Hippies abound at Earthly Awakenings
By Natasha Bodily
http://www.usustatesman.com/hippies-abound-at-earthly-awakenings-1.2553863
An aroma of burning incense greets customers of Earthly Awakenings, a small
shop located across the street from Cafe Ibis at 21 Federal Avenue. The store has a
merchandise selection ranging from jewelry, oils and crystals to a variety of tobacco
supplies.
Covering the wall behind the checkout counter are Polaroid pictures of
customers’ dogs.
“We are a dog-friendly establishment,” said Kari Scott, an Earthly Awakenings
employee. “We have had small dogs come in and even Great Danes. They get treats
and if (the owner) is in, we take their pictures and put them up,” she said.
Owner Marlene Hansen, a Cache Valley native, said she opened the store more
than 16 years ago. She said she had always wanted to own a store like Earthly
Awakenings, so she just did it. She loves her job and the customers she deals with daily.
“I love the fun, different people that come in,” Hansen said. “All of my customers
are so different. I get people from all walks of life in here.”
She said the most popular item they sell is tobacco, but they have many other products
including tie-dye and leather clothing, oils, incense and herbs.
“I couldn’t really make it on tobacco alone,” Hansen said. She explained she
orders most of the merchandise from other stores and the shop is much more than just
tobacco and its byproducts.
“A fun thing about working here is every time a shipment comes in it is like
Christmas. What are we going to get this time?” Scott said.
Hansen said many of her customers, but not all of them, use the oils, incense
and herbs for a spiritual purpose.
According to crystalandgemstones.com, certain oils and gemstones contain
qualities associated with chakras in the body. One gemstone, bloodstone, is associated
with the heart chakra: love, healing, courage and strength.
Scott said incense is used for varying purposes depending on the person burning
the fragrant sticks. She said incense has more than 1,000 years of burning history and
some customers use it to make their homes and cars smell better, but others use it for
services and ceremonies.
“Different people use it for different purposes,” she said.
Carrie Miller, a senior in secondary English education, said she did not like the
smell of incense until she visited Eastern Asia and fell in love with the smell of
sandalwood.
“I just associate it with really great memories,” Miller said.
She said during her visit to Cambodia, South Eastern China and Thailand she
experienced a lot of cultural incense burning.
“We went to Angkor Wat in Cambodia and spent most of our time there,” she
said. “It’s a complex of temples where people still take offering so they burn incense all
over them.”
Miller said she would probably burn more incense now if other people enjoyed
the smell as much as she does.
Scott said she owns many of the stones the store offers and likes them all.
“They’re all so different and have many reasons and purposes,” she said. “The
Native Americans believe the stones are the wisdom keepers because they were here
first. We’re all made up of the same stuff essentially.”
She explained everything is composed of vibration and light.
“Just like every human being has a different vibration, so do all the different
stones based on the color or their crystalline makeup,” she said.
She said she does not know how the descriptions of stone and oil benefits came
about, but that because so many different authors have reached the same conclusions,
it is up to the individuals using the oils or stones to test it for themselves.
“Everybody is different so everyone is going to experience some different effect,”
Scott said.
Aside from incense and stones, the store also has a selection of herbs and
spices, which Scott said could be used to make tea, cooked or burned as incense.
She said they have many enlivening kinds of oils, but lavender is good for
relaxation. Many customers use the oils for medicinal purposes, she said.
Scott said people use eucalyptus oil to calm respiratory problems because of the
vapor that comes from the essential oil. She explained using natural products could be a
purer form of curing or improving health ailments.
Customers can also find a selection of clothing in the back of the store.
Braden Felix, a sophomore in engineering, bought Mukluks from Earthly
Awakenings. He said they are similar to Eskimo shoes: socks made of thick yarn with
leather bottoms.
Felix said there is a section of the store with USU T-shirts and anti-BYU T-shirts.
He said the store had a hippie vibe and that many of the people in the store were
different from him.
Scott, a Washington state native, said she likes her job at Earthly Awakenings
and the store should not really be called a smoke shop, but is known more as a hippie or
spiritual store by customers. She said it has an alternative appeal.
“I call it sanctuary. It is the only place in Cache Valley that you can find these
things,” she said.
– natashabodily@gmail.com
Tradition part of Jewish Passover
By Natasha Bodily
http://www.usustatesman.com/tradition-part-of-jewish-passover-1.2545471
Believers of the Jewish faith fall among several branches, or movements,
including orthodox, reform and conservative followers. As the oldest, still-thriving
monotheistic religion, the traditions and culture are well-established. At Utah State,
Judaism is practiced on many levels by a variety of students and faculty.
