Okay Sistren, let's do our part for Mama Earth. Here is a simple way to start a backyard compost as suggested by the city of Austin. Have fun and get the whole family involved.

Composting
Compost is decomposed organic matter, made from leaves, grass clippings, wood chips and fruit and vegetable scraps. Added to your soil or sprinkled on your yard and garden, it helps grass and plants to thrive. Unlike some fertilizers, compost will not run off your yard and pollute neighboring creeks and waterways.

Recipe for Compost
Composting is easy. Simply put different yard trimmings such as leaves and grass clippings in a bin or pile. You should have a mix of green material and brown material. Add water so the pile is slightly damp. Let the pile sit for 12 to 16 months.

You can add fruit and vegetable scraps and other materials as generated. Cover new kitchen scraps with leaves or bury them in the pile. If the pile dries out, add more water to keep it damp.After 12 to 16 months, most of the material at the bottom of the pile will be dark, rich sweet-smelling compost. Sift or sort out large undecomposed materials and sprinkle the rest on your yard and garden.

If you are anything like me, then some electronic devices have become somewhat of a necessity in everyday life. For me it is my cell phone and of course my beloved computer. Having grown up in the technological era, I often think where would I be without my gadgets? Well, while we are keeping up with technologies' must-haves, there is a down side to their continuous usage, electromagnetic smog. This subtle, yet detectable energy is given off from power lines, and electrical devices such as microwaves, televisions, computers and cell phones. This negative energy can cause stress and long term damage to the nervous system, weakening the body and immune system. In addition, electromagnetic smog can also weaken the aura, the biomagnetic sheath that surrounds the body. The aura is a protective zone that extends about eighteen feet and gives information about a person's mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical states. There are ways to protect ourselves from this silent attacker with gifts from Mother Earth herself. Below are some wonderful crystals that can protect you and your family against electromagnetic smog.

In addition to my love of holistic living, I still have this insane habit of keeping up with media, pop culture, and yes celebrities (I say insane, because too much of it can make you just that). I think my reasoning is I like to try and figure out how certain things affect people. In other words it makes for good conversation. Well, here is one. There is a new book coming out about Tom Cruise and his journey with Scientology. The author (I can't recall his name at the moment) has gotten no authorization for this "tell all" book. Well, the book is getting much talk because of it's negative and in depth look into Scientology. I call it a "Witch Hunt." We all know that Cruise has taken a media beating for being a Scientologist, but I believe it has also enhanced his career greatly. Now I know very little about the religion but I can relate to Cruise's plight to defend his spiritual beliefs. As many of us, I grew up in a Pentecostal Church were it was forbidden to wear pants and 'catching the Holy Spirit' was a form of enlightenment. I appreciate my Christian background for being the foundation of my Spiritual journey, but for me I felt the need for something more.

As I turn on the television, my computer, or open the newspaper I am bombarded with the latest Brittany Spears-gone-crazy news. I must say in the past year of listening to this exploited mess about the once pop-princess, I have gone from utter disgust to humbling sympathy for the girl (Madonna sure put one on her). All this media coverage about Brittany got me thinking about one of OUR own Princesses who seems to be going through a few struggles, Ms. Lauryn Hill. Since the break-up of the Fugees, her marriage to Rohan, her Unplugged CD, and outlandish antics on stage, critics have had a field day bashing our sista from every direction. She has been called a racist, emotionally unstable and all sorts of things. I know, I know criticism is a price of fame, but when I saw an interview with Wyclef on BET's the Black Carpet, and he stated that Lauryn need 'professional help' that was it for me. I was convinced that OUR sista was going through it. Think back for a minute. Where were you when you first heard L Boogie spit on the the Fugee's 'Blunted on Reality" or heard her rip it on "Killing Me Softly"?

I had never really thought about blogging before but I wanted to share this experience with you. Just recently, I was writing a commentary in my by-weekly newsletter, 'The Art of Healing'. the subject was a Healing Resolution, in which I challenged my readers to commit to healing certain aspects of themselves that may be causing blockage on their path to greatness.Well, the next night I wanted to do some crystal healing on myself and I was a little perplexed about what stones to use. I chose Lapis Lazuli because I felt the need for some Spiritual Wisdom. As I lay there I asked this beautiful stone to talk to me and I immediately began to feel uncomfortable. At this point I wanted to rush the session and get to the good stuff. Then my Lapis friend said to me, "Be patient, stop trying to control." So there I lay allowing the wisdom of my own words, my healing resolution, to saturate my Spirit. The next morning I began to really study the word patience and as I said it over and over I kind of liked the way it whispered off my tongue. Then came another revelation.