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Dear herbalists, and lovers of the Earth-centered healing practices,

Because of all of our connections through the world of herbs and natural healing practices, I thought you would appreciate the following communication from Gretta dela Montangne. We should prepare ourselves for the possible loss one of our most cherished elder herbalists, Michael Moore, former Silver City resident and extraordinary teacher of herbal medicine, at his school, the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine (which was located in the space which is now the top floor above Isacc's ). Please take some time to hold a vision of Michael in your hearts and minds, and send him your love. He is having surgery today. He'll need all of our kindest, most loving thoughts and wishes, in order to recover and heal.

With kind regards,

Richard McDonald, C.H.

Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:44:08 -0800
From: "Greta Montagne" <greta>
To: desertbloom <info>
Subject: Michael Moore update

Action Herbalist Alert!
Hi everyone, I wanted to let you know that Michael is going to have an 8 hour surgery tomorrow to replace a (large) section of his disintegrated spine with rods so that he may sit up again. Jessica Soza is there in Tucson with Donna now, helping, and wanted me to help get the word out so that we can hold space for him. Donna is running on fumes, very exhausted, just recovering from a perforated appendix a couple days ago. The nurses shaved his 48 year old beard for the surgery tomorrow. (!!)

If you yourself or any ex-SWSBM students you know are possibly available in the next couple of weeks to months....he won't last much longer on the physical plane according to Donna, and this is a very useful time to be available to Donna in particular.
Jessica affirmed that he's very present; enjoyable to be around, cracking hilarious jokes. Jessica will be there till the 16th, so we're fishing around for folks who can to lend a hand to Donna in the next month; run errands, cook, clean, give her massage, or just sit in Michael's presence and hang with him. He needs us now.

Please forward to any fans you know of our elder herbalist elf, the big kahuna root, Michael Moore, the grandfather of western herbalism as many of us know it today. He won't be here on the physical plane much longer.

People can contact Jessica at 707-328-9770 to find out the best way to plug in.


**********

A further shameless appeal for cash and goods...anything helps right now. If you can't come in person, send money and gas cards. Or jerky. Or both. He gave so much for so little, for a simple philosophy, and now let's send him out with our best support.

Deep Green Blessings to you all during this darkest time of the year. Let the full moon light shine fiercely upon our elder. Let Geronimo's war cry be heard throughout the Chiracahuas. Hoka Hey! It's a good day to die.

Sincerely humbly yours,
Greta Grizz

Greta dela Montagne
2506 Jacoby Creek Rd
Bayside, CA 95524
707-834-0617

A couple folks have asked for an address to send things (money especially can help right now).

Donna Chesner
620 West Limberloft #24
Tucson, AZ 85705

Latest update (Friday 3:30PM 12-12-08

Dear friends,
I just got off the phone with Donna Chesner. While speaking with her, the hospital called to say that the surgery is nearly complete and Michael is doing well.
Donna and Mike both expect of him the stubborn rallying that the inimitable Moore has surprised us with so many times.
Let us not write his requiem while he is still here to teach us. ...

Adam Seller
Pacific School of Herbal Medicine
********************

Hi--just a possible correction: I think the street name may be "Limberlost", not "Limberloft"--it is a reference to a Gene Stratton Porter book, "A Girl of the Limberlost". Very appropriate as Ms. Porter wrote her fictional stories around characters at tune with plants, herbs, and nature in general, including in this wonderful book.

I hope Michael recovers to continue his enjoyment of this world!

Dear Dan.... and all,
No mistake. If you'll notice, the word "limberloft" (#24) is their street address. No accounting for who makes up the street names in Phoenix, but there is NO relation to "The Girl of the Limberlost".... the Gene Stratton Porter book. So... please just send any correspondence, donations, etc. to them at the above (correct) address.
By the way, you can also read another wonderful book of Gene Stratton Porter's, called "The Harvester".... a sweet old, love story in the BEST herbal traditions of last century. It'll break your heart while filling you with joy and wonder.
Thanks for attempting to correct a "mistake" that wasn't one... and in the process, bringing up a VERY fine old writer.

With best regards,

Richard McDonald, C.H.

Ok, thanks for verifying. And you're right about the Harvester book--my second favorite after Limberlost, and something that fed my own interest in everything out of doors.

:D

this is sad, but sending light and love.

also listed this prayer request at celestinevision.com

This is the website of "the celestine prophacies" book and movie author.

Many have been uplifted and recived mericles from their prayers there, including myself and the power of prayer and meditation w/ this man and his wife is incredible!!!

Jennifer

Hey, Everyone,
Thanks to all of you who read this and who are sending loving thoughts in the direction of Mr. Moore. I have some calls in asking to be updated and will keep you all informed.

