Copyrighting Healing Traditions

I was appalled to receive a letter asking me to stop teaching Therapeutic Touch, and to remove all mention of it from my website. It seems, the TT Network of Ontario felt it should copyright - yes I mean that - the words "therapeutic touch" to prevent non-members from practicing or teaching this healing art. Do I smell fascism? Whatever I smell, it is rotten - what if the Spiritualist Church slapped a copyright on "Laying-on-hands"? What if everyone who practiced Reiki in the world, whose traditions are passed from teacher to student like a sensei in Martial Arts - what would happen then?

Frankly, this sneaky use of the law should not be allowed to apply to those who have graduated and begun practise prior to the Network imposing a copyright. This presently constitutes something akin to "restraint of trade". Worse, it infringes on nurses who work in hospitals and are not Network members. The aboriginal community also has some interesting perspectives on this act, given that the founder of TT - Dolores Krieger - acknowledges that this practise is based on ancient healing techniques. For those healers in Ontario who feel helpless, help is at hand - I cannot be specific in this forum, however. For information, contact me.

I cannot believe, as a minister, that we would ever come to the point in this society, that the healing of pain needed a membership and adherence to copyright.

Camp Clown-head

I've got a plethora of absurd "pet" names for our hord of pets... the most-used name for the Newf pups is "Clown-Head". Starr believes he is assistant manager of the farm, barking at Brian whenever his inner clock tells him that Brian is late doing something. Starr knows when the school bus will arrive, he knows when it is bed time for the barn babies, and he watches Brian read bedtime stories to Angeni, barking his protests at certain stories. Unfortunately, he starts the morning rising ritual around 4:30 AM - barking to make sure Brian makes it to the barn for equine breakfast. He is hilarious... His sister, Maxine the Drooler, was trained by the ghost of Pavlov. She could win awards for salivating... Normally mellow, Max becomes a disciplinarian to the chickens and cats. Where is Cesar Milan, the dog whisperer?

This past week Angeni has been home - no camp in Hanover. The dogs are delighted to have her here, to run in the swamp with, chase ground hogs, and bring me wonderful things like styrofoam take-out containers from the neighbour's recycling, or headless raccoons (supper?) and other wonderful dog things. Spunky and Pook, although elderly now, contribute in their own ways to the chaos at Camp Clown-head. Sigh...

Unfortunately, that makes me camp director.

Fire Down Below

We went to community fireworks in Holstein yesterday (the event was rained out on Canada Day) and it was amazing. The fireworks were exploded over a lake, in the park, so we got the initial colour show, but also a secondary reflected effect. Small town gatherings are so wonderful... Angeni was impatient to have everything begin, as she felt this cut into her beauty sleep - she is the only child on the planet who doesn't think that getting to stay up late is a treat. Anyway, after 83 requests to her father of "when is this going to start?" the show got underway. Lot's of oooh and aaahhs.

The only downside is this is in the middle of farm country - I felt for those horses, cows and all the animals who would be frightened by the thunderous cannon-shot, bomb-like sounds. I hope they are alright...

As for me, I've been a mess of mosquito bites, to the point of my lips swelling... I've itched all over and the bites are the size of butter plates. A trip to Mount Forest and some Reactine later, the itching has subsided somewhat, although the swelling remains the same. The odd thing is, I was wearing long pants, but Angeni and Brian were in shorts - neither of them were aware of being bitten, nor had any similar fall-out. Even my feet were covered in bites - they still burn (hence, the fire down below).

Anyway, a wonderful centennial for Holstein and an amazing Canada Day!!