner running. The temperature seems to be low enough for comfort. Could the heat be coming from the attic? Will solar-powered attic fans help much? - Caroline J.
A: Your situation is not uncommon. My guess is, if you put your hand on the ceiling, it will feel warm. Even though the room air is cool, you feel warm from radiant heat transfer. It is the reverse of when you feel chilly during winter sitting near an outside wall or window.
In addition, your central air conditioner is running overtime to remove this excess radiant heat coming down through the ceiling from a hot attic. If you compensate by setting the thermostat lower to stay comfortable, your electric bills go even higher.
A solar-powered attic exhaust fan is a good choice to help keep your attic and roof, and thus the ceiling below, cooler. A solar-powered fan is an ideal match for your needs because as the sun is more intense on the roof, it also creates more free solar electricity so the fan runs faster.
Another monetary benefit of keeping your attic and roof cooler is the life of the shingles will be extended. High heat hastens the degradation of just about any material used in a house. By locating one or two solar fans up near the peak of the roof, the hottest air will be drawn out of the attic.
You don't have to be an electrician to install a solar attic fan. The solar panel is built into the top of the fan and it produces free electricity. To install one, saw a 12-inch-diameter hole in the roof and loosen a few shingles. Nail the fan in place and replace the shingles. Curb-mounted models are also available for flat and tile roofs.
If the area of your roof where you want to install the fan does not face the sun directly, you can install a remote fan. It uses a similar fan, but it has a separate solar panel. The one-foot-square solar panel, on an adjustable stand, can be mounted up to 20 feet away in a sunny location.
The remote panel may be the most efficient option because the small solar panel stays cooler than when it is built into the top of the fan. The hotter solar cells get, the less free electricity they produce. The small wire that carries the safe 12 volts can barely be seen on the roof. You may also consider attaching two solar panels to one fan for extra cooling.
Yet another installation option to consider is a built-in design with a hinged solar panel. It can be tilted up from the fan top to face the sun more directly. Also, with the solar panel tilted upward, even at a slight angle, air flows around it to keep it cooler and raise its efficiency.
Download bulletin No. 987-buyer's guide of 11 solar-powered attic vent fan and turbine fan manufacturers listing air flow ratings, watts, sizes, features, prices, sizing chart for number of fans required per square foot of attic, installation methods with illustrations, and descriptions/illustrations of various models, $3: www.dulley.com
Q: On mild evenings, I open windows to get some fresh, cool air into my house. Would using a whole-house fan draw fresh air in quicker? Do these fans cost less to operate than my central air conditioner?
- Gary W.
A: With today's airtight, energy efficient homes, it is nice to get fresh air indoors whenever possible without driving up your utility bills. Using a whole-house fan is the most effective and efficient means of bringing fresh air indoors quickly when the outdoor temperature drops.
A whole-house fan is a large fan that mounts in the attic floor. It is often located over a hallway to draw air from the entire house without creating drafts or noise in the rooms. The fan draws outdoor air in through opened windows and exhausts the air into the attic area and out the vents.
A secondary benefit of using a whole-house fan is the air flow through the attic helps to cool the attic and the roof. A hot attic and roof can radiate heat down through the attic insulation to the living areas below.
A whole-house fan uses about 80-90% less electricity than a central air conditioner. Using one can save more than $100 a year on your electric bills and reduce the maintenance needed on your air conditioner.
During hot summer weather, run the central air conditioner during the day and then use the whole-house at night. Whenever the outdoor air temperature drops to about five degrees lower than your thermostat setting, running the whole-house fan will comfortably cool your house and create a gentle breeze indoors.
There are many whole-house fan designs with various features from which to choose. For most average-sized homes, a direct-drive model with the motor in the center of the fan is a good choice. The quietest models have vibration-blocking rubber hubs and sound-absorbing air flow shrouds.
For higher air flow capacity, a belt-drive model is often used. With this design, the motor is mounted on the corner of the frame. A belt runs from a pulley on the motor to a pulley on the fan hub. With the motor out of the air flow path and a large open diameter, the air flow can be greater.
For sizing a whole-house fan, a rule of thumb is the air flow in cubic feet per minute should be three times the house size in square feet. Some fans have two or variable speeds, so you can size it bigger for quick cooling.
For the greatest convenience, choose one with a built-in timer, thermostat or humidistat for automatic operation. Some automatically switch from high to low speed after 30 minutes. Most models offer air sealing shutters to seal off the fan when it is not running. Motorized insulated shutters are also available.
Download bulletin No. 641 - buyer's guide of eight whole-house fan manufacturers (28 models) listing blade diameters, maximum air flows, rpms, drive types (direct or belt drive), features, prices, suggested operation of a whole-house ventilation fan, and do-it-yourself installation instructions with a diagram, illustrations, diagram and explanation of how whole-house fan draws in cool air and expels hot air, $3:
www.dulley.com Send questions to James Dulley c/o greta@catalystmagazine.net.
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| |  | Coach Jeannette: LOA & the EnvironmentUsing the Law of Attraction to manifest more than good parking.
by Jeanette Maw
Can we use the Law of Attraction to get more than just good parking spots or a quick seat at our favorite restaurant? Could we expand our individual manifesting power to create a healthy planet? Many are now asking whether it's possible to regenerate a flourishing and thriving planet with our power of thought.
The answer is within you.
New possibilities exist now that many are becoming aware that their thoughts and feelings strongly affect everyone's lives. Author James Twyman recently commented, "It's as if the mass population is finally ready to open up to the possibility that we have the power to create not only our individual lives and everything that we want therein, but also to create a collective experience that reflects our highest dream."
Although we've had this power all along, not being conscious of it meant we tended to manifest our fears rather than our desires. This awakening allows us to create what we've always wanted-for ourselves, our families, and most importantly, our world.
So where do we start and how does it work? Here's a big picture look at how you can use your individual attraction abilities to nurture the planet.
Powerful trio
I remember the approach I took in my environmental activist days. I saw what was "wrong," felt awful about it, and knew someone needed to do something fast. I joined the fight against irresponsible corporations, urged the government to pass the right laws, and was contemptuous toward those who weren't helping.
Can you sense my vibration throughout that activity? Frustration, worry, resentment, "pushing against" ... It wasn't energy that allowed or contributed to good things happening.
We do our part to recycle here, carpool there. Some of us take those actions with the underlying feeling that the world is going to hell in a handbasket. Others take action with hope and optimism that change is afoot. Can you feel the difference in the energy? What vibrations are you flowing?