Information on the surgery is still pretty nebulous. As of Saturday, he was in the Intensive Care Unit, recovering. At the risk of sounding like a "flake" to some of you, I want to outline a simple technique for sending love, health and healing energy to anyone.... and I'm asking you all to take a few minutes to do this for Mr. Moore, our wonderful herbal elder.

First, find a quiet place where you can sit for a few minutes undisturbed. Make a comfortable place to sit, and settle yourself into the spot. Close your eyes and begin to focus in and carefully watch your normal breath as it enters and exits your nostrils. After doing this for a couple of minutes, and when you're feeling focused and relaxed, visualize the face of the person to whom you wish to send love and healing energy. See them smiling (even if they hardly ever do in real life). See them with a big smile of happiness on their face. Then visualize that person lying in a bed... face up, looking at you with that big smile. Now look at their body. See the body as translucent... as if you can peer into it to see the various structures and organs within the body. Focus on the part(s) of the body affected (in Michael's case, the lower back, kidneys, and immune system.) Take one part at a time and imagine reaching out with your "etheric hand" to touch it, and soothe it, sending warmth and healing energy... infused with your loving, best intent. Let the energy flow out and "light up" each area you're touching.
Make sure to also include the heart area (both the etheric and emotional ones), and the brain... which holds the consciousness of the person. Last, send their "emotional body... (mind)" some specific words of encouragement and hope. Just before you end, reach out and give them one last embrace... and feel the closeness of your hearts.

Somehow, for myself, sending strong, good wishes to people, and sending wishes for specific good things for them, always makes me feel more human, and more tangibly connected to others which together, make up this beautiful mixture which we call humanity. It is also a way which helps me feel my own connection to Creator... asking for help from the unseen.

Thanks for putting up with me on the forum.

May all of you be happy, healthy and find your lives full with love and good relations.

Richard

Thanks Richard for the good healing visual, very clear and concise , , am headed out to donate a day of whatever is need on Dec 22nd, if I can swing it, may spend the night, as I can put out extra water and feed for the chickens, gonna try to see if I can round up donations to deliver as well.

Blessings and Keep His healing within all your hearts,
Silver pellicciaro

Hi everyone,
I received this e-mail yesterday morning from Adam Sellers, (Pacific School of Botanical Medicine director), with better news about Michael Moore:

"Hi all,
I spoke to Donna today. Here's her update:
Michael is doing better. Breathing on his own, he's spirited, looking good all things considered. He is not out of the woods yet, and is still in the ICU. The nurses think his out look is favorable. The long haul is expected to be difficult.
I'll be seeing some of you at the conference in April in New Mexico.
Adam"

Please continue to send Michael your love and healing energy. It appears as though things are working in harmony with our thoughts. Thanks for your participation.

By the way, this coming spring, there will be an event in Truth or Consequences... a celebration of Michael Moore, one of our greatest regional treasures, and herbalist extraordinaire! You can see all the information about this event at:
http://www.mooreandmore2009.com/

This will be a wonderful event which will connect all of us who know and love Michael and the herbal ways he's been teaching for so long. It could help all of us to make stronger, the mostly unseen network of alternative practitioners, which provide an inexpensive, reliable, time-tested, natural alternative to the current medical system, for those who've lost their health insurance and can not afford the expense of allopathic medicine... or, for those who do not use standard practice medical treatment.

Another thing I'd like to bring up here is that Senator Howie Morales has agreed to sponsor the bill we've been working on for 2 years now... which will protect alternative practitioners' right to practice, and will also protect YOUR right to access alternative therapies here in New Mexico. If you think this is a great idea as I do, then please visit this website:

http://www.desertbloomherbs.com/C-PAHC/index.html

When you click on the above address, the page which comes up will have a list of links on the left side. Please read the links "STORE DISPLAY LETTER", and the actual text of the bill... through the link " New Mexico Unlicensed Healthcare Practice Act" link.

If you think this is a good idea, I'm asking you to write a brief letter to Senator Morales to let him know you think this bill will be good for all New Mexicans, and encourage him to get it passed for us. You can send an e-mail to Senator Morales at this address: howiemorales@yahoo.com

I know this comes during the holidays, which is not the most convenient time, .... AND I know that it will take some effort on the part of everyone who hopes to benefit from wider availability of alternative health care services within our state. So, please send a short letter of support to our newly-reelected Senator... Howie Morales, to let him hear how much we value the alternative therapies many of us use to maintain our health.

