Environmental art can take many forms, but at the core the concept is the juxtaposition of humankind’s relationship with nature. Many artists create their works by using recycled products turning them into aesthetic images; others interact with the forces of nature – wind or water, for example – to reveal something about our world in the process. Others re-envision the delicate balance between humans and our planet, making statements about our role in the stewardship of Mother Earth.

A modern day example of the latter is Spencer Tunick’s photographs of naked Israelis at the Dead Sea. But it’s an ancient display of art in Iran that is capturing imaginations in a remote area of the country…penises. Everywhere.

Eco-Erotic art is not a new form by any means

Case in point: The Khaled Nabi cemetery in northeastern Iran, a place where the over 600 tombstones have been described as ‘horny headstones’. But if you think these markers are simply an homage to the male and female genitalia, plan on being surprised. The history of the place is shrouded in intrigue….

Iran has a modern day reputation of being a place where discussions of sexuality are limited, and yet if the stories about the Khaled cemetery are true, that restrictiveness wasn’t always the case.

Estimated to be 1400-years-old, there’s a lot of history and culture buried on the hilltop, which in the words of one blogger, becomes a lovely site worth the strenuous climb to the top. “Geographically the region already belongs to the Turkmen steppe…it is not plain as you might expect of a steppe, but an endless series of low mountain ranges that ripple away to the horizon like a petrified sea.”

To add to the mystery, no one knows exactly who erected the tombstones, at least three of which are thought to be the sacred resting grounds for prophets (including the namesake, Khaled Nabi).

“The holy place encompasses actually not one but three shrines, revered by local tradition as the tombs of the prophet Khaled Baba, his father-in-law Alaam Baba and his shepherd Chupan Ata.”

But he lived decades before the prophet’s birth! The obvious question concerning the faith of which he was a prophet eighty-two years before the very foundation of Islam, is not raised in the legend.

However, it is very probable that he was a Nestorian Christian, one of those who in this period migrated in a growing number to the north-eastern regions of the Persian empire, and from there further to China along the Silk Road…”

Are these phallic symbols as many believe, or something else?

To our modern eye, there’s no mistaking what the creators intended when they carved the tombstones, and yet there are those who suggest that the helmet shaped-tops and rounded circles are indicative of warrior burial sites. Depending on the angle and image, our minds can easily consider the possibilities that both, or either, were the intended suggestion. Unfortunately, since we know so little of their origins, and they’ve only know been under the scope of academic study, we’ll have to wait to fully know if some ancient tribe was inclined to make war or love…

Some are columns nearly six feet high that look like penises; others bear the remarkable resemblance of female breasts. In the words of one reporter, it’s no wonder this pilgrimage site is becoming a “hot-and-bothered spot for Iran’s young adults,” even though the location, high in the mountains near the border of Turkey, makes visiting a task for the visitor.

Few have photographed or studied the place until now.

Shrouded in mystery, what can we decipher about their origins and meaning?

“According to Alireza Hesar Nuee, one of the few historians to have studied the site, the sexual symbolism could come from the phallic religion practiced in India and central Asia, but admits few know for sure the meaning behind the designs…The chatter among tourists, often overexcited by the surprising sight, is the only thing that breaks through the otherwise perfect silence of the cemetery and the valley.

“The bashful are hesitant to take pictures standing next to the poles, but others see it as an opportunity to have a laugh.” What we do know is that these headstones resemble those in other sites that are thought to have come from the phallic religion practiced in India and central Asia.

Regardless of location or origin, we at Green Prophet see more than the laughter factor in these sexually suggestive objects. Historically speaking, there is much to be learned yet about the site. One wonders what the intent of the ancient people who erected this cemetery really was, and how they might feel if they were to discover the consequences today.

In places where the discussion of sexuality is either taboo or severely restricted, eco-erotic art – whether man made and intended to arouse the senses or created by the forces of nature – offers a modern day outlet for viewers to explore their sexual natures in the safer context of admiring historical relics.

More eco-sexuality news:

Iranian President Wants Girls to Marry at 16

Strip Naked at Dead Sea for Acclaimed Artist, Spencer Tunick

The post The strange pilgrimage site of penis headstones in Iran appeared first on Green Prophet.

Summer means it’s watermelon time! This juicy, fruity, vitamin-packed superfruit not only quenches thirst but also tastes great. It’s an easy snack to bring along in packed lunches to the beach or on a picnic. And if you find yourself with extra watermelon and don’t want to waste any, you can even make jam from the rind.