Your power to effect change lies here: Align your thoughts, feelings and actions in the direction of your desired result. It's that simple.
Point your thoughts, direct your feelings and take action toward what you want, rather than against what you don't want. It's not enough to take the responsible actions and condemn others while you do so. Then you're just polluting the environment with your thoughts.
It also doesn't help to wish for the best without living in alignment with that world you want to experience. If all the while your undercurrent of feeling is that the planet is doomed, you're adding power to a doomed planet-regardless of whatever actions you take.
Aligning your thoughts, feelings and actions to heal the planet is a powerful trio that will make the difference.
What world are you creating?
Paraphrasing Nobel Prize winning physicist Karl Pribram, "There's nothing outside of you that isn't you." His quantum mechanics research indicates we create pictures in our brain and project them outward. (Kind of like Star Trek's holodeck.)
If it's true that everything happening outside of us is a projection from within, then all we observe is in harmony with who we are. In order to change what you see in the world, you must change within.
Which means saving the planet is an inside job.
That might seem a difficult concept to embrace. After all, how could I affect the actions of all the corporations and six billion other people who are destroying Earth? What does any of that have to do with me?
If you see a world that each day grows shorter on natural resources, experiences more natural disasters, and generally shows the negative effects of the destructive human race, what does that have to do with you?
Is it possible you aren't honoring your own natural resources? Perhaps your life is littered with personal disasters. Maybe you are wearing thin with the passage of time, feeling the effects of a hard life.
Or are you renewing your energy, doing things you enjoy, spreading love and light in your wake? Are you growing your mind and your capacity to embrace life and love others? Do you express appreciation for all that pleases you?
This world of ours is a mirror. If you don't like what you see out there, take a look on the inside. That's where change begins.
You get what you expect
Law of Attraction dictates we get what we look for; that whatever we focus on, we attract more of. So if we look for evidence that our world is in big trouble, we find it. As we find that evidence, it reinforces our thoughts and feelings about it, which attracts more evidence of it. We get caught in a cycle that isn't at all what we want to experience or create.
What if we believed all is well on Planet Earth? What if we looked for evidence that things are getting better? If we believed that, we would see the truth of it - because we create "truth" with our attention.
The bottom line is that if I look for destruction, I'll see it. If I look for preservation, respect and renewal, I'll see that instead. What we focus on, we create more of, so watch where you point that thing!
Or not
Some physicists see things differently. According to the multiple world theory, we're not so much creators as we are participators. The "multiverse" theory says everything that ever could be already is. That we're not actually creating reality, because all potential realities already exist. Instead we're just choosing with our thoughts which reality to participate in.
If I choose "healed planet," then I experience it, simply because I chose to. I could just as easily choose "decaying planet" and it would be there for me as well. Since all realities are possible, my power lies in attracting the one I prefer, which I do with thought. It's a theory that makes defining "real" a bit tricky.
When asked how we can create world peace, James Ray responds, "There is peace in my world." Indeed, that's the world he experiences. James Twyman said when he traveled war-torn areas of the globe, he didn't experience war. Rather, he experienced appreciative, loving people gathering together for a good time- in the middle of war zones!
Action steps
The best way to contribute is to focus on what you want more of. Feeling bad and bringing anger or resentment to the table doesn't serve you or the world. Local life coach Carol Pope advises "cleaning up your inner environment" to serve the planet. Look within to see what you're projecting, and change it if you don't like what you see.
Also, remember we're all connected. We all arise from and are tied to that same source energy, whether you call it God, the Universe, or the zero point field, as scientists call it. From the zero point field (basically an unlimited field of possibility and potentiality), we choose what to experience according to our thoughts and feelings.
Which means nothing is set in stone. Nothing is too late. Nothing is impossible!
Embrace your power to create something new with the world by releasing old limiting thoughts and feelings. Those old, often subconscious, assumptions and beliefs hinder progress. Believe in possibilities and take inspired action for our beautiful world. It is whatever we make it.
Jeannette Maw is an Attraction Coach and founder of Good Vibe Coaching in Salt Lake City.
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 | Turban Askew: April 2007Questionable advice with a ring of truth, from Swami Beyondananda, regarding affairs personal and political.
by Steve Bhaerman
Dear Swami:
It seems to me that the problem with the world is too many do-gooders trying to fix it. The world is what it is, always has been and always will be. We seem to be going around in the same circles, and those trying to "make the world a better" place seem to be making it worse. It sure seems to prove that old saying, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Personally, I think it's a waste of time to try to change the world. Do you agree?
Meade E. Yoker,
State College, Pennsylvania
Dear Meade:
Well, I agree about one thing. It is indeed a waste of time to try to change the world, when there is a more efficient approach: Let's toilet train the world, and we'll never have to change it again. As for things never getting better, well, tell that to Gandhi or Martin Luther King or any of America's founding fathers. We humans have indeed evolved; otherwise the casual comment, "We'd love to have you for dinner sometime" would be taken as a threat, not an invitation.
Indeed, the vicious cycles of history are in place because of our belief that it can be no other way. Me, I say when you find yourself caught up in a vicious cycle, stop pedaling. Have you ever noticed that the folks who are most invested in the idea that the road to hell is paved with good intentions - are the folks with bad intentions? No, the do-gooders aren't our problem. The problem is the bad-doers who manipulate and enroll the rest of us to do their bad-doings with them by insisting we're all original sinners.
Yes, we are susceptible. But whether we actually get infected by these sociopathogens is ultimately up to us. So you are partly right. The road to hell is indeed paved with people with good intentions-who have been used as paving stones... by people with bad intentions.
Dear Swami:
I know you're aware of alternative healing modalities, so I figure you're the one to ask. What's your take on psychic surgery? Also, do you ever come to Chico?
Amanda B. Reckondwith,
Chico, California
Dear Amanda:
Coincidentally, I used to live not far from Chico. Actually, I lived halfway between Groucho and Harpo, in a little town called Zeppo. As for psychic surgery, I went to a psychic surgeon not too long ago. I had three psychics removed, and I feel much better.
Dear Swami:
As the mother of two preteens rapidly growing up too quickly, I find myself losing patience. First of all, I see my son lazing around the house, sloppy and unmotivated and when I hear myself yelling at him, I hear my own mother. That's pretty scary. Then, there's my daughter who is entirely too sexy for her age. Her middle school is considering a sex education program, and I wonder if something like that could possibly prevent premature sexual activity. I'm feeling pretty stressed. Any advice, Swami?
