With the end of this site...

... A NEW ONE BEGINS! This blog domain has officially come to a close, resuming at my official website www.GaiaScouts.com ! Head there for future blog posts, product sales, event updates, and general information about my business Gaia Scouts.

Thank you all for your continual support! You are aiding in the large creations that Gaia Scouts envisions for the future, and is continually working toward!

Stay updated!

www.GaiaScouts.com

With Love & Gratitude,

~ Ali

Spring Regeneration

I'm feeling that spring is in full swing at this point! With a few consecutive warm and sunny days up in New England, the renewal of this season has gone into effect. With new seasons, come new chapters in life.

This state of renewal has been flowing strongly through me. Winter seems to be a time of introspection, and boy did I inspect my inner self this winter! Major physical healing, emotional shifting, realization, and over all life transformation took place, for me. With spring at our heels, I feel ready to come out of my winter shell. I having been waking up joyful, to the sun beaming through my window, excited for the adventures to come of the day... and every day certainly is an adventure, it seems! I am awake and prepared for the next phase of this experience and all it has to offer.

I learned something very important this winter, at some point along the emotional roller coaster. I see that there tends to be an image projected at times, or at least there was an image that I attached to at one time or another, promoting that a constant state of bliss, happiness, or joy is the way of life and how we should feel at all times. A kind of fantasy emotional state of being. Maybe it was the teachers whose work I was following previously, or somehow just developed the idea in my head that perpetual bliss was how I should always feel in order to have an abundant, and happy life. Of course, blissful emotion and states of simplistic joy are embraced, welcomed and one of the best feelings in the world - I am not questioning that. Nor am I promoting that a negative attitude or living in a state of anger is normal, or healthy. Really, I came to the realization, that emotions of lower spirits such as a state of melancholy or a surge of anger for whatever reason, are normal. Our emotions ebb and flow like the rolling waves, and are sensitive to the experiences that come up in life.

I somehow cultivated this way of thinking, that if I wasn't happy all of the time, there was something wrong with me. I wasn't living my life the way I should be. I was unhealthy. I looked around at people, and moreso teachers whom I admired that seemed to live in these blissful states all of the time. You can imagine the fight that went on between my inner critic and myself, in my head. I was happy (and am very happy, currently) but would experience sorrow, anger, dull emotion, or random gloominess and really resent myself for it. I hated the fact that I wasn't constantly blissed out, prancing around with a smile on my face. The surges of joy would come and go, and I would always wonder where they went. Why wasn't I always just purely overjoyed?

Maybe it was the further study of Women, our bodies, and our emotions that brought on this realization, or maybe it was beginning to follow the work of teachers who were more real and open about their emotion. I say, it was probably a combination. Not that I follow the every move of those I study from, but of course we are all influenced by those who teach us on a large scale. My studies of Women, and my experiences with my female teachers kept coming back to the same conclusion: Times of low emotion are just as beneficial as time of higher vibration emotions.

When I found peace with these emotions that I resented myself for experiencing, those surges of bliss became much more frequent and even more intense. Interesting how that works, eh? I made peace with the fact that it is completely natural to experience anger, feel uninspired, or sad. Low times are our teachers. We battle with our emotions and dig up the roots of what brought on those feelings, thus healing ourselves on a deeper level. We are warriors on a quest to heal years, past lives, and the damages done to our earth over hundreds of years. Of course feelings of grief are going to come up, sometimes! Look at what has happened to our world over the years. Our cells are imprinted with the good, and the bad history.

Now, I have learned to embrace the emotions considered to be negative, as much as I do the positive ones. Both have valuable lessons to share with us, bringing forth growth and greater happiness in the long run. The bliss is ever greater, the love ever stronger, and the life ever better!

Feeling gratitude for it all - good and "bad" feelings, and the new chapter I have begun on this path.

Now - Drum roll... With this post, comes the launch of my new website! My website will be the home of all of my blog posts from here on out. It will also host my mission and service descriptions for what I have to offer, as well as a base to contact me through! This page that I have been writing on will end, with everything having been moved to my very own domain: www.gaiascouts.com! Head there from now on, and stay updated with word, events, and other fun!

