As Alaska Native villages prepared for winter and the intensified energy challenges the season will bring, DOE’s Office of Indian Energy (DOE-IE) and DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Tribal Energy Program co-hosted a workshop focused on solutions to those challenges.
Held in Anchorage, Alaska, on October 16 and 17, the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency for Alaska Native Community Development workshop was designed to help Alaska tribal leaders and staffs understand the range of energy efficiency and renewable energy opportunities that exist in their communities.
“We were pleased that we could offer a workshop focused specifically on the challenges and opportunities for Alaska Tribes,” said Lizana Pierce, Mechanical Engineer and Senior Project Manager for the Tribal Energy Program. “The workshop was intended as a forum to share knowledge and experiences on clean energy options for Alaska. It included presentations by Tribes and tribal organizations on their clean energy projects and panels of experts on workforce development and building green, technology options, financing and funding opportunities, and other resources."
The workshop, which was intended to benefit Alaska Native entities on both a local and regional level, drew a broad spectrum of more than 100 participants throughout the state, from village councils to regional housing authorities and Native corporations and nonprofits.
“Rural Alaska is facing an energy crisis that makes rural community and regional economic development very difficult,” said Sonny Adams of NANA Regional Corporation (NANA), who spoke about the collaborative role NANA and other regional Native corporations have to play in project coordination and crisis management. “Meaningful solutions to this crisis are coming through public-private partnerships, and this forum contributed to an important dialogue in that regard.”
In addition to providing in-depth information on potential renewable energy and energy efficiency technology solutions, the workshop featured case studies and panel discussions on specific projects that are under way in Alaska Native villages.
Workshop attendees heard from state and federal energy experts from the Alaska Energy Authority, the Denali Commission, NANA, DOE-IE, the Tribal Energy Program, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and other agencies and organizations on topics ranging from village energy planning to energy project financing. Through guided panel discussions, they also had the unique opportunity to learn and benefit from the direct experience of a few of the Alaska Native villages that were selected to participate in the Strategic Technical Assistance Response Team (START) program. Through START, which is funded by DOE-IE and the Denali Commission in Alaska, DOE-IE is providing those villages with direct technical assistance designed to move their energy projects from concept to deployment at an accelerated pace, while also building local capacity to maintain and manage the projects over the long term.
“START is focused on providing villages with a pathway to take the concept of an energy project all the way through the development process and installation,” said DOE-IE Deputy Director Pilar Thomas, who kicked off the workshop with a broad overview of the strategic energy planning process and how it is embedded in the community project development process. “Sometimes that can seem very complex and unapproachable, and the purpose of the workshop was to break it down so Alaska villages have a clear understanding of not only the project development cycle but also the various project financing opportunities, including private financing options, that are available to them.”
In the guided discussion that followed, panelists from the Native villages of Kassan, Teller, and Quinhagak shared project successes and lessons learned, providing a glimpse into how the village energy planning and project development process Thomas described is working in practice.
“At the local level, strategic energy planning is a fundamental first step for a community to prioritize which projects will provide the most benefit,” said START team member Alex Dane of NREL, who moderated the panel discussion on “Native Village Energy Planning and Community Project Development Principles.” “START’s approach to strategic energy planning has come in response to a number of questions, such as ‘What should it look like in action and how can the process be replicated,’ ‘How have energy issues affected each village,’ ‘How can START help convene the right stakeholders into the room,’ and ‘How can the energy planning process that DOE developed and has used elsewhere, but is now tailoring to Alaska Native villages, serve as an effective tool for the villages?’” By talking openly about their projects, said Dane, the panelists provided answers to those questions and many more.
One project development challenge Alaska Native villages face, Dane explained, is ensuring that there are members of the community who are trained and employed for the ongoing operation and maintenance of projects once deployed, especially in cases where outside entities go in, install a project, and then leave. “The likelihood of lasting success for renewable energy projects is significantly decreased if there’s no training around their ongoing operation,” said Dane. “Success depends on community support and ownership of the project—how it works, how to maintain it.” Noting that START is focused on addressing that challenge and others, Dane said the panel discussion he led included “some good brainstorming on how existing and future infrastructure can be better maintained if there’s a more proactive approach to ensuring local capacity through technical training at the regional and local levels.”
