December 2014 - Conscious Community

America’s Oldest Spiritual and Metaphysical Magazine Formerly The Monthly Aspectarian

Award Winning

Conscious C mmunity DEDICATED TO ELEVATING CONSCIOUSNESS

Interview with Sonia Choquette

Reconnecting to the Self Through Yoga on Horseback

Blair McKissock

December 2014 Volume 36, No. 4

Walter Perschke

FREE!

Spiritual Learning Center December 2014 Calendar of Events Forgiveness Meditation with Walter Perschke

Thursday, Dec. 4 • 7-8pm • Suggested Love Offering $5

Love and Connectedness with Walter Perschke Thursday, Dec. 11 • 7-8pm • Suggested Love Offering $5

“Now is the time to build bridges. Because when the flood comes, and it will come, you need to be ready. It will be too late to prepare.” Walter Perschke Be a learner to prepare for the changes our world is experiencing now and the changes to come. Learn how to center yourself and enter the inward journey we are all on. Join the peaceful future rather than the chaotic present. The answers are there for us to find. Let us help you to find them.

Location: Spiritual Learning Center, Burr Ridge. Details available when registering 312-786-0077 or send us email requesting the Burr Ridge address to SpiritualLearningCenter@gmail.com. FREE PARKING.

Burning Bowl Ceremony with Guided Meditation

Thursday, December 18 • 7-8pm • Suggested Love Offering $10

The Burning Bowl Ceremony is a traditional ritual of release and letting go of what does not serve us now. It gives the opportunity for renewal and releasing everything in your life that is holding you back, especially negative thoughts and emotions, bad habits and unhealthy relationships. It is an extremely transformative experience.

Come join us in releasing the past and celebrating the future.

Instructor: Walter Perschke Location: Spiritual Learning Center, Burr Ridge. Details available when registering 312-786-0077 or send us email requesting the Burr Ridge address to SpiritualLearningCenter@gmail.com. FREE PARKING.

Burning Bowl Ceremony with Guided Meditation

Thursday, December 18 • 7-8pm • Suggested Love Offering $10

The Burning Bowl Ceremony is a traditional ritual of release and letting go of what does not serve us now. It gives the opportunity for renewal and releasing everything in your life that is holding you back, especially negative thoughts and emotions, bad habits and unhealthy relationships. It is an extremely transformative experience.

Come join us in releasing the past and celebrating the future.

Instructor: Walter Perschke Location: Crystal River Gifts, 310 N. LaFox Street, South Elgin, IL 60177. 224-535-8708. www.CrystalRiverGifts.com. FREE PARKING.

SpiritualLearningCenter.com Email: SpiritualLearningCenter@gmail.com 312-786-0077

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Visit our website: www.CrystalEarth-Wheaton.com Join us for an afternoon with . . .

Sonia Choquette Receive an Autographed Copy of her new book! “Walking Home”

December 14th, 1- 4:00 PM Registration and details: www.cechicagoland.org Call 847-660-4454 Conscious Community - www.ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com 3

Conscious C mmunity AN INTERVIEW WITH...

8

8

SONIA CHOQUETTE - Walking Home

FEATURES 13

RECONNECTING TO THE SELF THROUGH YOGA ON HORSEBACK

by Blair McKissock

39

GETTING A GRIP ON ANXIETY by Dr. Denee Jordan, PSY.D Enter the New Year Without Anything Holding You Back; the Process May Not Be Easy, but It is Simple

COLUMNS 13

COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS 6 Upcoming Events ALL ABOUT TOWN... by Theresa Puskar 11 Whispers from the Moon Open House - Oak Park, IL ASTROLOGY BASICS 101 by Kaye Berjot 16 Transits and Aspects THE SHARED HEART: New Dimensions of Relationship by Joyce and Barry Vissell 18 It Only Takes a Few Seconds to be Kind

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SOUND MATTERS by Steven Halpern 20 My 40th Recording Anniversary, plus Relaxation, Recovery, and the Healing Power of Music THE MAGICAL WORLD OF NUMBERS by Elizabeth Summers 22 December... Values, Attitude Adjustments, Party Time!

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CYBERWEAVE: Spirituality and the Internet by Mary Montgomery 24 Let’s Welcome Opensciences.org with Open Arms and Minds YOGA FROM MY EXPERIENCE by Cynthia Gran 36 Nature’s Hold

On The Cover

FROM THE HEART by Alan Cohen 38 Pray to be Wrong COSMIC DAILY WEATHER: Depth Astrology Perspectives by Kelley Hunter 43 December 2014

CONNECTIONS THE PULSE CALENDAR 30 DECEMBER Events, Happenings, and Announcements of Interest

‘Tis the Season

LIGHTWORKERS CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY 33 Resources for Better Living

4 Conscious Community - December 2014

REVIEWS 41

IN PRINT by Kayla Hancock

Conscious Community December 2014 Volume 36, No.4

Publisher WALTER PERSCHKE Circulation Manager KASIA SZUMAL Advertising TOYA BELL TAMMY ASPERA KASIA SZUMAL Special Event Coordinator TINA HIGENS KAYE BERJOT

Editors JULIE ROBERTS SUSAN PLUTO ALISON DOMECQ Media Coordinator TOYA BELL Delivery Manager CHARLES ZABELKA

Art Department ROSS CORSON Web Designer ROSS CORSON Online

CONSCIOUSCOMMUNITYMAGAZINE.COM Conscious Community is published 12 times yearly by Conscious Community 47 W. Polk St., Suite 153 Chicago, IL 60605 Tel: 847-966-1110 Email: info@consciouscommunitymagazine.com

Follow Us On: Twitter twitter.com/ ConsciousCommunity

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© 2014 Conscious Community.

Nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher. Conscious Community does not necessarily agree with opinions of the writers, nor is it liable for advertiser claims or representations. We believe in the reader’s judgment regarding the quality of any information. All ads should be received by the 10th of the month preceding publication.

Letter from the Publisher As we near the end of another year and another milestone in spiritual development, we at Conscious Community Magazine and its sister companies, find ourselves preparing to celebrate with Barbara Marx Hubbard, Sonia Choquette, our staff and volunteers, all in the month of December. Barbara has decided to grace our area and celebrate her 85th birthday with us on December 21.

Sonia is celebrating her new book, Walking Home, with a book signing and presentation on December 14. Both of these events are fund-raisers for Barbara’s Conscious Evolutionaries Chicago. Our annual holiday party for staff and volunteers starts the month off.

As we near the end of this year, let us pause to reflect on what we have gained and also what we have lost. We are experiencing a period of great change in all the affairs of man and of nature on this planet. The old is crumbling, sometimes rapidly, as is the case with social change, and sometimes slowly and resistant, as in the case in our American political process. There are some who would have us return to the “good old days” of the 1800’s, or perhaps the first half of the last century. But upon further reflection, most of us find the “good old days” to be not so good after all.

Then there are those that would slingshot us into our future without a sustainable foundation first, and that won’t work very well either. We are still in the teardown phase of our reality in economics and politics, while social change is galloping into our future as it should. They will all meet somewhere over the horizon and blend into a new sustainable future world for us all to live in peace and prosperity together.

But the journey is still very bumpy, if not chaotic, and certainly unpredictable.

The only thing certain is change itself, and that will be the nature of our reality for the time being. Ultimately, the future of economics and politics will mirror the social changes we are living through now in the magnitude of change those areas will experience.

One of the changes we should all welcome is in our attitude towards death and dying. Assisted death, for lack of a better term, will become commonplace and legal. If we truly believe in freedom of choice, we should respect everyone’s choice in how they end their bodies’ life on earth. Many religions profess a path to eternal life. If they truly believe that, they should allow their followers to experience that eternal life sooner rather than later, by their own assisted hand if they so choose.

Until next time,

Walter Conscious Community - www.ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com 5

C mmunity Happenings Walking Home: A Pilgrimage from Humbled to Healed by Sonia Choquette

A Weekend for Writers with Mike Dooley, Reid Tracy and Nancy Levin

Sonia Choquette is truly a legend in her own time. She has helped many thousands of people in their search for purpose and meaning in their lives. Walking Home is the extraordinary story of her own personal journey of healing.

Life was falling apart. Within the space of three years, New York Times best-selling author and six-sensory spiritual teacher Sonia Choquette had suffered the unexpected death of two close family members, seen her marriage implode, and been let down by trusted colleagues.

In order to regain her spiritual footing, Sonia turned to the age-old practice of pilgrimage, and set out to walk the legendary Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile trek over the Pyrenees and across northern Spain. Day after day, she pushed through hunger, exhaustion, and pain to reach her destination. She rediscovered the gifts of humility and forgiveness that she needed to repair her world.

In this riveting book, Sonia shares the intimate details of her grueling experience as well as the unexpected moments of grace, humor, beauty, and companionship that supported her through her darkest hours. While her journey is unique, the lessons she learned—about honoring your relationships with others as well as with your own higher self, and forgiving all else—are universal.

Join Sonia on Sunday December 14 to hear her own story and receive your personal autographed copy of her book.

For details, contact: www.cechicagoland.org, or call 847-660-4454. Free Parking.

March 21-22, 2015

Are you a writer with a great book idea with a strong desire to be published?

Do you just need the insider scoop on how to perfect and publish your book?

If so, this is the workshop for you!

Here’s a Peek at What You’ll learn: • How to organize your thoughts into a book • How to handle rejections from publishers • How to manifest determination to publish your book • How to get a publisher’s attention • How to find an agent • How to write a book proposal Plus, all attendees have the opportunity to enter our contest for YOUR chance to publish a book with Hay House: Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Chicago, IL For more information and to Register: http://www.hayhouse.com/writers-workshop-chicago-2015-event, or call 800-654-5126.

“What we call the beginning is often the end.

And to make an end is to make a beginning.

The end is where we start from.”

T. S. Eliot 6 Conscious Community - December 2014

Burning Bowl Mediation

The Burning Bowl ceremony is a traditional ritual of release and letting go of what does not serve us now. The equinox, solstice and New Year all present opportunities for renewal and releasing everything in your life that is holding you back; especially negative thoughts and emotions, bad habits, unhealthy relationships, old hurts, grudges and regrets. Anything that burdens your mind.