Our Primal Scents

Body odor - Or so our scents are classified as, generally, these days. I would rather refer to these odorous chemicals as, our pheromones; Rightfully so, as that is what they are.

Pheromones are secreted/excreted chemical factors that trigger a response in members of the same species. We all react to the smell of another, through some kind of judgement (attraction, disgust, curiosity, etc.) correct? These chemicals, pheromones, act outside of the body of the secreting individual provoking a behavioral response in the receiver. By the receiver, I mean, the person in contact with whom is secreting pheromones. Here are the derivatives of the word, pheromone: Pherein (to transport) and hormone (to stimulate). Transporting stimuli is exactly what they are!

There are several kinds of pheromones which we produce. One is the alarm pheromone, which only some species secrete upon being attacked. Many are aware of the polyphenols in plants called tannins, which are released upon their consumption by another species. The tannins bind the proteins and amino acids in the plant, causing them to be indigestible by us. Well, you could guess it... These tannins are the plants alarm pheromones! Could it be, perhaps, their attempt at conveying their not wanting to be eaten?! There are several different pheromones produced by species to mark or guard their territories, such as territorial pheromones, aggregation pheromones, and information pheromones.

Here is the juicy one - What this post is all about... The Sex pheromones. We both secrete them; Women and Men. They aid in our attracting one another, as well as the function of the female reproductive system. A wild study was done by researchers in Philadelphia, in which extracted male pheromones were taped to the upper lip of several Women. All of their menstrual cycles regulated. Who knew... The masculine scent can aid in our hormonal regularity! At the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, their studies showed that Women who had sex with Men at least once a week, had more regulated cycles, had higher fertility rates, and milder menopausal symptoms in comparison to Women who rarely had sex.

I chart my menstrual cycle daily, tracking the each day individually, while calculating my fertility. I have spoken previously about how I was without my cycle for quite sometime. Well, since I have had it back with pretty exact regularity, I took note of something interesting potentially taking place. I read the study above, about male pheromones influencing Women's cycles. Aside from one month since November, I have had a regulated cycle while I have also been spending time with the same man every two weeks, relatively. Our visits always land when I am ovulating, or when I am menstruating. Could our regular time together, and his potent pheromones have influenced the regulating of my cycle? Well, among other things, I think it may have played a role! Making this connection, that could perhaps be influencing my hormone balance was really cool!

It is interesting to me, the way that Women tend to try and cover up their pheromones. I can understand why, I suppose, for our odors tend to be categorized as body hair is, in society: Dirty. If someone has an odor to them, generally they are thought to be "smelly" or "dirty". Yes, there is a difference between not showering and actually being dirty, and the natural pheromones we produce all day long, even after showering. Personally, I love the smell my body secretes. It is a natural secretion from my temple! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy complimenting my own scents with fragrant essential oils. However, perfumes? Really?! Most perfumes are composed of dozens of toxic, xeno-estrogenic, chemicals and even a bit smells like too much. How about encouraging your own beautiful scent with natural oils instead?

Quick aside - Knowing this information about our pheromone secretions, I pay attention to when my scents are strongest or the changes that they make. I have found that when I am around the Man that I am attracted to, my body secretes a very potent scent which he always seems to notice. Am I calling in the sexual exchange? On a day-to basis without seeing him, my pheromones are extremely tame, and almost non-existent! Wow! Another time when my pheromones are strong, is when I spend time around powerful Women, high with feminine energy. The higher the energy is amongst us, the more potent the smells are! One time in particular, after at Women's empowerment event that was completely full-on, I left feeling really grounded in my sexual feminine nature and my pheromones were totally over the top! Like, seriously... So potent. It blew my mind, making it so obvious what kind of energies and environments influence the secretion of our "sex scents". :)

Majority of Men I have spoken to about the smells Women produce, absolutely love it! They think the smells are sexy... Maybe because they are sex hormones being transported to the male, via scent? I'd say so! I must say, a man with his intoxicating pheromones radiating off of him is freaking HOT! I mean, come on... Their primal scents actually aid our hormonal health. SWEET! Talk about the right reasons to embrace the Divine Masculine!

