Is there a direct connection between the warming of the earth's surface, the coral reefs in the oceans, gemstones, and the ancient 'science of light' revealed in the Vedas?There is.
It surprises no one, anymore, to conclude that the CO2 levels of the earth's atmosphere are rising. Of all the known consequences, global warming is certainly the best known, but there is another result, potentially just as destructive, and that is the rise in ocean levels of CO2.
These great masses of water continuously absorb CO2, and as they do they become increasingly acidic. And just like plants and animals on land, those living in the brine of the oceans survive in a surprisingly narrow range of growing conditions. One thing they don't tolerate well is acidity. A tiny drop in pH from 7.0 to 6.9, for example, is big news to coral organisms. To put it simply, the world's coral reefs are dying, and at an accelerating rate. As we poison our atmosphere, we poison the reefs' aquatic environment. Their sensitivity to change may show us some of the first catastrophic results of our polluting ways.
But to most, it is no surprise that our species' impacts on the global environment are already creating consequences to each of us personally.
Let's tie in another area of thought.
In Vedic astrology (jyotish, literally "science of light"), coral is moonga, one of the nine main gemstones said to gather and radiate the powers of the nine planets on earth. In fact, coral is indespensable to cure the very common Mars affliction. For many, the positions of the planets at the time and place of their birth shows an afflicted position of Mars, a generally temperamental and accident-causing planet. The "hot, red planet" can easily bring misfortune and disease into a person's life. But in this ancient science of destiny, wearing spiritually potentized red coral can harmonize a ferocious Mars and the life conditions it brings.The scriptures that underlie jyotish are merciful, offering us not only gemstones but several complementary remedies to soften or even redirect the force of an afflicted planet or strengthen a weak one. They include mantras, yoga and breathing, dietary changes, herbal formulas, and pujas or devotional ceremonies in the Hindu tradition and yantras or activated sacred diagrams..
Another remedy integral to the others is called sankalpa, which might be thought of as a cross between a prayer and a vow. It is a strong and sacred use of intention, but it is rarely spoken of because it is poorly understood. To set a sankalpa is essentially to ask the Divine for a blessing, and then to act as the Divine by aligning one's thoughts, words and actions behind the blessing. With it, the potency of all other remedies is magnified.
For those who have utilitized it, sankalpa is revealed to be true magic that can move any obstacle, when one follows up and acts in accordance with the intention set in motion. That two-part process is the real "Secret."
The oceans and the coral reefs are places for our sankalpas, individually and collectively. Within 30 years or even less, we could face systemic destruction of these critical aquatic ecosystems, and with them, a material sacred to what is possibly the world's oldest living spiritual tradition will also die.
For there to be no more moonga to cure malific influences of Mars, for those people who need it, would be similar to the extinction of a rainforest medicinal herb that is uniquely able to cure a disease impacting millions of people. If the day comes when there is no more of this herb and none had been preserved, we would ask, "Has our species no foresight?"
Not so fast. I believe we do have foresight, and choice.
Sometimes we get a sudden glimpse that our lives are literally a microcosm of what is happening to the earth. To say that this generation holds the fate of the earth in its hands may not be an exaggeration, given the speed of the changes now approaching, nor may it now be too much to say that how the earth is changing will strongly shape our individual destinies.
We are once again shown – ironically by our abuses – that our personal fates and that of the earth are one.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Coral, Mars and CO2
Friday, October 17, 2008
Mantras For Abundance In Tight Times, and Liberation
Fulfill, Or Free?
Let's just jump right in. While it's interesting to think that a given sequence of sounds or syllables can actually produce a difference in what shows up in your life, here's one thing I can guarantee : the mantra itself really means very little without a little elbow grease from you! That's right, it's the practice of repeating it that does the heavy lifting. Change is created when your extremely-powerful mind holds a new pattern of thought and vibration for a period of time – long enough to forceably shift the habitual patterns radiating from your belief system. This energy pattern is usually called "attitude," and I think everyone agrees that our attitude is constantly determining our outcomes – what comes back to us in every circle of time, from seconds to days to years to lifetimes. It's the mechanism of karma.
So how is a mantra a better "attitude shifter" than, say……a glass of wine? The answer is : sometimes it isn't! But it's a matter of what you want to accomplish. The wine might be a good prescripiton for simple relaxation right now, but the subtle and sustained shift required for attracting abundance is a bit greater. That's where the practice of mantra repetition comes in, and commitments to perform the practice for a minimum number of days. A common length is 40 days.