Lindsey Doyle,
Ahgowan, New Jersey
Dear Lindsey:
I can imagine how disturbing it can be hearing your mother's voice come out of your own mouth. You may not be able to do much about the voice, but you can change the words that tumble out. No matter how frustrated you are with your son, you have to be very careful not to reinforce negative attitudes, because this can be very damaging. So, if you must yell at your son to rouse him out of bed, be sure you give only positive messages, like this: "Get up, you useful good-for-something!" As for sex education in schools as a way to prevent kids from becoming sexually active too early, I'm all for it. Think of it this way. If schools teach sex like they teach everything else, the kids will get bored and lose interest.
Visit the Swami online at www.wakeuplaughing.com.
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| | | Dance: Outside Blake's WindowTandy Beal brings the poet's vision to Repertory Dance Theatre this month.
by Amy Brunvand
"For I dance and drink and sing
till some blind hand shall brush
my wing."
-William Blake, "The Fly"
Think back to English 101 and you may remember reading some short poems by a man named William Blake who lived from 1757-1827. The verses may have seemed a bit simplistic, even childish, until the professor assigned you to critique them, and then they were not so easy grasp hold of, after all. If you were the kind of student who likes sitting in the front row you might have even looked up Blake in the "Oxford Companion to English Literature" where you would have learned that, "at Blake's death, general opinion held that he had been, if gifted, insane."
Besides being a poet, Blake was an artist and a radical in political, social and religious thought. He spoke out for the poor, considered institutional churches less than Christian, and advocated sexual love as a creative force. However, if he seemed insane to the people around him, it was probably because he continued to press forward with his extraordinary artistic vision despite mockery and a complete lack of social encouragement.
Blake's extreme artistic tenacity is what inspired choreographer Tandy Beal to create her piece "Outside Blake's Window" which will be performed by Repertory Dance Theatre April 12-14.
"You know, where I really jumped aboard were his life stories," says Beal. "There is a story about him at about age five and he saw a tree full of angels glittering. He came home and told his parents and his father smacked him and his mother went "Oh! Wait a minute! we have a very special being in our midst." Another story is that he died singing. He didn't sell a poem or a painting or get a book printed, but he kept going and he died singing. How could you?
"There were a couple of other stories; one was that in the middle of smoky industrial-revolution London he and his wife were out in their garden being Adam and Eve. Just standing there naked in their garden."
"Outside Blake's Window" is a modern dance performance, not a play, so there is no literal narrative, but the framework of Blake's life and art provide handholds for the audience to enter into the experience. "The facts are not really that important," says Beal, "except the fact of the artist going forward with a clarity of vision, with the fire of his imagination no matter what, so that in a way the artist becomes a metaphor for every person trying to follow their calling."
Of all people, Tandy Beal would empathize with a compelling artistic calling since she herself left school at age 16 to become a dancer. "I'd started dancing with Ernestine Stodelle at 14 and then I saw Nik [the Alwin Nikolais Dance Company], and I knew I was going to be on stage with him. I was a fast learner in school, and I graduated when I just barely turned 16 and I said, in my wisdom, I think I need to take a year out, and that year out turned into the rest of my life."
Her artistic pursuits are worthy of Blake. She teaches dance at the University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Utah and elsewhere; was longtime artistic director for the Pickle Family Circus, and did motion studies for the characters in Tim Burton's stop-motion film "The Nightmare Before Christmas," a project that she especially enjoyed when the director shyly suggested, "could you be just a bit crazier?"
Like Alwin Nikolais' pioneering multimedia works, "Outside Blake's Window" embraces showmanship-it includes fire juggling, an aerialist from Cirque du Soleil accompanied by Mozart sung live, and features numerous sets of identical twins who embody Blake's eternal themes of polarity, good and evil, innocence and experience. The circus tricks are partly just for fun, but even fun has a purpose. Beal explains: "At the deepest level, where all of my artistic adventures connect has to do with how do you bring about the experience of wonder to an adult. Because we're pretty jaded and how do you help? That's what I want an artistic experience to do for me. I want to be brought back to a state of wonder and get to that point where, as Blake says 'If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear as it is.'"
A touchstone for the piece comes from Blake's proverb: "If the sun and moon should doubt, they'd immediately go out." Beal says, "I think that in these times, for us to find faith in a good future we can't lose faith, we cannot doubt. It seems so stupid that the sun and moon should doubt; well, they're not going to doubt, but you know what? It feels that way. It feels that powerful that we could start doubting at the deepest level."
Linda C. Smith, artistic director of Repertory Dance Theatre, heartily agrees that the times seem to cry out for Blake's vision of art as a primary force for political and spiritual transformation. She says it seemed like the right time to bring Beal's work to Salt Lake City since Blake dovetails with RDT's current theme of myths and heroes, but also because she hoped the poetry and stillness of the piece would be a gift to RDT's dancers. "I don't think society knows how hungry it is," says Smith, "but it is-or at least it's so depleted, it better realize a couple of things mighty fast or we're in trouble. It's so frightening to open the paper and see what's in it. When you get to the arts section you feel like there's still some sanity."
Tandy Beal adds, "One thing that interested me in doing this work on Blake was that it's difficult to talk in contemporary society about ideals, about truth and beauty, about a sense of the divine, without irony and to be taken seriously. Yet these are questions in all of us about values at the deepest levels." u
Outside Blake's Window
April 12-14, 8:00 pm
(pre-concert discussion 7:30)
Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center (138 W. 300 S. SLC; Gallivan Center TRAX)
Tickets: www.ArtTix.org
Teacher Development Workshop April 7, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center Free to Utah school teachers
Library of Congress Blake Archive: www.blakearchive.org/blake/
Amy Brunvand is a dance enthusiast and a librarian at the University of Utah.
Blake Symposium April 5, 7pm
It goes without saying that even though "Outside Blake's Window" is Tandy Beal's artistic expression, William Blake is nevertheless present in spirit. RDT is always on the lookout for ways make dance more relevant to the broader community and they wanted to find a way to explore Blake so they called up Mark Matheson, a professor of English at the University of Utah, and asked him to help put together a pan-arts Blake symposium.
Matheson confesses he was a bit surprised to get the call. "I'm not really literate in dance," he says, "and I'm not actually a Blake scholar; I'm a devoted amateur of Blake."