Anyway, I thought it important to share my thoughts and research on this amazing chemical exchange we have between sexes. We actually draw one another through our bodily scents. How primal ;)

Sisterhood

Alright -  I am here, plugged back into the main frame... With some resistance ;)

The New Moon last week carried profound healing energy, for myself at least. Seemed to me that each of my friends whom have a personal relationship with the lunar cycles were in agreement, that this Moon was a significant one! It also left me wanting space from my machine (computer) for these last two weeks. I won't get into the personal details of all that happened (must maintain my Scorpio secrecy to an extent ;) but I would like to share my experience at a life-changing event this past weekend.

I attended the Belly & Womb Conference in Shutesbury, Massachusetts. This was a day long event, facilitated by the Goddess herself, ALisa Starkweather. Deeming her "Goddess" does not even come close to encompassing the beauty, passion, and wisdom that this Sister embodies. If anyone ever has an opportunity to attend a conference or workshop that ALisa is at, I highly recommend you get yourself there! So - The Belly & Womb... Gathering of the Goddesses... Conscious Creatryx's... A room full of Divine Power. Wow. I am going to attempt to verbalize this experience, but I warn you... Proceed with caution, for I am pretty much at a loss for words when it comes to describing this day.

Anyway, there were somewhere between 70-100 Women present. I know, broad generalization... It was hard to tell! We all seemed to weave, blur, and connect as one Spirit. We began the day in one giant circle, surrounding ALisa while she led a few chants and described the course of the day. Dancing and chanting, affirming our holiness as Womyn, surrounded by Sisters from all over... Beautiful. Bellies of all shapes, covered by red clothing... The room was a sea of red in honor of Red Tent worship.

"We have come to love and know the power in our bellies and celebrate the magic of our womb today. We honor the grieving, the laughter, the wisdom, as we open to the healing of the Women's Way. Birth me back into pure love. You who knows the way to go through. Remember what we know. Let go of what we've lost. Remember what we know. Let go of what we've lost." ~ ALisa Starkweather

The morning chanting had me flowing and flying high. The day was filled with back to back workshops, which all revolved around honoring our Bellies & Wombs - Embracing them - Letting go of images, patterns, and history around them which are no longer of service to us. Opening, arms wide to new perceptions, relationships, and empowering our LifeForce which resides in these sources of nourishment and fertility. We even gave thanks for the Divine Masculine ;) We did deep Soul journeying - Picking up rocks in dark corners of our Bellies and letting the snakes underneath, slither away. In the workshops, we celebrated MoonTime, fertility, our physical manifestations, sexuality, sensuality, emotions of all kinds, and all around Womanhood! For example, some of the workshops taught Herbal Nutrition for Women, Orgasmic Abundance, Manifestation Beliefs, Yoga for the Belly & Womb, Embracing Menopause, Tribal Dance, etc. In the morning I attended the Yoga for Bellies & Wombs, where in learned the anatomy and physiology of those sacred spaces, set intentions for our missions, practiced yoga to support our Bellies & Wombs, and meditated. In the afternoon, I attended the class teaching Orgasmic Abundance for Women. It was amazing! This Queen, Sheri Winston, who taught the class is the most epic Woman ever, and let me tell you... She knows her shit! She taught us breathing, meditation, and physical practices to support abundant orgasms. This Woman knows how to have an orgasm with no external stimulation. Yes, that means hands free, no touch and she did it for us in person! It is called "the 3-Breath Orgasm", and it is a series of three very deep, stimulating breaths. Obviously it is something that takes extensive cultivation. Inspiring, no less!