AJ Grovert, a doctoral intern for Counseling and Psychological Services is a
Reform Jew, which she described as the most liberal branch of Judaism. After finishing
her master’s degree at Pacific University in Oregon, she found the Jewish community in
Utah to be smaller, but equally as strong as in other regions.
“Because it is so small, they want to keep it alive. It is very strong and wellconnected,” she said. “Spirituality is important, but more important to me is the sense of
community and tradition. I am involved with this vibrant and thriving community that has
been around for thousands of years and has survived everything.”
When completing rituals, Grovert said she knows she is doing the same thing
Jews have done throughout history.
“Being a part of it is being a part of something that is bigger than me,” Grovert
said.
She said the closest synagogue to Cache Valley is located in Ogden, Utah, and
most Jews in northern Utah live in or near the area.
As a Reform Jew, Grovert said she chooses which traditions and rituals to follow
based on their personal significance. During Passover, which begins this year on April
18, she said she will try to follow the kosher diet. She said the diet consists of solely
unleavened bread called matzo, excludes pork and shellfish and requires meat and dairy
to be eaten at separate meals.
Grovert said Orthodox Jews usually have several sets of dishes for meat, dairy
and Passover because each plate should not have touched the dairy, meat or floured
bread respectively. She said most Reform Jews are satisfied with a thoroughly cleaned
kitchen.
Grovert said Passover commemorates the story of Exodus when the slaves
escaped from Egypt. The name Passover, or Pesach, symbolizes when the spirit of God
passed over the homes of the faithful Israelites who marked their doors with lamb’s
blood, Grovert said.
During Seder, a ritual dinner beginning the Passover, she said Jews celebrate
their ancestors freedom from slavery. She said they read from the Haggadah, which
contains the retelling of Exodus along with songs, rituals and traditions.
“It’s a way to feel more connected to your spiritual ancestors,” Grovert said.
At the end of the Seder, she said the youngest child in the room would open the
door symbolically to let in the prophet Elijah. They also leave a cup of wine for him; and
in more liberal Jewish homes, she said they would also leave a cup of water for Moses’
sister Miriam who always could find water whilst wandering in the desert.
During the meal, she said, “Everyone is supposed to slouch because free people
are allowed to slouch.”
Grovert said there are four blessings said over wine throughout the meal.
Passover is the most observed Jewish holiday in the U.S., even more so than
Hanukkah, Grovert said.
The main difference religiously and doctrinally between Judaism and Christianity
surrounds Jesus, whom Grovert said Jews consider to have been a great person, but did
not meet all the requirements of the scripturally-described messiah.
“Mostly we consider him a good man, a good teacher, a good rabbi,” she said.
According to Jewish beliefs, the Messiah's coming would invite a golden age to
Earth and she said, “It doesn’t feel like the golden age; there is still suffering in the
world.”
Another difference, Grovert said, is the focus of Judaism is less on salvation and
the afterlife, but more upon being a good person while you are here.
“There is an idea called repairing or healing the world. We don’t know what’s
going to happen when we die, but let’s be good people while we’re here,” she said.
Grovert said while there is no concrete ideal of an afterlife in Judaism, there is a
belief that there probably is something.
“If you believe in God and that he is good, then you cannot believe that a world
where evil often triumphs is the last word,” she said.
For some Jewish students at USU, the non-existence of a local synagogue
makes regular service attendance difficult. Brianna Limb, a freshman in deaf education,
does not currently attend synagogue services because of the distance and said she also
still practices Mormonism.
Limb was raised in a Mormon household, but said she began questioning the
faith and “fell in love” with the Judaic faith. Limb follows the Messianic movement of
Judaism, which she said technically falls under the Reform branch.
She explained the differences between the branches is in their varying levels of
strictness.
“Messianic followers believe that Jesus Christ is the messiah, but they follow the
law of Moses because they believe that Christ’s church and higher priesthood was taken
with him.” Messianic Jews can be either Orthodox or Reform, Limb said.
She will be celebrating Passover this year and said her faith means a lot to her.
She enjoys having two days of religious worship.
Steve Crass, a junior in broadcast journalism, said he also does not regularly
attend a synagogue, but was more active in Jewish services when he was younger.
He said if he were to live in a bigger city, he could guarantee it would be easier to
practice.
“Judaism thrives in big cities like L.A. or New York,” he said.
Crass, who is a Reform Jew, said he and his sister were not born into the
religion, but were given the choice to decide. His mother is not Jewish but his father is,
and according to Jewish law, Judaism passes through the mother’s side. He said he
went through a similar process to what Christians would call baptism.
