June 2010 Monthly Visions: Earthships and Starships

June 2010: Earthships and Starships


This month it’s all about Authentic Power vs Artificial Power, although I decided to use a way more catchy title. Aside from fitting in with this month’s theme, it also pretty well describes my last month based in Taos, New Mexico which I’ll talk about in a minute.

The current energies are totally pulling the rug out from everything based on artificial power, as we rapidly continue the mass connection to our individual and collective authentic power. This includes everything from our inner energy systems (eg our sense of worth and confidence, and where we get that from - is it coming from our authentic core within and higher source energy? Or from our job or financial status or a relationship or the perceived lack of these things?) to our outer energy systems (our dependence on oil for example rather than utilising the natural sources of fuel available to us like solar and hydro energy).

We have become dependent on artificial sources of power for far too long, so long in fact that we didn’t even realise it was a dependence, or perhaps accepted that this dependence was something we had to live with in order to survive in this world. We became dependant on the opinions of others for our sense of what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s possible and what’s not, we became dependant on external factors for our sense of self-worth and self-value, we became dependant on governments and corporations for our food, water, heating and shelter. The plugs to these artificial sources are being pulled now left, right and centre, and for good reason: it is time to plug into our authentic sources of power: who we really are; our higher source of energy from which we all came and from which we truly receive and are able to create anything; our natural sources of energy that come from living on this wonderful planet: our sun, our wind, our waters, our earth.

Collectively, the majority of humanity have accepted without question the rules imposed on us, and the ways of living immersing and surrounding us, even if it hasn’t served us spiritually, economically or environmentally. We have listened when people have said ‘you can’t’ or gone about our daily lives in either apathy or despair when no alternatives to the norm have been offered; not by the media nor our education systems and certainly not our governments. Yet the norm is not working, and it doesn’t look like these authoritative bodies are going to change enmasse anytime soon. This is because we are here, at this time in our evolutionary history, to own our own authority. The mass change is happening, it is happening to every one of us individually, and it is we the people who will trigger a quantum leap of mass change when it comes to our systems of media, government, education, health, sustainable housing etc. As the Hopi prophecies say “We are the ones we have been waiting for.”

To wait for these huge bodies to change, so that we can change, is putting our lives in the hands of drivers who are clearly blindfolded. Either that, or they don’t really care if we crash. I liken it to having access to 100 channels on your satellite tv, but meanwhile going to someone with only 5 channels for all of your advice, opinions, permits, stamps, approvals and validation regarding what you should and shouldn’t be watching on television. This is how we have been living. It is disempowering on every level. We have been putting our power in the hands of those who do not have our best interests at heart – not because they have anything other than good intentions, but simply because they do not have the scope of consciousness and awareness required to do so. We have to take our power, our autonomy, our lives back into our own hands if we are going to move forward and more than survive, thrive in our New Earth.

In a way we have been like children, dependant on our parents for everything from our basic needs to approval, but just like children one day outgrow their parents (who knows a 5 year old that can operate the latest technology better than you can?) so too we are outgrowing our old systems and structures. Where once upon a time they served us, and helped us get where we are today, now they are no longer serving us and further, they are holding us back from our next stage of evolution. It is time for us to wake up and in waking up we have to grow up.

We are here at this unique time of evolutionary transformation to remember who we are, and to create the world of our dreams. This is not an ideal fantasy, it is our destined reality, and it is time to wake up from the illusion that we have been sold as reality. There is a new world being created right now, we just have to plug into it – and unplug from the old one.

Ever since I was little I had very specific visions of a world that looked very different to the one I saw around me. As I grew older I came to realise that I was seeing visions of our New Earth; the world that we are going to create together this lifetime, the world that we are already creating right now. Those visions included homes and buildings that were built as extensions of their environment, that felt like living, breathing creations that were totally in harmony with nature, and perfectly looked after us.