Now Let's Go A Level Deeper
A number of scriptural references give validity to fulfilling our desires so we will be free of them. Wait, that's a twist, isn't it? Normally, we desire what we don't have, and fulfilling them has the effect of making them grow and multiply – but there's another option. The scriptures do not anywhere say that these desires will necessarily be fulfilled by physical means. Hunh? That's right, there's the key : we have to be willing to let the hand of the Divine fulfill our desires by simply quenching them within us, if it so decides, rather than by an outward manifestion. We continue down the road, we pray or chant, we turn, we pause, and we notice the desire that had been dogging us is simply gone. It's the perfect calm in the storm. It demontrates that all outcomes are up to God, not you or me, but we are allowed to petition (ask) for what we want. The outcome may be granted (or something similar), or the desire may simply be swept away, which is another form of its fulfillment.
This can be the intent of prayers and mantras. For example, Om Aim Shrim Hrim Saraswatiyai Namaha is a classic Vedic mantra for attracting abundance, but in this light, what does it really accomplish? Understanding that the deeper purpose of any mantra repetition is A. the purification of the subtle body and B. the evolution of the soul toward its final liberation, we have to accept the Vedic conclusion that all our desires are splinters of the desire to be liberated. "No not really," you say. "I really do want to make more money. And I want to eat chocolate truffles without getting fat." As we move through this lifetime, we attach to certain things (or they attach to us) that give us tiny glimpses of the extraordinary bliss of liberation. That's why someone may like chocolate truffles. It's a radical understanding, granted, but it's also true.
Enter the Essence
OK. Mantras allow the mind to dip into the essence of its own source, and that source is the ground of being from which all manifestations emerge. A result of chanting authentic mantras is thereby to merge with the universe's creative force and in so doing, becomes a co-creator with the Divine. Of course, the purpose of having this ability is to free the mind from itself, but mantra can also be used to live a more gracious life while still here. Think of it as a vibrational power tool. In this regard, you will be in the good company of many high beings who used this power to make their own worldly journeys more bearable, and to help others along the way.
But do yourself one favor if you chant mantras for specific outcomes : spiritualize those desires before supercharging them using mantra. Get to the essence of the desire first. For example, those chocolate truffles. The question to ask is always "What do I want to feel when I (eat chocolate truffles)?" Deep pleasure? Satisfaction? Having cheated death (just joking)? Direct your mantras toward that goal, chant for it to be done, then release it. Let the Fates determine the outcome.
Being Here, The Purpose Of
Classic Hinduism lays out the purposes of human life perfectly for anyone who really wants to know. The four unchanging goals of a human ebodiment are Artha (wealth), Kama (pleasure), Dharma (duty/righteousness), and Moksha (liberation). Wealth comes first because it is said that without it, the other three cannot be attained (accepting an expansive meaning of 'wealth' of course). Liberation comes last because when it is at last achieved, the others are seen to have little value.
There are other levels of effect. The Vedic scriptures and their commentaries teach that we have seven main chakras or energy wheels that spin within us and that their condition determines our state of spiritual unfolding. Radiating out from them, the nadis are a massive, threadlike system of energy channels in the human subtle body (also interpenetrating the physical body). Chanting mantras purifies the chakras and nadis and 're-tunes' them to the frequencies of the mantras. Yes, this is an oversimplification
A good portal in which to deepen this body of knowledge is the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which describes the subtle anatomy of the seeker and the exact practice requirements for spiritual unfoldment.
Wealth. Repeat.
But back to Artha, wealth. Another ancient abundance mantra is known as the Mantra of Kubera, the Celestial Guardian of Riches.
Ha Sa Ka La E I La Hrim
Ha Sa Ka La E I La Hrim
Composed entirely of smaller seed (bija) mantras, this one has no literal translation. To chant it re-creates a very ancient matrix of sound to which no words apply. Chanting Kubera's mantra is good for saving and safeguarding 'riches' in addition to acquiring them.
Next time I'll go into the proper way to repeat these mantras, at the different levels from fairly casual to deeply serious. I'll introduce the idea of an anusthan and discuss numbers : how many repetitions are recommended for what results. Yes, the scriptures talk about specific numbers, if you know where to look.
So, how cool is that? It's as close to a "guarantee" for spiritual results as life will yield up. Notice the quotes there.