The soul journeying toward the end of the day in the Community Healing Ritual, was the most influential experience of the day. All the Women split into small groups, and supported each Sister in her individual journey. Dark, tribal music played in the background while one at a time, we laid on the floor with a Sister on either side, rubbing the belly of the Woman lying down... Stirring up whatever was residing in our energy centers. The facilitators walked around playing tambourines and other ceremonial instruments. The experience was meant to shake us up. Deeply ingrained fears, negative emotions, abuse, trauma, joy, orgasm, happiness, were released during these journeys by us Women. There was crying, laughter, silence, breathing, etc. had by all. Whatever emotions we were feeling in our journey, we expressed and embraced. If it wasn't serving us, we let it go. If it was, it was embodied. At the end of each of our journeys, ALisa facilitated the action of us setting an intention for ourselves from then on out, and we stepped into our Womanhood. It was beyond powerful, and completely transformational. Personally, it changed my life.

I could really write pages for eternity on the details of the day, but it was the experience as a whole; The empowerment and strength it brought me and the dozens of other Women, is what I really would like to speak to.

Observing the teachers and facilitators of the event, these powerfully confident Women, was so inspiring. Courageous Women sharing their stories. A reminder that nothing is holding me back from embodying and allowing my Divine Feminine to flow. The community... The usually unspoken Sisterly bond among Women, was spoken. It was embraced. Cherished. There was love emanating from each Woman. The collective energy present that day, is something I have yet found words to describe. Strength? Power? Love? I don't even think those words do it justice. It isn't just the energy of that day, it is the constant flow of energy that is moving within and without the Earth. This intuitive knowing, and understanding held among Women. Oh, and the understanding! How powerful to just cry, cry, cry... The Sister next to you just GETS IT. She knows the emotion. She has been there, and opens an arm to embrace you. Hold you for who you are and the bond you share. The experience was such a reminder of the Sisterhood. As Women, we hold space for one another at all times. No matter who She is, where She is from, what She has done... She is a Sister. It brought me such strength and feeling of support to remember this. We are not alone! 

I left that evening, embarking on my drive home feeling renewed. Rejuvenated. ALIVE. My body was moving with so much gratitude, joy, and spirit from the experience. It was more alive that I have felt in so long. Upon arriving home, in speaking to people I couldn't articulate my sentences properly, I was shaking, my eyes were wide in awe, and I words just spilled out of my mouth. Uninhibited. It was hilarious, because I was so vibrant with joy and the most amazing feeling. Not to mention, my pheromones were completely over the top! Yes, I hadn't showered that day... But I do NOT project this much odor usually in skipping a day of showering. I would say that the Female collective energy I was flowing on influenced it... Just a bit ;)

Thank you for the Sisters, Thank you for the Strength, Thank you for the Wisdom...

WOMEN RISE UP!

Shamanism and Menstruation

Today, Monday the 15th, is the Piscean New Moon of this month's lunar cycle. Yay, for menstrual Monday's! Hehe...

In honor of the New Moon, I am going to share an idea I have been pondering recently.

"When Women share their menstrual blood with the earth, either individually or in ceremony, an enormous positive collective power is unleashed that can rebalance and heal the planet." ~ Lara Owen

Women link the celestial bodies of the Earth and the Moon. Our blood is the conduit between the generative forces of the Moon and the receptive, fertile energies of the Earth. We represent the intuitive, cyclic nature of the Moon and reproductive, nurturing energy of the Earth. To put it simply, Women are natural born healers. It is in our programming. Our intuitive understanding and knowing is ever-present. Female midwives and herbalists have been the main ancient healers throughout the ages.

As my studies of the history of Women and our ancient tales persists, I continue to find more and more of a relation between Women and our powers and shamanism, or Shamans specifically. A Shaman is a person who acts as intermediary between the natural and supernatural worlds using magic to cure illness, foretell the future, control spiritual forces, etc. Hmm... Sounds quite similar to the powers if the feminine energy. As I stated, our menstruation links the spiritual bodies of the Moon and Earth to their physical bodies through grounding the wisdom channeled through Women from the moon, in our bodies and out onto the Earth with our blood. I learned a beautiful method of practicing this connecting with my own blood, from the book Her Blood is Gold by Lara Owen. The practice is soaking my cloth pads in a bucket of spring water after I use them, saturating the water with my blood. Then, I take that water and water my house plants (and this spring/summer, my outdoor plants) with it! How sacred.

