IMANI NATURAL PRODUCTS
  • About
    • About
    • Education
    • Missions
    • Blog
    • Connect
  • Professional
    • Professional Associate Registration Form
  • Order Products
  • Referral
  • Wild Woman Holy Woman
    • Originals Available

"The Great Pause"

4/7/2020

1 Comment

 
This is a reprint from an email that was sent to our subscribers. Many folks appreciated the writing and I wanted to keep it available for those who would like to read it.

Redefining What Is by Chris Colyer

And just like that, the busyness suddenly stopped.
And everything became quiet while reality grabbed hold and fear gripped the world.
And, in mere days, what was once important no longer was, and what was necessary was redefined, and what was needed found a way, and what was to be, slowly became so, and the people listened, and God waited.

And what followed would be remembered as The Great Collective Pause.
And the children stayed home, and the parents that could, worked from home, and families played together, and they took walks together, and they cooked and they ate together.
And they smiled, and they laughed, and they cried, and they cuddled, and they reassured each other, in spite of their fear and worry.
And in the forced stillness they began to pray, and God listened.

And while everything was closed, the air became cleaner, and the water became clearer, and the sky looked bluer, and the sun shone brighter.
And answers that at one time were lost in the chaos of too much, were unearthed in the presence of simplicity, and the winds of Mother Nature whispered of rebirth, and the picture of life began to change.
And the people prayed for guidance and mercy, and God heard hearts calling his name, and He answered.

And neighbors checked on neighbors, and friends called to cheer, and hearts began to heal, and rifts began to close, and egos began to crumble, and love flowed like rain, and life took on a slower, softer pace.
And parents remembered, and children learned, and people let go, and 'I' became 'we,' and we became one, and the consciousness of humanity turned its face toward love.
And what was broken began to heal, and what was missing was found, and what was no longer needed faded away, and the world shifted so abruptly on its axis that everything stopped spinning such that all that could be heard was the angels trumpeting our return to God.

​Chris Colyer March 22, 2020
1 Comment

100 Drops of Lavender

11/5/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture

Essence of Lavender by Katrina Vandenberg

Katrina was among a group of massage students who helped us bottle and package an enormous order of Lavender many years ago. This experience is a key thread in the tapestry of her life experience and is closely tied to the loss of her husband to hemophilia.

​Katrina now lives in the Minneapolis area and reconnecting with Stacey and me this Spring, drove to Nevis for a visit. This essay is a beautifully written labor of love that spans many related notions. I encourage you to take some time and enjoy reading something from the heart.

Click here for article

1 Comment

A History

8/5/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Our family picture taken in Rogers AR for one of our first aromatherapy catalogs.
FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION

​A history...
We began in 1993 in Rogers AR. It took the first six months to get things organized, design a catalog, and place little classified ads in magazines with our toll-free number: 1-800-898-PURE.
Without internet or email, we waited for the phone to ring...
​
The phone and my desk were actually in our master bedroom in those very first days. It was not long before I shifted the office to a spare bedroom, then took over the garage, then the adjacent duplex. We had began this venture by printing the first retail catalog for the Oshadhi brand of essential oil. It was an excellent beginning to become familiar with a very wide range of essential oils.

A friend, named Tamara, was in a bible bookstore and saw a bookmark with the name IMANI on it. She gave it to me, and said "I thought of you right away and knew I needed to buy it for you". When I saw it I said, "This is the name for our Essential Oils!"

Then something difficult happened.

With our growing, but small, start-up businesses, cash was tight. We invested pretty heavily in printing and mailing a holiday catalog to about 30,000 people, still carrying the Oshadhi brand. We had gotten several thousand new names from business reply postcards. We hoped for a big holiday, but the return in sales wasn't enough to cover our costs and we were faced with the grim reality of failure.
My heart sank. We had a small family. I didn't know what to do. I felt that I had come to the end of my ability. I realized that God could do more with my "nothing" than my "everything" could do without God. So I determined in my heart to do nothing and wait for God to show me a way. I sat down in our living room and planned to fast until I had an answer.
Surprisingly, in minutes my wife, Stacey, got a phone call from a childhood friend. While chatting, Stacey shared our situation with her friend, Lara. Lara and her husband worked at a children's home and casually mentioned that we could always be houseparents to a cottage of children. Stacey kind of laughed it off, not expecting that being a houseparent was a viable option for us. After the call, she mentioned to me that Lara said we "could always be houseparents". I said, "ok"...she said "really?". I was ready to do anything.
On the way to visit the children's home, I didn't know if it was the right thing or not. Our mail-order business was still getting orders, but not enough to cover our expenses. A classic Catch-22. We decided to ask the children's home director what their greatest need was and also to share our business dilemma. The director said they needed houseparents for a group of 8 boys, then added that I could continue operating our business, using one of the large rooms in the building. I could work the business during the day when the kids were at school.