Thank YOU !! :-)

I'm wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season. Happy Hanaka, Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, and a wonderful, prosperous, peaceful new year in 2009

Richard

Good to hear about Michael, and that requests to Howie to consider sponsoring the bill have been accepted!
Thank you, Ricardo, for all your effort and energy in this direction!
Thank all of you who have, or will now contact Howie Morales
to let him know you support this important work.
Elizabeth

Dear friends of herbal medicine and alternative health care,
Our dear friend and teacher, Michael Moore passed away on Friday, February 20th. He was able to return home and pass away in familiar surroundings, and with his wife and friends. He was released less than two days before, from the hospital.
As one of his former students, I shall miss him, and I shall remember him whenever I am out collecting medicinal herbs in the areas he showed us.
He has touched and changed lots of lives in his time here with us, and I for one am grateful for having the chance to study with him, and for his great efforts to bring herbs and natural systems of medicine into as many lives as possible.
Thanks, Michael.

With loving kindness....

I am sorry to hear of your loss... may Michael Moore's legacy live on in you and all who practice herbal medicine for all time to come. Allee

_________________
Allee Barr, RN, EEM-CLP
Eden Energy Medicine & N.A.E.T.
Private Sessions ~ Consulting ~ Workshops
575-388-3786

Hey, Allee,
Thanks for your kind thoughts and words about Michael.

I was thinking about how to honor Mr. Moore, and it occurred to me that a fine way to honor him and his life would be to call our state representatives, who are currently meeting in Santa Fe... and tell them that we want them to support the "Unlicensed Alternative Health Care Protection Bill", also known by its number HB664. This bill is currently in the Legislative session will be heard on Tuesday in committee. Therefore, it would be best to call on Monday... (tomorrow), and let them (whomever you have contacts with).. know that you support this legislation, which will enable alternative health care practices (traditional and indigenous healing practices) to be free from legal interference. Tell them that this bill would allow these healing traditions to be more accessible to the public. The importance of this will become apparent if you think about how many people are losing their jobs (and their health care benefits). What are those folks supposed to do for treating diseases? Enabling the natural medicine systems to take up the slack and act as a health net for our local communities seems like a pretty smart thing to do.

Tell them too, how this bill will also help preserve some of the most important cultural information by allowing it to be transmitted to the next generation of future practitioners.

Next, I will share a letter from Dr. Wynn Werner, director of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque. Please read what he says and then make a few calls of support for this bill. You can read the language of the bill in the links below.

Thanks ahead of time for your support and your calls to state Reps and Senators..

Richard

"Friends of the New Mexico Health Freedom Bill

As you probably know, a group of people (many of you) have been involved
since 2006 in getting a Health Freedom bill passed in New Mexico. Similar
bills have been passed in other states, most notably Minnesota and
California. You probably also know that a bill was introduced in the Senate
in the New Mexico 2007 legislative session and that even though it passed
both committees it was assigned to it ultimately died on the Senate agenda
and was never brought up for a vote. The NM Medical Board and NM Medical
Society was against this bill and we supposed that was one of the reasons
the bill died. We have also been repeatedly told that new bills almost never
get passed the first or second time they are introduced.

There is a new version of this bill that was introduced in the House last
week in this year's 2009 New Mexico legislative session: HB664. This bill
was introduced by Representative Ken Martinez. This bill is a result of
several people working closely with several agencies in Santa Fe over the
past year and actually has the support of the NM Medical Board. The bill has
wide legislative support and seems to have no strong opposition at this
point. It took a lot of work to get this far and there have been a great
many revisions to the bill to get the support it has. It is basically
somewhere in between the CA and MN bills. More revisions can still happen
anywhere along the way, in committee or on the House and Senate floor.

You can and should go look at the bill on the NM legislative website or the
NMCAAMP website at http://www.nmcaamp.org <www>
Along with the bill are various links to background material. Because of all
the changes and uncertainties as to whether we would be able to get this
far, this is the first list served email to go out in a long time, although
many individual conversations and emails have taken place in the past 6
months.

At this point there is no cohesive group meeting regularly, no town meetings
and no real identified leadership, just a few individuals working loosely
together towards a common goal -- to get a New Mexico "Health Freedom Bill"
passed.

NOW would be a really good time to call and email your representatives and
tell them you support the bill. Especially those on the committees the bill
will be before. The information on how to contact them is on the NMCAAMP
website. There are a lot of "politics" impacting whether to introduce a bill
in the House or Senate first or both at the same time and not all agree on
what is best. It would be great if we had been more organized, but it has
been a busy year for everyone and a difficult year for some. If anyone has
any questions, I will try my best to answer them or point you in the right
direction.

Sincerely,

Wynn Werner
Albuquerque, NM 87112
em: wwerner@ayurveda.com
wk: 505 291-9698 x101
cell: 505 250-5919