“You have a prayer and are emerged in water. You say you will devote yourself
to Jewish life,” Crass said.
To acknowledge his faith today, he said he occasionally wears the star of David.
“I accept that I am Jewish. More than my religion, it is my heritage and my
culture,” he said.
Crass said he is not looking to marry someone based on if they are Jewish or
not, but he would like to raise his children to know the culture and history of Judaism.
“It defines who I am really, I was raised in it and I feel for the people of my
heritage,” he said. “There is just this feeling that everybody who is Jewish recognizes,
you have this sense of family.”
– natashabodily@gmail.com
De-stressing your world
By Natasha Bodily
http://www.usustatesman.com/de-stressing-your-world-1.2470651
For most college students, stress is a familiar concept. Students encounter
anxiety-inducing situations daily, from studying for an upcoming test to worrying about a
date. This stressful time of life can lead to an accumulation of negative symptoms, but
fortunately there are ways students can relax and work toward overcoming anxiety.
Senior Shalyn Maxfield said anxiety can be rough and gets in the way of doing
what you want.
“I do breathing exercises, play sports and listen to music to relax,” she said. “I
find that taking a step away from what I am doing helps.”
Students have numerous resources on campus to promote relaxation, ranging
from the nap-inducing lounge furniture situated throughout campus to USU Counseling
and Psychological Services (CAPS) for those dealing with serious stress or anxiety.
CAPS offers workshops for relaxation, meditation and anxiety skills training.
USU also has an extensive cadre of physical activity options for those looking to
relax through playing and exercising. A multitude of suggestions and instructions for
relaxation can be found online or in books – several are available at the Merrill-Cazier
library on campus.
According to the book “Learn to Relax,” by English author and spiritual teacher
Mike George, “The routes to relaxation are winding with many turns.”
His books says that in Tibetan medicine, stress is related to an imbalance of
three “humours” – wind stress, which causes muscle tension, bile stress, which shows
itself as impatience and irratability and phlegm stress, which leads to depression and
fatigue.
“If we are out of balance, then stress is a classic consequence,” George’s books
states.
If students are looking for specific activities and classes to regain balance or
minimize stress, there are numerous options. USU offers yoga, pilates, tai chi chaun,
karate, aikido, tae kwon do, ballet and modern dance classes.
Haley Hayes, a yoga instructor at USU, began taking yoga classes in her
freshman year at the University of Utah. She began training six years later; it started as
a hobby and said she grew to love it.
Hayes said she began practicing more seriously when her mother-in-law was
diagnosed with terminal cancer.
“It got me through a horrendous time and I see how it benefits other people,” she
said.
Hayes said it is hard for her to turn off her thoughts, and yoga helps her relax.
She recommends taking a step out of ordinary life to “stop and do nothing.” By doing
nothing, she said you can “just breathe and calm yourself down.” She said meditation
can be hard, and for many people it is a scary place to sit, without distraction, and be
alone with your thoughts.
Hayes reads inspirational quotes to her students during shavasna (meditation).
She collects quotes from everyday life to share. Some come from well-known figures like
the Dali Lama and Mother Teresa, others are proverbs. She said ideally in shavasna you
are supposed to quiet your mind completely, but as this is a hard concept to master, she
likes to give students something positive and uplifting to focus on.
Meditation can take years for people to master; Hayes recommends guided
meditation to achieve a meditative state. She said she likes to pray in meditation; others
talk to themselves or go to a higher mind.
Hayes uses her training to help athletes deal with athletic pressures and to
prevent injuries. She currently works with USU’s football and softball teams. She said at
first, the football players were hesitant to participate, but now, they enjoy it.
Hayes has taught drug addicts, as well, and plans to volunteer for Alcoholics
Anonymous and for veterans. She wants to help those suffering from PTSD and
addictions overcome their heightened stress and struggles.
Jessica Odland, a junior in engineering, said, “Yoga helps me calm down after a
stressful day. I’m not the kind of person that is always anxious or stressed out, but I do
internalize everything.”
She said when she is dealing with negative emotions, yoga allows her to let go of
bottled up emotion.
“It helps me clear my mind and replenish my strength,” she said.
Odland said regular yoga practice improves her physical health as well.
“I never get sick – not even a cold. It’s amazing,” she said.
To avoid anxiety and reach relaxation can seem a difficult task. George’s book
assures the process is possible for any who seek it.
“Relaxation cannot be hurried. We must have faith that our slow journey will take
us, in the end, to the land of calm perspectives, the place we dream of in our hearts,” he
said.
-natasha.bodily@aggiemail.usu.edu