 "I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity." - Oliver Wendell Holmes

 I felt that God had given me back the business, precisely because I was willing to do whatever He wanted. As I've said, "Imani means Faith" and it was from there that Faith and Imani had a new beginning.

IMANI is a name to live up to. It inspired us to become entirely focused on Medicinal Quality Essential Oils from Organic and Wildcrafted sources.

As Imani got on it's feet, we realized that our time at the children's home was only transitional. Just before Y2K, we relocated to Northern Minnesota. We were back to having the business in our home, but our growing family caused us to move the business to a rental office space before purchasing our current building in 2005.
Picture
Twenty-some years later, I'm here in Swaziland, Africa sampling fresh picked geranium with our daughter, Jenna!
0 Comments

Who am I?

7/15/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Hi, my name is Brian Skinness, the founder of Imani Natural Products and Terrapin Station - Music, Art & Wellness Centre in Nevis Minnesota.
I believe in the power of basic things. It stems from my belief that all things began as one. This wholeness paradigm influences my worldview in every way and is consistent with my belief that we are here as a result of creative intelligence.
I believe that our immune system is designed to function with naturally occurring elements and chemistry, like those found in food and herbs. The foundation of modern pharmacology is the chemistry found in nature. However, the development of synthetic chemical methods has allowed for a variation of the natural structure, while less attention is given the natural compounds considered non-active. This isolation and synthesisation has significant value by increasing a specific effect, but may also result in unintended complications since the body is less suited to assimilate this type of chemistry. One school of thought considers powerful medicine to be inferior and should only be used in the most severe cases of imbalance. From this point of view, it is better to use foods and herbs to restore balance before small imbalances become severe.

 Deal with the difficult while yet it is easy;
Deal with the big while yet it is small.
-Lao Tzu

 Maintaining personal responsibility for our choices is important for our overall health and sense of well-being. When our life feels out of control, our stress level rises, we eat less intentionally and toxins build-up. Over time, our immune systems become fatigued and our bodies are increasingly susceptible to disease. When people choose to reduce stress, improve nutrition and reduce toxic influences health can be maintained and improved naturally.
Some people are finally ready to try natural methods after they feel that they've explored, experienced, or even exhausted modern medicine. Others choose a natural approach first and decide what makes sense for them. Your healthcare choices are personal and too complex to offer a "one size, fits all" solution. We simply want to encourage you to make decisions that move you toward health and our mission is to serve you whenever we can.
I hope that you'll stay connected!

 "The Universe is built on a plan the profound symmetry of which is somehow present in the inner structure of our intellect" - Paul Valery

 We are an essential oil company operating on the belief that God created plants that naturally and intelligently support our immune system and enhance our lives. Essential oils are an intriguing and provocative form of a plants energy - a beautiful and concentrated summation of the powerful factors of earth, air, water and sun combined with the aromatic plants unique growing chemistry.
Imani means Faith and we believe that many plants were originally designed to assist our body in healing. We believe that this original design still has significant value in today's world. It inspires us to seek out and offer oils from plants grown in their most natural way and tended by people who hold a similar view.
Our mission is to be a vessel through which God can work to provide medicinal quality essential oils to those who seek them.
Some things have changed since we began in 1993...like internet ordering, streaming music (a personal favorite of mine) and email; however, for us, some things have stayed the same.
I still hand pour the oils that we send everyday. It's a key process that keeps me close to the oils and more keenly aware of their quality. It's important, perhaps even sacred, to me.
We are a relatively quiet company that grows simply and organically by word of mouth, so we treasure the connection that we have with you!
0 Comments

New Therapeutic Formula Sizes!

2/5/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
In addition to our standard 1oz Cobalt Glass Treatment Pump Bottle, we are now offering a new 2oz Light Blue PET Treatment Pump and 1/6oz Sample Sizes for the most popular M-Plus, FootRest, LymphWorks, Kinesithone and Radiathone!

We have also bundled each of these sizes into "Formula Packs" of each size at a special price.

​These are a great addition to every natural remedy cupboard!

New 2oz Light Blue PET Treatment Pumps

Picture

1oz Cobalt Blue Treatment Pumps

Picture

New 1/6oz Cobalt Glass Sample Sizes

Picture
Shop Formula Packs
1 Comment

A very successful project for widows in Burundi!