Ask yourself these questions.

What do I want cleansed?

What do I want to give up?

What do I want gone from my life?

WRITER’S WORKSHOP

THE

FEATURING MIKE DOOLEY March 21-22, 2015 l Chicago, IL

A Weekend for Writers with Mike Dooley, Reid Tracy and Nancy Levin Are you a writer with a great book idea with a strong desire to be published?

Do you just need the insider scoop on how to perfect and publish your book?

If so, this is the workshop for you!

Here’s a Peek at What You’ll Learn: • • • • • •

The Burning Bowl ceremony is also known as the Phoenix Ceremony. It is about letting go, but it is also about rising from the ashes, renewed as the Phoenix.

Join us in this powerful celebration of letting go and rising renewed.

Instructor: Walter Perschke Location 1: Spiritual Learning Center. Thursday, December 18.

Time: 7-8pm. $10. Burr Ridge. Details available when registering. 312-786-0077, or send us email requesting the Burr Ridge address to SpiritualLearningCenter@gmail.com.

FREE PARKING. Location 2: Crystal River Gifts. Friday, December 19. Time:78pm. $10. Address: 310 N LaFox Street, South Elgin, IL 60177.

224-535-8708. wwwCrystalRiverGifts.com FREE PARKING.

“But the attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to truth, whatever it might turn out to be.”

Alan Watts

How to organize your thoughts into a book How to handle rejections from publishers How to manifest determination to publish your book How to get a publisher’s attention How to find an agent How to write a book proposal

Plus, all attendees have the opportunity to enter our contest for YOUR chance to publish a book with Hay House: One participant is guaranteed a $10,000 advance and a publishing contract with Hay House!

First runner-up wins a Balboa Press Master Package (a $7999.00 publishing value!

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An Interview With...

SONIACHOQUETTE WALKING HOME

by Walter Perschke

Walter Perschke: Sonia, what inspired you to take on the very challenging El Camino Santiago 500 mile pilgrimage in Spain?

Sonia Choquette: Here is what happened. I have been working, teaching and helping people for over 35 years. I have been very uplifted by the work of empowering people. I am the second oldest of seven children. My older brother died suddenly in his sleep, and my father died shortly after. I was the positive uplifting one in our family, but Patrick, my husband, had no way of dealing with this grief. I prayed for guidance, I knew I could not guide anyone else in such a shattered state myself.

I woke up one morning with the message that I was to walk the Camino by myself, in silence.

I never would have come up with this by myself. I had to show up and do it.

Walter: How many days did the pilgrimage take you, start to finish?

Sonia: The trail is over 800 kilometers, or about 500 miles. It took me 35 days of walking 17 to 20 miles a day and over 2 mountain ranges and the worst weather. It snowed the first day. It was very reflective of the inner tempest that was going on within me. It was snowy, rainy, cold and windy almost every day.

Walter: Did you have a plan for the entire trip, for instance, how many miles a day did you expect to cover?

Sonia: I am not a planner. I am a look and leaper. I didn’t even try to plan it. All I knew was I had to begin here and end there and be in Vienna at a certain date to teach. There are stages in El Camino and that is what I followed. Not too many people went more than a stage of 17-20 miles a day, many did less. I am not a hiker. The most I probably ever walked before was to the grocery story. But I knew I needed to do this. I started walking and started praying, and every day by the grace of God it became more and more profound each day. The Camino itself is thousands and thousands of years old. It has been walked by pilgrims since the middle ages. It has a mystical history. The Camino means the way of St. James. It is believed the bones of St. James are buried somewhere there. You could feel it. I could feel it. It was like being out of this world. The energy was great. It had to be miraculous because I did it. A shifting inside happened that allowed me to release things: wounds anger, sorrows, things I didn’t want to acknowledge. It is not spiritual to be angry. It is not 8 Conscious Community - December 2014

spiritual to hold a grudge. I had shoved them and shoved them into the bones of my being. All those feelings I had not given real recognition to and acknowledged, demanded my attention.

I was in complete utter devastation. There were many things that I wanted to work, but they didn’t. I went to heal and to follow guidance.

Walter: What were your expectations before you began?

Sonia: My only expectation was I hope I make it. That’s as far as I could get my brain around it, but my heart told me I needed to show up.

Walter: What did your friends and family think of the idea before you left?

Sonia: In trying to deal with the grief in my life, I took a kickboxing class and actually broke my knee.

My business partner, Ryan, whom I have been working with for over 14 years, thought that I was crazy. I had been in a wheel chair for several months. I said I had to go and so he said ok.

My daughters, whom I am very close to, and know how much grief I was in, said, just go. Few knew I was actually doing this. I didn’t want to attract attention to myself, so I just quietly walked away and bailed.

Walter: Did you have any daily rituals either initially or that you developed during the walk?

Sonia: I have always trusted my guidance and so I just showed up. I went shopping. I went to a specialty store and found a helpful representative. I was so naïve and so green I just put myself in his hands and I could see he wanted to help me and so I just followed. You need a windbreaker, long underwear, boots, etc. I spent over $800 and it was too much stuff to fit into my little Volkswagen, and it occurred to me I had to carry all this stuff on my back. All I wanted at the time was comfort and I was so uncomfortable, and I immediately realized I am never going to carry all this stuff. I went on line and found a company that would carry it for me. I went back and got a single back pack that I could handle and another for someone to help with.

I ended giving much away to people that needed it when I didn’t.

On a divine level all things are in order. What am I doing? Why

am I carrying all this crap? In spite of all these things, I showed up, I prayed and walked in silence and each day was a miracle.

Each day was something that was so incredible in a way that I could have never known, never planned. Each person I met was significant to my walk. It’s like it was choreographed to my past lives and present life. Every day something miraculous showed up.

Walter: Was there a low point of the journey?

Sonia: The low point was day one because I had the wrong boots and every one of my toes was damaged and some got infected.

My feet were destroyed the first day. At one point I said I was going to bail. Once I got my boots on I don’t know how I got them off and then on again.

There were Camino angels all along the way. One morning I had breakfast with a stranger and I told him, “I am in so much pain I need to quit. Don’t you want to quit?” “Every day”, he said. I said, ok I guess we are going to go on. That one little breakfast kept me going.

I was met with support and love in a way that I could never have known about. It was very humbling and inspiring.

Walter: What was the high point of the journey, or were there multiple high points?

Sonia: The burden of the physical walk wasn’t the hardest part.

My own anger, resentment made it so difficult, so painful.

My father, growing up, was really committed to caring for my mother. He often found me to be the problem and he would take his frustrations out on me physically. I was smacked around by my father a lot, but he was caring for my mother and so I said to myself it was okay.

Growing up, my father, in protecting my mother felt my work would be less important, so my work and my books were banished from the house.

all humanity. When we heal ourselves, we help to heal humanity.

Everything is a holy experience. Elation and devastation, joy and grief, are all holy experiences.

Walter: Any you would consider epiphanies?

Sonia: Every day was an epiphany. A clearing, acceptance, forgiving, understanding and every experience in my life was an epiphany even if it hurt.

People can use spirituality as another addiction. I don’t think I did that, but I did use going higher and it felt good. There were parts of my life that were painful and I learned I couldn’t just say I am past that. How can you open your heart when there are parts of your life that need forgiveness and closure. Life is a temporary experience.

Once I found a deep and accepting compassion for myself and could view my own experience, my compassion for humanity increased 10,000 times. I love people and don’t judge people.

But there was a broken part of that needed attention. There was a time as a teenager when I put a gun to my head. I thought I was too stupid and had forgotten about it, but it came up on the trail.

I learned to be more compassionate towards myself, without jumping over the lessons of the wreckage of my life.

Walter: Did you keep a diary of the trip?

Sonia: I kept a voice recorder because I didn’t want to forget my experiences. I would make note of every poignant thing that happened, and when I listened to my voice notes everything came tumbling back.

Walter: Was your book of the pilgrimage, Walking Home, part of the original plan or did that flow from the journey itself?

Sonia: No. The idea of the book came after the walk was completed.

Walter: Would you ever do another walk?

Until he died, I said I am not going to take offense, but on another level I was really very angry at him. I found it is not spirituality honest to use our spirituality to bypass our anger. As I walked with my wounds, I was ready to be the good soldier and bounce back.

Sonia: I completed the trail on June 19, 2013. Patrick met me when I got back and he said he wanted to put our family back together. I suggested we walk the Camino together and he was all on board until just before we were to leave and then he said wanted a divorce. I walked it again in June of 2014, alone.

The biggest thing I learned is that we have to honor all of our humanity.

The second time I had good boots and was without Patrick. It wasn’t the physical challenge this time, but it was emotional closure.

Honor all of our experiences and emotions.

My brother was a drug addict. I said, “oh the poor guy.” But as I walked I made peace with everyone. They actually showed up and I forgave them and they forgave me.

I felt it was like a bowling ball rolling down the alley; everyone abandoned ship at the same time in my life. I ended up forgiving myself as well as others, but part of my healing was a healing of

Where the book leaves off we were still supposed to walk. I am not the same person I was when I started. Not on a cellular or emotional level. I am not more accepting and available as before. Not so self-abandoning. So much of my life is teaching and lifting people up. I abandoned that masculine good soldier persona and embraced my feminine side with more acceptance of myself.

Conscious Community - www.ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com 9

Walter: Any advice to our readers about the benefits and pitfalls of such an endeavor?

Sonia: If just one person that reads the book is able to step into a more authentic presence, it was worthwhile.

If you spirit says it is time for a change, even though it’s scary, I hope you find the courage to says yes because on the other side is a more fulfilling life. It won’t necessarily be easy and it doesn’t need to be as big a one as I undertook. Lots of people walked it in pieces, a week at a time. Travel light with your stuff but bring your feelings. And get good boots, because you’ll need them.

Everyone gets a transformation invitation. Answer it. But we have free will and how we respond is very individual. Ask the forces that created you to help you find a more meaningful relationship with yourself.