Project financing is another challenge Alaska Native villages and corporations face in getting energy projects off the ground, Dane said, pointing to the significant role the Tribal Energy Program has played in providing grant funding for feasibility studies and projects that have enabled Alaska Native entities to make renewable energy a reality. Through START, said Dane, DOE-IE and the Denali Commission are on a mission to help the villages take that project development support one step further by understanding, exploring, and pursuing financing options beyond the traditional grant funding that has laid the foundation for many tribal energy projects in Alaska.
The workshop culminated with a panel discussion moderated by Thomas on “Resources for Community Energy Development,” which covered energy policy, intertribal organizations, regional corporations, education, and financing. In discussing funding and partnership opportunities in Alaska, panelist Joel Neimeyer of the Denali Commission offered a big-picture view of why energy, as the common denominator of all infrastructure at the village level, is a critical community-wide issue for Alaska Natives. Noting that everything—from transportation, electricity, heating, and water, to sanitation and health care services—depends on energy and energy efficiency, Niemeyer underscored the importance of addressing energy challenges proactively.
“The cost of energy (both electricity and heat) has increased threefold in the past 10 years for rural Alaska villages,” said Neimeyer. “Many families are finding that they are spending up to 45% of their monthly income to pay heating, electricity, and sanitation bills. I believe the workshop was successful in identifying strategies and tools for rural Alaska villages to address high energy costs. For me the highlight was learning more about energy tax credits and the opportunities for private businesses to leverage the existing U.S. tax code to invest in rural Alaska energy projects.”
There is a phenomenon that is readily associated with swathes of Kosovo's post war politicians. In diplomatic terms it is known as "corruption". For me and many of my fellow citizens it is nothing short of robbery.
Sadly, this phenomenon not only has become entrenched in our daily lives, but it has also been nurtured as a vital mechanism in state consolidation.
If the true scale of corruption in this country was fully known, I believe many of our 2 million people would be on the verge of packing everything up and heading towards the border.
The previous statement might sound melodramatic, especially because it brings bitter memories of the agony that Kosovo went through thirteen years ago, but it is unfortunately true.
Those close to the government would, of course, brush off the claims of widespread cronyism. They would even attempt to refute it by referring to the praise lavish on them by the international community as supervised independence officially ended.
During the two-day events in Prishtina, our international partners held up Kosovo as a role model of state building, social and inter-ethnic cohesion.
It is also interesting to note that international media resorted to putting these words in inverted commas, challenging subtlety the over-effusive claims.
In an interview given to the German international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, PDK's Arsim Bajrami claimed that the end of Kosovo's supervised independence means more responsibility for Kosovar institutions for combating organised crime and corruption.
The statement of Mr Bajrami is logical. However, the reality suggests that the government has neither the courage nor the interest to fight what it has tolerated and nurtured for years -robbery and looting.
The fact that this phenomenon has now reached uncontrollable levels is demonstrated with the hopelessness of Kosovo's youth. Most youngsters keep an eye out for the first opportunity to take a ticket abroad and head to the western world for employment. Others chose asylum-seeking or illegal immigration.
A senior politicians who decides to treat a group of women to a trip to Albania for International Women's day, costing tens of thousands of euro, could easily be seen as playing fast and loose with the Kosovo budget.
Using a private jet to return from holidays in Turkey at a cost of 20,000 euro is perhaps a worst example of excessive spending.
You might be wondering about the names of these protagonists. I purposefully choose not to name them in order to test our collective memory.
The examples refer to two different governments of Kosovo, the former currently in power and the latter of 2005. If we struggle to remember the names, our apathy is confirmed.
We need to understand the fact that even if these acts have now faded into history this does not dilute them, nor does it legitimise the situation Kosovo is in. But, what legitimises this Kosovo-wide looting is the apathy of society, which allows this phenomena to turn into a lifestyle.
The time has come to seriously ask ourselves: are we simply unable to react or are we not able to understand where we went wrong? Why do we remain silent while being robbed? And finally, we need to address one issue: how did we accept a leadership who should have been confined to the cells of Dubrava Prison, rather than the glass buildings of government?
Read more articles by Kreshnik Hoxha, and many more by award-winning journalists, on the leading English-language news site covering the Balkans; http://www.balkaninsight.com/
Did you know that in the United States more people go home for Thanksgiving than for Christmas? And yet, no presents are exchanged. It is simply a time to return home and share a meal, conversation, time with close family.Taking time to give thanks is seen as important.