Watermelon Rind Jam – Recipe

Readers of Green Prophet have made note that watermelon rinds, particularly the white parts, may function as a natural Viagra. We turned to published literature to investigate. While it’s not marketed as a natural Viagra, some research indicates that watermelon may act as a mild aphrodisiac, potentially helping men with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction.

Watermelon’s libido-boosting properties are attributed to an amino acid called citrulline, which is concentrated in the rind.

According to this 2023 study, watermelon may plays a role in treating male infertility and improving sexual function. This popular fruit, enjoyed worldwide for its nutritional and health-promoting qualities, has been linked to biological mechanisms that enhance aphrodisiac and fertility effects.

The overview study suggests that watermelon can improve semen quality, reverse erectile dysfunction, enhance testicular redox status, and improve gonadotropin secretion.

“These effects are linked to its constituents, including vitamins and phytochemicals such as phenols and flavonoids, which contribute to its antioxidant properties,” the researchers reported in their summary.

“Watermelon has also been noted for its antimicrobial, anti-helminthic, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antihypertensive properties, which may support its therapeutic use.”

If you’re not already enjoying watermelon regularly, consider trying these recipes to increase your intake naturally.

Some recipes:

• 4 New Ways To Have Fun With Watermelon
• Watermelon Basil Granita
• Make watermelon ice
• Make watermelon rind jam

The post Is watermelon rind a natural Viagra? appeared first on Green Prophet.

Julie McIntyre, an ‘Earth ceremonialist’ and director for the Center for Earth Relations is an ecological visionary. Trained in plant medicine, Ayurveda, Reiki, medical herbalism, wilderness survival and holistic health, she’s the lastest to write a book about human relationships and the environmental movement: Sex and the Intelligence of the Heart: Nature, Intimacy and Sexual Energy (Destiny Books, 2012).

In this exclusive Earth Day interview, Julie shares her vision for falling in love with the planet, explains why she thinks the environmental movement has shied away from Ecosex, and how the Ecosex movement can mentor in greater environmental awareness in the Middle East.

Green Prophet: How do you foster a love affiar with nature?

Julie McIntyre: One of at least two ways: You have to want to have a love affair with nature, sometimes it happens spontaneously like going to a favorite spot in the forest or a beach and over time you notice you are falling in love with that particular place of Earth, becoming protective of it and calling it your special place where you go to sit, to think, to be inspired, to be stirred up or calmed down, to feel whole again, and be put back together when you may feel like you’re falling apart. This place becomes your friend, your confidant you tell all your secrets to and you find you are getting authentic knowledge and insights you have not had access to before.

To start with, slow down. Take off your shoes and feel the Earth beneath your feet; sand between your toes, pebbles massaging your souls, be in your body; how does it feel? Feel the air and sun on your skin; do you lean into the wind or brace your back against it? Really see the details in flowers and leaves, look with the eyes of a child as if you are seeing each pebble, each boulder, each tree, each insect as if for the first time. Feel them, smell them, let the experience fill your senses.

Become intoxicated with the sounds and scents flowing around and through you. Go to the Earth, as you would your lover; go the holy waters of hot springs and oceans, go to the tops of mountains, smell the pines, the air after a rain storm, use all your senses. Fall in love with life, with this experience of being a fully alive, fully sensing, fully playing member of the circle of life.

Green Prophet: What message can readers in the Middle East get from your book?

Sex is sex all over the planet. Sex is expressed in many ways and forms but when sex is repressed, the damage it causes goes deep into our personal, social and cultural psyches. Sex cannot be stopped or prevented even though there are attempts to do so. And because sexual energy can not be stopped, as energy it must keep moving and it must be released somewhere in some form; the ideal is to have out in the open, to own our sexual natures, the sexual nature of the Earth and talk honestly about it with each other and our children.  Sexual health and freedom translates to healthier individuals and a healthier culture.

Green Prophet: Why has the environmental movement resisted authentic discussions about sex?

I believe it has resisted authentic discussions about sex because to do so would require that we actually start talking about sex, out loud. It would require looking at personal values, beliefs and behaviors about sex, contaminated baggage many of us carry into childhood into adult sexual relationships. It’s a slippery and wet topic that makes many people uncomfortable because we are uncomfortable about it ourselves, uncomfortable in our own bodies even.