Anyway - It is so alike: The Shaman linking the natural and supernatural worlds, while Women bond the spiritual and physical planes of our Moon and Earth. Hence, our natural psychic abilities, healing forces, and general superpowers! ;) Are Women naturally Shamans? The more I learn of our history, the more evidence pops up that this is a true statement! There are tales of Alaskan and Siberian Shamans "going to the moon", or talking about doing so. Going to the Moon for them may not have meant physically going there, but perhaps this represented their spiritual connection with it. I have also heard, that the Shamanic journey may have its origins in the psychic journeys of menstruating Women. If we tune into our senses during our menses (hehe, nice rhyme), we can commonly find insight into any current situations or issues in our life. Our cycles brings that wisdom. "With menarche you meet your wisdom, with monthly bleeding you practice your wisdom, and with menopause you become the wisdom." ~ Tamara Slayton

There are also numerous Shamanic archetypal Goddesses. There are Dakini's, the sky traversing, tantric deities. They are the female embodiments of enlightened energy. Sometimes, they are referred to as "sky dancers" or "she who moves in space". They are energetic beings, evocative of movements of energy in space. All Women have their Dakini spirits. Then, there is Shakti. A more well-known Goddess archetype from the Hindu religion. She is the concept, or personification of divine feminine creative power and primordial cosmic energy. Shakti manifests herself in Women, but is present in Men too, just lacking the physical embodiment. Meaning, Men can possess Shakti energy. The Hindu's believe her to be 'the Great Divine Mother'. Shakti worshippers also prized the yoni and it's blood; thought it to be sacred (which it is, of course!)

"Shamanism - An ecstatic lunar cult, relies on the natural descent into body consciousness that menstruation brings each month." ~ Monica Sjoo

That quote just about sums up my exact feelings around the relationship between Shamanism and Menstruation. How lucky to be blessed with this these sacred powers at birth, as Women? We are given the ability to ascend our natural consciousness on a monthly basis, to dive into the deepest depths of our souls and do serious work within (and without) ourselves. Wow! Basically, we do Shamanic journeying every month. How cool to see it that way.

Menstruation is such a gift. It provides us with the ability to nourish and fertilize, do soul journeying monthly, and heal ourselves and others. To think some call it a curse... HA!

Check out these Goddess artists who create spoken word/hip-hop/electronic music. All their songs are about feminine spiritual power...

The Goddess Alchemy Project

Blessed New Moon!

Sustainability in an Un-Sustainable Society

The focus of today's post is around the topic of sustainable lifestyle. For me, it is all about self-reliability. Self-sustainability. Not out of a fear-based mentality, but because I find value in being able to take care of myself without having to rely so dependently on external sources, in any aspect of life. In this context, I am mainly referring to food sourcing and the ability to sustain myself without so many of the tools of domestication we have today. Yes - Primitive skills are important. Who knows what could happen at any moment, leaving you only the tools of nature work with! Say, the power goes out mid-winter, for example. It would come in handy to know the hand-drill method of creating fire, naturally, to heat your home. What about how to layer clothing to retain the most body heat possible? What is the best fiber to wear to retain this heat? The answer is wool, over and over, again! Do you know how to check for dehydration? Well, you can press your fingernail, causing it to whiten... If the pinkish color returns immediately, you are hydrated. If it takes a few seconds, you need hydration. You can use the same method with your skin: Pinch the skin on your hand, and it should snap back into place with elasticity. If it does not, you need water.