Let's consider areas where it's important to stop, take time and give thanks:
- Many of us take our health for granted. We push ourselves to the limits, disregard stress levels, eat and sleep erratically. It's only when we or someone close to us receives a health warning that we start to appreciate the importance of being more respectful of our health. But taking better care of ourselves minimises stress and improves our quality of life. And then if we do occasionally need to cope with stressful times we are healthier and better equipped to do so.
- Family and friends are often such an accepted part of our lives that we forget to give thanks for them, their support, annoying habits and sometimes unsolicited interference and advice. Finding ways to value and appreciate these relationships and learn to interact appropriately with others are important elements in becoming a functioning human being, able to live a satisfying and successful life in the big wide world away from home and familiar surroundings.
- Often the weather provides us with many reasons to complain but we should take time to give thanks for the seasons, even if we sometimes experience them all in one day! As Winter approaches we can give thanks and consider the different nuances of each season. We can enjoy our homes in different ways throughout the year. Celebrate family, friends, by making our homes more cosy and intimate in the Winter months.
- Many of us may compare ourselves to others. We may see other people as having luxurious homes, wonderful clothes, regular holidays to exotic locations, enviable lifestyles. But those people may well wish that they spent less time at work, more time together as a family. Often business and professional success brings compromises in other areas of life. Finding a balance is often the major challenge.
- Minor inconveniences often bring unexpected opportunities to be appreciative. Forgetting our mobile phone allows us quiet time for ourself. The day without our car means we have to walk and consequently discover surprising things about our neighbourhood. Even the disappointment of being let down enables us to find out how resourceful we are, as we're forced to find a solution to the situation.
- When a special relationship ends badly an important consideration is to remind ourselves how important the relationship was to us once upon a time. We learned to love, share, co-exist and that's something to be thankful for, even if it didn't work out as we would have liked. We may also have learned what we don't want and that's important too.
- Similarly, when someone close to us dies it is hoped that eventually we'll be able to give thanks for their life, the time we shared together, the importance they played in our life, what they meant to us.
- Having a job we dislike can be improved by an adjustment in our perspective. Being thankful for having a job, earning money, having a reason to get up in the morning, something that many people would be grateful for can help to improve our outlook. Using our dissatisfaction as the impetus to take control of our life can be a valuable catalyst for change. It can propel us to take action; to start studying, research what else we could do, discover viable ways to move on.
Stopping occasionally to give thanks for family and friends, the important things in life, our health, home, quality of life is important to do from time to time. Being appreciative of what we have grounds us and reminds of what really matters in life. Giving thanks provides an interlude to value what we have before we once again resume our lives.
Susan Leigh is a long established counsellor and hypnotherapist who works with clients to help with relationship conflict, stress, assertiveness and confidence issues. She works with individual, clients, couples and in corporate situations.
Her book 'Dealing with Death - Coping with the pain' is a self help book dealing with loss, grief and endings in many different life situations. The loss of a loved person, animal, relationship, career is a devastating blow that this book helps the reader work through.
The 315 parrots, parakeets, cockatoos, Lories, lorikeets, macaws, lovebirds, budgerigars, are a diverse group; yet they are so uniform in their diagnostic features that all are recognizable at a glance as members of the parrot order and family. They range in size from the little 3.5 inch pygmy parrots of the Papua region to the gaudy, long-tailed, 40-inch macaws of the Amazon jungles. They vary in shape from plump African lovebirds and South American Amazons to the slender Lories and wildly crested cockatoos of the AustraloMalayan region. The coloring defies summing up in a sentence, but their bodies are usually a solid green, yellow, red, white, or black, with contrasting patches of red, yellow, or blue on the head, wings, or tail.
Identifying characteristics are the large head and short neck, and particularly the strongly down-curved, hooked bill. An equally important structural feature is the parrot's strong, grasping feet with two toes in front and two behind. Parrots also have a broad cere at the base of the bill through which the nostrils open and which is feathered in many species. Their smallish eyes are often bordered by patches of bare skin, particularly in the larger species. Their rather sparse plumage had powder-downs scattered all through it.
The parrots are a distinctive ancient group well warranting their ordinal rank. They show some affinities in anatomy and in habits to both the pigeons and to the cuckoos. Being essentially arboreal birds, their fossil record is poor. The earliest so far unearthed are of Miocene age, less than 15 million years ago. These show parrots were formerly more widespread in temperate latitude than they are today, spreading north almost to Canada in North America and to France and in Europe.