Often in discussions about the environment there is a theme that sounds something like: Men’s sexuality is bad and aggressive and women’s sexual natures are vulnerable and need protecting. Language like: Mother Earth needs protecting; men (and large corporations) have raped and pillaged the land and forests; have created birth control measures on rivers with lock and dams, and so on. So for us to have honest discussions about sex and the environment, men have to own their sexual natures, all of it in its magnificence and beauty and power and the environmental movement must give up seeing women in the victim role and as women we must own our own inherent mysterious, creative and powerful force of our sexual natures.

If we were to actually have honest, real conversations about the sexual natures of ourselves and each other and the sexuality, and sensuality of Earth, our current behaviors would have to change to reflect new beliefs; belief that Earth is a living, breathing, aware, intelligent organism engaged in sexual reproduction on many levels.

Green Prophet: What has been the consequence of that?

The consequences have been dire. Omitting sex from discussions about the environment has created an insanity in our psyches widening the gaping chasm between human beings and Earth, human beings and the other species we live with. It has taken the element of the sacred completely out of the discussion; secularizing our relationship with the Earth. Discussions about the environment without discussions about sex is essentially a lie by omission.

Green Prophet: Share your understanding of intimacy, love and sustainablity in relationship?

Relationships are sustained because you want to sustain it. When you decide this relationship is what you want, you put energy into it, keep it alive and dynamic through intimacy and falling in love with your beloved over and over again; see them new each day. Notice the little things they do, really see them, wrap your heart field and love around them each day.  For love to grow and flourish there must be a commitment to intimacy which is to say, you have a commitment to being vulnerable, to being undefended, to allowing yourself to be seen and naked in the deepest parts of you; who you were, what your hopes and dreams are, what secrets you’ve carried and not spoken out loud.

For intimacy and relationships to survive you must have an intimate relationship with yourself; what inspires you, what are your hopes and dreams and fears? What part of your body do you not have a relationship with or that you hate? What do you do with the fears and disappointments you have? Who would you trust your life with? How do you feel being seen naked? What do you do to get your needs and wants met? Do you hide your feelings and the deep parts of yourself?

Sex and the Intelligence of the Heart: Nature, Intimacy and Sexual Energy explores how nature underlies sexuality and intimacy. It is published by Destiny Books and available this month in bookstores and on Amazon. You can learn more about Julie at the Foundation for Gaian Studies.

The post Earth Day Exclusive: Interview with Julie McIntyre, author of new Ecosex Book appeared first on Green Prophet.

Take a hike to fall in love with Planet Earth and embody green loving? End your romance with plastic because the evidence is irrefutable; BPA is nasty to your naked bits? You bet! From healthy habits in the bedroom to eating for optimum performance, Ecosex is the optimal way to experience intimacy that is good for you and safe for the planet. With rare exception however (Green Prophet is notably cool), the green blogosphere has yet to catch the enthusiasm; even though it is this writer’s opinion that Ecosex has the potential to revitalize enthusiasm for eco-conscious living among a populace grown bored, weary or deaf. Yes, Ecosex can save the world. But greenies have to finally listen.

Fortunately, other visionaries are. Annie Sprinkle and Elizabeth Stephens, champions of the movement, have started walking tours in the United States to introduce participants to the beauty of the outdoors. They call it finding your e-Spot. Stefanie Iris Weiss, author of Ecosex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable (2010) is doing workshops at adult pleasure shops.

Sacred sexuality educators, Alan Strydom and Farhana Goga (whose ancestry is a colorful mix of Jewish, Christian and Muslim) interviewed a dozen Ecosex thoughtleaders for the newly minted EcoSex Summit: Live Organically, Love Orgasmically.

Strangely, most of the contributing voices are from outside the traditional green movement.

As a ardent advocate for Ecosexuality (or sexecology, another term to describe the philosophy), I was honored to speak with Alan and Farhana twice. My first lecture introduces the basic tenets of Ecosex, and my subsequent telesummit focuses on my eBook. People Planet Pleasure Purpose: Five Meaningful Ways to Embody Eco-Conscious Intimacy (Available EarthDay, April 22, 2012 to subscribers of www.tinamariebernard.com), does more than discuss the joys of making love organically. It links these green intentions to better stewardship of the planet.

I’m on fire for this topic. In the past six months, I started a dynamic Facebook Ecosex Group with participants from around the globe. This summer will mark the third Ecosex Summit in the states, of which I’ll be participating. My gratitude the editor of Green Prophet, Karin Kloosterman, cannot be overstated. She opened the door to exploring the interplay between our planet and our private lives. When we first discussed the idea, we were both taking a chance. Karin, because of the sensitive nature for a conservative audience, and me because my green blogging experience was until then limited.

In the intervening three years, I’ve observed the sex-positive community commandeers the Ecosex discussion.  Ecosex has exploded in popularity among those whose sexual proclivities would make many blush. They are serious about their efforts and intention to green their intimate ecosystems for more than pleasure’s sake. This is about environmentalism through and through. Sustainability in the bedroom translating into absolute adoration and caretaking of planet earth. It covers sexual health, spirituality, ancient wisdom, optimal nutrition, women’s issues and eco-feminism and love and relationships.

So why the dull echo amongst those who proclaim to care so much about these very subjects?

How do I know – because I’ve pitched dozens of stories on deaf, non-responsive ears. One could suppose the problem is me. My writing stinks or my lack of green credentials deem me unworthy for the likes of the big wigs on the other side of the Atlantic. Except, I can say with strong confidence that there’s more than rejecting my stories to this story.

You see, cccasionally, another traditional environmental site has picked up the narrative, but what they’ve had to say about Ecosex has often been as unimaginative as a turnip. Take this silly nonsense (I’m not naming the site or the author to save them embarrassment):

 Take this quiz and tally your points at the end to find out how eco you actually are.

1. What’s in your top drawer?

A. Underpants and socks (1 point)

B. Underpants and a copy of World Changing (2 points)

C. Underpants and a Secrets of Sacred Sex DVD (3 points)

2. What is climate porn?

A. A scary way to describe global warming (3 points)

B. Pornography watched in a hot room (1 point)

C. A sexy movie shot in an equatorial country (2 points)

Seriously, that’s all they can say about Ecosex? Some silly quiz about sock drawers. A lack of understanding about how this matters throws us all under the bus, leaving us to choke on the fumes.

Do they not understand the importance of sex in everyday living? Nevermind that it is the most natural thing for all living things to do – procreate and please – but that our current sexualove experiences are muted by environmental pollutants cutting at the very core of our sexual health, vitality and wellbeing. Quite simply, the Environmental movement is missing a robust opportunity to garner a major influx of enthusiastic green beings.  By refusing to acknowledge that intimacy is at the heart of all matters, including correct stewardship of our natural resources, green activists are being upstaged by polyamorists, queers, tantrikas, doms and all sorts of alternative folks (no judgement call here – I’m just glad someone is loving the green way).

Really, that’s the best environmentalists can do?

I wrote my book to wake ordinary people up. If the environmentalists won’t take charge en masse of Ecosex, maybe soccer moms (or in the case of the Middle East, Shuk Moms) will see this light. Mother Earth doesn’t need us to survive, but we need her first. Better make sure comes first. There’s no clearer path that I can see to illuminate that need than by pointing out where our neglect will hurt most – our sexual lives and procreative futures.

Sex sells. In this case, it also really matters. My book, People Planet Pleasure Purpose: 5 Meaningful Ways to Embody Eco-Conscious Intimacy will be available on Sunday, April 22, 2012 in time for Earth Day. It’s free to subscribers to my site, at least for the time being. My hope – and this is a planetary goal, not just a concerned blogger tooting her horn – is that enough people will read it and become Ambassadors of the Ecosex revolution.

And maybe, just maybe, one of those editors or publishers in the green writing world will give the topic a second glance.

They’ll know where to find me. I’ve sent them dozens of emails, tweets, Facebook requests and more.

Tinamarie Bernard is the author of People Planet Pleasure Purpose, an Ecosex eBook, out Earth Day, 2012. Follow her @ModernLoveMuse. She also blogs at www.tinamariebernard.com.

The post Ecosex and Why Environmentalists are Avoiding the e-Spot appeared first on Green Prophet.

In the western world couples who have trouble conceiving go to sperm banks when the male produces no viable sperm. And while these options are available in the Middle East, the more traditional male types here obviously fare better psychologically when the baby is born with his own blood, and DNA. But for men with a zero sperm count, or boys undergoing treatment for cancer, there were no other options – until now. An Arab scientist Prof. Mahmoud Huleihel from Ben Gurion University in Israel has developed an artificial testis in a test tube. It opens a world of possibilities for infertile men.

