• Today I have some good news and some bad news. Now, I don't know about you but I prefer to hear the bad news first so that the good news brings me up. :) But if you want to just skip to the good news, then click here. Now for the bad news... Recently, my good friend John Manley from MetaphysicalStories.com sent me some information that really concerns me that I am compelled to share with you. I have verified the information that he sent me, and you can see for yourself since I've included links. Last month, the Organic Consumers Association released a report announcing that several organic beauty, bath, body, and kitchen products have a chemical called 1,4-dioxane which is "known to the state of California to cause Cancer" according to a state law (Proposition 65). The California Environmental Protection Agency also believes that 1,4-dioxane causes problems with your kidneys, nervous system, and lungs. A few of the companies which contain this cancer-causing chemical are JASON Pure Natural & Organic, Giovanni Organic Cosmetics, Kiss My Face, Nature's Gate Organics, and Whole Foods 365 brand. I happen to have a few of the tested products in my home right now, but you can bet they won't be here tomorrow now that I know this information. Click here to read the full report with specific products. Here are the two things that concern me the most: None of the product labels mention that they contain cancer-causing chemicals. At least when I go the gas station to fill up my car, I see a sticker that tells me that some stuff in the gasoline causes cancer. If this is happening with organic products, I wouldn't go within 100 meters of the non-organic bath and body products that are in every supermarket, department store, and drug store. For example, some products tested in 2007 have 1,4-dioxane such as Herbal Essences Rainforest Flowers Shampoo, Olay Complete Body Wash, and Hello Kitty Bubble Bath. Now I'm not personally concerned about cosmetics, since I don't wear lipstick :) ...but I am concerned for friends and family who are putting cancer-causing chemicals on their faces without realizing it. Basically, the reason the companies don't put this information on the label is because 1,4-dioxane is considered a by-product of the other harsh chemicals that are used. I've learned to be an avid label-reader, so next time you are at the store and buying any bath / body products, avoid any products that have these ingredients: PEG, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, polyethoxyethylene or polyoxynolethylene. Now for the good news... Some of you don't need to worry about that if you already practice Ayurveda natural health and healing. For those of you who don't know much about Ayurveda and are interested, John pointed me to this free Ayurveda e-course that I've already signed up for. If you have friends or family who you are concerned about, be sure to forward them this newsletter. "Nothing can be taken away from you, and nothing can be given to you that you don't already have." –Moondragon The other good news is... website updates! :) All of the stories, movies, and books in this recent update revolve around the idea of "loss and redemption." The characters have something, they lose it, and in the end they find something even more fulfilling. There is a reason so many authors use this main theme in their writing, and that is because it is something we all can relate to in many aspects of our lives. What is meant by the quote above by Moondragon, is that this whole idea of "loss and redemption" is based on our perception of reality, and not on reality itself. For example, take a young child who is always joyful and loves life to the fullest. Over time, that child is discouraged by family or friends from expressing his true nature, and eventually as an adult that child has forgotten what it was like to always be joyful and love life. The adult then embarks on a spiritual path to find that joy and love again, and after many years of searching eventually finds himself in a peaceful, joyous, loving state of being. In this example, we can see that nothing was ever "taken" from the child. Nobody "took" his joy and love away. What actually happened is he was "given" things from others. He was "given" other peoples' ideas about how the world works, he was "given" their fears and concerns, and he was "given" their examples of how to be in the world. It wasn't until that child grew up and went on a spiritual journey that he was able to find his true original nature... that he "found" the joy and love that was always within him from the beginning. He did not change; only his ideas changed. Speaking of change, one thing you'll notice now at Spiritual-Short-Stories.com is that you can write comments on stories without having to register. So after you read a story, be sure to write a comment about what you think and feel about how the story impacted you! Or you can respond to other peoples' comments and have an online conversation about your favorite stories. The other thing you'll notice is there are lots of new stories and movie/book reviews. Here's a list of the specific changes so you can go straight to whatever interests you the most: Parables: Stone and the Flower, The Greatest Treasure, The Spiral Staircase, Losing Everything Original Stories: The Star Thrower, My Old Bible, The Good Prince Movie Reviews: Antwone Fisher, Tara Road Book Reviews: Everyday Grace by Marianne Williamson, Enchantment of the Faerie Realm by Ted Andrews I hope you enjoy all of the new content, and be sure to tell your friends and family about our site and encourage them to comment with you on your favorite stories! Warmest wishes, Spiritual-Short-Stories.com   P.S. Remember to sign up for the free Ayurveda e-course and pass this email along to friends and family. P.P.S. I know many of you are really looking forward to my upcoming ebook, and I just want to let you know that I've decided to delay the launch until May because I'm preparing lots of free information that I want to share with you. I apologize for the delay, but the wait WILL be worth it. I promise. :) Tell A Friend  |  Subscribe  |  Update Address  |  Unsubscribe

  April 16th, 2008 at 4:02 am

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