The parrots' present distribution is pan-tropical. They occur on all lands in the Southern Hemisphere except the southern tip of Africa and the more remote Pacific islands. In the Northern Hemisphere they now reach northern Mexico (central United States, until recently) in the New World and southeastern Asia in the Old. Parrots fall into six major groups, which are sometimes given family rank, but the structural difference between them are so slight that most students today accord them subfamily rank at best.
While they have never been domesticated in the sense that chickens, ducks, and pigeons have, probably more species of parrots have been tamed and raised in captivity than any other group of birds. Primitive tribes have kept them as pets since time immemorial. The talking ability of the African grey Parrot is mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman writings. The parrot's appeal is partly aesthetic, partly anthropomorphic. Coupled with their attractive hues and the ease with which they are tamed and maintained in captivity are their intensely human traits of imitating the human voice, of showing affection to each other, of reacting to flattery, and of using their feet almost as hands. No other bird holds food in one foot and bites pieces off, much as one eats a sandwich. Parrots are extremely long-lived. How long the birds live in the wild, where natural enemies take their toll, is unknown, but individuals have lived upwards of 50 years in captivity, and one is reported to have reached 80.
Parrot's Attributes
Parrots develop their ability as mimics only in captivity. In the wild they are raucous-voiced birds that shriek or squawk or twitter, depending on their size, and have a poor range of vocal expression. Yet in captivity they learn to imitate all sorts of sounds, some species better than others. The African Grey Parrot is considered one of the best mimics, closely followed by the green amazons of Central and South America. The larger and the smaller species do not do so well. Cockatoos and macaws can learn a phrase or two, and the little budgerigars and parakeets can be taught to whistle a tune if one has patience enough.
Though parrot-lovers will cite examples to prove the contrary, talking parrots haven't the slightest idea of what they saying. Often it takes a bit of imagination to put the proper words to the syllables they utter. Parrots learn best when young and repeat the simpler sounds they hear most often with little choice or selectivity. A friend kept a young Yellow-headed Amazon on her pouch while a house was being built on the next site. Intriguing by the zipping sound of hand saws, the bird made this the favorite item if its vocabulary. My friend soon tired of hearing carpenters sawing all day every day and gave the bird to the zoo.
Parrot fanciers had a severe blow in the 1930s when it was discovered that parrots suffer from a virus disease, originally called psittacosis, which they can transmit to humans, sometimes in a virulent form. To combat this disease, the importation of wild plants was prohibited, and the traffic in caged parrots suffered from a severe setback. Later researchers revealed that "parrot fever" occurs in almost all birds, including domestic fowls and pigeons, and the disease is now more appropriately called ornithosis. Antitoxins and antibiotics have been developed that greatly reduce the severity of the virulent strains, and fear of the disease has now been largely overcome. Parrots are again gaining favor as cage birds, particularly the little budgerigars, which are now bred in whites and yellows, far removed from the blues and greens of their wild Australian progenitors.
Gaudy Macaws
The kings of the parrot family are the 15 gaudy macaws that live in the tropical rainforests from Mexico south through Central and South America. One of the largest and handsomest is the red-and-green macaw found from Panama to Bolivia. When fully developed its tail alone is more than two feet long. The slightly smaller Hyacinth Macaw, highly prized by parrot fanciers for its lovely coloring, lives only in the jungle vastnesses of interior Brazil. The commonest macaws seen in zoos are the Scarlet Macaw and the Gold-and-blue Macaw. Another species widespread from Mexico southward is the Military Macaw, the all-green one with a red forehead. Macaws usually travel in pairs. As these magnificent birds fly screeching on strong and rapid wings over the high panoply of their native jungles, they are a far more stirring sight than their tamed counterparts on a zoo perch, and one never forgotten. Other members of the group are smaller; all have long graduated tails.
New World Parrots
Perhaps best known of the New World parrots are the 25 or so species of amazons, often kept as cage birds. These are the stout-bodied green parrots with short square or rounded tails, most of them marked with yellow, red, or blue. One of the largest, the Yellow-headed Amazon, is among the best talkers of the American parrots. Other commonly caged amazons are the Yellow-faced and the Red-fronted, one with a yellow and the other with a reddish forehead. One of the smallest is the 10-inch White-fronted Amazon, with a white forehead, bright red lores, and a red wing patch in the male.
Among the less familiar groups of New World parrots are conures, which are smaller and more slender-bodied than the amazons and have longer, pointed tails. Most striking of this group is the Golden Conure of Brazil. Also classified here is the only parrot native to the United States, the recently extinct Carolina Parakeet, a pretty little parrot about 12 inches long with a yellowish green body, a long pointed tail, and an orange-yellow head.