Matheson is not surprised, however, that Blake inspired a dance piece. " I teach the poetry, but the poetry can't be filtered out from its place in the visual design in which Blake placed it," he says pointing to some Blake illustrations hanging by his desk. "Blake's representations of the human figure in motion have amazing energy and momentum. I don't think we've seen art before or since like this-it's just extraordinary. He's important as a voice for our time. He protested against all forms of political oppression and very pointedly against war. For us and the internal dilemma of our Iraq war, Blake is very timely. He said, 'War is energy enslaved.' He believed that the perversion of energy to war is something art can work against." Matheson says that his students usually pay attention when he teaches Blake in class and suggests that "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" is a good place to start reading.
A highlight of the April 5 symposium at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts is a display of 20 William Blake engravings from the "Book of Job" which the museum owns but has never shown. Panelists include Tandy Beal (dance), Nadja Durback (literary scholar), Andy Franta (art historian), Constance Clark (Episcopal chaplain), and Brooke Hopkins (professor of English).
Professor Matheson echoes the dancers' hope that Blake offers a way to rejuvenate an aesthetic sense that may be impoverished by day-to-day living. "This is a chance for people to listen to Blake, to read and look at art and to be inspired. There is a great deal of potential that people will find real power and spiritual renewal in these works."
William Blake Symposium. April 5, 7 pm, Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Dumke Auditorium (410 Campus Center Dr., South Campus TRAX). Free.
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 | Profile of a Goddess: Aisha QadishaSetting the stage and connecting with the Goddess of Sexuality.
by Carol Koleman
Name: Aisha Kadisha, Mistress of All Gods, Lady of the Stars
Translation: Holy One
Religion: Pre-Islamic (Morocco)
AKA in other mythologies: Nambi (Masai), Qadesh (Syrian), Kupalo (Slavic), Kurawini (Paiute), Morongo (Zimbabwe), Astarte (Phoenician), Freyja (Norse), Ix Chel (Mayan), Bidhgoe (Celtic), Ichpuchtli (Aztec), Hathor (Egyptian), Xo Chiquetzal (Aztec), Aphrodite (Greek), Annailia Tu Bari (Sudanese)
Form: Aisha Qadisha is depicted standing naked, holding a lotus blossom and a mirror in each outstretched hand. Often the lotus and mirror are replaced with a snake in each hand. At times she stands with a lion or panther and she is often shown as 'goat footed' (goats are a symbol of fertility) and amongst stars.
History, Interpretation and Practice: Aisha Qadisha appears before us as a beautiful and seductive woman. She is born of cosmic fire, which she shares with everyone she possesses. Aisha Qadisha acts in a dual role as hunter and healer by possessing man in order to open each to all energies, positive and negative. An individual possessed by Aisha Qadisha becomes the vessel where all opposing elements meet - deities, demons, light, dark, good, evil. Here healing begins, though submitting to this powerful storm is an immensely difficult challenge. Discomfort and resistance come with possession even when it is for the greater good. Aisha Qadisha is greatly desired and greatly feared, for once she takes possession, she always remains.
In Islamic folklore, when one suffers an illness, a particular Jinn or Jinniya (god or goddess) possesses and heals. Religious rites help one accept the goddess's possession; some involve trance dance (similar to whirling dervish) with music. You may find an example of music for dance ritual by the Master Musicians of Jajouka on iTunes and in Gnawa music (Sufi-like trance) on Amazon.com.
Other rites involve sexual ritual; Mesopotamian temple service from the early third millennium invoked the union between the goddess (represented by a priestess) and humans. This sexual act celebrated contact with the divine and allowed man to receive the goddess.
Moroccan mythology acknowledges that psychic imbalance causes illness. The Jinn and Jinniya are associated with seven 'rays,' or colors, similar to the seven chakras where one's physical or psychological ailments correspond with particular psychic issues. Aisha Qadisha's role is to heal through sex. If problems are noticed in the second or sacral chakra, such as impotence, frigidity, problems with the bladder, prostate, womb, sexual organs or lower back, this is the time to allow Aisha Qadisha to enter and open you. It is important to experience this healing with a partner as you can act as both 'human' and 'goddess' for each other. This may initially sound like an easy assignment for uninhibited sex. Remember that the goddess will be opening you during this time and that is not always a simple task. There will be difficult moments of vulnerability; you will be tempted to shut down in order to protect yourself. Be fearless-you need to remain open in order to heal. Unless you are able to locate a holy prostitute knowledgeable of ancient Mesopotamian temple rituals who may lead you in sacred sex, it is crucial that your partner is someone you love and have a deep connection and trust with.
In your practice, create an atmosphere conducive to your intention, a sensual and safe place. Honor all senses through music, scents and light (taste and touch you provide later). Candles may conduct scent while their flame provides a beautiful light that happens to be the color with which Aisha Qadisha is associated. Choose music that will add to your experience and not distract you-world music is often fitting. Make sure there are no time restraints so you may be fully present. Stay focused by looking into your partner's eyes and allowing him or her to see into yours. Wrap your arms and legs around each other to create a circular embrace and follow circular breath (inhale and exhale each other's breath). Meditate on the symbol of infinity while imagining all barriers falling away to reveal the inner sanctum within yourself. Continue with this sexual connection, keeping focus on remaining open to whatever comes to you. You will eventually experience the profound and undeniable moment when you accept the goddess.
Questions for the Goddess? Write to:koleman@earthlink.net
References: Belief.net, Vincent Crapanzano, In a Chariot Drawn by Lions (Asphodel Long), The Metaphysics of Sex (Julius Evola)
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| |  | The Herbalist Is In: Spring TonicsBenefit from the season's wild greens.
by M.L. Harrison
The young bud or branches boiled in ordinary broth, make the belly soluble and open; and boiled in white wine, provoke urine being stopped, and is good against the strangury, or difficulty of making water; it expelleth the gravel and stone out of the kidnies and helpeth pain in the reins: and boiled in white wine or vinegar it is prevalent for them that...are troubled with the hip gout or sciatica...The garden asparagus nourisheth more than the wild.
-Culpepper's Complete Herbal (ca. 1649)
Can you tell me what a "spring tonic" is? Winter seemed longer than usual this year, I feel sluggish, and I am still carrying the weight I put on over the holidays. I am looking for a little pick-me-up, physically and mentally. Would a "spring tonic" help?
Think as though you were living 150 years ago and your winter diet consisted of cured and salted meats, dairy products, and canned and baked goods. The only vegetables available would have been saved in a root cellar for months-carrots, turnips, potatoes and maybe some cabbage. Fruits would have been dried and leathery. By the time the snow melted, people were starved for anything fresh, green and leafy and would pounce on the first little sprouts that showed.