The same concept goes for food. I want to know where my food is coming from. Every part of my meal. Personally, I don't want fruit shipped from Argentina in January, supplied by a farmer I do not know. In my opinion, the least impact I can have on my environment is by sourcing all of my foods locally, from Vermont or within the North East. This involves the least use of fossil fuels in transportation and the knowledge of who is producing the foods I choose to put in my body. I know they are safe, free of excessive toxins from transportation, and from right in my area. They are what my natural environment is providing me; Not an environment in another corner of the world, which I am not tuned into. Not only do I find it important to know my local source of foods, but I like to be able to forage foods on my own. This means, having the ability to identify wild edibles in nature, know how to consume them safely, how to trap animals for consumption in the wild, etc.

For me, self-sustainability is gratifying. Knowing that I can thrive, totally in-tune with my current ecosystem feels natural to me. I do not need papayas in February, flown to Vermont from Hawaii - Killing large numbers of animals in the process due to the toxicity produced by the methods used in getting the produce here. I would much rather take a ten minute drive to a farm near my home, to pick up some nourishing raw, organic milk and cream from some beautiful grass-fed Jersey cows who want to share their milk. Do you know the farmer of your produce? Luckily for Vermonters, we are blessed with an abundance of local foods year round. Winter time brings us tons of root vegetables, great for nourishing soups. Dairy and meat are definitely a staple for me during these cold months, especially. The animal products are always available in abundance. I know the farmers of my food. I play with the cows who give me their milk and see the whole process of where my meat comes from. I see them eating highly-mineralized grass which will be converted into minerals in my body in just a few minutes. A cup of Chaga tea, extracted by myself personally, from a mushroom that I found in the wild forests here in Vermont has healed me on a much deeper level than any supplement imported from China, California, or who knows where, ever has. I feel safe knowing how to build a snow-hut that I can sleep in overnight... Warmly, for that matter! Or how to make totally durable cordage from a plant like Milkweed, that grows abundantly all around the North East.

Yes, we are living in a highly domesticated society at the moment where it may seem these primitive and sustainable practices are useless because technology has replaced these natural methods. However, it is quite the opposite. Now, more than ever, we should be practicing self-sustainability if the whole mission itself, is to pursue sustainability in this lifetime and try and take care of the planet. Maybe we should take a second to consider where our food is coming from and what we would do if we had to survive in an extended power-outage. This world throws us curve balls regularly, and we don't know what is coming next. It might be a good idea to delve into the knowledge and understanding of living self-sustainably, in honor of your being and Mother Earth.

I find deep passion in practicing these primitive skills and knowing the sources of everything I consume. It brings me the utmost joy and satisfaction to build a fire in my fireplace, completely by hand, for fun (and sometimes out of necessity) - Using two sticks to create a burning coal which I use to light a roaring fire. No matches, no lighters. Going to the farm, hanging with the farmers and cows is totally fun for me. I am anything but fearful! Really, I am excited. Excited to have come to a place in my journey where I am living a lifestyle that feels optimum for my health, happiness, and for the planet!

In January, I attended a primitive skills workshop where we learned how to make fire by hand, build snowshoes with natural materials, build live-able snow huts, create animal traps, etc! Below is a video of our class making the snow huts! I am featured in part of it, helping to build a hut called a Quinzee, that we slept in, in -8 degree weather!

Check out the Maine Primitive Skills School at 

www.primitiveskills.com

They are totally amazing crew up there, and recommend all 
of their courses!

One more video I want to share with you, was made by my friends Camille and Frank Giglio. In the video, they share their vision of sustainability and living in harmony with your surroundings. They are on the same mission toward sustainable living as I am, and bring great awareness to the topic!

Camille and Frank both host really fun and informative blogs on their websites,

as well as offer great products that you should check out! 
Find Camille at www.supergojigirl.com 
& 
Franky at www.frankgiglio.com

Onwards and forwards,
with Love in my Heart 
and Passion in my Mission... Enjoy!

Shave it or Leave it?

The other day, a reader asked that I share my opinion on a topic that coincidentally has been on my mind frequently, as of late.

I am sure it is one that many of you consider, at least from time to time, as you see those new hairs sprouting through your external layer of skin... Body hair: Do we remove it, or leave it?