In the early 19th century Carolina Parakeets ranged from North Dakota and central New York south to eastern Texas and Florida, and were abundant in the heavily forested bottom lands of the Mississippi Valley and the Atlantic seaboard. Slaughtered for sport and to control their depredations to fruit and grain crops, flocking parakeets had an unfortunate habit of hovering in curiosity and concern over a fallen bird, so that the hunter could often kill them all. They had become exceedingly rare by 1900. The last ones were seen in the Florida Everglades in the early 1920s. Though kept commonly as cage birds in the 19th century, they were never raised successfully in captivity and the species vanished before any determined effort could be made to save it.
Similar in size and form to the amazons is the African Grey Parrot, which commands the highest price of all parrots among bird dealers because of its excellence as a mimic. This grey, red-tailed bird is at home in the rainforests of the Congo from the Gold Coast to Kenya and Tangayika. Like so many of the smaller parrots in the wild, it is generally seen in screaming, chattering flocks flying bullet-like over the tops of the trees. In western Africa it does considerable damage to grain.
Lovebirds
The lovebirds are a group of small, heavy-bodied, pointed-tailed Old World parrots best developed in Africa and Madagascar. They are highly prized as cage birds, partly for their attractive colors, partly for their human trait of liking each other' company. Caged birds sit huddled together by the hour, giving every evidence of fondness for each other. In the wild, lovebirds usually travel in large flocks and often damage crops. In most the sexes are alike, but in the gaudy Electus, of the South Pacific islands, the sexes are so different in color (the male bright green, the female soft maroon) that they were once believed to be different species.
Parakeets
The true Parakeets are a widespread Old World group centered in the Indo-Malayan region. Most of these small parrots have long pointed tails. Many live in cultivated areas and eat grain as well as fruit. They travel in large chattering flocks and often feed on the ground. Best known of the group is the Budgerigar of Australia, now popular as a cage bird. A weird group is the hanging parakeets, tiny green birds found from India to the Philippines that sleep at night hanging upside down from their perches like bats.
Another distinct group of Australo-Malayan parrots consists of the 16 cockatoos, which differ from other parrots in having a crest of long, pointed feathers they can raise and lower at will. Most are fair-sized white birds, frequently washed or tinged with pinks or yellows, and in some the crest color varies. Wild cockatoos are noisy, gregarious birds that travel in small loose flocks through the treetops and perch on exposed limbs, where they stand out conspicuously against the dark foliage. The Solomon Islands White Cockatoos was a familiar bird to Americans there during World War II, and men got live ones from the natives as pets. A Seabee outfit taught one bird to repeat monotonously "Bledsoe said so," to the delight of the troops and the annoyance of their imperial executive officer, Mr. Bledsoe. Among the commoner white cockatoos are seen in zoos are the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo with its bright yellow crown, and the pink-shaded Leadbeater's Cockatoo.
Black Cockatoo
The largest is the 31 inch Black Cockatoo of New Guinea, whose tremendous curved bill ends in a long, sharp point. With it the Black Cockatoo cracks and digs the meat out of hard-shelled nuts that a man has trouble breaking with a rock. Unlike the White Cockatoos, the Black Cockatoo is a solitary bird, usually seen alone or in small groups of two or three in the tops of tall jungle trees. Also unlike other cockatoos, the Black Cockatoo has a bare face, and its cheeks change from pink to red with the bird's emotion.
Lories and Lorikeets
The Lories and lorikeets of the Australasian region, 6 to 15 inches long, brilliantly colored in greens, blues, reds, and yellows, have their tongues edged with a brushy fringe for lapping up nectar and fruit juices. Unlike other nectar-eating birds that siphon flower nectar with thin, tube-like bills, the lorikeets crush flowers with their beaks and lap up the extruded juices with their tongues. A common bird in the coconut plantations throughout the South Sea islands is the painted, or Rainbow, Lorikeet, a slender, long-tailed bird that breaks into many geographical races, each island population vary slightly in color and size. Large flocks of these birds dash twittering and chattering through the treetops and alight in the palm fronds like to many bright flowers. Just as suddenly they take flight again with a great rushing of wings, still chattering.
