All posts by Kirsten Cowart

Kirsten is a writer who loves to practice vipassana meditation, yoga, travel, and learning about nature, consciousness, and how to make the world a better place. Her current interests involve studying and practicing flow, staying In Flow, and recognizing the natural flow of the universe. Kirsten loves to learn about the holistic healing arts. She is also interested in ancient cultures and practices such as Druidism. Kirsten is honored to be apart of such an incredible movement of love and heart centered living in this world.

As we strive to increase our health and awareness we all come to a realization that many of our household products contain chemicals that are actually harmful to us, our pets, or the environment.

Did you know that many of the common products we use each day for personal hygiene and care contain around 168 ingredients? Since the average woman will use 12 different personal care products a day that is a lot of possible toxins to sort through!

When we get up in the morning it is common to use toothpaste, soap, shampoo & conditioner, shaving cream, body wash, lotion, makeup, deodorant, and even hair styling products.

While not everything we use is harmful there are many products that contain chemicals that will mess with our hormones and cause serious health issues. Some of the most common ingredients to watch out for are dioxins, phthalates, and parabens.

“12.2 million adults – one of every 13 women and one of every 23 men – are exposed to ingredients that are known or probable human carcinogens every day through their use of personal care products.” [2]

If you come into contact with these chemicals once or twice your body can detox from them, but when you use them every day they build up in your system and your body can’t keep up with the toxic load.

“One of every 24 women, 4.3 million women altogether, are exposed daily to personal care product ingredients that are known or probable reproductive and developmental toxins, linked to impaired fertility or developmental harm for a baby in the womb or a child.

These statistics do not account for exposures to phthalates that testing shows appear in an estimated three-quarters of all personal care products but that, as components of fragrance, are not listed on product ingredient labels” (EWG et al. 2002).

When you decide that you want to live a more pure, higher quality life do some research and find products that that will improve your self-care. You can also check out resources such as the Think Dirty App and the EWG Healthy Living App to help you find what you are looking for. Continue reading →

News

A Naked Restaurant Is Opening In London & There’s A 45,000-Person Wait List

June 12, 2016 Kirsten Cowart Leave a comment

You heard us right, a restaurant is opening up in London where people will be able to go dine naked if they choose! The Bunyadi, which is the first naked restaurant in the city will open up in June 2016 and stay open for 3 months.

While we often will pick a place to eat based on the food being served a new trend has emerged where you choose a restaurant based on the experience it provides. That is why the Bunyadi concept is so intriguing to people in London.

As more people seek the natural and raw experience trends like this may become a lot more common. While there are nude beaches and even nude hot springs the idea of a nude public restaurant is a bit out of the ordinary.

Guests will come in, change into a gown, remove all of their electronics, and then they will have the option to disrobe if they choose. This will create as natural an environment as you can get. The staff will also be mostly clothing free depending on their role. Seb Lyall, the founder of The Bunyadi answered a few important questions about his new restaurant.

What will be on the menu?

The food will be cooked over a wood burning fire and they will have both vegan and non-vegan options. The intent is to create as much of a natural atmosphere as possible so the food with be completely chemical free, cook naturally, and you will be provided with edible utensils as well.

“We had to choose the menu based on nudity,” says Seb Lyall, the Bunyadi’s founder. “Once we had announced the concept, all the jokes started coming out, all the tweets, all the articles. And they all said one thing: ‘Don’t spill the soup!’ So, it’s no hot soup or broths for us.”

The food will be prepared without gas stoves or any electronics.

“For safety reasons, we can’t have staff cooking naked. But that’s the least of our worries,” Lyall explains. “The really difficult thing is cooking food without using anything gas-based, or any blenders. We’re even having to make our own flour. But it’s the nudity that everyone talks about – and that’s the easiest bit.” Continue reading →

Astrology

Lovers on the Cusp: Everything You Need to Know About Zodiac Cusps and Dating

June 11, 2016 Kirsten Cowart 12 Comments

Have you ever noticed that folks at the beginning or end of a zodiac sign express their sign with a different flavor? The days right at the transition of a sign are called “cusps” and while not all astrologers agree that the cusps are real (some say that your sign is your sign, period, regardless of the day) it’s undeniable that those clustered within the cusp days seem to have their own unique quality.

They may not be your typical Scorpio, for example if they’re born on the Libra or Sagittarius cusp, the Libran cusp being more diplomatic and intellectual, and the Sagittarian side more fiery and independent. They are still at the core a Scorpio, but with a twist, you could say. So what if you’re dating or crushing on one of the mysterious cusp types? Let’s take a look at how they do as mates and lovers.

Pisces-Aries (March 18th – 22nd)

Ooh, fire + water = steam! Pisces and Aries are two of the most different signs in the entire zodiac, so this cusp blends the extreme sensitivity of the fish with the powerful courage of the ram. This makes for an exciting and somewhat unpredictable lover. What they lack in reliability can be made up by being creative and visionary.