Meditate-A-Thon World Peace through Inner Peace Kirtan Joyful Chanting with The Bhakti Claudia Lubin Yoga Nidra Marian McNair Sound Healing with Crystal Bowls Joy & Jai Luster Intergral Yoga Pranayama and Meditation Nancy Grace Guided Spiritual Meditation Marder for Peace Friday, February 20, 7:30 PM - Midnight

We yearn for contact with our own authentic self.

Healing means to become whole again. Let them bring you home.

This is not a journey that is unique to me. One person at a time, healing, will lead to a planetary healing.

I am grateful and honored to share my story with you. So touched and thankful.

Walter: As am I. Thank you Sonia.

Sonia Choquette is celebrated worldwide as an author, spiritual teacher, six-sensory consultant, and transformational visionary guide. She is the author of 19 internationally best-selling books about intuitive awakening, personal and creative growth, and the transformational leadership capabilities that reside within, most notably with the New York Times bestseller The Answer is Simple. Her just released book, Walking Home, is the subject of this interview. See her in the western suburbs on Dec. 14th.

To learn more about Sonia, please visit www.soniachoquette.net.

“The spiritual quest begins, for most people, as a search for meaning.”

Marilyn Ferguson 10 Conscious Community - December 2014

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All About Town…

Whispers from the Moon Open House

by Theresa Puskar As I crossed bustling Harrison Street in the Oak Park Arts District and entered into an office complex, I opened the door on my right and found myself in a courtyard. I felt like I unlocked a portal into another dimension. Crossing the courtyard, I follow my heart to a small building with a window on the door that was etched with varying shades of purple flowers. I knew I was in the right place. I paused a moment to breathe in the divine colors, opened the door, and then allowed the magic to unfurl.

Whispers from the Moon

Ten years ago Lisa Sorce Schmitz opened her interactive art studio, Whispers from the Moon: A Haven for Creative Expression and Personal Awareness. I have known Lisa for several years, and her studio/healing center reflects her exquisite imagination and soulful healing essence. Just about every inch that the eye can see in the studio is overflowing with creative expression. At the center of the creative “play” area sits a massive statue of a Chinese Goddess, Kwan Yin. The walls are plastered with body image collages in a myriad of shapes, textures, and colors. Upstairs there is a more personal space – books, healing cards, tea, coffee, and goodies are laid out and shouting, “Welcome. You are safe here.” This little studio is reminiscent of a mother’s womb – warm, inviting, and expanding with creativity made manifest. If you experience it, you will be graced with a celestial invitation from the divine, to bathe in the warm and wondrous waters of your creative genius.

The event I attended was an Open House. There were a couple of vendors and healers there – Deborah Werner sold her aromatherapy sprays, and Suzanne Beatty did some fascinating

Oak Park, IL October 18th, 2014

stone readings. However, there were two experiences that really stood out for me that day: The healings that I had with Marie Soriano, and Lisa Sorce Schmitz’s the “Studio Process” creative expression workshop.

“Getting to the root of your pain does not have to be difficult.

It can be even more effective when done in a gentle, nurturing way.”

– Marie Soriano Marie Soriano, one of Lisa’s soul sisters, has an energy-healing center across the hall from the studio. The moment I walked into her treatment room, I was surrounded by an immediate sense of warmth and well-being. It was as if I were wrapped in an energetic cocoon that felt safe, holy, and nurturing. The walls were covered with huge pieces of a Marie Soriano magnificent tree. She explained to me the journey of the tree, the massive healing powers it held, and how she painstakingly transported it to the room. I felt that it served as a powerful grounding mechanism. Its age, density, and the history that it carried added to the sense of security and peace that prevailed in that room.

First Marie sat me in a huge comfy beanbag chair and she invited me to share any insights on where my body needed healing. Of course, we spoke of the emotional component to the physical discomforts I was feeling. As she spoke, Marie oozed of nonjudgment and nurturing kindness. She then began to facilitate my healing. Her touch was extremely therapeutic, although what stood out most in the time I spent with her was her wisdom.

It was most evident in a response she shared with me when I told her she could massage “deeper” into my muscle tissue.

She chuckled and said, “Trust me…I AM going deep. Doing deep healing work does not have to hurt. Gentleness can work on a very deep level, don’t you worry!” That’s when I had a huge “aha” moment. I realized that like anything, force closes the energy flow, and creates resistance. Of course, I would be better served with gentle, unobtrusive nurturing. As her response percolated in my psyche, I realized that I tend to use “force” with myself in so many areas of my life. Perhaps I create so much more resistance than I need to. If my life is this amazing WITH the resistance I impose on it, I can’t wait to experience the

Conscious Community - www.ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com 11

miracles that will continue to abound when I let go of the forcing, and do more “allowing.” Thank you for the delicious mind and body healing, Marie. You exude and extend divinely radiant and nurturing healing power. You are a blessing to all who are lucky enough to experience your gifts firsthand!

“We are incessantly in a world where we are editing ourselves.

We are talking heads. With this practice, there is no editing, nor commenting. It is not about your art. It’s about an experience you are having with yourself.”

– Lisa Sorce Schmitz

After experiencing the divine magic that Marie and Lisa facilitated, I felt completely full and free! To end it all, I visited with Suzanne Beatty, who gave me some insights based on stones that I felt drawn to on her rainbow plate of colors, textures, and energies. Curiously enough, the message she shared with me was that in the future, I would be much more effective as I assert myself in a more gentle way. The message I received throughout this magical day was crystal clear. On all levels, from Marie’s gentle healing, and Lisa’s gentle creative experiencing, and finally to Suzanne’s communication with my stone “friends” urging me to carry on in a gentle way. “Be, gentle with yourself, dear lady. Be gentle.”

To learn more about this magical place, contact Lisa Sorce Schmitz at 235 Harrison Street, Oak Park, IL 60304, 708-7170758, or log onto moonwhispers235.com.

Lisa Sorce Schmitz

Lisa also carries that same aura of gentle kindness and nurturing that is inherent in Marie. The feminine divine is so clearly present in both women’s healing spaces, and in them. I have attended several of Lisa’s workshops at Whispers from the Moon, and each one awakens my creative juices, and restores my sense of childlike delight. Lisa’s work evolves around the Studio Process that her mentor, Pat B. Allen created. It is a wonderful metaphor for how we should treat ourselves (and others) throughout all aspects of our lives. We started the process with a short introspective meditation. We then took a moment to write what our intentions are with the creative endeavor we are about to embark on. Lisa then ripped pieces of black paper for each of us, and provided us with a rainbow of pastel crayons. She encouraged us to enjoy the process, focusing not on the outcome, but on the experience itself. My sister Carolyn was visiting from Canada and she joined me. She is an exquisite artist, and this was something new for her. After spending about 30 minutes creating our pieces, we were then invited to write about what we saw in our rendering. Again, avoiding judgment and criticism of the art – we were instructed to focus our energies on simply witnessing.

We were then invited to show our creations to the group, and read our observations aloud. No one could remark about the expressions in any way. Again, it was about the process and our body, mind, and spirit’s natural healing abilities that come from the creative experience. My soul spoke to me through the art that I created. It shared magical new messages, along with old ones I needed to remember. I was so glad I took the time to connect with my spirit and the creative flow. The class was mesmerizing.

I really loved it. My heart was opened, and I felt a huge energetic high for the rest of the day.

12 Conscious Community - December 2014

Theresa Puskar, our All About Town contributor, is a writer, trainer, speaker, and inspirational audiobook producer.

She has recently authored The Terri Series – seven books that focus on social issues such as bullying, honoring diversity, celebrating creativity, nonjudgment of emotions, finding alternatives to technology-based entertainment, discovering a non-judgmental God, and overcoming fears. She has also recorded a powerful experiential audio program, How to De-clutter Your Mind and Live a HeartCentered Life.

Reconnecting to the Self Through Yoga on Horseback

by Blair McKissock, MSEd, RYT Hollow is a word we can use to describe how we feel inside that is reflected on the outside. We see it walking down a street, noticing the expressions on faces of people passing by. We feel an empty space, a hint of something we have long ago forgotten that echoes with a knowing long forgotten. It is something we all feel yet try to hide, suppress, deny, or even numb with various sometimes self-destructive behaviors. It cannot be filled by something on the outside. There was a time when we had knowledge of connectedness to the world around us. We were OF the natural world, not separate from it. Our lives had a deeper connection to the divine spirit that dwells inside everyone and in everything. There was no distinction between man-made and nature made; we were all one. Somehow we have lost that connection, and have separated ourselves from the rhythms of nature. Yoga is a practice that reconnects us with our inner landscape, and can guide us to the divinity that dwells there.

Through the practice of yoga our minds, bodies, and spirit are reconnected. Off the mat we realize that connection extends to anything and everything; there is no separation. When we begin to go inward there is a desire to reestablish that connection to nature. There is no singular method of reconnecting, many people have found peace combining their practice with nature which might be practicing outside, such as paddleboard yoga on the water, or practicing on horseback.

The first thing to remember is that the relationship between horses and humans is unique. By nature we are predators, and they are prey. This creates an almost guaranteed mistrust from the horse that must be satisfied. Those who have been around horses also know that it is hard to hide anything from them.

Keeping a check on your fears and emotions of uncertainty is crucial to being safe, and being able to really connect with them. When coming face to face with a horse it is healthy to have some fear, yet trying to hide it can lead to potential danger.

Just acknowledge what you feel, make sure you are guided by people who know what they are doing. If you have been around horses your whole life, this is a perfect opportunity to take the relationship back to the beginning and deepen the connection.

That is the first step to trust. Next, depending on your comfort level you can begin simple interaction to get to know the horse, as you would in any relationship. Open up your awareness and breath; soften your eyes to allow your perception to take it all in. Take a moment to lay your hands on a horse’s belly and feel their breath. Try to match the inhale and exhale as you engage in Ujjayi breath by constricting the back of the throat to control the breath. This can be a practice in and of itself. Observe what happens to them and what happens to you. What do you notice about their body, and what do you notice about yours? This is a practice you can try with any animal you feel comfortable with.

There is something about a horse that tugs at that empty feeling.