Taking sperm germ cells from a mouse testis, Huleihel and his team managed to generate live and functioning sperm from the unripened sperm cells. While another technique can cultivate sperm from sperm tubules (or parts of the sperm generating organ) demonstrated 6 months ago, Huleihel’s lab is the first to take germ cells to create sperm, opening the door for a simple, cost-effective treatments down the road.

With 7 billion people on our planet, we don’t necessarily advocate for more people on this crowded planet, but for male sexual health this new artificial testicle is a breakthrough. Especially since environmental pollution is a known factor contributing to male infertility and cancer in children. If you follow our ecological sexologist Tina-Marie, you’ll learn much about the effects of radiation and pollution on male sexual organs.

In his breakthrough Huleihel takes undifferentiated sperm, and adds them to a matrix and special solution he formulated in a test tube.

The findings are published online in the Asian Journal of Andrology, where Huleihel outlines the generation of spermatozoa from mouse testicular germ cells under in vitro culture.

“This study may open new therapeutic strategies for infertile men who cannot generate sperm and/or prepubertal cancer patients at risk of infertility due to aggressive chemo- or radiotherapy, and cannot cryopreserve sperm as in adult patients,” he says.

I spoke with him last week about future directions for humankind, and he says it could take about 5 or 10 years for the idea to be a commercial product – such is the way in biotech. Meanwhile he is continuing the experiments, in humans – on infertile men with a zero sperm count presenting themselves at IVF clinics, and on sperm germ cells from a young boy who underwent radiation treatment.

The above picture of an artificial testes is for illustrative purposes only.

The post Test Tube Testes Developed by Arab Scientist appeared first on Green Prophet.

As a philosophy, ecosexuality is quite new even to many environmentalists who are keen on greening their personal lives yet are unaware of this socially transformative movement.  From using eco-friendly lubrication to maintaining healthy reproductive and sexual well-being, to adopting the ideals of ecology in one’s primary relationship, ecosex is many things to many observers and mavericks, including myself, who support the idea of sustainable love that is good for people and the planet. Now those who imagine a greener way to love, including lovers in the Middle East, can lend their voice to the symphony and help create as well as advance the idea of what it means to go “green between the sheets.”

Green Prophet is the sole English-language voice in the Middle East that offers a platform for discussing the tenets of ecosexuality, and we’ve expressed the regional importance of the relationship between ecosex and global peace.  Other venues are also advancing the vision of more earth friendly relations between partners and lovers. Specifically, ecosex advocates are collaborating to create an anthology of essays and other creative contributions to highlight eco-sexual practices and their importance to the environmental movement.

From the call for submissions:

Ecosexuality has emerged as a socially transformative movement where the energies of activism, art, theory, and practice coalesce…Ecosex activism brings more fun, passion, hope and diversity to the environmental and holistic health movements.  It generates global awareness of love as the ecology of life on planet Earth…Ecosexuality revisits every aspect of life as an opportunity for the intellectual, spiritual, political and artistic expression of ecosexual love…

Contributions will be accepted in various forms, including academic studies, philosophical, theoretical, and critical articles, reports from the field, testimonial narratives, interviews, poems, performance pieces, artists’ pages or other visual representations, reports from events, courses, and other transformative experiences.

Submissions and inquiries, due March 1, 2012, should be sent to serena.anderlini@gmail.com or bethstephens@me.com.

Read More Ecosexuality News:
GMOs Shrinking Reproductive Health in a Womb Near You
Fundamentals of Ecosexuality: Is Conscious Love the Way Towards Global Peace?
World Renowned Author Dishes on GINKS, Green Sex and Making Love to Planet Earth

Tinamarie is a regualr contributor to Greenprophet.com.  She blogs at www.tinamariebernard.com

The post International Call for Papers: Ecosexuality Anthology appeared first on Green Prophet.

This time of year, Mediterranean landscapes display the ripening fruits of the fall harvest season. Few are as impressive as the grand dame of them all, the pomegranate. Native to Persia, endemic to the Middle East, and a central symbol to the Jewish New Year, pomegranates embody the essence of mythological and religious lore.

They are also a potentially potent aphrodisiac, a delicious and elegant addition to those who want to eat well and make love sustainably.

Symbolic Food

Few fruits besides the pomegranate have made such a lasting impression as a symbol of hope and eternal life. Jews recognize this ruby jewel as one of the first fruits of the autumn harvest season, and eat it during the high holidays.