Pygmy Parrots
Smallest of the family are the tiny pygmy parrots, only 3 to 5 inches in length, whose six species range from New Guinea eastward through New Britain and the Solomons. These midgets act more like small woodpeckers than parrots. They creep about the trunks and large limbs of forest trees prying insects out of bark crevices. They have stiff woodpecker-like tails with spiny tips, and long claws for clinging to bark. They are not so common or gregarious as most other parrots, and are quiet and hard to find in their jungle haunts. They have never been kept successfully in captivity.
Kakapo
Strangest and most aberrant of all the parrots is the Kakapo, or Owl Parrot, of New Zealand. This very rare bird is threatened with extinction by New Zealand's introduced predators, for it has lost the power of flight. A large parrot about 20 inches long, its soft feather is cryptically streaked with greens, yellows, browns, and blacks. Largely nocturnal, it hides during the day in holes in rocks and under tree roots, and comes forth at evening to feed. It runs rapidly on the ground and when in a hurry often spreads its wings. It climbs trees for fruit and nectar and then glides down to the ground. Its longest glide recorded is about 90 yards. In the forest habitat it frequents its keeps path and trails open by snipping off roots and vegetation in its way as it walks along. The Kakapo is believed extinct on North Island but a few have recently been reported still surviving in the extensive beech forests of South Island.
Kea and Kaka
Equally distinct and abnormal are the two other New Zealand parrots, the Kea and the Kaka, both fairly large birds about the size of a crow, brownish-green in color, variously marked with reds and yellows. The Kea is a highland form living above the tree line in alpine regions of South Island, where it nests in crannies and fissures under rocks. In summer, it lives on a normal parrot diet of fruit and buds, supplemented with insects, grubs, and worms. In winter, it descends to lower levels where it becomes a scavenger, and it has acquired the obnoxious habit of pecking into the backs of living sheep for their kidney fat. To curb their sheep killing, a bounty was put on Keas, and paid on almost 30,000 during an 8-yeard period. This had little effect on their numbers, which apparently increased because of the plentiful food supply. Removing all sheep refuse after butchering was found a more effective way of controlling them.
The Kea's close relative, the Kaka, lives in low-level forests on both islands. It is a noisy bird usually seen in flocks. It lives on fruits and nectar, and on grubs it digs out of rotten wood with its powerful beak.
Parrots Breeding
Parrots are remarkably uniform in their nesting habits. Parrot eggs are quite white, round, always white, and fairly glossy. The number per clutch varies from 1 in some of the larger species to 9 or 10 in some smaller ones, and averages 3 to 5. Most parrots are cavity nesters and they usually lay in an unlined hole in a tree. Some nest in burrows on the ground, some in rock crevices. The pygmy parrots and several other small Australasian species dig their nests in termite houses. Incubation is normally by both sexes; in a few species by the female alone. The young usually hatch naked but soon sprout a down coat which makes them look remarkably like fledging owls. Little is known of their incubation periods, but in the smaller parakeets they run from about 17 to 20 days. Both sexes feed the young by regurgitation, much as pigeons do.
The Grey-breasted Parakeet of Argentina nests colonially in huge structures built of twigs high in trees in which each pair of birds has its own private compartment. The birds use these huge nests as sleeping quarters the year round and add to them from year to year until the wagonload or more of twigs breaks down the supporting branches. Other birds, such as tree ducks, sometimes occupy vacant nests in these colonies with the parakeets, and once in a while opossums move in and apparently live at peace with them.
One of my mottos is, Hold fast to your vision, regardless of what is going on around you, because you need the power of your vision to transform your perception and your current reality.
When you truly stop believing (and living) in the past (i.e., past experiences, beliefs, thoughts, traumas, etc.), and instead you appreciate the things and thoughts that bring you joy in the present moment, you begin to pave the way toward a brighter and more fulfilling future.
But how do you hold on to your vision, when the mind is continuously creating a multitude of thoughts, ideas, and desires? How do you differentiate between those that will bring you joy and those that arise from a wounded place (and will perpetuate the wound)? And most importantly, how do you bring them into reality when everything around you seems to be pointing in different directions? Aside from the obvious self-discipline and focus, the keys here are: know and trust yourself.
The mind is tricky, so the difference between true (soul-driven) desires and impulsive (ego-driven) illusions is subtle, and this is why your visionary powers-like those of spiritual entrepreneurs, inspired leaders, and creative visionaries-can either propel you into success and fulfillment or get in your way, creating blind spots that side track you or sabotage your goals and purpose.
