Along with spring comes this sixth anniversary issue which heralds in year seven. It has been another exciting year for me and the journal and I am grateful for the terrific support I have received over the years. Blessings to everyone who has been a part of my life and work. May we all continue to work together for the good of all and for our planet.

For me every season has its special feel and with spring it is a time of rejoicing. It feels like a weight has been lifted and I am free to fly up into the sky and greet the birds face to face and soar with them from place to place. The longer days feel rejuvenating as I smell the fresh damp air and feel the soft wind brushing against my cheeks and sifting through my hair. Ah! Spring is here! Welcome!

With this season comes new life, adventures and celebrations, and so too with this issue. On June 29 and 30 there will be a Wise Woman Celebration (p. 16-17) in Saskatoon. This is the first of what will be an annual event to honour and celebrate the changes in women’s lives as we grow from the maiden to the mother to the crone. It will be a time for women to come together and dance, sing, play and rejoice in the beauty of being a woman. I have been organizing this event with Anne Elliott and Debra Stobbe and we are excited to be bringing the women of Saskatchewan an opportunity to join together in sharing their talents and resources, their love, caring and humour, and their deep desire to bless and honour themselves and each other. The information on pages 16 and 17 explains what motivated us to create this celebration, as well as a schedule of events and details of the playshops and each presenter, along with registration details. You are also invited to come and hear Anne, Debra and myself speak about this event at Spiritworks’ noon-hour seminar on Thursday, June 14.

In honour of spring Root Woman has blessed us with an article on two of the most interesting plants of the mint family–Giant Hyssop and Wild Bergamot (p. 6)–that grow profusely in Saskatchewan. Along with her detailed descriptions of these plants, she also provides an incredible number of uses–both medicinal and culinary–for them. In honour of another one of nature’s bounties, Paulette Millis writes about Cooking with Quinoa (p. 8), describing this ancient grain as, "easy-to-digest, gluten-free and having a high protein content." Along with her nutritional information and buying and cooking tips, she once again shares a number of her tried-and-true recipes for using this so-called "Supergrain."

Keeping fit and healthy is a goal for most of us, yet it isn’t always easy to do. Robin Côté, a busy marketing executive, is fortunate to work for a company that advocates and provides Corporate Wellness (p. 14) for its employees. Seeing the benefit to her and others, she decided to write about it by interviewing personal trainer and registered nurse, Barb Maduck, who has been creating and teaching wellness programs in many different business settings for ten years. As well as fitness to maintain good health, our bodies also need the balance of proper nutrition, and that’s where Charmaine Ramstead’s article on Enzyme Nutrition Therapy (p. 10) can be helpful.

According to Barb Purdie, The Metamorphic Technique (p. 24) "is not a therapy but a technique that triggers your inner life force, enabling you to realize your potential, enabling you to create yourself anew." It is a specialized type of massage of the feet, hands and head that, according to the experts who discovered it, is about transformation on many different levels.

In this issue Cathy Fenwick gives us the first article, Pilgrim’s Journal: The Journey Begins (p. 12), in a series that describes her experiences on a recent pilgrimage where she found herself asking many questions and receiving some life-changing answers. Then, if a pilgrimage is what calls to you, you will find Anne Elliott’s article, British Intuitive Leads Journey to the Soul of Ireland (p. 30), of interest.

In Ursula Acton’s review (p. 23) of Eric Schlosser’s well-written book, Fast Food Nation, she says, "…his aim is not to turn us all away from fast food, but he presents a good case for giving it some thought." Excellent idea!

Be well and may you find time to connect with the land!

Namaste!
(I honour the Spirit in you!)