Last year, during our mammoth 16 month journey up and down North & South America, Christian and I were driving south toward Taos when we passed tens of acres of strange looking houses that looked like they were growing out of the Earth. My sister Krisi was spending some time with us at the time, and we all asked at once “What was that?” Christian slammed on the brakes and turned around, driving up to the main strange looking building. It was called the Earthship Visitors Centre. As we looked at the homes and buildings around us, we realised that the walls were made of tyres, aluminium cans and colourful bottles. Huge glass exteriors showed that there were rainforest like plants and trees and flowers growing on the inside of these buildings. This is in the middle of the dry Northern New Mexico desert. We stood open-mouthed at the totally wondrous sights around us thinking ‘Where are we? What is this?’.

We walked inside the Visitors Centre and found informative posters and a short video describing Earthships: 100% off the grid, self-sustainable homes made from recycled materials namely tyres, cans and bottles. They cost around the same as a conventional home to build, but once built your utility bills are zero, with a zero carbon footprint. Earthships are the invention of visionary architect Michael Reynolds, who some of you may know from the documentary Garbage Warrior. It is available on DVD if you get a chance to rent or buy a copy. Actually visionary isn’t the right word because that implies he just has some good ideas. Michael is a hands on force of nature who applies his visionary brilliance (although he humbly calls it just plain logic that makes sense) into practical experiments that he has been evolving with trial and error for forty years. He loves the process of trying and failing because each time he learns how to make things better: a big lesson for those of us who delay action for fear of not succeeding or being perfect immediately. These experiments have evolved into beautiful, unique homes that are rapidly gaining in popularity because they are so perfectly meeting our environmental and economic challenges. They are an idea whose time has definitely come.

During that fated visit, we found out that Earthships offered internships to about 12 people a month, offering the opportunity to work on site, participating in the building of these amazing homes. Christian applied immediately, and a little over 6 months after coming home to Sydney we found ourselves back on a plane to the US – he had been accepted for the May group.

We booked a cute little apartment in Taos where I based myself working from home while he went off to the Earthship site 20 minutes up the road every day, pounding tyres, making can walls and learning the ins and outs of Earthship building. I have to admit that at first I was thinking this would simply be a great way for Christian to learn more about off the grid living, which he has been very passionate about for a long time, and pick up some building tips along the way. I mean really, did I want to end up living in a home made of tyres and cans?

Every day he came home with photos of the building process, information about why Michael has designed the Earthships in the way he has, and it didn’t take long for me to start falling in love with these homes. I interviewed Michael for an article and got to do the final 2 day weekend intensive which involved some hands on experience and a tour of 8 different Earthships as well as hearing Michael speak a few hours each day. Needless to say by the end of the month I was sold. Our next vision board step is to build our own home, and that home will be an Earthship. The name Earthship is not meant to be associated with spaceships, which is what a lot of people think, rather it is associated with a regular ship, one which is a self-functioning self-contained body that has all it needs to work out in the middle of the ocean.

Earthships are totally about tapping into our authentic power, which we have abundant access to vs relying on artificial power, which is limited and keeps us dependant. In Australia we live in fear of running out of water. For many in developing countries this fear is a reality, with people dying of dehydration or having to rely on drinking water being trucked in to poverty stricken and remote communities. Meanwhile we have perfectly good rainwater running down our drains and wonderful clean water residing in our Earth. The problem is for some crazy reason we don’t catch most of this water, or know how to access it in a way that it can provide for us. Every Earthship not only catches rainwater, but every drop of water is used four times. Clean drinking water, and water for showers, once used goes to water the internal plants (vegetables and fruit trees that help feed your family), is then used to flush the toilets, and finally goes outside as ‘black water’ with the last of it being used to water the outdoor landscaping plants. I found out that 40% of water used in an average house is a result of toilet flushing, whereas in an Earthship the toilet flushing water has already been used two times, so you aren’t using (or wasting) any new or old water! With conventional houses our sewerage is trucked out, or flows out, to our precious oceans and waterways, whilst Earthships are completely self-contained.