Let's just jump right in. While it's interesting to think that a given sequence of sounds or syllables can actually produce a difference in what shows up in your life, here's one thing I can guarantee : the mantra itself really means very little without a little elbow grease from you! That's right, it's the practice of repeating it that does the heavy lifting. Change is created when your extremely-powerful mind holds a new pattern of thought and vibration for a period of time – long enough to forceably shift the habitual patterns radiating from your belief system. This energy pattern is usually called "attitude," and I think everyone agrees that our attitude is constantly determining our outcomes – what comes back to us in every circle of time, from seconds to days to years to lifetimes. It's the mechanism of karma.
So how is a mantra a better "attitude shifter" than, say……a glass of wine? The answer is : sometimes it isn't! But it's a matter of what you want to accomplish. The wine might be a good prescripiton for simple relaxation right now, but the subtle and sustained shift required for attracting abundance is a bit greater. That's where the practice of mantra repetition comes in, and commitments to perform the practice for a minimum number of days. A common length is 40 days.
Now Let's Go A Level Deeper
A number of scriptural references give validity to fulfilling our desires so we will be free of them. Wait, that's a twist, isn't it? Normally, we desire what we don't have, and fulfilling them has the effect of making them grow and multiply – but there's another option. The scriptures do not anywhere say that these desires will necessarily be fulfilled by physical means. Hunh? That's right, there's the key : we have to be willing to let the hand of the Divine fulfill our desires by simply quenching them within us, if it so decides, rather than by an outward manifestion. We continue down the road, we pray or chant, we turn, we pause, and we notice the desire that had been dogging us is simply gone. It's the perfect calm in the storm. It demontrates that all outcomes are up to God, not you or me, but we are allowed to petition (ask) for what we want. The outcome may be granted (or something similar), or the desire may simply be swept away, which is another form of its fulfillment.
This can be the intent of prayers and mantras. For example, Om Aim Shrim Hrim Saraswatiyai Namaha is a classic Vedic mantra for attracting abundance, but in this light, what does it really accomplish? Understanding that the deeper purpose of any mantra repetition is A. the purification of the subtle body and B. the evolution of the soul toward its final liberation, we have to accept the Vedic conclusion that all our desires are splinters of the desire to be liberated. "No not really," you say. "I really do want to make more money. And I want to eat chocolate truffles without getting fat." As we move through this lifetime, we attach to certain things (or they attach to us) that give us tiny glimpses of the extraordinary bliss of liberation. That's why someone may like chocolate truffles. It's a radical understanding, granted, but it's also true.
Enter the Essence
OK. Mantras allow the mind to dip into the essence of its own source, and that source is the ground of being from which all manifestations emerge. A result of chanting authentic mantras is thereby to merge with the universe's creative force and in so doing, becomes a co-creator with the Divine. Of course, the purpose of having this ability is to free the mind from itself, but mantra can also be used to live a more gracious life while still here. Think of it as a vibrational power tool. In this regard, you will be in the good company of many high beings who used this power to make their own worldly journeys more bearable, and to help others along the way.
But do yourself one favor if you chant mantras for specific outcomes : spiritualize those desires before supercharging them using mantra. Get to the essence of the desire first. For example, those chocolate truffles. The question to ask is always "What do I want to feel when I (eat chocolate truffles)?" Deep pleasure? Satisfaction? Having cheated death (just joking)? Direct your mantras toward that goal, chant for it to be done, then release it. Let the Fates determine the outcome.
Being Here, The Purpose Of
Classic Hinduism lays out the purposes of human life perfectly for anyone who really wants to know. The four unchanging goals of a human ebodiment are Artha (wealth), Kama (pleasure), Dharma (duty/righteousness), and Moksha (liberation). Wealth comes first because it is said that without it, the other three cannot be attained (accepting an expansive meaning of 'wealth' of course). Liberation comes last because when it is at last achieved, the others are seen to have little value.
There are other levels of effect. The Vedic scriptures and their commentaries teach that we have seven main chakras or energy wheels that spin within us and that their condition determines our state of spiritual unfolding. Radiating out from them, the nadis are a massive, threadlike system of energy channels in the human subtle body (also interpenetrating the physical body). Chanting mantras purifies the chakras and nadis and 're-tunes' them to the frequencies of the mantras. Yes, this is an oversimplification
A good portal in which to deepen this body of knowledge is the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which describes the subtle anatomy of the seeker and the exact practice requirements for spiritual unfoldment.
Wealth. Repeat.
But back to Artha, wealth. Another ancient abundance mantra is known as the Mantra of Kubera, the Celestial Guardian of Riches.
Ha Sa Ka La E I La Hrim
Ha Sa Ka La E I La Hrim
Composed entirely of smaller seed (bija) mantras, this one has no literal translation. To chant it re-creates a very ancient matrix of sound to which no words apply. Chanting Kubera's mantra is good for saving and safeguarding 'riches' in addition to acquiring them.
Next time I'll go into the proper way to repeat these mantras, at the different levels from fairly casual to deeply serious. I'll introduce the idea of an anusthan and discuss numbers : how many repetitions are recommended for what results. Yes, the scriptures talk about specific numbers, if you know where to look.
So, how cool is that? It's as close to a "guarantee" for spiritual results as life will yield up. Notice the quotes there.
Burma's Rubies: Conscience & Human Rights
The 'dirty' rubies mined in Burma are a perfect symbol for the tensions that are emerging all over the global import/export world. In so many industries, consumers are rapidly waking up to the human rights and environmental abuses that accompany many of the imported products we love and depend upon.
Nowhere is the revelation more eye-opening than in the gemstone mining industry, not only because of our fondness for the brightly-colored and clear sparklies but because of the particular horrors of their origins.
Recently, the democratic uprising against a long-standing military government in Burma (now "officially" called Myanmar) was brutally put down and subjected to media blackout – by the same government. Before the eyes of the world, hundreds, if not a few thousands of Buddhist monks and other non-violent protesters were killed or injured. Though Burma may be 7000 miles away from the US mainland, none of us need go farther than our local jewelry store to find a central root of the conflict. Over 90% of the world's gem-quality rubies are mined in Burma. Cash from large gemstone auctions go directly to funding the government's military junta, buying weapons and paying soldiers. Enforced working conditions include the following :
Sources right in the Mogok mining region (where most of the rubies are found) confirm that much of the money goes directly to the unelected Myanmar government. The military camps out right at the mining sites to make sure their employer gets its "revenues." It was dirty gemstone money that allowed the #1 general Than Shwe to throw a $50M wedding for his daughter. See it here www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJxREGhmAJc .
Last year, Gary Roskin, a gemologist at JCKonline, a main industry voice of the US fine jewelry trade, attempted to dissemble the case for the boycott, blogging that A. "dealers in the region" say that most of the gemstones are sold into channels that don't go through the government and that B. instead of starving the government, the international boycott is only hurting the miners. The simple response is A. international buyers come directly to government auctions and B. when there are layoffs in mining and gemstone cutting/polishing, the workers are trained for other work. Of course a publication like JCK has every agenda to distort the ethics equation of a gemstone source so vital to the revenues of its own industry.
While rumors are emerging of modest improvements in working conditions, the full impact of a boycott on the global market, led by US-based companies like Tiffany and Bulgari, has yet to be seen. However, Chinese companies are all too happy to buy the gems, which due to the boycott have been falling in price. So all we can do is turn the heat up in countries where consumers are willing to demand a higher standard of conduct. Put another way : spread the word.
Nowhere is the revelation more eye-opening than in the gemstone mining industry, not only because of our fondness for the brightly-colored and clear sparklies but because of the particular horrors of their origins.
Recently, the democratic uprising against a long-standing military government in Burma (now "officially" called Myanmar) was brutally put down and subjected to media blackout – by the same government. Before the eyes of the world, hundreds, if not a few thousands of Buddhist monks and other non-violent protesters were killed or injured. Though Burma may be 7000 miles away from the US mainland, none of us need go farther than our local jewelry store to find a central root of the conflict. Over 90% of the world's gem-quality rubies are mined in Burma. Cash from large gemstone auctions go directly to funding the government's military junta, buying weapons and paying soldiers. Enforced working conditions include the following :
- Subsistence wages that do not afford a nutritious diet
- Force-feeding of amphetimines so workers can work longer hours
- Workers are beaten or jailed if they don't meet high quotas
- The use of highly toxic chemicals and explosives with few or no safety arrangements
- Workers are not permitted to talk to outside observers or journalists
Sources right in the Mogok mining region (where most of the rubies are found) confirm that much of the money goes directly to the unelected Myanmar government. The military camps out right at the mining sites to make sure their employer gets its "revenues." It was dirty gemstone money that allowed the #1 general Than Shwe to throw a $50M wedding for his daughter. See it here www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Last year, Gary Roskin, a gemologist at JCKonline, a main industry voice of the US fine jewelry trade, attempted to dissemble the case for the boycott, blogging that A. "dealers in the region" say that most of the gemstones are sold into channels that don't go through the government and that B. instead of starving the government, the international boycott is only hurting the miners. The simple response is A. international buyers come directly to government auctions and B. when there are layoffs in mining and gemstone cutting/polishing, the workers are trained for other work. Of course a publication like JCK has every agenda to distort the ethics equation of a gemstone source so vital to the revenues of its own industry.
While rumors are emerging of modest improvements in working conditions, the full impact of a boycott on the global market, led by US-based companies like Tiffany and Bulgari, has yet to be seen. However, Chinese companies are all too happy to buy the gems, which due to the boycott have been falling in price. So all we can do is turn the heat up in countries where consumers are willing to demand a higher standard of conduct. Put another way : spread the word.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Awakening to Blood Diamonds
It may surprise some people, but as a jewelry artist I don't use new diamonds (meaning newly-mined) in my work. Here's why.
Despite all the self-justifying spin predictably produced by the jewelry and precious-materials mining industries, the 2006 film Blood Diamond starring Leonardo DiCaprio has had a major impact on the global market for fine jewelry.
The response of these closely-tied industries was to promote its method of stopping the trade of 'conflict diamonds,' a 2003 standard called the Kimberley Process. Set in Sierra Leone, Blood Diamond testifies to the wide-scale human rights abuses the Kimberley Process was intended to address. In the diamond mining trade there, across vast areas of the country miners work in alluvial (open water) mines under harsh conditions.
It worked. A carefully calculated "Whew!" went up from the massive jewelry establishment when it appeared the public outcry would be insubstantial. In fact, no plummet in sales resulted. "Kimberley Process" was the new watchword of jewelry salespeople, used like a shield against the growing tide of questions they receive daily. Few consumers are equipped to penetrate the veil of this balleyhooed but deeply compromised standard.
But since the film was released, the tide of public awareness and opinion has taken a sharp turn. A familiar hero of conscious consumption is quietly claiming another victory……the Internet. Information about the KP's actual effectiveness finally spread online. Consensus : the Kimberley standard helps, but much more oversight is needed to eliminate the worst abuses to the environment, workers and communities. Diamonds still fund wars in West Africa. Surface miners are still frequently children who work 10-16 hours a day in the hot sun for pennies. The situation essentially constitutes enslavement. The 'employers' know the workers have very few or no other options for work.
Concerning the ravaged earth, in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Congo, entire square miles are ruined by surface mining operations and left unremediated. Alluvial mining sites typically look like moonscapes when their value is exhausted.
The real problem with the Kimberley Process is that few people realize how incompletely it covers the overall impact of diamond mining. Its scope is to prevent diamonds from funding regional wars by preventing their export. KP is not a fair trade standard, meaning it does not rate working conditions for laborers or payment of a living wage. For the diamond mining laborers in Sierra Leone, there has apparently been very little change in conditions. It also is mute on environmental impacts.
Yet the story takes a turn here because natural diamonds are extremely powerful.
Diamonds obviously have great cultural value to convey status and wealth, but few people know that according to the Vedas (the early spiritual texts that underlie Hinduism, ayurveda, yoga and vedic astrology), not only have diamonds been relied upon for specific medicinal properties but they have the power to shift the subtle forces that the planets exert on each of us.
Vedic astrologers have for thousands of years prescribed the use of gemstones, gold and silver to strengthen afflicted and weak planets in the birth chart. Diamonds are one of the nine main Vedic gemstones, described by these ancient scriptures as increasing artistic abilities, charisma and devotion to a partner, and gives an affinity for life's (other) luxuries. Natural, untreated diamonds are worn to strengthen Venus in the Vedic chart, granting a gentle, happy disposition, consideration for others, and enjoyment of the arts.
Medically, diamonds have also been prescribed by vaidyas (ayurvedic physicians) for centuries in the treatment of several chronic diseases, especially when set in a white metal such as white gold or platinum. Clearly this is a stone that the early sages saw as a strong ally for humans.
Which brings us back to the current business climate, in which no true fairly traded diamonds exist. As a jeweler who follows Vedic precepts, then, I'm presented with an challenge. But not all hope is lost. Although I don't buy newly-mined stones, in some cases I will re-purpose a diamond from an older piece of jewelry (or loose diamonds already owned), for use in a new piece that I – and the client, often – design. In this way, no one acquires more 'karmic debt' by continuing to feed the global diamond mining industry. And there is nothing more beautiful than a familiar stone in a lovely new setting.
Similarly, it's difficult to find gold that is consistent with green values. From www.ethicalmetalsmiths.com,
In reality, most of our gold comes from vast open pit mines in remote locations operated by large, multinational corporations. These mines consume excessive amounts of water and energy, create mountains of waste rock and fill acres of ponds with toxic chemicals. They consume wilderness areas, threaten economies and indigenous communities, and can cause perpetual pollution.
Entire mountains of cyanide-laced tailings are still created by large-scale gold mines. A single gold ring creates 20-30 tons of rock waste, usually heavily laced with cyanide, a persistent environmental poison. Despite recent growth in the number of small-scale artisanal gold mines, the demand for 'green' gold has not yet solidified into a significant market segment. The entire supply chain is in a transitional period, as the buying public all over the developed world wakes up to the real toll that their purchase of sparkling gems takes.
With my next posts, I plan to lay out how a US microbusiness (Devi Jewels) resolves these issues given the current options. It's the complexity of sourcing embraced by the entrepreneur-as-activist. I don't just buy stuff. Many questions are asked of each supplier, as I'll detail in a further post. Most are quite upfront with disclosing their operations and suppliers farther down the line.
Toward that end, I am currently looking for the most eco-friendly supplier of gold raw materials from gold-filled to 22k yellow gold.
Despite that most gold and gemstones are mined in faraway Burma or Sierra Leone, these issues are now front and center on the national news stage and major corporate advertising, even having entered the election news cycle. John McCain's running mate Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, has been, and remains, a staunch supporter of the huge Pebble gold and copper mine proposal, which would put toxic effluent directly into the Bristol Bay watershed, threatening the largest run of sockeye salmon in the world.
The extractive industries never sleep in their drive to plunder the earth's mantle. But that also means that jewelry retailers are in a position to play a pivotal role to set the 'ship' of consumer demand on a new course.
Despite all the self-justifying spin predictably produced by the jewelry and precious-materials mining industries, the 2006 film Blood Diamond starring Leonardo DiCaprio has had a major impact on the global market for fine jewelry.
The response of these closely-tied industries was to promote its method of stopping the trade of 'conflict diamonds,' a 2003 standard called the Kimberley Process. Set in Sierra Leone, Blood Diamond testifies to the wide-scale human rights abuses the Kimberley Process was intended to address. In the diamond mining trade there, across vast areas of the country miners work in alluvial (open water) mines under harsh conditions.
It worked. A carefully calculated "Whew!" went up from the massive jewelry establishment when it appeared the public outcry would be insubstantial. In fact, no plummet in sales resulted. "Kimberley Process" was the new watchword of jewelry salespeople, used like a shield against the growing tide of questions they receive daily. Few consumers are equipped to penetrate the veil of this balleyhooed but deeply compromised standard.
But since the film was released, the tide of public awareness and opinion has taken a sharp turn. A familiar hero of conscious consumption is quietly claiming another victory……the Internet. Information about the KP's actual effectiveness finally spread online. Consensus : the Kimberley standard helps, but much more oversight is needed to eliminate the worst abuses to the environment, workers and communities. Diamonds still fund wars in West Africa. Surface miners are still frequently children who work 10-16 hours a day in the hot sun for pennies. The situation essentially constitutes enslavement. The 'employers' know the workers have very few or no other options for work.
Concerning the ravaged earth, in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Congo, entire square miles are ruined by surface mining operations and left unremediated. Alluvial mining sites typically look like moonscapes when their value is exhausted.
The real problem with the Kimberley Process is that few people realize how incompletely it covers the overall impact of diamond mining. Its scope is to prevent diamonds from funding regional wars by preventing their export. KP is not a fair trade standard, meaning it does not rate working conditions for laborers or payment of a living wage. For the diamond mining laborers in Sierra Leone, there has apparently been very little change in conditions. It also is mute on environmental impacts.
Yet the story takes a turn here because natural diamonds are extremely powerful.
Diamonds obviously have great cultural value to convey status and wealth, but few people know that according to the Vedas (the early spiritual texts that underlie Hinduism, ayurveda, yoga and vedic astrology), not only have diamonds been relied upon for specific medicinal properties but they have the power to shift the subtle forces that the planets exert on each of us.
Vedic astrologers have for thousands of years prescribed the use of gemstones, gold and silver to strengthen afflicted and weak planets in the birth chart. Diamonds are one of the nine main Vedic gemstones, described by these ancient scriptures as increasing artistic abilities, charisma and devotion to a partner, and gives an affinity for life's (other) luxuries. Natural, untreated diamonds are worn to strengthen Venus in the Vedic chart, granting a gentle, happy disposition, consideration for others, and enjoyment of the arts.