Are Your Ideas Blocking Your Goals and Accomplishments?
A visionary mind is a flowing fountain of creative, innovative, and amazing ideas and solutions. If you have tapped into your creative nature, you know what I mean. It seems that no sooner than you start a project, you get flooded with new ideas that may enhance, complement, or improve your project; or maybe these new ideas are independent of your current goal and fuel the impulse to ignite yet a completely new project.
It's a blessing to be able to tap into your creative potential and become an idea generator, but it can also have a downside, because so many ideas floating in your mind can get confusing and distracting, and actually prevent you from focusing on your goal or project to bring it to fruition. It doesn't matter if the project is a creative endeavor, a business, a career, or your daily life. You can start a million things and jump from one to another without ever fully embracing or mastering who you are and what you want.
From the ego-mind perspective, the role of the "eternal beginner" is a safe place, because you can't really fail if you never actualize anything; you can't be judged for what you've done, since you haven't finished it; and you can always improve something that is considered "work in progress" in your mind.
In other words, remaining in the idea world allows you to not take responsibility for what you can do while maintaining a sense of control; after all, anything is possible in the idea realm. Bringing something to reality or fruition requires self-discipline, focus, and conscious action.
Is Your Love of Learning Preventing You From Mastering Life?
Another visionary power that can get in your way is the love of learning. If you are an idea generator, you are probably eager to discover new ideas and acquire wisdom as well. As a visionary, you are a lifetime learner and you also want to have all your "ducks in a row" before you feel ready to step up and present your vision to others. Yet since there is always something more to discover and learn, this may bring out an underlying feeling that "you're not ready" because you may be missing something.
I don't know how many people I've met who attend workshop after workshop, follow one teacher after another, learn all the healing techniques they can, and read all the books they find, and yet do not know who they are or what they want in life. They gather tons of information and teachings, but they lack the self-discipline to integrate it into their personal and spiritual experience.
True knowledge comes from experience, and true wisdom comes from insight. The only way to change the dysfunctional patterns created from past experiences, memories, beliefs, and habits is to replace them with new experiences, memories, beliefs, and habits. Those new experiences have to come from conscious choices you make in a different direction from the unconscious impulses of the ego-mind.
The soul doesn't care about how many certifications, diplomas, books, retreats, workshops, and healing techniques you have acquired; its only concern is what you do with it all and how you apply it for the purpose of expanding your awareness and self-knowledge-that is, of your self-growth (i.e., growing closer to the Self).
So again, not integrating knowledge and experience may keep you as the eternal seeker or student, which is another way to hide and not take responsibility for who you are and what you are here to do. There is nothing wrong with learning (I am a lover of learning myself), but you have to start delving into your own inner wisdom at some point.
You can continue enjoying learning from everything and everyone while also embracing what you have to offer yourself and others. It really is a matter of self-love and self-worth here, and you can begin to believe and value everything you are, no matter where you are at.
Is Your Search for Perfection Sabotaging You?
You may not realize this, but everyone is always giving as much as they can and doing their best. Sometimes that "best" may not seem good enough to you, but it's truly the best that you or anyone can do at any given time, because it is in our nature to be and do the best we can. Yearning for perfection is ingrained in our divine nature, and although it may get distorted and twisted along the way, we can use this natural visionary power to do great things. However, it has a downside, too.
As kids, we all expect love, support, and validation from the outside world (from parents, teachers, friends, and so on). If you grew up in an environment that didn't provide the emotional support you needed, then chances are you acquired the belief that you're not good enough, or that you don't know enough, and so this visionary power becomes the tendency to be a perfectionist, which blocks your ability to feel good about what you can accomplish and also creates the need to always be right.
On the one hand, you're committed to do your best and hold high standards for yourself, but on the other, you don't allow yourself to be at peace with who you are and accept that life is a process where there are no mistakes, only the expansion of awareness that comes from your learning experiences.
If you don't give yourself permission to be wrong, to not know, and to make mistakes, how can you open up to the great wisdom and abundance that is available to you, and how can you continue growing and expanding consciousness? Perfectionism hinders your ability to deliver and share your gifts with others: a great performance, a wonderful piece of work, an innovative solution, or a loving and generous life.
The Time to Master and Create Your Life Is Now!