What’s the point of the tyres? Well 250 million tyres get thrown away every year in the U.S, creating piles of useless potentially hazardous waste. Tyres are a perfect casing for rammed earth, and with hundreds of them creating the exterior walls of your home they provide a natural cooling/heating system keeping your home at a lovely temperature year round: cool in summer and warm in winter. Another thing I discovered is that 1/3 of the world’s energy usage is a result of household and building heating and cooling systems. The aluminium cans reduce the quantity of concrete needed for interior walls, while the glass bottles reduce the need for glass panes for windows, and look stunning.

A really interesting thing I learned is that a typical centralised power plant takes maybe 50 years to pay off, so a council is not going to update that power plant too regularly. This is a perfect example of how our old ways of being are not serving us, and not keeping up with our available technology and environmental needs. As Michael put it, our environment is evolving faster than our old systems. To catch up to the evolving energies around us, we have to let go of the old systems otherwise go down with them, because they are just not compatible with where we are headed.

Okay so this is starting to sound like an ad for Earthships, and I’m not suggesting this is the only alternative out there. The point I’m trying to make is that workable wonderful alternatives are out there that make sense on every level, while our current way of living really doesn’t in comparison. The ideal of a New Earth, living in ways that are in harmony with nature, where everyone receives all that they need – particularly food, water and shelter - is not some airy wishful thinking. We have been living on a planet that provides us with fresh water, solar energy and the means to grow our own food. Meanwhile we have completely disconnected ourselves from these authentic and abundant sources of energy, choosing instead to rely on governments and corporations to provide artificial versions of these things for which we pay a large price economically and environmentally.

Artificial power is on its last legs, be it within our energy field or in our homes or in the outer world. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been a big wake up call to Americans especially, who are having to face an enormous ecological – and economic – disaster because of our global addiction to oil. We have to ask ourselves why we blindly accept this addiction, with all it’s obvious harmful consequences, when we have natural and abundant sources of clean, renewable energy? Why? The greed of the people who profit from this and other similar pursuits. If there is one positive thing that has come out of this catastrophe it is that the illegal goings on between the oil companies and the regulatory bodies is coming to light, and once something is revealed it can no longer continue without mass public outrage.

Apocalypse comes from a Greek and Latin word meaning “That which is hidden becomes revealed” How exciting! We are really going to see some s*&# hit the fan over the next couple of years as more and more truth becomes revealed. It will be astounding and shocking once humanity realises how much truth has been hidden including free energy technology that would allow everyone to have all they need without having to work at a job they hate just to survive day to day.

We’re also going to finally uncover more of the truth about our star origins, and about the star people who have been visiting this planet for thousands of years – and continue to do so right now. Some of them are highly evolved and benevolent, others not so much. Along with those visions I had when I was little of environmentally friendly houses, I also used to look up at the stars and feel I was from there, feeling I had been dropped off here on Earth by a starship which had left me behind. Needless to say it took me a long time to get with the program that I had actually chosen to be here on Earth! I just spent a day in Crestone, Colorado which along with much of New Mexico, is a place from which weekly reports of starship sightings emerge. Energetically, Crestone felt like some kind of inter-dimensional superhighway with the feeling that it was a grand central station entry/exit portal for starships. I haven’t talked much about this topic in my work, but I am being called to do so from now on. So as crazy as it may sound, onward we go!

We are living in exciting times. Hold on to your hat, and grab hold of your authentic power. It is use it or lose it time.

(c) Dana Mrkich 2010

Dana Mrkich is an internationally known teacher, thought leader and visionary in the field of Personal Transformation, Conscious Evolution and Vibrational/Energy Reality. She is a naturally gifted Energy Intuitive, Author of A New Chapter, Radio Host and creator/teacher of e-course Create a Life You Love. She offers her empowering Soul Sessions via email, phone and Skype to clients all around the world, and in-person in Sydney, Australia, containing the guidance and healing insights you most need as you step further into your true self and new reality. Ask Dana your general questions about these changing times, or share your stories, on her new Message Boards. Subscribe to Dana's Monthly Newsletter or please visit: http://www.danamrkich.com/ . You can follow Dana on Twitter or become a Fan on Facebook