In Greek mythology, Hades, the god of the underworld is said to have seduced the goddess of fertility, Persephone, with pomegranate seeds. And while the apple usually takes the blame for humanity’s fall from grace, some biblical scholars have suggested that the forbidden fruit of the Bible wasn’t an apple, but the red beauty known as rimon in Hebrew.

Health Basics

Pomegranate seeds are delicious and nutritious (Please note, the roots and tree bark are considered herbal medicines too, but should only be administered by a trained professional).

Rich in antioxidants, a 100-gram serving of the seeds provides a healthy boost from the B-vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, B5, B6 and folate), vitamin C, dietary fiber, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. They also offer micronutrients such as polyphenols, specifically tannins and flavonoids.

This means that from Alzheimer’s disease (eating them with olive oil!) to fertility, to cancer prevention and cardiovascular health, pomegranates are rightly hailed as a mega go-to food both in conventional medical circles, as well as in ancient and holistic modalities.

For example, the ancient Ayurvedic system uses pomegranate to treat diarrhea and intestinal parasites. The juice is astringent and a tonic for the heart and throat.

Sexual Health

A woman’s fertility benefits from adequate levels of vitamin C and the B-vitamins, as does proper fetal development.  A 100 ml serving of pomegranate juice provides up to 16% of an adults daily Vitamin C needs. Folate is particularly important to prevent certain birth defects, most notably fatal or debilitating neural tube deformities of the spinal cord.

Magnesium improves premenstrual symptoms, and zinc is critical for a man’s sexual performance.

Does this make them an aphrodisiac? The answer depends on our understanding of what an aphrodisiac is. For example, viewed from a cardiovascular or reproductive health point of view, the answer is affirmative.

Foods that maintain and improve our heart health, necessary to enjoy the full range of sexual pleasures, particularly for men, are sex-positive edibles.

A popular cookbook that helped launch our modern fascination with foods that help you go hump in the night, Intercourses, points out that aphrodisiacs don’t always work by increasing staying power or interest in sex; sometimes the suggestive nature of certain foods warms the hearth.

No matter what your thoughts are on the authenticity of aphrodisiacs, these ruby jewels of the Middle East add a colorful splash to many traditional Persian, Arabic, Jewish and Mediterranean dishes. Adorn your salads and rice dishes with the kernels, or use the juice to add zest to your dressings, beverages and sauces.  (Greenprophet.com offers several pomegranate recipes for those who want to add some crimson color to their foods.) Here are simple instructions to deseed pomegranates, compliments of eatsomethingsexy.com:

Score the rind in several places and soak the fruit in a bowl of water. Then rip the flesh apart with your fingers and loosen the membranes, freeing the seeds into the bowl. Alternatively, break off a section of the whole, ripe fruit and tap the rind side with a spoon, coaxing the seeds to fly loose into an empty bowl.

Read more aphrodisiac and sexual health news:

Natural Herbs for Breast Health and Enhancement

Four Reasons to Eat Pomegranates During the New Year

World’s Most Expensive Spicy Aphrodisiac: It Really Works!

Saffron is a natural aphrodisiac

Pomegranate in the Quran

The post Pomegranates are a natural aphrodisiac appeared first on Green Prophet.

The emerging field of eco-sexuality takes cues from many viewpoints and philosophies. There are the practical aspects, like using eco-friendly lubrication, or eating the right sort of foods (we recommend the Mediterranean diet), and considering whether to have children, and how tree-humpers can best manage reproductive health.

Equally important to the fundamentals of eco-sexuality is the idea of consciousness; that every choice we make has an impact on ourselves and the planet. In order for humanity to birth itself to the next level of awareness, we must visualize a future that is compatible with the values of love and peace, sexual healing and freedom, and global planetary stewardship. Have you consciously considered becoming an eco-sexual yet?

In his 2004 bestseller, Peace is the Way: Bring War and Violence to an End, (Harmony Books, New York) Deepak Chopra wrote:

“Nature is a living expression of consciousness. It adapts to our evolution as we adapt to it. That relationship, as with everything in the tangled hierarchy, is reciprocal and interdependent.

The principle to keep in mind is that consciousness wants to evolve.

Therefore, it is much easier to encourage healing that to align yourself with disease. Love and respect for the environment would create a reversal of the spiraling deterioration in the physical world. We need to trust that this is true, because in a very real sense the environment is sustained by human awareness.”