1/1/2019

1 Comment

 
Thanks to all who helped support this good work! Salomon has prepared this follow-up report with information and pictures from the event. God Bless and Happy New Year!
salomon_widows.pdf
File Size: 4942 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

1 Comment

Helping Widows in Burundi

10/22/2018

0 Comments

 
When Stacey and I visited Africa in 2015, we had the good pleasure of meeting Salomon and Gloriose. They were both graduating from African Christian College in Swaziland and planning to return to their home country of Burundi along with their newborn son, Eloah.
Picture
Since that time, we have maintained contact with Salomon. He is continuing his education and becoming a leader in his and surrounding communities.
Picture
Salomon shared his vision with me to break the cycle of violence and revenge by sharing the forgiveness offered by believing in Jesus Christ. He feels it is the only way to reduce the violence in his country. Since returning to Burundi, both Salomon and his young son, Eloah, have suffered being poisoned by those who wish him harm.
Picture
Salomon has a heart for people and has shared a project that he has undertaken to bless 62 widows from the town of his birth after a recent visit. The reason for so many widows is the civil wars from 1959, 1965, 1972, 1987-88, 1993-2005 and 2015 in which it is primarily the men who died.

Salomon has had the idea of blessing these widows with a gift package in the last week of December, 2018, including food and other staples, including rice, beans, cooking oil, salt, sugar, soap and clothing. He has specifically chosen this timing because Christmas can be particularly difficult for those without family.  
Picture
In summary, we would like to help in this project and invite you to also consider helping. The projected cost for the project is $2693, or just under $45 per widow. I've attached a pdf of the email that Salomon sent to me regarding this project. It contains more detailed information. 
salomon.pdf
File Size: 120 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Please let us know if you would like to contribute to this work. We are happy to consolidate any gifts into one bank transfer.
​To contribute, please click here
0 Comments

By music, angels gather...

6/4/2018

3 Comments

 
I've been an avid music listener since I was 5 years old. I recall listening to the radio and waiting for my favorite songs to come back around in the rotation. I imagined and dreamed of the possibility of music "on demand". Digital technology has made it a reality and now am able to listen to my choice of songs anytime I want and explore new music all the time!

I was about 11 years old when I started wanting to play guitar. I've played pretty much since then, but I've come to appreciate that it's not the number of years I've played that makes the difference, but rather the number of hours. I've been blessed to be able to play with a group of musicians on a weekly basis for the past 15 years.
Picture
Terrapin Station, home of Imani Natural Products, is an 8800 square foot facility for music, art and wellness that includes a soundstage where we play music every week. My involvement with music has expanded beyond Terrapin and into the surrounding communities where I help organize music events.

When I was younger, I didn't realize the value of music as much as I do now. But as the years pass, I have begun to see analogies in music that relate to so many other areas of my life. I believe that music, especially playing music with others, teaches us more than meets the eye. 
3 Comments

Imani means Faith...living on the edge

5/1/2018

2 Comments

 
Picture
As years go by, we learn more about ourselves. Ideally, we become more comfortable with our place in the world. Our differences create a myriad of potential outcomes and makes the world go around, so to speak. I'd like to use this blog to share my thoughts from time to time. I'm likely to share information about Imani products, but I would also like to share some deeper observations. 

My wife, Stacey, and I spend countless hours talking. We talk about this business. We talk about our family. We talk about our dreams. We are blessed to have each other and blessed to have developed an aromatic lifestyle, but it has also been a lifestyle of growing and learning. From the beginning, we experienced the relentless nature of working with the oils. By that I mean the emotional aspects within ourselves, our relationships and our business. The oils seemed to demand that we grow in an authentic way. Our capacity to grow personally has related in many ways to our ability to grow a business with essential oils. At this point, we use our oils for so many things that it is difficult to imagine being without them. They are a gift of nature that we believe were created for such a time as this.

There is something unique and beautiful about essential oils in this age of technology. Unlike sound and color, aroma has not, and perhaps cannot, be digitized! The truth is that the awareness and use of essential oils has exploded in this generation...just like digital technology. In a subtle way, essential oils may help counterbalance the feeling that our world is becoming off-kilter. Essential oils are a way to regain and strengthen our connection with nature.

​I am reminded of a favorite quote by Bruce Barton
​

Sometimes when I consider the tremendous consequences that come from little things, I am tempted to think that there are no little things.
2 Comments

    Brian Skinness, Author

    founder of Imani Natural Products. Providing Medicinal Quality Essential Oils Since 1993

    Archives

    April 2020
    November 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed