Skip to main content

Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

Palo-Santo-Candles

Shamanic Wheel Retreat in the Catskills

Janet StraightArrow found her Shamanic calling 30 years ago in 1992. Awakening herself and assisting others in discovering who they are has been her purpose. She notes, “As we live our true selves, we learn to master our lives in the everyday world. As a result, our life becomes sweeter, easier, and more apparent.” From July 29 to July 31, StraightArrow will be offering an amazing Shamanic Medicine Wheel Retreat at a beautiful location in the Catskill Mountains. In this retreat, attendees will experience a unique blend of practices and ceremonies for a deep healing and awakening experience.

“The medicine wheel tells the story of our lives. The medicine wheel also brings in all directions, elements, inner and outer guidance, ancestors, and all of nature. Healing through the medicine wheel offers us profound new ways to look at our life, heal, and move forward with ease and grace,” explains StraightArrow.

Camping and lodge accommodations are available. Early bird discount is offered through June 1; payment plans are also available. 

Cost: $545. For more information, call 973-647-2500, email [email protected] and visit BeTheMedicine.com. See ad, page 13.

Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

Follow Us On Facebook