At the time he wrote his book, the ideas of sexecology, eco-sexuality and sustainable sex had yet to be born. Many environmental activists today are just beginning to understand the importance of greening our intimate lives, both in and out of the bedroom, and some consider these ‘soft’ issues.

How can using an earth friendly vibrator, for example, save our communities from a trajectory towards global warming proportions?  What difference can sacred earth centered sexuality have on the looming population growth problem? Is sexing up sustainability going to make a difference to those communities living under repressive regimes or clean up polluted waters?

These are just a few of the many important questions that need to be addressed, but first we’ve got to consider where we want to put our focus. In Peace, Dr. Chopra makes a strong statement when he says it’s disturbing that so much thought is centered on “catastrophic earth changes such as earthquakes and the depleted ozone layer. This kind of prophetic negativity cannot attain a good end.”

We can apply this thinking to eco-sexuality.  Few activities are as pleasurable, as co-creative, as satisfying and energetically rich as making love. The health benefits are immeasurable, from improved immune function, reduced stress and even brain regeneration. Observational studies from some of our nearest primate relatives demonstrate that a more female-centered approach to sexuality actually suggests a more overall peaceful social milieu, and we know that sexual freedom (as opposed to promiscuity) is synonymous with healthier children and safer societies.

Eco-sexuality, or sustainable sex, or sexecology – however you want to describe it, it’s all good – offers a way of relating intimately that is both in tune with the planet’s wellbeing and individual lovers. It puts our focus on the positive. It guides us towards more peaceful endeavors. Sexuality that is experienced in the context of freedom from shame, shackles, harm and judgement is good for the planet. Intimacy that doesn’t compromise personal safety or wellbeing or cause irreparable harm to our long-term fertility or sexual health is in tune with planetary wellbeing. We can make love this way. What’s more, green sex doesn’t compromise fun. What’s not to love about being eco-sexy?

Some have even suggested that the green movement in general won’t bring about world peace; only the green love movement stands the greatest chance of accomplishing that goal.

It is, quite simply, one of the many peace-centered ways to build a future intelligently. One that allows us to lead productive (in all meanings of that word) lives in harmony with common goals – in this case, including respect for self and others, mutual satisfaction without compromise, satisfaction and personal as well as planetary responsibility. If we can open to the ideas of harmonious relationships, practically, spiritually and emotionally, that do no harm and instead promote behaviors and values that contribute to an overall more balanced social structure, could we find ourselves reading another bestseller, Conscious Sex is the Way?

Green Prophet has stood as a beacon in the smog from its inception, a website that draws on the concern of people all across the Middle East from various religious and cultural backgrounds. The understanding is that nature knows no boundaries, and therefore we must work together at a grass roots level to address our mutual environmental needs. Why should sexuality be any different?

In fact, two separate workshops this summer are bringing together the superstars of the Eco-sex movement together.  Thought leaders in the field of ecosexuality are facilitating both programs including world-renowned activist, Annie Sprinkle, Ph.D., authors of books on the topic, Stefanie Iris Weiss and Dr. Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio, and conscious love educators such as Robert Silber, LMT. The first takes place next month in San Francisco (USA) and will include a segment on the Middle East peace process; the second weeklong event is in Italy.

For more on both these events, see the links below.

3-Day Workshop in San Francisco, USA

ECOSEX MANIFESTO ART EXHIBIT OPENING NIGHT GALA & the ECOSEX SYMPOSIUM RECEPTION

Facilitated by Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens
Friday, June 17. 7:00-9:30 PM (Free)

ECOSEX SYMPOSIUM II
Saturday, June 18 10:30 AM to 10:45 PM
Sunday, June 19 10:00-1:30

Cost: $35
http://www.sexecology.org/

 

6-Day Workshop in Italy

ECO-SEXUALITY: A COURSE IN THE ARTS OF CONSCIOUS LOVING

Facilitated Robert Silber, M.S., LMT and Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio, PhD

Saturday, July 16 at 10:30am – July 21 at 10:30am

Cost: approx 350 Euros including food and lodging

For more information and to sign up:
http://polyplanet.blogspot.com/2011/01/ecosessualita-un-corso-sulle-arti.html

Read more on sexual and eco-sexuality issues:
How do Tree Humpers Prevent Pregnancy?