Some say, no matter the area, it is a nuisance for them. Physically uncomfortable for others... Might even feel too unconventional. Not to mention, I know there are Women out there who are embarrassed of it, while others feels hair in the armpit region draws uncomfortable attention to themselves. Some Men have corporate jobs where they are required to appear clean cut and "professional" looking. Hmm... Another demographic of people refer to the hair growth in the various regions of their body to giving them a sexy, primal feeling when they let it grow freely. Some Women I know do it because it feels natural, and feminine - Men have told me it gives them the look of age, and they enjoy that feeling. So, what do we do about this naturally occurring bodily function?

Personally, I am in controversy about this subject. I feel it to be so natural to leave it, so more commonly than not, I do let it go wild... All over. However, I can resonate with the Women out there who find that it may draw attention to our bodies, especially in the warmer months when our light clothing exposes the areas with hair, that others are used to seeing bare. With the "norm" for Women in society today, to be to shave our armpits, legs, yoni's, etc. An image of cleanliness and femininity is associated with shaving. I guess it all depends on how much what works with our lifestyles and comfortability. I personally, am a part of a very accepting community and work scene, where visible body hair in not-so-common places is not out of the ordinary. It feels comfortable to have the natural hair present on my body... Not to mention the fact that I am way too engaged in other areas of life to worry about saving time for shaving. To be honest, I often forget it is even there... Let alone think about ridding myself of it! When I first began letting hair grow on visible areas of my body, I felt some self-consciousness come up, wondering if people wold think it was "gross" or "weird". Those feelings passed quickly, as I moved on from caring what other people thought about me, in terms of my physicality. This past week I have contemplated the concept of peoples decisions to leave it or remove it, as I move further away from modifying my body hair. It really interests me, how others feel about it and what works and doesn't work for them... Because as always, we are each so unique to one another!

With that being said - For all others... Do what feels best for you! I do not think there is a right or wrong when it comes to shaving. It is all about what feels most comfortable for you as a human. Traditional cultures left and removed hair from parts of their bodies. To the best of my knowledge, I think that most was kept intact, though. I would, however, like to point out that body hair IS a natural part of our physical creation as humans. This doesn't mean that Woman or Man needs to keep it on their bodies if it doesn't feel right to them, but no one should feel embarrassment because of it. The Creator manifested our physical beings to produce hair, all over ourselves, and in the deepest, darkest regions. It is a natural process. We all have it. I feel a twinge of pain for Women who feel they are required to get rid of armpit hair because "only Men should grow it there". Or further, that leg hair takes away from their femininity. And for those hairy Men out there, who feel that they may be perceived as "gross" for having an excess of chest or back hair. No matter the extent, color, or location of your hairiness... It is all beautiful!

My one suggestion for those who do choose to remove body hair, wherever it may be... Please consider the process you use in taking care of the hair. Know that when you shave, you are opening up the pores on your body which you drag the shaving blade across, substantially increasing the amount your largest absorber - The skin - Is taking in. Be aware of the products you use. If you choose to use shaving cream, check the ingredients. Did you know that the Men's shaving cream "Barbasol", and the Women's shaving "Skintimate", contain propane in them? Propane, the derivative of petroleum gas, used to fuel engines, stoves, heating systems, etc. Hmm... And people are feeding that to their bodies via their major absorber? Just for clarification, ingesting propane is NOT a good a idea. Would you drink a glass of propane? I doubt it, as it would severely harm your system. Yes, there is a diluted amount in the shaving cream, but it is definitely still having a negative affect on your system. My feeling is this - If you choose to shave, try an organic, all natural cream. Coconut oil or Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap both are great natural alternatives.

If you feel compelled to share you thoughts, feelings, or own practices regarding body hair... Feel free to comment below or e-mail me personally at gaiascouts@gmail.com

I honestly would like to hear more feedback from people on this, because I think it is a suppressed topic in need of attention!

To growing and knowing... ;)