Medically, diamonds have also been prescribed by vaidyas (ayurvedic physicians) for centuries in the treatment of several chronic diseases, especially when set in a white metal such as white gold or platinum. Clearly this is a stone that the early sages saw as a strong ally for humans.
Which brings us back to the current business climate, in which no true fairly traded diamonds exist. As a jeweler who follows Vedic precepts, then, I'm presented with an challenge. But not all hope is lost. Although I don't buy newly-mined stones, in some cases I will re-purpose a diamond from an older piece of jewelry (or loose diamonds already owned), for use in a new piece that I – and the client, often – design. In this way, no one acquires more 'karmic debt' by continuing to feed the global diamond mining industry. And there is nothing more beautiful than a familiar stone in a lovely new setting.
Similarly, it's difficult to find gold that is consistent with green values. From www.ethicalmetalsmiths.com,
In reality, most of our gold comes from vast open pit mines in remote locations operated by large, multinational corporations. These mines consume excessive amounts of water and energy, create mountains of waste rock and fill acres of ponds with toxic chemicals. They consume wilderness areas, threaten economies and indigenous communities, and can cause perpetual pollution.
Entire mountains of cyanide-laced tailings are still created by large-scale gold mines. A single gold ring creates 20-30 tons of rock waste, usually heavily laced with cyanide, a persistent environmental poison. Despite recent growth in the number of small-scale artisanal gold mines, the demand for 'green' gold has not yet solidified into a significant market segment. The entire supply chain is in a transitional period, as the buying public all over the developed world wakes up to the real toll that their purchase of sparkling gems takes.
With my next posts, I plan to lay out how a US microbusiness (Devi Jewels) resolves these issues given the current options. It's the complexity of sourcing embraced by the entrepreneur-as-activist. I don't just buy stuff. Many questions are asked of each supplier, as I'll detail in a further post. Most are quite upfront with disclosing their operations and suppliers farther down the line.
Toward that end, I am currently looking for the most eco-friendly supplier of gold raw materials from gold-filled to 22k yellow gold.
Despite that most gold and gemstones are mined in faraway Burma or Sierra Leone, these issues are now front and center on the national news stage and major corporate advertising, even having entered the election news cycle. John McCain's running mate Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, has been, and remains, a staunch supporter of the huge Pebble gold and copper mine proposal, which would put toxic effluent directly into the Bristol Bay watershed, threatening the largest run of sockeye salmon in the world.
The extractive industries never sleep in their drive to plunder the earth's mantle. But that also means that jewelry retailers are in a position to play a pivotal role to set the 'ship' of consumer demand on a new course.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Namaste Asheville Festival Raffle Winner
Devi recently appeared at a consciousness-forward event, the Sacred Music & Yoga Festival near Asheville. As the first festival of its type in the country, we were very happy with the attendance (about 300) and how it was managed (Namaste Sacred Events). It will definitely be back next year.
Devi Jewels brought its prayer malas and other sacred jewelry. The collection was very well received by the enthusiastic crowd of yoga practitioners, with the focus not surprisingly on the blue sapphire neck mala (Ascent 45) we were raffling away. It seems everyone wanted to win it. The $5 raffle entry fees went to a non-profit which the entrants voted on.
The winner of the mala was Sarah Gorges from Colorado Springs, CO.
As for the donations winner, with three choices festivalgoers voted for permaculturist Bill Whipple of Bountiful Cities Project. Working here in Asheville, Bill creates edible gardens that feature fruit and nut trees, perennials, companion herbs, rainwater cachement, and other elements of sustainable design. His specialty is edible landscaping for schools, where he teaches kids how to propagate new trees from seeds and cuttings.
Consider attending next year's festival. Sign up on Namaste's site to receive advance information. {http://www.namasteasheville.com/ or other, emailed Sean}
Devi Jewels brought its prayer malas and other sacred jewelry. The collection was very well received by the enthusiastic crowd of yoga practitioners, with the focus not surprisingly on the blue sapphire neck mala (Ascent 45) we were raffling away. It seems everyone wanted to win it. The $5 raffle entry fees went to a non-profit which the entrants voted on.
The winner of the mala was Sarah Gorges from Colorado Springs, CO.
