Oona's article continues commentary from a previous one on healing and, particularly, from breast cancer. A native resident of the Mountain Empire she has availed herself of the many opportunities for alternative living, working, consciousness, relationship and health that are offered generously here and are also generally well-received publicly. The publisher has been treated, gratefully, to various of these therapies -- including regular and hot stone masssage, and mud and steam baths -- and easily affirms their delight and efficacy in healing relaxation and physical/spiritual renewal. Most methodologies suggest a physician's examination and analysis before embarking on any due to individual differences in tolerance and need.

During my "Dance" with breast cancer, in addition to all the personal work for myself, I continued to hold a job, as I had since being a young girl, in different positions through the years at a big company. Those jobs were fun and challenging, working both inside and outdoors also, and they paid the bills. Lots of good people work there. However, during that process I began yearning to give back to the community that had so graciously helped me to become whole and healthy, perhaps healthier than I'd been in this lifetime. Since 1984 I had learned and taught a few little things in the health arena: vegetarian cooking classes, hatha yoga, and baking and selling wholegrain cakes, cookies, pies, muffins and such. The yearning in me to serve more fully, however, became overwhelming. Perhaps a year into the process of my "Dance," I felt very particularly needed to have a means of helpinig other women going through similar processes, so I enrolled in therapeutic massage school. particularly wanted to be able to give Lymphatic Drainage Massages which had helped me a great deal. I'd been fortunate to meet a wonderful person doing that work, a medical doctor who had changed his practice completely to wholistic methodologies. A lady who gave detox baths, and had saved herself thereby, and other excellent people who engaged in different techniques and specialties like teaching organic healing through cooking and others who juiced organic fruits and veggies were also inspiring and helpful. There was so much to learn and wonderful people who would always show up! After practicing for two years part time, the moment arrived to "go for it." What a great thing to do for a living -- help others!

To "Dance" entails for me listening to our life, God, high consciousness, Allah, whatever any person references in that regard, almost constantly! Since an experience such as breast cancer or whatever is extremely life-challenging gets our attention completely and finally, we do not choose just the "fix me" approach to convalescing followed by continued health and healing. I have been so blessed and my life so much enriched, real, and purposeful as a result and consequence of the "Dance" and my response to it in sharing my life and skills with others. I live physically in the same place because I love the country quiet, nature, having room, and all those things that may be just about the only ones that are the same since this process began. Many facets have turned their pages, and I now help people daily feel better, heal, hopefully think for themselves, and "listen" to what their body is telling them! The ways I spend my time are much healthier also, with leisure outdoors in nature, giving myself organic and wholesome foods, regularly doing cleanses, spending time with like-minded people, and insisting on time for personal R&R instead of waiting to be maxed out by pressures around me. All this seems to take some stepping away from the "norm," what people generally think of as socially acceptable. Not very popular perhaps, but much healthier!

To continually keep body, mind, spirt and emotion in balance sounds easy in the saying, and maybe easier than we might believe except that most of us are brainwashed into thinking: go till you drop; got a fever? something must be wrong, go to the doctor; miss a meal, I might die! Guess what? None of that is true! It is not healthy to go until you drop; if we have a fever, our body is burning something off and taking care of itself; and, wonder of wonders, all our spiritual leaders fasted! We feel better giving our bodies a break, cleaning our interior house so to speak. Several of our pioneers in the "health nut" arena fasted on regular bases, drank fruit and veggie juices and stepped way out of the norm for years! Many lived to be over 100 years old and are still helping others, very vivacious right up until the end. I want to do that! And also to honor our spiritual side, whatever that means to each individual: whether that means going to a church, sitting quietly with ourselves, listening to God, just honoring.

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