Their beauty and power inspire awe in us. There is both fear and respect when we come close to them. Even if you are a seasoned horse person, there is always something that keeps you coming back to the barn. Many people have started to see horses as a way of reconnecting back to that knowing. Counselors and other mental health professionals integrate them into their practice when traditional therapy is ineffective. Physical, occupational, and speech therapists integrate them to help people grow stronger and more independent. Other professionals’ partner with horses to enhance learning and improve quality of life, and now yoga professionals are partnering with horses to take their practice to another level. The practice of yoga on horseback is not just for seasoned riders. It can have many benefits for both newbies and experienced horse people.

If you decide to move into asana practice in the saddle, take your time to make sure you have what you need to be safe, including the proper knowledge of both yoga and riding. This doesn’t mean you need to be an expert; it just means that you need to fill the gap in your knowledge with another professional to ensure that the experience is positive for both the horse and human. Too often people jump into something without really considering potential outcomes. If the rider twists and moves their body without good balance, they can cause serious harm to the horse.

There have been discussions about riders trying their horses, and then moving in and out of postures on their back which can also be very dangerous, and doesn’t take into account that the entire purpose of practicing with a horse is to connect with and through them. If they are merely a prop or tool, the intention and trust is lost.

Yoga on horseback is more than a novelty, and should be approached with a serious intention. Jumping into any relationship can be tumultuous, let alone creating a relationship with a horse. Just as yoga is more than just asanas, there are several considerations before beginning a practice with a horse.

When you have in place what you need to be safe and honor the unique relationship between horse and rider, you can begin to explore the movement. Start with just walking your horse and finding that same special connection that you may have experienced on the ground. Feel your energy mingle with theirs, Conscious Community - www.ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com 13

and how as you release, they release. The asana practice can be done at a walk or halt while the attention is always on the micro cues they give you. Horses are like an instant biofeedback, they can tell you if something hurts, or they are not ready for it. They can tell you if your alignment is off balance, or you are going too far. The communication is two-way, which creates an entirely new level of mindfulness. Give the horse the choice to respond, and they speak volumes.

If they are asking to walk on while you are going from warrior into exalted warrior, that may mean your bones have shifted and they need to rebalance. They often know better how to honor their body than we do. In the saddle you must bring yourself to a place where you can read them and respond.

Yoga on horseback or Equiyo, is a method of "After creating a better relationship with your body and your horse resulting in real growth. In riding we talk about discipline to describe a methodology of riding, yet it also insinuates a path that takes dedication and commitment to master. The first step in any type of growth is self observation. Yoga is about awareness of the body, and the ability to unite mind, body, and spirit through that awareness. When we begin to observe who we are and how we act without judging it a certain freedom ensues. If we can take that same finer quality and apply it to our riding we reach an entirely new level. It is no longer about training and perfecting a movement. It is then about the relationship between horse and rider. When my body does this, the horse does this. If I do this, my horse reacts in this way.

When we observe the self, and relax in that state of attention, our body relaxes, and we notice and sense our body. We can see where we are blocking our own movement and carrying tension, and in turn release that tension, moving more in concert with our horse. Our horse responds with the same suppleness and grace. Yoga not only transforms traditional views about relationship with horses from dominating to leadership and communication, it can also transform the way we interact with nature. An internal awareness is created that is carried from the saddle onto the mat, and into the world. We create a connection that goes beyond the horse.

Horses become a bridge back to the lost knowing, back to the rhythm and cycles of nature. When we reconnect, that hollow space begins to fill and the longing eases. We remember we are not alone, that we are all connected through spirit. If we can get to that place of connected attention, things become clearer, and we see possibility.

Blair McKissock, MSEd, RYT, is a speaker and author on equine assisted and experiential learning. Learn more about coaching, OmHorse yoga, and upcoming events at omhorse.com.

14 Conscious Community - December 2014

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Shaman’s Dream December 12th - 3:00-8:00 pm December 13th - 10:00am-5:00 pm Michael and Mary Whitcomb of Shaman’s Dream will be at Crystal River Gifts with some of their unique and rare stones, crystals, and assorted merchandise, selected to help you find gifts for those ‘hard to get for’ people on your holiday shopping list.

Instructors: Michael and Mary Whitcomb

Burning Bowl Ceremony December 19th - 7:00-8:00 pm $10 The Burning Bowl Ceremony is a traditional ritual of release and letting go of what does not serve us now. It gives the opportunity for renewal and releasing everything in your life that is holding you back, especially negative thoughts and emotions, bad habits and unhealthy relationships. It is an extremely transformative experience. Come join us in releasing the past and celebrating the future.

Instructor: Walter Perschke

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Guided Meditation with Bharat Kalra December 4th, 6:30-8:00 pm $10

Stress Relief with Darla Tegtmeier December 11th, 6:30-7:30 pm $10

Gong Meditation with Andre Peraza December 18th, 6:30-7:30 pm $10

When you add uncertainty to anxiety and fear the recipe for the new dish called Panic Attack is complete. Come and find out how to uncook this dish by learning and going past(transcending) each component. Panic Attack is a natural succession to last 2 sessions which were about anxiety and fear.

- Bharat Kalra

There are stressful times in life when we need to be able to think clearly, make quick decisions, and stay calm. This could be anything from having to deal with an irrational person to keeping your wits about you in an emergency situation. In this meditation we will anchor the feeling of a calm mind and body into your subconscious. A trigger will be created that will allow you to access that feeling in a matter of seconds. This will help you manage your stress level and stay calm with it is most important to do so.

- Darla Tegtmeier

Detoxify your mind and body from the stress of daily life.

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- Andre Peraza

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ASTROLOGY BASICS 101 Transits and Aspects

by Kaye Berjot So far, you’ve learned about the 10 planets, the 12 signs of the zodiac, the 12 houses, the ascendant, the Moon, and the importance of the Sun. I’ve covered years of knowledge in just a few months, and for your convenience, all previous articles can be found at consciouscommunitymagazine.com.

In this month’s article I am covering transits and aspects in Western Astrology. Transits and aspects add an additional layer to astrology because they help us understand how planets interact with one another, and how they relate to the ascendant and other more advanced points within a chart.

In beginning astrology you will most often work with the following aspects: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

A-B Opposition C-D Square A-C Trine B-C Sextile E-A Conjunction F-A Transit

When planets are 180 degrees away from one another they are said to be in Opposition. In the above example planet A and planet B depict this aspect. When an individual has an opposition in their chart they are struggling with which planet they identify with. An example would be if the Moon is in opposition to Jupiter. The individual may be overly emotional, and identify with Jupiter, or the individual may restrict their emotions by not identifying with Jupiter.

A Square is when planets are 90 degrees away from one another.

Planets C and D represent this aspect. Squares are tension points, and they occur so that people can take some form of action. In many cases squares can lead to stress. An example would be if Venus is square to Mars. Venus represents values and love, while Mars represents action and force. Therefore, this could indicate an individual that becomes stressed when they must stand up for their values.

Planets B to C represent a Sextile and are 60 degrees apart from one another. Sextiles represent characteristics that individuals like about themselves, and they will usually work more tenaciously on growing those characteristics. A person with Mercury sextile Neptune might be an inspirational communicator, because 16 Conscious Community - December 2014

Mercury represents communication, and Neptune represents faith and what we are inspired by.

Trines are 120 degrees apart and are similar to sextiles. Planets A-C represent a Trine. Trines are naturally occurring talents that individuals have. Oftentimes individuals are unconscious to these talents because they are deeply engrained within the person’s nature. If you’ve ever given someone a compliment, or asked them, “how did you do that?” and they reply, “I don’t know, that’s just how I am…” then a trine is most likely the aspect to thank.

Conjunctions occur in natal charts when planets are side by side (1-2 degrees apart) or are located on the same degree. Planets A and E represent a conjunction. The planets are blended, and are in harmony with one another. A Uranus Venus conjunction could indicate an individual that values adventure, or is adventurous with regards to financial or love pursuits. Individuals with conjunctions may assume that others are just like them when it comes to the planetary conjunction, and may ask the question, “Doesn’t everyone feel this way?”

The aspects that I’ve discussed pertain to a natal birth chart. As a reminder, this type of chart is based upon your individual time, place, and date of birth. Due to the fact that planets are constantly in motion they cause transits to occur.

A Transit occurs when a planet stops at a degree that is conjunct, trine, sextile, or in opposition to a natal planet in your chart. In the above example, planet F is a transiting planet and is conjunct natal planets A and E, opposition natal planet B, and trine natal planet C. A transit is an external force whereas natal planets are internal. A Saturn transit to Venus would indicate that external circumstances could cause you to build stability with regards to the things you find valuable.

Because all charts are unique to individuals, some charts may not have aspects. In these cases missing aspects indicate: • Conjunctions- Lack of internal harmony • Sextiles- Tendency to avoid pursuing opportunities to grow their talents • Squares – Little to no motivation to move forward • Trines-Tendency towards internal conflict • Oppositions-Little attention is paid towards learning from others

Summary: Throughout the series, I’ve discussed how all of the components of astrology work together to provide insight. Aspects and transits are no different because they derive their meaning from the houses, the zodiac signs, the ascendants, and the planets.

The best way to put the pieces of the puzzle together is to look at a chart, which we will do next month (and next year!).

We would like to thank all of you who continue to support The Conscious Community Magazine.

We value your support, and feel honored that you choose to be an active participant as we evolve.

Many blessings!

Kaye Berjot is a transformational astrologer who can be contacted for readings and guidance at: kayeberjot@gmail.com.

Conscious Community - www.ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com 17

The Shared Heart

N ew D i m e n s i o n s o f R e l a t i o n s h i p

by Joyce and Barry Vissell

It Only Takes a Few Seconds to be Kind In 1993, Conari Press published a book called Random Acts of Kindness. This book started a movement of people looking for ways to be kind to complete strangers. It was not at all unusual to see a bumper sticker on the car in front of you that read, “Practice Random Acts of Kindness.” My favorite story from the book is a person who makes a point of paying for the person behind them whenever they cross a toll bridge. The stranger then pulls up to the booth and is told that their fee was paid. For a while, acts like these became popular. Somehow in all of the busyness of our world this lovely movement seems to have faded a bit.

Barry and I just returned from our three weeks of work in Norway, Italy, and Germany. The trip from where we were staying in Germany to our home in California took almost 24 hours. It was a long, rather difficult trip made easier by kindness.