As for the donations winner, with three choices festivalgoers voted for permaculturist Bill Whipple of Bountiful Cities Project. Working here in Asheville, Bill creates edible gardens that feature fruit and nut trees, perennials, companion herbs, rainwater cachement, and other elements of sustainable design. His specialty is edible landscaping for schools, where he teaches kids how to propagate new trees from seeds and cuttings.
Consider attending next year's festival. Sign up on Namaste's site to receive advance information. {http://www.namasteasheville.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Yoga & Sacred Music Festival
Come join us at the Yoga & Sacred Music Festival, coming right up on August 15-17.
Tickets: $108 Weekend, $58 Saturday pass.
Held at the Prama Institute, an off-grid retreat center near Asheville, NC। Workshops बी national-level presenters in yoga and other spiritual sciences will make way in the evenings for world sacred music, both ambient and danceable. Devi Jewels will be presenting prayer malas and sacred jewelry in the Harmony Village, the festival's eco-market. We will raffle off a favorite piece, Ascent 45 – a blue sapphire neck mala – for a $5 donation to a local non-profit to be selected by vote by the raffle entrants.
Event Info
Time and Place
Tickets: $108 Weekend, $58 Saturday pass.
Held at the Prama Institute, an off-grid retreat center near Asheville, NC। Workshops बी national-level presenters in yoga and other spiritual sciences will make way in the evenings for world sacred music, both ambient and danceable. Devi Jewels will be presenting prayer malas and sacred jewelry in the Harmony Village, the festival's eco-market. We will raffle off a favorite piece, Ascent 45 – a blue sapphire neck mala – for a $5 donation to a local non-profit to be selected by vote by the raffle entrants.
| Host: | Namaste Sacred Events |
| Type: |
Time and Place
| Start Time: | Friday, August 15, 2008 at 2:00pm |
| End Time: | Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 2:00pm |
| Location: | Prama Institute - http://www.pramainstitute. |
| City/Town: | Asheville, NC |
Contact Info
| Phone: | 8282528149 |
| Email: |
Relaunching Devi Jewels, a spiritual jewelry company.
This month, my partner Johnna Morianna Strange and I are relaunching what has been a labor of love, Devi Jewels. For years I have made malas – prayer beads in the Vedic tradition – using sacred materials like selected gemstones, gold, silver, and rudraksha seeds. I believe the Earth and Cosmos give us these powerful allies to help keep our attention tuned to the Divine, especially when as prayer strands they are used for repetition of prayers or mantras. In many traditions of spirit, the names of God are considered to be the body of God. They are not descriptions but rather an actual embodiment of the Divine. Therefore to call them is to enter God's domain.
It's a fairly subtle understanding. Instead of an easily-recognized form like a dancing Ganesha, God can be experienced as the sound we are making within ourselves as we sing or pray. And when we do so with a feeling of devotion, connection, love – then God is as near as our own breath. It's a very personal form of worship.
After many years of devotional singing in the yogic tradition – called kirtan – I am happy to tell you that repeating the names of God in song (though it may seem repetitious at first) continues to help me create joy, clarity and peaceful focus in my life.
More subtle, but no less powerful, are the silent rounds of mantra that I repeat as part of my daily life.
It is from this space that the prayer jewelry that I make arises.
This blog will describe what it's like to launch and operate a dharmic (rightful) micro-enterprise, the rarely-understood powers of sacred precious materials, what the planets have to do with gemstones, beauty as a spiritual practice, and what it's like to weave magic in gold and silver. We're going deep. Come along for the journey.
"The heart is the hub of all sacred places – go there and roam." Muktananda
It's a fairly subtle understanding. Instead of an easily-recognized form like a dancing Ganesha, God can be experienced as the sound we are making within ourselves as we sing or pray. And when we do so with a feeling of devotion, connection, love – then God is as near as our own breath. It's a very personal form of worship.
After many years of devotional singing in the yogic tradition – called kirtan – I am happy to tell you that repeating the names of God in song (though it may seem repetitious at first) continues to help me create joy, clarity and peaceful focus in my life.
More subtle, but no less powerful, are the silent rounds of mantra that I repeat as part of my daily life.
It is from this space that the prayer jewelry that I make arises.
This blog will describe what it's like to launch and operate a dharmic (rightful) micro-enterprise, the rarely-understood powers of sacred precious materials, what the planets have to do with gemstones, beauty as a spiritual practice, and what it's like to weave magic in gold and silver. We're going deep. Come along for the journey.
"The heart is the hub of all sacred places – go there and roam." Muktananda
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