In truth, mastery is not about knowing what this or that author think, or what this or that teacher says; it's not about comparing yourself to others or waiting for the right moment to start living or loving; it's not about judging yourself or others by the standards of personal or cultural morals or ideals. It's about knowing who you truly are and putting into action what rings true to you from all the information and experiences you have acquired, and allowing your gifts to shine forth and support you in the fulfillment of your purpose.
Perhaps you have forgotten that, ultimately, you are here to touch others with what makes you unique: the singular mixture of gifts, talents, intelligence, intuition, perspective, expertise, experience and style that only you can offer. So here are some pointers to help you start harnessing your visionary powers for success:
Know who you are and what you want to become self-guided;Believe that who you are is exactly who you need to be, and that there is always room for improvement and change;Know that everything has many layers, don't underestimate the power of your ego-mind and remain vigilant in your self-exploration;Stop being the "eternal beginner": acknowledge and value all your experiences (both pleasurable and painful);Give yourself permission to be wrong, to make mistakes, and to not know the answers, with compassion and self-love;Understand that self-growth is a never-ending process because consciousness never stops expanding;Start using your visionary powers to take conscious action and not to procrastinate;Remember that even after you reach a goal, your life path continues;Be gentle and compassionate with yourself and others, nobody said this was easy and we didn't get any instructions either!
And of course, if you need support and guidance to find your life path, your purpose, or to create a successful soul-based business, don't hesitate to contact me and begin harnessing all your potential for a fulfilling, joyful, and abundant life!
Yol Swan is an Intuitive Spiritual Counselor, Life & Business Coach offering over 28 years of experience exploring the mind and psyche, Vedic and metaphysical sciences, psychology and spirituality, as well as her intuitive gifts, to help you understand your environment and relationships from a spiritual perspective and remove what prevents you from living a joyful and abundant life!
Intuitive Spiritual Counseling, Life Purpose Coaching, Indigo & Energy Healing, Spiritual Tools for Self-Growth, Meditation, Audio & Video Lectures & Courses. In Person & Online Counseling.
Even though their numbers are down, North America is home to numerous species of wild cats. The most common and the only one not on the threatened or endangered list, is the ornery Bobcat. He is the "Lynx Rufus" which means he is in same family as the Canada Lynx, but he is a lot more versatile than the Canada Lynx. The Bobcat used to be wide spread over most of the US. But for years he was labeled as a nuisance and was either ran out of the area or was shot, and this has seriously hurt the population numbers. Still though, they are the most successful of any of the North American wild cats. They eat a wider variety of food which is a big help. The Canada Lynx eats almost exclusively Snow Shoe Hares. The Bobcat will eat a wide range of food including hares, Cottontail Rabbits, mice, rats, gophers, birds, eggs, reptiles or about anything else they can catch.
The Bobcat is only slightly larger than the average house cat, at apx 21 inches high and 10-30 pounds. Their back legs are slightly longer than the front which gives the impression that they are a lot bigger than they really are. They usually have 1-6 kittens with 2-3 the average in the spring. The eyes open at 9 days, and they nurse for 3-4 months. At 5 months mom starts taking them out to learn the fine art of hunting. They will stay with mom learning until the next spring and breeding time. The Bobcat has been known to live over 30 years in captivity, but usually only 12-13 in the wild.
The Lynx is like the Bobcats cold weather cousin. Lynx are about the same size as a Bobcat, but the Canada Lynx has cold weather gear on. Their feet are bigger than the Bobcats and with the extra hair they have on them their feet work as snowshoes. Their ear tufts are bigger and the ruff around their face is fuzzier. Canadian Lynx is a good example of the relationship between predator and prey. They have tracked the Lynx for years and watch the fluxuation up and down. Most populations of Snowshoe Hares run in cycles of 8-11 years. The Canada Lynx population followed the flow. If there isn't much food they may skip a year of having kittens. Wait till conditions are more favorable to try to raise a family. Most kittens don't make it to adulthood as is. It's hard raising a family no matter who you are. The Canada Lynx has been recorded living as long as 21 years in captivity and 15 in the wild.
Another North American cat that is pretty scarce is the Ocelot or Painted leopard. The little cat used to run most of the southern US. Now every now and then there is a sighting in Texas or Arizona then as you go farther into Mexico they become more common. The Ocelot has been studied in several different habitat types. Like most cats they are primarily nocturnal, they are territorial and primarily solitary unless mom and kits. The fur trade for the Ocelots beautiful coat has put this cat on the endangered list for US.
KC Evans is a Wildlife Rehabilitator from Wildthings Wildlife Center in Colorado.
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