Our flight from Hamburg to Munich was delayed, and we were told that we needed to rush to make our connection to San Francisco.

Both of us have right knees that are giving us a problem, so rushing was a problem, but we did the best we could through what seemed like miles of airport terminals. We finally made it to the gate area when we discovered that we were chosen for a random search. Not random kindness, but random search.

This was not your average two minute search. It took at least 10 minutes per person. They investigated everything in our carry-ons, purse, and body. Not only did we have to go through the scanner, we also had to endure a body search that was embarrassing. Then our bodies had to be tested with tape that had to go through a special scanner that took over three minutes to process.

As we waited in line, the group of us began to complain, as there was a very real possibility of missing our flight back home.

The man in front of me turned to me and said, “The young people doing this search are here only because the United States government is enforcing this search. Everyone is so angry at them. Let’s practice kindness.” So the three of us were kind to the searchers, and even joked with them while they searched everything in our suitcases, and practically made us undress.

As the minutes ticked by and we heard the boarding call for our flight, we continued to practice kindness. The young people (eight for each person searched) were delighted, as most everyone else was rude and unkind. As Barry and I left the search area, the young German security staff all waved to us and thanked us.

18 Conscious Community - December 2014

Now we had a quarter of a mile to the gate, and only 10 minutes left. We rushed as best we could and arrived just as they announced general boarding. Over 100 people stood up and started rushing the gate.

Normally I like to get on the plane early and get settled before the crowds rush on, and I will usually stand at the gate long before the boarding is announced. Yet here we were with the crowds pushing around us. A young man in a red shirt took notice of us, and spread his arms wide to stop the much younger passengers, and for a brief moment let us by and into the plane before most of the people. It only took him two seconds to perform this kindness towards us, and it made a lasting impression.

While putting our bags up in the storage area, we noticed a woman behind us struggling with her bag. This same man in the red shirt rushed forward and helped her. She was so grateful to him. Truly this man had the spirit of kindness within his heart.

The flight was over 13 hours and we experienced three sunsets.

One flight attendant particularly caught our eye. He was a young German man who was perhaps in his early twenties. We learned that this was his first international flight. He was very kind to us and brought us extra water, and made sure we were comfortable.

Toward the end of the flight we thanked him for his kindness, and told him he was one of the best flight attendants we’ve ever had.

His huge smile showed us those words of appreciation made his day better.

At five am German time the plane landed in San Francisco. The tired crowd of passengers slowly made it to the customs line only to wait for another hour. Customs officials are an unusual lot. It must be part of the job description to stare at each person while holding their passport, not bring even the hint of a smile to their lips, then pound the stamper and give back the passport without a word. Having gone through four other customs lines on this trip we were used to this treatment. Our customs official this time was totally different. He smiled at us right away and said, “Welcome Home!”

He looked at my passport and said, “You should have been called Rejoice.” Then he gave us our passports and said, “Hope you have a good evening and enjoy your time at home.” It took him seconds to bring kindness to a situation that can be quite tense.

His kindness (and humor) made all the difference to us, and I am sure to the passengers that were lucky enough to be in his line. As we walked away, we glanced back to see a cute elderly couple approach this customs agent. We heard him call out to the woman, “Is that man bothering you?”

Call Toll-Free: 800-766-0629 (locally 831-684-2299), or write to the Shared Heart Foundation, P.O. Box 2140, Aptos, CA 95001, for further information on counseling sessions by phone or in person, their books, recordings, or their schedule of talks and workshops. Visit their website at: SharedHeart.org for their free monthly e-heartletter, their updated schedule, and inspiring past articles on many topics about relationship and living from the heart.

Perhaps we could bring back the Random Acts of Kindness movement, and take a few seconds throughout our busy days to be kind to others. A smile, a word of appreciation, a simple act of caring and helping can make a very big difference to others. And it is much more fun to be kind. I believe the kindness all flows back to us to bless our lives.

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Here are a few opportunities to bring more love and growth into your life, at the following events led by Barry and Joyce Vissell: Feb 1-8 - sharedheart.org/sharedheart2/couples-in-paradise.html; Hawaii Couples in Paradise Retreat; Feb 14-21 divinetravels.com/ValentinesCruise2015.html; Valentine ‘s Day Spirit of Love Cruise for individuals and couples (LA to Mexico); Jul 19-24 - sharedheart.org/sharedheart2/breitenbush.html.

Shared Heart Summer Retreat at Breitenbush Hot Springs, OR.

Sat Dec D

6

10-4 4

Free e Psychicc Reading g (with any purchasse) Sat De ec

13

10--4

Free e Chair Masssage, BioM Mat Sessionn or Psychic Reeading (with $225 purchase)

www.earthsongbooks sandgifts.com m 608-754-393 33 Joyce & Barry Vissell, a nurse/therapist and psychiatrist couple since 1964, are counselors near Santa Cruz, CA, who are widely regarded as among the world’s top experts on conscious relationship and personal growth. They are the authors of The Shared Heart, Models of Love, Risk to Be Healed, The Heart’s Wisdom, Meant to Be, and A Mother’s Final Gift.

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Sound Matters:

by Steven Halpern

My 40th Recording Anniversary, plus Relaxation, Recovery, and the Healing Power of Music Some anniversaries are much easier to remember than others. I don’t know how it was for you in high school in world history class, but I would have paid a lot more attention if we were taught that the signing of the Armistice ending World War I took place at 11 AM on 11/11/1918.

Why did they choose that date and that time? How cool would it have been if we had been invited to look behind the headlines back then to explore the numerological significance of these double numbers?

Exactly 51 years later, without any conscious planning on my part, I boarded a plane from New York City bound for San Francisco, for a two week musicological investigation of the Bay Area jazz and rock scene. My return flight was scheduled two weeks later, allowing me plenty of time to prepare for the first semester of grad school at the University of Buffalo.

Little did I know that my life was going to totally change in those next two weeks! I’ve shared a bit of my journey in past articles, and will be expanding upon that in my memoirs, which I’ve been working on for the last two years.

This year, on the 45th anniversary of landing in California, I wanted to put on a concert with my Sound Medicine Band.

However, due to touring schedules, we couldn’t coordinate a physical event. The next best thing is to invite you to a “virtual concert,” so that’s what I’m doing.

As a special gift for those of you who are reading this today, we’ll be streaming an almost 80 minute “concert” with many of my favorite friends and musicians. To listen, click here: StevenHalpern.com/AmongFriends For a variety of reasons, it turned into a major new release, Among Friends. This album is now a 40-year retrospective covering my “greatest hits”, including both meditative and rhythmic recordings. It features my collaborations with Paul Horn, Paul McCandless, Georgia Kelly, Michael Manring, Jorge Alfano, and many others.

20 Conscious Community - December 2014

The physical CD is scheduled for release in early 2015, yet the MP3 is available for purchase immediately. I invite you to read about each of the tracks and the featured artists at StevenHalpern.com/AmongFriends. As I mentioned earlier, this link will also take you to the special concert. I hope you enjoy it, after reading the rest of the article.

Why Robin Williams Still Resonates In the past few days, the autopsy report confirmed that Robin Williams was not using alcohol or drugs at the time of his passing.

For many, that was a wake-up call that magnifies the reality of how deadly depression can be.

Another well-known entertainer/singer/comedian, Wayne Brady, just went public with his battles against depression.

What seems to be missing from most of the media coverage is a comprehensive overview of the most progressive and effective treatment modalities. For instance, did you know that, as one part of a multi-dimensional program of individual counseling, group therapy and nutrition, many authorities recommend feeding your subconscious mind with positive affirmations?

Most professional therapists, counselors and addicts are unaware of the pioneering research done by Dr. Eugene Peniston, while he was in charge of addiction treatments at the VA Medical Center in Fort Lyon, Colorado, and Dr. Paul Kulkosky, of the University of Southern Colorado, Pueblo, CO. They conducted sophisticated biofeedback studies involving EEG brainwave analysis.

According to their research, alcoholics and children of alcoholics, and addicts of any substance or dysfunctional behavior pattern, have lower levels of alpha brainwaves than non-addicted individuals. In other words, being deficient in this kind of brainwave activity predisposes an individual to addictive behaviors.

Even more dramatically, they found that drinking enables alcoholics to produce more alpha waves. (Their funding was cut off before they could do research on other forms of addiction.)

This suggests that addicts intuitively are searching for an experience correlated with the alpha and theta states (inner peace, serenity, and deep relaxation) albeit in a dysfunctional manner.

In 1988, when I began working with John Bradshaw, I was introduced to the growing body of research in the area where meditation, spirituality, stress reduction, relaxation, and addiction all come together. Now that these issues have been in the media spotlight, I’ve updated, expanded, and re-mastered several of the programs that were bestsellers that built on the work of John Bradshaw and other leading authorities in the recovery field.

Steven Halpern is celebrating his 40th anniversary of recording his first of over 88 albums, which is now available as Chakra Suite.

“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself over and over again.”

Joseph Campbell

In addition to the album Meditations To Support Sobriety And Recovery, which has guided meditations and discussion with John Bradshaw, the subliminal companion, Affirmations To Support Sobriety And Recovery is now completed.

The new album Nurturing Your Inner Child incorporates key statements and concepts central to healing the emotional wounds many individuals experienced growing up in our families of origin.

Bio-Energetic Scans*

These are available now at my website, and will soon be available at Amazon.com. The Bradshaw program will also be available at iTunes, yet not the subliminal programs. Read more about brainwaves, relaxation, recovery, and the healing powers of music at StevenHalpern.com/ Recovery.

Over the years, I’ve received a lot of positive feedback from listeners who have benefitted from these programs, as well as other key albums that make it easy to achieve appropriate time spent in the alpha or theta brain state. Most notably, these include Chakra Suite, Deep Theta, and Deep Alpha.

Listen as background ambiance, or as foreground music as the center of your attention. That’s the beauty of using music like this. It does the work for you, and you feel good just by listening.