This cusp is definitely a sexy one!

Their partners may find them complex or even a bit selfish, but the appeal of their uniqueness helps to balance that out.

You can win the heart of someone on this cusp by being both vulnerable and courageous. Either take the lead or be highly adaptable, but never just stagnate in the middle, or complain about circumstances with these cusp folks. Romantic gestures are treasured!

Aries-Taurus (April 17th – 21st)

Chalk it up to the blending Taurean sensuality with Aries boldness, but natives of this cusp are not shy about going after the object of their lust, no matter the odds. They are also the most likely of all the cusps to be attracted to people who are already taken! Or unavailable for some other reason. Continue reading →

Nature

5 Curious Encounters with Fairies Throughout The Centuries

June 11, 2016 Kirsten Cowart Leave a comment

When we think of fairies we may think of children’s stories or movies on TV, but the belief in fairies is an ancient tradition that has been nearly forgotten by most folks. Many believers of the fairy world say that they live in a slightly different dimension than we do and that if we want to connect with them, and even see them, then we must come from a heart centered space. Then it is up to the fairy whether or not they’ll make themselves visible to us.

Even though most people have long since written off the possible existence of these tiny nature beings, many fascinating sightings continue to pop up.

1. A Dangerous Curiosity

In 1853, during the middle of a summer’s day in County Donegal, Ireland, a boy by the name of Neil Colton was gathering berries behind his home with his cousin and brother when they started to hear the music.

They followed the sound around some large rocks where they saw around 6-8 people dancing around in a circle about 100 feet away. Once the dancers noticed the children, a small woman wearing red ran straight toward them.

As Colton described it there was a green rush and the women struck his female cousin on the face. The children became spooked, understandably, and ran for the house. Unfortunately, as soon as they arrived his cousin fell down as if she were dead.

The boy’s father called for the priest who quickly read from psalms and struck the girl until she woke out of her deathlike state. The priest told the children that if the girl hadn’t grabbed onto Colton’s brother right away after being struck, she would have been taken away by the fairies and lost forever.

2. Lords Of The Dance

In August of 1862 Evan Lewis and David Evans said they were on their way to New Quay when they decided to stop to rest at a farm. While they were watching the reapers working the fields they looked up and saw around 50 figures on the hillside, about 370 meters or1,200 feet away. Continue reading →

History, Inspirational

Enchanting Portraits Of Native American Teenage Girls From Over 100 Years Ago

June 11, 2016 Kirsten Cowart Leave a comment

Each of these incredibly rare and beautiful Native American portraits are of women and girls between the last 1800s and the early 1900s. The images have been well preserved and it gives us a tiny window into the past where we can admire these women, their unique style, and show respect for their lives.

Although Native American women often had different roles than the men they were greatly respected. They often had the same sorts of rights at the men in their tribe which is incredible for the time period.

In some groups, women were the ones who owned the home and property inside. While it was typical for a chief to be male there were some tribes that would have the women select who he would be.

“A lot of people think that us women are not leaders, but we are the heart of the nation, we are the center of our home, and it is us who decide how it will be.”–Philomine Lakota, Lakota language teacher

1. Marcia Pascal, Half-cherokee, Daughter Of U.s. Army Officer George W. Paschal, 1880s

2. O-o-be, The Kiowas, 1894

“Through the late 1700s, Cherokee women were civically engaged. They owned land and had a say during wartime,” writes Astrid Munn in Native Daughters. Continue reading →

News

Scientists Can Now Regrow Your Teeth With Stem Cells Using Lasers

June 10, 2016 Kirsten Cowart 8 Comments

Ever since learning about the harm caused by mercury-based dental fillings, I have been on the lookout for a solution to the problem of cavities. When you think about the fact that we can heal and regrow bone within our body it is confusing as to why we don’t have a way to regrow our teeth when they become damaged.

While we can’t exactly put a cast on a broken tooth there is another newly discovered technology that is using laser light and stem cells to regrow teeth right inside of your mouth!

Harvard’s Wyss Institute Research

David Mooney from the Harvard’s Wyss Institute and his team recently published their results in the journal of Science Translational Medicine. Mooney’s team of researchers were able to create a technique with a low-powered laser that will actually stimulate stem cells into reforming the dentin layer of your tooth. Once the dentin is healed the tooth could be recapped and function like normal once more.

This new technology could be used within the field of dentistry to regrow teeth and in other scenarios to help heal wounds and even restore bones!

Why This Technology is so Incredible

The reason this new technology is so exciting is because it expedites the healing process. Typically when you are using stem cells you have to use specific proteins in order to get the cells to grow into the type of tissue that you need. Stem cells are master cells that in the right set and setting can grow into any part we need. Continue reading →

Spirit Science