Now keep pretending you are living a century ago when everything was not paved, and go outside to a greenspace in early spring and see what's naturally coming up from the earth. You'll see at least some of the following little herbs: dandelions, cleavers, violets, stinging nettle, small mustards, wild asparagus and watercress in the stream. Pick a potful of these and simmer them up and you have a spring tonic.
Why is it called a tonic? Tonics nourish and nudge the body to function at its best. After a winter on such a limited diet, anyone's body would need a little help clearing itself of excess salts, preservatives, calories and toxic buildup. These early sprouting herbs will do just that by offering healthy minerals and stimulating bitter flavors to cause the liver, kidneys and colon to cleanse and eliminate wastes. Today as then, energy levels improve with such superior nourishment so one might experience that pick-me-up you are seeking. Taken consistently for several weeks, the diuretic and detoxifying action does cause some people to lose a few pounds.
Like most herbs, these spring tonic herbs do more than one thing in the body. Violet is high in vitamin C and good for innate immunity. Mustards are especially bitter; this flavor is important in the spring tonic because it causes the digestive tract to function properly. Bitters stimulate salivation, triggering stomach secretions that stimulate the liver which in turn causes peristalsis of the colon. Oregon grape, another local herb, would be a useful addition to the tonic.
Spring tonics were often regarded as "blood purifiers" because they stimulated the body's filtering and eliminating mechanisms and also offered super nutritional value. Because of these actions, they also help to resolve skin conditions such as acne, eczema, itching and lesions, and they reduce rheumatic complaints. Sarsaparilla, the herb that flavors and foams root beer, has such a reputation. Prickly ash also offers an array of similar therapeutic values - a stimulating bitter, circulatory stimulant, anti-inflammatory and antirheumatic.
Another herb traditionally included in spring tonics is cayenne or very hot peppers. I remember when my teacher Michael Moore told the class about cayenne; he said, "It makes the colon sweat." Anyone who has eaten habanjero shrimp at Tres Hombres restaurant knows what that means! Yellow dock is a gentler colon stimulant, full of tannins that tone the large intestine.
We have stores that provide us with green, leafy goodness year-round; you can buy chards and kale, arugula, radicchio and even dandelion greens, as well as tinctures or dried quantities of some of these herbs. I mention this because, though it is wonderful to pick your own herbs, not everyone can positively identify them and you certainly do not want to consume the wrong ones. Even so, it is fun on walks or hikes in the mountains to try to learn the herbs. I especially like miner's lettuce, a pretty little herb that grows at the higher elevations where many Utah mining communities were established. Another note of caution: Because these herbs can be stimulating, it may not be wise to use too many of them if pregnant. They can stimulate the uterus as well as the digestive tract.
So as the snow retreats and the greening of spring begins, notice what plants show themselves first and do at least taste a fresh violet flower. The Druids considered violet the herb of love and protection. Besides its distinctive sweet fragrance and immune boosting properties, the flavor is really delicious!
Merry Lycett Harrison, RH (AHG) is a clinical herbalist and owner of Millcreek Herbs, www.millcreekherbs.com.
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 | Aquarium Age: April 2007As a reaction to April's mostly emotional admosphere, many will hum endless choruses of "My Way."
by Ralfee Finn
Winds of will collide with winds of circumstance this month, and life unfolds with truly special effects. And while it wouldn't be completely accurate to assume that April's heavenly patterns translate into a non-stop astro-drama, it also wouldn't be wise to underestimate the passions of the month. April's intensity has the potential to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. Especially as powerful feelings of all denominations-some capable of catalyzing paralysis into action and others able to steady floundering uncertainty-flood the days and nights of human experience.
As a reaction to April's power-packed and mostly emotional atmosphere, lots of people-including thee and me, as well as previously perfectly behaved dogs-are going to be humming (or howling) endless choruses of "My Way." Pay attention: Egocentricity is April's underbelly. The best way to avoid getting lost in its narcissistic shadow is to maintain a healthy curiosity about opinions and choices other than your own. Put simply: Listen to your neighbor with an open mind and open heart. You don't have to agree with what you discover; but the simple willingness to consider alternate realities will keep you from imposing your will on another, as it simultaneously keeps you from being buffeted by the will of others.
A Jupiter/Saturn trine underscores the entire month with a positive perspective that engenders a sincere desire for honest, direct and forthright interactions in and with all your relations. This trine is also the main source of April's warmth; both planets are currently positioned in Fire signs -Jupiter is in Sagittarius and Saturn is in Leo. Jupiter symbolizes expanded consciousness, Saturn signifies discernment, trines represent strength and support, and the element of Fire turns those qualities ardent and zealous. When this configuration works, wisdom is born from a wide variety of experiences. Expect to feel exceptionally wise from the 1-16th, when the Sun trines both Jupiter and Saturn, creating a pattern known as a Grand Trine in Fire. We love this just as much as we loved last month's Grand Trine in Fire, when Venus completed this configuration. Now, it's the Sun in Aries, a position that translates into an appetite for adventure.
From the 12th-26th, the Sun trines Pluto-and we love this positive alliance, too, but that love is tempered with caution. This trine is strong, certain, sure and successful. The only problem is it can also be overpowering and unconcerned with consequences, which means you can harness its energy to make great strides, but you'll need to be diligent about avoiding April's narcissistic temptations.
Fortunately, from the 1st-18th, personal interactions and creativity flourish under the influence of a graceful and inspiration sextile between Mercury and Venus. Use this harmonic alliance to appreciate what's beautiful in your life and to develop a practice of gratitude.
But April isn't only smooth sailing. From the 21st-the end of the month, a Mars-Uranus conjunction in Pisces douses April's fire with a reckless impulsivity that isn't interested in considering the consequences-no way, no how. Unfortunately, this conjunction also signifies the violent revolutionary, devoted to immediate gratification and dramatic stands, and utterly unconcerned with the long-term effect. From the 22nd to the end of the month, the thoughtlessness of this conjunction is exacerbated by its square to Jupiter. Be prepared for tests of nerves, as well as accidents related to haste or carelessness.
Fortunately, as a counterbalance to the indulgence of Mars-Uranus, a Pluto-Mercury trine from the 24th-29th offers the potential for intellectual depth and clarity. But again, try not to succumb to the idea that everything is explainable. Some things will never be comprehensible to the human mind-and that's just the way it is.