World Renowned Author Dishes on GINKS, Green Sex and Making Love to Planet Earth

The GINK Manifesto: Childless, loud and Proud

You can follow Tinamarie on @ModernLoveMuse and facebook. She blogs at www.tinamariebernard.com.

The post Fundamentals of Eco-Sexuality: Is Conscious Love the Way Towards Global Peace? appeared first on Green Prophet.

It’s the sort of news to inspire eco-fashionistas: Natalie Portman, vegan shoe wearer, Golden-Globe winner and star of Black Swan, is wearing an engagement ring that embodies the essence of eco-friendly bling. According to reports, the custom-designed ring by Jamie Wolf is an antique round old-mine cut diamond, surrounded by conflict-free pave diamonds and made by recycled platinum, an altogether eco-sexy combination. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery – and by that we mean that other newly engaged couples will want to follow suit – and eco-friendly jewelry is the best option, than just what makes a ring green?

Truly Jade Gems

Eco-Jewelry is created with materials that are environmentally friendly, from recycled materials and made according to the principles of fair trade. The purpose, of course, is to heighten awareness of the problems associated with traditional methods by which the metals, gems and stones are obtained, often to the detriment of the planet and those tasked with harvesting them.

The movie, Blood Diamonds, highlighted the conflicts inherent to the diamond mining trade, and as readers of Green Prophet can guess, all that glitters isn’t gold either. According to website, Natural Living for Women:

Traditional mining practices for gold can cause big environmental problems for communities around the excavation site along with unsafe work conditions and extremely low wages. It’s a complex problem that has gone on for years and finally is beginning to be addressed.

Going green when mining for gold, and raising awareness of the issue from a spiritual and Mother Earth point of view is addressed in the article, Going for ‘Green’ in Gold Jewelry.

Fair Trade and Social Responsibility

Beyond materials and the emphasis on reusing and recycling, eco-jewelry entails that we consider the consequences to communities and individuals.   Concern for the environment and the artisans who create the adornments must be also addressed. These include issues like providing adequate pay and benefits, ensuring safe working conditions, and abiding by other recognized socially responsible employment practices.

Her surprise engagement and pregnancy is to Black Swan choreographer Benjamin Millepied.

:: Image credit

Read more green news on Israel and sexuality:

Nine Israeli Etsy Shops that make Online Shopping Greener (and Funner)

Are you an Eco-Sexual?

Coal-Clad Celebrities Take Part in Greenpeace Israel Exhibition

Tinamarie also blogs at www.tinamariebernard.com.

The post Israeli-born Star of Black Swan, Natalie Portman, Sports Green Engagement Ring appeared first on Green Prophet.

Is mate choice determined by bugs in our gut?

The latest research from Israel is revealing some unexpected insights about attraction and partner selection. If sparks aren’t flying between you and a potential mate, could the problem may be as close as the bugs in your gut?

Right now the findings apply only to fruit flies, humble insects that because of their quick lifespans and genetic uniformity have taught humankind a thing or two about the inner magic of our bodies and our world. In this case, they helped Tel Aviv researchers test a new theory that basically says this: not only do we adapt to our environments, but so do the symbiotic bacteria living in our bodies, and our adaptations are actually intertwined as part of a larger biological milieu.

The gist of the study is as follows: Fruit flies were separated into two groups and fed different diets, one based on starch, the other on malt sugar. When the two groups were reintroduced, lo and behold, the fruit flies tended to prefer mates who shared similar nutritional backgrounds.  This held true for flies kept separated for a year, and also for only a few lifecycles.

In subsequent studies, the flies were given antibiotics to kill off the bacterial matchmaker – in this cased called Lactobacillus plantarum – in their guts, and mate preference became random.

But here’s the intriguing part:  when the isolated bacteria were put back into their gut, preferential mating behavior resumed. Starch-fed flies once again chose mates who were also raised on starch diets, and likewise for those who were sugar-fed.

The reason: Scientists explain that something about diet altered the flies pheromones.

:: Do-do Bird

More sexual health news:

The Ecology of Sustainable Love

Exposure to Toxins Permanently Alter Sperm, DNA, Offspring

Tinamarie is a regular contributor to Greenprophet.com. You can follow her on @ModernLoveMuse and facebook. She blogs at www.tinamariebernard.com.

The post Love Bugs: How Bacteria in Our Guts Influence Mate Selection appeared first on Green Prophet.