Yours for sound health, Steven Halpern

Dec 1-31, 2014

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Come and explore the journey of your soul for and spiritual growth, personal development and conscious awareness. Call Ellie Stewart (773) 216-9882 for Registration, Cost and Details. www.pathwaystolight.org Or Call (773) 455-3444. Ellie Stewart, MHPE, HTCP, CCH, ACM, CCA Certified Advanced Practice Akashic Records Practitioner/Advanced Practice Instructor

*We are proud to announce our affiliation with Edwin Miller, Medical Director of Healthy Alternatives Integrated Medicine Practice. Come visit our new location at 30 S. Michigan Avenue, Suite 304, Chicago, Illinois or 7000 W. North Avenue Suite 2B, Oak Park, Illinois.

Conscious Community - www.ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com 21

THE MAGICAL WORLD OF NUMBERS December... Values, Attitude Adjustments, Party Time!

by Elizabeth Summers Amidst the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, deeper issues present themselves in the month of December. On a mundane level, we may be forced to examine our values… “Hey what’s important here? Who is important here?” as we go shopping for that perfect gift. The question becomes … on what value system are you basing your choices?

December is the twelfth month of the calendar year and this Number adds down to the Number Three. In Tarot Card interpretation, this is the Empress and that girl loves to shop!

She is the mother energy that brings in nurturing, abundance, expressions of tenderness and a focus about working with children. All this energy is so perfect for the Christmas season. A feeling of extravagance and feeling rich illuminates her world.

In Astrology, big daddy Jupiter brings this abundance along also with this vibration. Currently traveling through the sign of Leo until June 2015, all of us will find sources and resources to bring abundance into our lives.

The question still becomes what are your values? Focusing more on the Number Twelve of December we find ourselves re-visiting that question. In Tarot, the Twelfth card is the Hang Man who is hanging upside-down by one leg on a cross beam and one just knows he is thinking to himself “how on earth did I get myself into this situation!” More deeply, the Hang Man energy is about attitude adjustment through reversals of situations in one’s life often brought about by significant emotional situations about one’s personal value system.

As an Esoteric Numerologer studying the ancient viewpoints surrounding Numbers since 1988, it has been found that the Number Twelve represents completion of a full cycle of experiences. The spiritual leaders of old often had to advise their followers to exhibit “a reversal of conduct, requiring different evolving lifestyles for their spiritual growth.”

As a Life Path Number, arrived at by adding the month, day and year of birth together, a soul who has chosen this journey has brought significant past life experiences into this current incarnation.

Author Faith Javane, in her book MASTER NUMBERS, Cycles of Divine Order offers this explanation: “When individuals enter an incarnation as Number Twelves, they have already had a full cycle of experiences and learned of the possibility of regeneration toward a higher 22 Conscious Community - December 2014

consciousness. They belong to the group of developed souls who have accumulated unusual inner strength through many and varied experiences from many lifetimes in the flesh. However, these people still may be hindered by old habits that need to be changed. Therefore, the soul attracts that which it needs as a learning experience. A reversal of negative thoughts can bring about positive effects and aid in achieving ideal goals or aspirations. If challenged, the Number Twelve person’s initial response might be “why me?” Instead, they should think “why not me?”

When it comes to prosperity Twelves usually blame their ill-luck on others rather than on their own selfish thinking. In that case, the Law of Reversal would correct the situation”…an attitude adjustment about their values and self-worth.

For many of us, especially Scorpios, these very situations may have turned life upside down. Saturn, the disciplinarian of the Universe, has been in Scorpio for the last two years…since October 5, 2012.

A shift into Sagittarius occurs on or about December 23, 2014 but Saturn will return to Scorpio June 2015 for a final six weeks of “tying up loose ends”. For many of us, this has been a time to finally face anything we might be running from and to be wholly transformed by the experience. Thus, once again, the Hang Man and the Number Twelve brings the “turn-about” energy into play, especially in December.

As we all do our work in spiritual development, the justice of the Universe steps in with the higher vibration of the Number Three and that is the World Card in ancient Tarot. This Number TwentyOne adding to the happy energy of the Three brings a sense of accomplishment fulfillment and involvement. Now it is ‘party time!”

By re-setting our “values thermostat” we can better bring all the parts of our lives together, achieve dynamic balance and work in unison with our fellow men. This growth of spirit helps us to realize our goals, achieve our heart’s desires, see dreams come true, and step into a life experience of flourishing and prosperity.

In this season of giving give of yourself. Use your gifts and talents to bring “heart energy” to others. Share what you have, render service, feel engaged, be active and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with this value of personal satisfaction.

Perhaps Bertrand Russell V. Delong put it best…

“The most valuable things in life are not measured in monetary terms. The really important things are not houses and lands, stocks and bonds, automobiles and real estate but friendships, trust, confidence, empathy, mercy, love and faith.”

To all those folks kind enough to read my column, know that I send you God’s White Light, his Peace and his Harmony and know I wish you all good things always.

Esoteric Numerologer Elizabeth Summers combines ancient Numerology, Tarot and Astrology in her readings with her clients.

To schedule your personal reading, visit: Website: www.elizabethsummers.com Radio Show: www.themagicalworldofnumbers.com/radioshow.html On BlogTalk Radio: www.blogtalkradio.com/themagicalworldofnumbers

Conscious Community - www.ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com 23

CyberWeave: Spirituality and the Internet

by Mary Montgomery

Let’s Welcome OpenSciences.org with Open Arms and Minds An interesting thing happened as I started to write the column I planned for December.

The following email landed in my inbox: From Rupert Sheldrake London November 7th, 2014 Today sees the launch of a new website – opensciences.org which is a portal to the emerging sciences. It includes details of pioneering scientists, open-minded research centres and adventurous sources of funding, as well as a feast of interesting books, videos and papers. This project is organized by the Campaign for Open Science, of which I am a member, and grew out (sic) the Post-Materialist Summit in Tucson, Arizona earlier this year. The site also provides an overview of some of the most important open questions in the sciences. Do take a look at it, and tell your friends!

Well, I look at my readers as my friends, and after taking a look at this new website, I knew this was an Internet launch that I needed to share with you.

Rupert Sheldrake, of course (sheldrake.org), is the biologist and author who is best known for his hypothesis of morphic fields and morphic resonance, which leads to a vision of a living, developing universe with its own inherent memory. Sheldrake, himself is one of the pioneers in the field of consciousness and science.

The new opensciences.org website is a project of the Campaign for Open Science, launched in 2014. It promises to be an important portal that will not only bring together in one place many of the resources for emerging sciences—and will provide a power boost that can speed the paradigm shift, which these emerging sciences are causing.

Here are just a few reasons I am personally so excited about this website: The homepage of opensciences.org is fairly simple and straightforward. There isn’t a lot of the graphic razzmatazz, as the information itself provides the dazzle. Take the list right under the navigation bar: 24 Conscious Community - December 2014

• Books by leading scientists and thinkers • Scientific Journals presenting serious, peer-reviewed research • Selected Scientific Papers presenting the best evidence and theoretical formulations • Funding sources and articles for science on the frontier • Organizations promoting pioneering research into phenomena that don’t fit into the conventional scientific model • Universities & Educational Institutions with opportunities to study parapsychology, spirituality and alternative medicines • People - a who’s who of the most influential, openminded scientists from around the world • Videos of recommended talks by prominent scientists and theorists, pushing the boundaries of science • Blogs by leading scientists and thinkers, including founders of the Campaign for Open Science • Open Questions that shake up the dominant materialist paradigm • Upcoming Events conferences and lectures opening the doors of scientific investigation Each one of these offerings offers a treasure trove of resources.

For example: Books: There are five links: Biology; Consciousness Studies; Medicine, Health and Healing; Philosophy and Theory; and Physics and Cosmology. When I clicked on Consciousness Studies, the list included: Larry Dossey, MD’s One Mind: How Our Individual Mind is Part of a Greater Consciousness and Why it Matters, Pim van Lommel, MD’s Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience, and Dean Radin, PhD’s Supernormal: Science, Yoga, and the Evidence for Extraordinary Psychic Abilities. The Medicine, Health and Healing section lists three books: William Bengston, PhD’s The Energy Cure: Unraveling the Mystery of Hands-on Healing, Larry Dossey, MD’s Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine, and Jeff Levin, PhD’s God, Faith, and Health: Exploring the Spirituality-Healing Connection.

Hmmm… Excellent, and I hope this is just the beginning of a much longer list. For example, I’d like to see Eben Alexander’s Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife (ebenalexander.com) on the Consciousness Studies list. I’d also like to see Richard J. Davidson’s The Emotional Life of Your Brain: How Its Unique Patterns Affect the Way You Think, Feel, and Live—and How You Can Change Them (investigatinghealthyminds.org), and Dr. Herbert Benson’s Relaxation Revolution: The Science and Genetics of Mind Body Healing (bensonhenryinstitute.org) added to the Medicine, Health and Healing list.

(faculty.washington.edu/ghp) who has developed a theory of water that has been called revolutionary.

Scientific Journals: This section opened up a whole new world of thoughtful emerging science research for me. It features open-minded scientific journals that are either dedicated to or include articles on post-materialist science or alternative theories, covering parapsychology, spirituality, complimentary(sic) and traditional medicines, cutting-edge physics and avant-garde cosmology. This section also includes a link that invites you to contact them if you have other journals that should be included.

The journals are organized into the following categories: Consciousness Studies; Medicine, Health and Healing; and Physics and Cosmology. I’ve chosen one journal from each category to pique your interest:

Here are three institutions in the United States:

• Anthropology of Consciousness (sacaaa.org/ anthropologyofconsciousness.asp) is the peer-reviewed journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness (SAC), a division of the American Anthropological Association (AAA). The journal contributes to the dialogue surrounding cross-cultural, experimental, experiential, and theoretical approaches to the study of consciousness.

• Alternative Medicine Studies (pagepress.org/ journals/index.php/ams/) is a peer-reviewed, onlineonly scientific journal about alternative medical systems including: acupuncture; anthroposophic medicine; ayurveda; chiropractic; herbalism and natural products; homeopathy; naturopathy; osteopathy and traditional medicines. All issues are freely available online.

• Cosmology (cosmology.com) is an interdisciplinary journal devoted to the study of “cosmology” and is dedicated to those men and women of rare genius and curiosity who wish to understand more and more about more and more: The study of existence in its totality.

