Happy Spring Lotuses!
This month at Laughing Lotus
we celebrate the chakras, those
divine wheels of light that
form the subtle body, influence
our physical, mental, and emotional
states, and
provide
the path to enlightenment.
The first chakra, muladhara,
is located at the base of the
body. This root chakra is associated
with survival and security, focusing
upon shelter and sustenance and
getting
our most basic of needs met. Yet
for the world's poor, such stability
and
security
do
not
come easily, if at all.
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And so, this
month Love Saves the Day supports
the divine work of For
Haiti with Love, a faith-based
charity organization committed to
poverty alleviation in Haiti for
nearly 3 decades. Haiti is the poorest
country in the western hemisphere.
80% of its nearly 9 million people
live in poverty. Less than half
the population is literate and three
quarters live without access to
safe drinking water. The legacy
of colonization, U.S. foreign policy,
ongoing political economic turmoil,
and the impact of HIV/AIDS have
decimated the country.
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For Haiti with Love was created
by Don DeHart, who had been traveling
to the island nation since the late
1960s. Seeing the dehumanizing effects
of such severe poverty, he decided to
act. Today, the organization provides
food programs; formula for orphaned
infants and infants whose mothers do
not have breast milk; construction of
housing and schools; and a medical program
that provides 24 hour emergency care
to the poor in northern Haiti. Though
Don DeHart passed
away in 2006, his wife and For
Haiti with Love cofounder Eva continues
the organization's work.
As we spend this month immersed in
the power and beauty of the subtle body,
taking a moment to become aware of the
more material concerns of our fellow
humans will help support not only their
growth but our own. If you would like
to learn more about how to support Don
and Eva DeHart's work to bring stability
and sustenance to the Haitian people,
please visit the For
Haiti with Love website.
For a source of many books that offer
a deeper look at the causes at Haiti's
current condition, see the Common
Courage Press website.
And remember, Love Saves the Day!
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