"Go forth and live" is April's mantra. It is an invitation to honor your passion, as well as to respect your desires. Of course, some urges should be denied, and Saturn is sure to temper the intensity with a touch of reticence. But resisting April's fire could result in an emotional backfire, so do your best to find healthy, constructive ways of expressing your desires, and you'll turn creative endeavors, romantic encounters, even simple trips to the grocery store into exciting excursions. And, as always, try to be generous of spirit. Taking the time to respect the feelings of others will not only act as a remedy for April's tendency toward egocentricity, it will also simply make the world a better place to live.
If you know your Ascendant and/or your Moon sign, read that too.
Aries March 21-April 19
There are two forces capable of interfering with your joy, and both are internal: (1) if you persist in a negative mindset, you will undermine your efforts; or (2) if you insist on behaving like a blowfish and indulge in a belligerent better-than- thou attitude. Sounds like a no-brainer, but it will take discipline, skill and humility to keep your heart and head aligned in an appropriate perspective.
taurus April 20-May 20
Yes, the ground is shifting beneath your feet, and yes, again, it's hard to set your internal compass on a safe and sure direction. But that doesn't mean you're lost. Allow this deep process to take place and it will move you to a new level of personal growth that will enable you to stay grounded in the midst of turmoil and confident in the middle of change.
Gemini May 21-June 21
While I'm not suggesting you surrender to reckless abandon, I can't help but advise you to be your natural, gregarious, charming self, and fill your time with friends and fun. Of course, there will also be serious down-to-earth moments, but those moments don't have to dampen your spirit. Make it a point to find the appropriate balance, and you'll experience a deep level of personal satisfaction.
cancer June 22-July 22
Just like last month, this month offers equal opportunities for career options and financial gain. As you review your situation, try to pay attention not only to what you most desire, but also to how you can create an environment that would support your goals. Be ambitious, but also be clear about what you want to accomplish and how you want to go about actualizing your success.
Leo July 23-August 22
There's no need to push to test your strength-you're strong and audacious, and everyone knows it. So rather than using resistance as a means of measuring your courage, simply pursue your heart's desire without hesitation. You may not make every dream come true, but you will thrive from the experience of unbridled passion.
Virgo August 23-September 22
It may seem unbelievable, but your ongoing relationship intensive continues. This month, the emphasis is on learning how to assert yourself without being overbearing or overwhelmed. And while it may seem simple at first, establishing a wholesome equilibrium between satisfying your needs as you simultaneously address the needs of others will take patience and skill.
Libra September 23-October 22
Be utterly romantic about most of what unfolds in your life-love, creativity, friendship, or even business. But be aware, your dreamy float downstream will be much more satisfying if you also give yourself permission to handle practical concerns as they arise. Reality does not have to bring you down Dealing with the mechanics of daily life often deepens an appreciation of life's other dimensions.
Scorpio October 23-Nov. 21
It doesn't matter whether you're single, married, or not interested in significant others-you're definitely more interested in romance than you are in career opportunities, even though all signs point toward increased success. So have at it, if only in your dreams. And remember, part of what makes falling in love feel so good is how good it feels not just to be loved, but also to love.
Sagittarius Nov. 22-Dec. 21
An internal restlessness sparks your innate desire for adventure, and before you can blink, your passion for exotic locales is blazing like a bonfire. Of course, you may not be able to set sail for foreign lands, but that doesn't mean you can't make an internal journey or even an armchair excursion into new territory. Whatever your choice, make sure it expands your awareness and enhances your happiness.
Capricorn Dec. 22-Jan. 19
Unruly, and mostly unconscious, drives motivate uncharacteristic behavior-and yes, you are being moved by forces out of your control. So rather than resist, allow yourself to be transformed. I'm not suggesting you throw all your normal caution to the wind, but I am advising you to be prepared to move out of regular routines and into unknown, but satisfying new patterns.
Aquarius January 20-Feb. 18
It is a love-fest, and you don't have to do anything other than enjoy the ride-no obligations, duties, or responsibilities to interfere with your joy. So rather than waste your energy attempting to contain your happiness, which would be impossible, give in and relish how good it feels to be connected-body, mind, and spirit-to those you love.
Pisces February 19-March 20
Once again, there is absolutely no denying your power in the moment, which makes the goal-if a goal is needed-figuring out how to handle that power with grace and generosity. So while this may sound impossible to accomplish, if you start to feel overwhelmed by the intensity-yours or others-breathe deeply and use your breath to create enough time and distance to consider your options for action.
Visit Ralfee's website at www.aquariumage.com or e-mail her at ralfee@aquariumage.com.
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| |  | Comings & Goings: April 2007What's new around town.
by Pax Rasmussen
New nonprofit grants & leadership development opportunities
Are you a next-generation nonprofit executive interested in taking your leadership skills to the next level? Contact the Fieldstone Foundation to receive an application for their nationally-known Coaching Network, Executive Learning Group, or Emerging Leader Learning Group. They also have new grants for nonprofits that partner well with Fieldstone's mission (see website for guidelines). The grants provide capacity-building funds to nonprofits making a significant impact in the following areas: Humanitarian; Cultural Arts; Christian Ministries; and Community & Education.
568-2348, 1265 E Fort Union Blvd. #350, www.fieldstone-homes.com/foundation.
Post Carbon Library
Post Carbon Salt Lake is setting up a database so people can loan & borrow books or DVDs on energy-related issues. People would borrow directly from one another; they are not establishing a central location for the materials to be stored. If you own such books and DVDs and are willing to lend them to others, please email or call Clay Underwood. Provide your contact info (name, address, phone number, email) and a list of your titles and media type (book, DVD, etc).
580-0557, c.underwood@utah.edu
Bob Seiler, DC moves
Dr. Bob Seiler has moved his chiropractic business to the Liberty Park area.
230-0166, 1399 S 700 E, Ste. #1.
The Mundi Project
The Mundi Project is a new arts-related 501(c)(3) non-profit with the goal of increasing opportunities for all youth in the Salt Lake Valley to learn to play a musical instrument and have access to fine-quality instruments. They are now actively seeking funds to purchase fine pianos for placement in public performance spaces throughout Salt Lake City. Also, the Mundi Project is a Piano Bank Program, which facilitates the donation of used pianos to families who could not otherwise afford a piano for private study. They are always seeking donated pianos.