Other highlights on the opensciences.org home page are a series of featured topics that focus on a particular video, journal, organization, scientist, as well as upcoming conferences, lectures and other events. The November Featured Video was Is Consciousness More than the Brain? by Dr. Gary Schwartz.

Schwartz is professor of psychology, neurology, psychiatry and surgery at the University of Arizona, and director of the Laboratory for Advances in Consciousness and Health (lach.web.arizona.edu).

The Featured Organization was one of my favorites, which I have written quite a bit about: The Institute of Noetic Sciences (noetic.org). The Featured Scientist was Gerald Pollack, PhD, Professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington,

Oh dear, there is so much to share and I’m already running out of column space! Let me conclude with some resources for anyone who has been toying with the idea of embarking on an academic study of parapsychology, spirituality, complementary and alternative medicine or other areas of post-materialist science.

Click on the Universities & Educational Institutions link under Organizations, and you will find a list of institutions from around the world that offer these types of opportunities.

• The University of Alternative Studies (qpsychics.com/university) offers internet-based higher education degree programs, certification programs, and introductory courses for individuals with a serious interest in academic parapsychology.

• Sofia University (sofia.edu) is a passionate, dynamic learning community that fosters multiple ways of knowing while embracing diverse paths of spiritual practice and development. Their Graduate School of Transpersonal Studies offers a Master of Arts in Transpersonal Psychology.

• The Saybrook Institute’s (saybrook.edu) School of Psychology & Interdisciplinary Inquiry offers both master’s degree and doctoral psychology students an option to declare a Specialization in Consciousness, Spirituality, and Integrative Health (CSIH). They offer a Dream Studies Certificate, among others.

My Advice: I think all of us should welcome opensciences. org with open arms—and open minds. After all, it is a powerful indication of the growing influence and scope of these emerging sciences. The best welcome, of course, will be your own exploration of opensciences.org. (Editor’s Note: I will definitely be exploring this interesting and informative website in the next few months.)

Mary Montgomery’s company, Montgomery Media Enterprises, specializes in public relations, writing projects and web authoring, development and publicity, especially in the non-profit sector. Ms. Montgomery has a Master’s Degree in religious studies from Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS), and is working on a Ph.D. with a focus on the scholarship of Unlimited Love and the Other Regarding Virtues. Contact her via e-mail at monty764@sbcglobal.net.

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.

We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Conscious Community - www.ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com 25

Crystal River Gifts 310 N. LaFox Street • South Elgin, IL 60177 • (224) 535-8708 urs***

***New Ho

December Intuitive Gala

Saturday, December 27th from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm • Sunday, December 28th from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm All readings and healing for the weekend Intuitive Gala are $35 for 25 minutes or $70 for 50 minutes Call Crystal River Gifts at (224) 535-8708 TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT DAVED BECK - Psychic Medium A Medium with over 20 years experience connecting with the whisper of LOVE, transforming emotional fear. In 2013, he was inducted into the Lightworkers Hall of Fame and is a recipient of the Lightworkers Life Achievement Award. People’s Choice Around the Globe: Honesty, Integrity, Efficiency, Services.

JUDITH BROWN - Intuitive Certified Nutritionalist Learn from a nutritionist with a background in biochemistry, combined with a strong intuitive sense. Judith has been helping people achieve optimal health and wellness by offering guidance and suggestions through physical, emotional and mental approaches.

RoseWolf - Psychic and Physical Medium Bringing together messages from spirits & guides, the tarot & shamanic principles, RoseWolf finds the answers to the questions that haunt you most. Since 1994, RoseWolf has been a professional reader, teacher and as always, a student of the spiritual arts. Call ahead for an appointment as she books up quickly.

KEN BENTLEY - Intuitive Reader Being a Psychic with Medical Intuition and with the assistance of Spirit, Ken will guide those in need of direction. Spirit is here to tell you the things you need to hear, to guide you on the path that will bring you peace and happiness and inspire confidence in one’s self.

MARIE SORIANO - Astrology A personal friend and student of Guy Spiro invites you to come and explore the magical, intuitive language of astrology. Bring your Birth Certificate for the most accurate Natal Chart, Solar/ Lunar Return, or Compatibility Report. Marie will share her intuitive gifts with you to assist you in being in sync with your personal planetary and stellar situations. 50 minute session.

DARLA TEGTMEIER - Raindrop Therapy & Reflexology Raindrop therapy incorporates 9 essential oils with a gentle touch technique to receive numerous physical and spiritual benefits and is a great way to gain ‘inner quiet’. Reflexology stimulates internal organs by pressing on certain points on the feet that correlate to those organs. It also induces a deep sense of peace and relaxation.

FRAN VERZOSA - Psychic Palm Reader

ROXANNE BJORKLUND - Tarot Card Reader and Reiki Practitioner Saturday Only Drawn to the tarot at an early age, Roxanne bought her first deck at the age of 13. For the past 10 years she has focused on her tarot studies and on doing readings. She believes the tarot cards are a wonderful tool for discovery and assisting others. Roxanne also offers Reiki energy sessions.

Saturday Only

For over seven years Fran has been following her passion by performing palm/psychic intuitive readings. Fran is able to explain the lines/markings in the palms in order to read an individual’s life story. She is able to feel the psychic energy within people’s hands, see psychic images and predict future endeavors.

$5 off a $25 Merchandise Purchase Expires December 31st

Stop in to see the new Amethyst and Citrine cathedrals now at our store!

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August 2014 Volume 35, No. 12

MONDAY

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Pulse Calendar Wednesday, December 3 CHAKRA CHANTS with Lisa Ahkeahbo. 6:30 to 7:30 PM, $20.

Activate, balance and energize your chakras with group chanting.

Registration is required; call (312) 786-1882.

Equilibrium Energy + Education. 47 W. Polk St., Chicago. www.equiibrium-e3.com.

Thursday, December 4 FORGIVENESS MEDITATION WITH WALTER PERSCHKE -7-8pm Suggested Love Offering $5. www.SpiritualLearningCenter.com SpiritualLearningCenter@gmail.com 312-786-0077.

THURSDAY NIGHT MEDITATIONS ***NEW NIGHT*** GUIDED MEDITATION with Bharat Kalra, 6:30 – 8:00pm $10 When you add uncertainty to anxiety and fear the recipe for the new dish called Panic Attack is complete. Come and find out how to uncook this dish by learning and going past (transcending) each component. Panic Attack is a natural succession to last 2 sessions which were about anxiety and fear. Crystal River Gifts 310 N LaFox Street, South Elgin, IL 60177. 224-535-8708. www.CrystalRiverGifts.com.

Friday, December 5 IGNITE INTUITION, BLISS AND SENSUALITY - Chakra Yoga Belly Dance. 7:30-9:30 pm. Monthly. 6932 Glenwood, Chicago. 30.00 now. 773-761-9412.

QUARTZ CRYSTAL SINGING BOWLS - 7:00 – 8:30 $ 25 Feel the waves of tonal tranquility wash over you, melting your barriers to peace, allowing your Light of purity to shine forth; soothing, calming, healing and reconnecting you to wholeness and Holiness. Reclaim your birthright to a sound mind with Celestial Sound. Facilitated by Diamond. Crystal River Gifts 310 N LaFox Street, South Elgin, IL 60177. 224-535-8708. www.CrystalRiverGifts.com.

RUAH CENTER - MONTHLY COFFEEHAUS - Please join us at RUAH Center for our monthly Coffeehaus: an evening of music and the arts. 7:00 pm. Beverages and snacks provided.

Donation: $10 appreciated. 1110 N. Washington, Naperville, IL 60563, www.ruahcenter.com.

Friday-Saturday, December 5-6 CERTIFICATION TRAINING IN THE AKASHIC RECORDS with Christina Cross. Fri., Dec. 5, 6 to 9 PM, and Sat., Dec. 6, 10 AM to 5 PM, $225. Practitioner certification training for working in your own Records and consulting for others. Registration is required; call (312) 786-1882. Equilibrium Energy + Education.

47 W. Polk St., Chicago. www.equiibrium-e3.com.

Saturday, December 6 SERENDIPITY EVENT - Mindful Gifts and Nourishment for Your Mind, Body & Soul. 11:00am-5:00 pm at 1040 South Milwaukee Ave. Wheeling, IL, 847-924-5708, www.SolfulGifts. com/our-services.

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Sunday, December 7

Saturday, December 13

EFT & MUSCLE TESTING WORKSHOP. 1-4pm, Marian Center, Milwaukee, WI, 2 CE’s, $40, $50 for 2 people, Tom Masbaum, www.EFT-Tom.com 708-955-3634.

CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR NEARDEATH STUDIES (IANDS)/INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES (ISEE), support/ study group/resource/forum for spiritual experiences, near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, losses, research. Saturday, December 13, 2014: Guest Speaker: JODY LONG, Lawyer, heart and soul of NDERF.com. Don’t miss it! Frank Auditorium in Evanston Hospital. 2-5 pm. Free covered parking. For more info: 847-251-5758 or http://www.chicagoiands.org.

Monday, December 8 DENISE SUTHERLAND: CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS WITH THE ANGELS - Learn about the role of the Angels in the unfolding of the Christmas story. Find out if they have a special message for you. 7pm. www.SoulProprietor25.com 708-277-4958.

GRIEF RELEASE, 11:30am, & 3:30pm, Insight Awareness Open House, Homewood, free, Tom Masbaum, www.EFT-Tom.com 708-955-3634.

Thursday, December 11 LOVE AND CONNECTEDNESS WITH WALTER PERSCHKE - 7-8pm Suggested Love Offering $5 “Now is the time to build bridges. Because when the flood comes, and it will come, you need to be ready. It will be too late to prepare.” Walter Perschke Be a learner to prepare for the changes our world is experiencing now and the changes to come. Learn how to center yourself and enter the inward journey we are all on. Join the peaceful future rather than the chaotic present. The answers are there for us to find. Let us help you to find them. Instructor: Walter Perschke Location: Spiritual Learning Center. Burr Ridge details available when registering 312-786-0077. FREE PARKING. www.SpiritualLearningCenter.com SpiritualLearningCenter@gmail.com 312-786-0077.