P.O. Box 520696, SLC, Utah 84152, 487-8594, www.mundiproject.org
More Blue Sky Center opens
Lutheran Social Services of Utah will open its "More Blue Sky Center" with a Cinqo de Mayo celebration on May 4 from 4-7 p.m., including music, refreshments and an art show. The More Blue Sky Center has computers, low-income assistance with resumes, job searches and computer/Internet skills in an atmosphere of art and music supplied through Utah artists and a grant through the Utah Arts Council. The Center is free; classes are free to refugees, asylees, artists and nomadic peoples (state certified for DWS assistance). A donation of $5 per class is suggested for the general public. All proceeds support refugee/asylee ministries; and are tax deductible.
1800 South West Temple Suite 305, www.lssu.org.
Mango... the art & science of living juicy!
Jill Jeppesen has recently started her energy coaching business, Mango. She is certified in the Lights On Learning Method and uses digital image-feedback and an energy-based interview process to help people connect with their deepest purpose, as well as with intentional, sustainable action steps.
232-1877, www.getclarity.com, jill@livejuicynow.com
Transform Studio opens
Angela Martindale has announced the opening of her Unlimited Lifestyle, Inc., company's first transformation studio, Transform. She aims to provide a firm foundation for those seeking lasting lifestyle changes. She offers private consultations, lifestyle coaching, personalized workouts and nutrition design. Additionally, she has allied with Tranquility Med Spa & Salon to provide her patrons with "a place to evolve themselves on the outside as well as on the inside."
3949-3953 South Wasatch Blvd, 272-8818, myunlimitedlifestyle@yahoo.com, www.angelamartindale.com.
Eco Mowers gets earth-friendlier
Scott Cooney has taken his quiet, chem-free lawn and landscaping business even more green. Now, along with using only battery-powered equipment (mowers, trimmers, edgers, etc), Eco Mowers has purchased a 1.8kW solar charging system that comes along on every job, eliminating the use of electricity from Salt Lake's coal-fired power plants.
Mowers, PO Box 522351, SLC 84105, 577-7959
Canyon Cove Pilates accepting clients
Owner Eveline Rosa has recently added more classes. Rosa is a Romana-certified instructor. Canyon Cove Pilates offers small mat classes and private and semi-private reformer classes.
301-3138, Mon-Fri 9-1pm.
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 | Babying the Buddha: YogaCreate a yoga practice with your child, following this book by Yael Calhoun.
by Kindra Fehr
Charlotte Bell, a Salt Lake yoga instructor and author wrote, "There's no substitute for learning something when you're young. What enters into the open, pliable minds of children settles deeply into their cells. What is practiced integrates so profoundly that it weaves into the fabric of their beings."
Her eloquent statement makes a book such as "Create a Yoga Practice for Kids: Fun, Flexibility, and Focus" by Yael Calhoun and Matthew R. Calhoun (Sunstone Press, $23) a necessity for every parent and teacher today. Yoga is not a belief system or religion. Yet, by its meditative nature, it does promote spiritual growth and awareness through physical movement. A byproduct of a kid's yoga practice is the benefit of developing imagination and creativity through simple visualization, guided imagery, and relaxation.
Yael Calhoun, a mom, long-time yoga practitioner and teacher who lives in Utah, and her cousin Matthew Calhoun, who started a children's yoga program at the Chicago Yoga Institute, present an easy-to-follow guide for the novice to teach yoga to a child. Illustrations by Carol Anne Coogan offer a quick reference as to how each pose should look.
The authors have developed an easy 1-2-3 system to create a 45-minute practice simply by choosing from a variety of poses in each category: Opening Poses, Themes, and Relaxation Poses. They have also included a "More Yoga Fun" section with games, visualizations, and a five-minute yoga break for the classroom. Each pose is followed by a "what to say" script and the benefits of that pose. They give the postures fun names such as Snowball, Butterfly, Pretzel, Rainbow, and Sea Star. There is a guide to the Sanskrit names in the back of the book.
As a children's art teacher, I have tried some of the sequences to fill the last five minutes of a class when students finish early. I've found it to be a good way to bring focus back and center the children before they continue their day. As a mom of a three year old, I find yoga can be a great opportunity to bond with my child in a playful way and a chance to give myself a moment to breathe, relax and balance (both literally and figuratively). My daughter and I already have a special "yoga bond" that started in my prenatal yoga practice, continued through mom and baby classes, and into our practice today. "Create a Yoga Practice for Kids" opened exciting possibilities and variety for us. Now, my daughter pulls out the yoga mats and asks, "Should we do yoga?" As the authors state, yoga "allows kids to use a lot of energy, make funny noises, relax, and learn to focus all at the same time." What kid wouldn't love that?
Kindra Fehr is an artist and mom to toddler Aria Hancock. She co-instructs the Salt Lake Art Center's KidsmART program.
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| |  | Metaphors: April 2007Spring Breakthrough! Celebrate it.
by Suzanne Wagner
Arthurian Tarot: The Grail Lance, Percival
Mayan Oracle: Greater Cycles, Ben
Aleister Crowley: Pleasure, Debauch, Peace
Medicine Cards: Ant, Whale
Osho Zen Tarot: We are the World, Sharing
Healing Earth Tarot: Eight of Crystals, Grandmother of Pipes
Ancient Egyptian Tarot: The Lovers, Princess of Swords
Words of Truth: Elimination, Nurturing, Breakthrough
If you feel that you just managed to survive the intensity of March, then the feelings of April will be breakthrough and a renewed sense of purpose. March brought with those eclipses the emotional roller coaster of death and rebirth. Now you have found an inner strength that could only come from being challenged and taken beyond the previous limitations of your consciousness.
March was painful and stressful for many, but now mental activity increases and spiritual strength allows you to rise to a new potential. Most of the gains will be accomplished by finding original ways of thinking. Following old stale ideas will leave you breaking down and trapped in an inhospitable environment.
The Grail Lance was called the Lance of Redemption. It had the power to heal, avenge, and bring rebirth to the earth. It is appropriate that this symbol comes in this spread for April and springtime.
With April, the energy bursts forth. This is no time to feel insecure or allow the mind to talk you out of acting in accord with the new situation. You are called to embrace optimism and allow innocent, infectious energy to broaden your horizons.
But before you become a knight, you must be a squire. You are beginning the path that eventually leads you out of situations that have blocked your potential, but only at the beginning. You have many details yet to accomplish, so stay aware and alert.
April is about celebration. Life has been given to us to create, rejoice, and to celebrate. When you fall into despair and misery, you tend to feel alone. When you celebrate life in any way, the whole of existence participates with you. In joy, we find our true light and our eternal self. Celebration takes us beyond the circles of death into life eternal. When you celebrate, there are no feelings of inferiority or superiority. We see our hopes and dreams reflected in all around us. Through that connection, new patterns of exquisite creation are possible.
Creation takes time, effort, and the ability to adapt to the evolving circumstances.
It is natural to have moments of fear, but do not allow them to take over your reality and cause you to break down the new and delicate creation. Find the stillness inside and allow the growth to find good solid roots in this fertile soil of your life. Give yourself time to grow into the powerful knight that you know is within. You will have to take a few knocks, but only through trial and error will you gain confidence in the new perceptions and skills.
By talking to yourself in positive ways and allowing gentle and consistent growth, you will find yourself further along the path than you can imagine. This internal wisdom and acceptance of the difficulty of growth allows you to enjoy the process and celebrate that journey with others.
Suzanne Wagner (suzannewagner.com) is the author of numerous books and CDs on the tarot. She lives in Salt Lake City.
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 | Urban Almanac: April 2007Day by day in the home, garden and sky.
by Diane Olson
APRIL 1 The Sun rises at 7:12 a.m. today and sets at 7:53 p.m. The average maximum temperature this month is 61° and the average minimum is 37°. The Salt Lake valley typically receives 7.3 inches of snow in April. On the ancient Chinese calendar, which breaks the year into chieh, 15-day periods which describe conditions in the natural world, April begins with the chieh of The Clear and Bright.
APRIL 2 Full Seed Moon. According to astrological
gardeners, seeds planted by the light of the full Seed Moon grow into the most nutritious crops of
the year.
APRIL 3 Rain constantly changes shape as it falls.
APRIL 4 House finches, kestrels, mourning doves, robins, sparrows, yellow-rumped warblers and wrens are mating and building their nests.
APRIL 5 Start cucumber, eggplant, melon, okra, pepper, squash, and tomato seedlings indoors.
APRIL 6 Forsythia, daffodils, hyacinth, and tulips are blooming. The name tulip comes from the Persian dullband, or turban, because Turkish men used to stick a tulip into their turbans.
APRIL 7 It's time to plant arugula, asparagus, beets, broccoli (try Romanesque broccoli; check it out at www.seedsavers.org.) brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cilantro, dill, kohlrabi, lettuce, parsnips, potatoes, peas, radishes, spinach and Swiss chard. To keep minuscule carrot seeds moist until they germinate, dig a narrow, shallow furrow and water it well. Sprinkle seeds into the furrow, cover them lightly with soil, then lay a four- to six-inch board of untreated wood over it. Check under the board every couple of days; as soon as sprouts appear, remove it.
APRIL 8 Easter falls upon the first Sunday after the first Full Moon following the Vernal Equinox. Got that? Before Christ, it was celebrated as the Festival of Oeaster, goddess of fertility.
APRIL 9 Saturn is high in the night sky between 10 and 11:00 p.m.
APRIL 10 Last Quarter Moon. Venus, journeying into Taurus, enjoys a stopover in the Pleiades star cluster for the next two nights. The Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters, contains hundreds of stars, thought to have formed together around 100 million years ago, making them 1/50th the age of our sun. If you're facing south, the Pleiades lie above and to the right of Orion, the Hunter.
APRIL 11 Thin broccoli, cabbage, carrots, kale, lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, spinach.
APRIL 12 Why not plant some perennial veggies, like asparagus and rhubarb? Asparagus prefers sandy, well-drained soil, and requires lots of water, compost and light. A well-established bed will be productive for 20 years or more. The first cookbook ever published, "De Re Culinaria," written by Marcus Gavius in the first century, featured a recipe for asparagus.
APRIL 13 Basket of gold, forget-me-not, lilacs, money plant, narcissus, snowballs, violets and early fruit trees are blooming.
APRIL 14 Baby beavers, foxes, long-tailed weasels, mink, otters, porcupines and raccoons are being born. Golden eagle chicks are hatching.
APRIL 15 Now is the chieh of The Grain Rains.
APRIL 16 Turn your compost pile and water it if necessary.
APRIL 17 New Moon. Feed raspberries and strawberries: Mix pine needles, tea leaves and coffee grounds into the soil. You can also water berries with leftover coffee and tea.
APRIL 18 Today is the day of the average last snowfall. Yippee!
APRIL 19 Raised garden beds are handy and look nice, but aren't practical in our arid climate. Sunken beds work better; they retain moisture and are less prone to erosion. Start by forming 3x4-foot mounds, then rake the soil from the interior of each mound to the edges to form a basin with mounded edges.
APRIL 20 Keep an eye out for early butterflies and moths: cabbage whites, Melissa blues, painted ladies, red admirals and skippers.
APRIL 21 Weed flowerbeds, and remove protection from roses and other perennials. Fertilize and prune roses.
APRIL 22 Earth Day. The Lyrid meteor shower brightens the southern sky in the early morning hours. Now's a great time to partially drain and clean out your pond. Scoop out most of the muck and algae, making sure not to damage any plants that have rooted outside their pots.
APRIL 23 First Quarter Moon. For every pound of people, there are 300 pounds of bugs.
APRIL 24 Rake and fertilize lawns. Begin cutting when blades are about 2 inches high.
APRIL 25 Hungry ticks are latching onto juicy passers-by. Range hopper grasshoppers are emerging.
APRIL 26 Moths are often infested with ear mites, which courteously infest and only deafen their hosts in one ear, ensuing that both host and parasite survive.
APRIL 27 Arbor Day. Talk about fabulous choreography: During the winter, the buds of trees are prevented from growing by a chemical inhibitor that gradually breaks down as the season progresses. Once the inhibitor breaks down, the buds develop at a rate determined by the accumulating warmth of spring. As the leaves unfurl, the insects that feed on the leaves start to hatch, and the birds that feed on those insects return from migration. A good example is the spring cankerworm, which feeds on box elder leaves, and is in turn fed upon by the gorgeous orioles that make their summer homes here.
APRIL 28 Prepare garden beds for bush beans, sweet corn, tomatoes, and other warm-weather crops. Think about building those sunken beds...
APRIL 29 Dig up, divide, and transplant crowded daylilies, phlox, hostas and strawberries. Plant fruit trees, evergreens, and shrubs.
APRIL 30 The Sun rises at 6:26 a.m. this morning and sets at 8:23 p.m. Early-risers will be treated to a rare and lovely conjunction of reddish-orange Mars and pale-green Uranus, six degrees above the horizon. Tonight is Beltain, or May Eve, a major Pagan holiday.
Diane Olson is a freelance writer, proofreader, and wanna-be full time naturalist.
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