THURSDAY NIGHT MEDITATIONS ***NEW NIGHT*** STRESS RELIEF with Darla Tegtmeier, 6:30 – 7:30 $10 There are stressful times in life when we need to be able to think clearly, make quick decisions, and stay calm. This could be anything from having to deal with an irrational person to keeping your wits about you in an emergency situation. In this meditation we will anchor the feeling of a calm mind and body into your subconscious. A trigger will be created that will allow you to access that feeling in a matter of seconds. This will help you manage your stress level and stay calm with it is most important to do so. Crystal River Gifts 310 N LaFox Street, South Elgin, IL 60177. 224-535-8708. www.CrystalRiverGifts.com.

PSYCHIC FAIR 12pm until 6pm. First Come, First Served please. Enlightened Balance 30F North Williams, Brink Street Market, Crystal Lake 815-307-1180.

Sunday, December 14 A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER! December 14th An Afternoon with Sonia Choquette at Private Residence www.cechicagoland.org or 847-660-4454.

REVIEW, RECHARGE & REFOCUS! Take an afternoon to review 2014 and refocus on what you’d like to manifest in 2015.

Dawna Gutzmann, M.D. will utilize a multimodal method to guide you through the process. Fee: $75 but FREE, if you register at least 72 hours in advance. Location: 5225 Old Orchard Rd., Suite 36, Skokie, IL 60077. Space is limited. Call 312-488-9599 or email info@DGutzmannMD.com to register.

Monday, December 15 FREE REIKI SHARE FOR THE PUBLIC.Mon, Dec 15. Time: 6 to 8 PM, FREE Equilibrium owner Bernadette Doran explains how Reiki helps stress, sleep disorders, chronic disease, cancer and more. Free mini-treatment. Registration is required; call 312-786-1882. Equilibrium Energy + Education. 47 W. Polk St., Chicago. www.equiibrium-e3.com.

Friday-Saturday, December 12-13

Wednesday, December 17

SHAMAN’S DREAM: December 12th from 3-8 pm, December 13th from 10-5 pm. Michael and Mary Whitcomb of Shaman’s Dream will be at Crystal River Gifts with some of their unique and rare stones, crystals, and assorted merchandise, selected to help you find gifts for those ‘hard to get for’ people on your holiday shopping list. Crystal River Gifts 310 N LaFox Street, South Elgin, IL 60177. 224-535-8708. www.CrystalRiverGifts.com.

MUSCLE TESTING, INTUITION & A.K., INSIGHT AWARENESS, 6:30-8:30pm, $20/$30 for 2 people. (2CE’s), Tom Masbaum, www.EFT-Tom.com 708-955-3634.

“When you do what you fear most, then you can do anything.”

Stephen Richards

Thursday, December 18 BURNING BOWL CEREMONY WITH GUIDED MEDITATION - 7-8pm Burr Ridge Suggested Love Offering $10.

The Burning Bowl Ceremony is a traditional ritual of release and letting go of what does not serve us now. It gives the opportunity for renewal and releasing everything in your life that is holding you back, especially negative thoughts and emotions, bad habits and unhealthy relationships. It is an extremely transformative Conscious Community - www.ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com 31

experience. Come join us in releasing the past and celebrating the future. Instructor: Walter Perschke Location : Spiritual Learning Center. Burr Ridge details available when registering 312-786-0077 or send us email requesting the Burr Ridge address SpiritualLearningCenter@gmail.com FREE PARKING. www.SpiritualLearningCenter.com.

GUARANTEED STRESS RELEASE FOR THE HOLIDAYS, Insight Awareness, Homewood, 6:30-8:30pm, $20/$30 for 2 people. (2CE’s), Tom Masbaum, www.EFT-Tom.com 708-955-3634.

THURSDAY NIGHT MEDITATIONS ***NEW NIGHT*** GONG MEDITATION with Andre Peraza, 6:30 – 7:30 $10 Detoxify your mind and body from the stress of daily life. Enjoy a sonic massage that will soothe your soul and lift your spirit.

Experience the power of the gong with Gong Guru, Andres Peraza, an experienced percussionist for over 30 years. Wear comfortable clothing and bring your favorite pillow, blanket and an open mind. The Gong will do the rest. Crystal River Gifts 310 N LaFox Street, South Elgin, IL 60177. 224-535-8708. www.CrystalRiverGifts.com.

Thursday, December 25 HAPPY HOLIDAY! Share the spirit of peace and joy on this occasion of Merry Christmas with your acquaintances and loved ones.

Saturday-Sunday, December 27-28 DECEMBER INTUITIVE GALA ***New Hours*** 10am – 5pm December 27th and December 28th. All readings $35 for 25 minutes $70 for 50 minutes David Beck, Rose Wolf, Ken Bentley, Judith Brown, Roxanne Bjorklund (Saturday only), Fran Verzosa (Saturday only) Crystal River Gifts 310 N LaFox Street, South Elgin, IL 60177, 224-535-8708, www.CrystalRiverGifts.com.

ONGOING INTERNET RESOURCES CONSCIOUSCOMMUNITYMAGAZINE.COM Conscious Community online includes our print edition plus links to past issues.

Friday, December 19 BURNING BOWL CEREMONY WITH GUIDED MEDITATION - 7-8pm South Elgin Suggested Love Offering $10. The Burning Bowl Ceremony is a traditional ritual of release and letting go of what does not serve us now. It gives the opportunity for renewal and releasing everything in your life that is holding you back, especially negative thoughts and emotions, bad habits and unhealthy relationships. It is an extremely transformative experience. Come join us in releasing the past and celebrating the future. Instructor: Walter Perschke Location : Crystal River Gifts 310 N LaFox Street, South Elgin, IL 60177.

224-535-8708. www.CrystalRiverGifts.com FREE PARKING. www.SpiritualLearningCenter.com SpiritualLearningCenter@gmail.com 312-786-0077.

Friday-Sunday, December 19-21 2014 WOMEN’S WINTER SOLSTICE CHAKRA RETREAT - Celebrate the holidays in a unique way with our all-inclusive women’s healing weekend! Chakra activities, acupuncture, intuitive readings, massage, past life regression, yoga nidra, Tai Chi, fire ceremony, much more! Southeastern Wisconsin.

More info: www.mindsoulandself.com/Retreats.html or mindsoulandself@yahoo.com or 608-393-7353.

Sunday, December 21 A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER! December 21st, Barbara Marx Hubbard 85th Birthday Rare, Intimate Celebration at Private Residence www.cechicagoland.org or 847-660-4454 WINTER SOLSTICE YULE RITUAL & POTLUCK FEAST

by Pagan Unity at 5:00pm Elgin Unitarian Universalist Church.

Suggested Donation $5.00. https://www.facebook.com/silvermoontones.

32 Conscious Community - December 2014

INTEGRATIVE

HEALING

CENTER

Experience a powerful Hawaiian healing treatment Treatments can heal anything on physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, subconscious & unconscious levels

Kathy Georgen

Certified Kahuna ARCH Teacher/Practitioner E-mail: kathy@rainbowhealer.com

CLASSES Deep Matrix Healing I February 7-8 Kahuna ARCH Healing (Level 1) March 14-15

34930 Rt 45, Suite 102, Lake Villa, IL 847-687-7886

WWW.RAINBOWHEALER.COM

Lightworkers Classified Directory

AKASHIC RECORDS

CRYSTAL RIVER GIFTS offers an eclectic assortment of books, meditation ILLUMINATIONS ON YOUR PATH CD’s, essential oils, jewelry, crystals and THROUGH SHERYL RAK - sharing much more. The services that we provide information, suggestions, and answers to include astrology sessions, tarot readings, your questions and concerns through Spirit psychic readings, pet readings, Reiki, and and the Akashic Records. By phone, skype, reflexology. Address: 310 N. La Fox Street, or in person Chicago: 773-283-8349, $60 South Elgin, IL 60177. 224-535-8708.

PayPal or Cash. www.SherylRak.com. www.crystalrivergifts.com.

ANIMAL COMMUNICATOR

ENLIGHTENED BALANCE IS A SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOUR DESTINATION - featuring a wide variety ANIMAL! Through me your animal of Nurturing Classes, Natural Products, will answer all you questions regards Eclectic Gifts, Local Artist’s Art and to health, behavior, attitudes and more!

Jewelry and Private Wellness in a truly Psychic readings for people too!

Unique “BOUTIQUE” Environment!

773-499-4909 • ChristineGoldman.com.

PSYCHIC Intuitive Readings and Reiki along with other Wellness Options offered AROMATHERAPY DAILY. Please learn more about us at www.EnlightenedBalance.com or stop THE SCENTUARY - Inspiring health, in and see us at 30 North Williams Street wellness, happiness, freedom, and perfect in the Brink Street Market in Historic self-expression through the healing art of Downtown Crystal Lake. 815-307-1180. aromatherapy. Custom fragrances; natural products. www.thescentuary.com THE EDGAR CAYCE HOLISTIC Call 773-643-1425.

CENTER AND BOOKSTORE. At Unity Northwest Church, 259 E. Central Rd., BOOKS & METAPHYSICAL STORES Des Plaines, 60016. 847-299-6535.

AREChicagoCenter@gmail.com , CRYSTAL EARTH ROCK SHOP. 207 S. www.AREheartland.com.

Hale, Wheaton, IL. 630-588-4009. www.CrystalEarth-Wheaton.com.

STYX AND STONZ, 1758 W. Algonquin Rd. Hoffman Estates, IL 60195.

847-358-9975. www.styxstonz.com.

COUNSELING JOEL GRONER PSY.D. - 25 years Licensed Psychologist Emotional Healing sessions trained by Thomas Gates. Free 20 minutes Emotional Healing phone introduction. Deep relaxation peace and stillness. Locations: Arlington HeightsNorthbrook. 847-604-4069. www.drjoelgroner.com.

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS CRYSTAL RIVER GIFTS offers an eclectic assortment of books, meditation CD’s, essential oils, jewelry, crystals and much more. The services that we provide include astrology sessions, tarot readings, psychic readings, pet readings, Reiki, and reflexology. Address: 310 N. La Fox Street, South Elgin, IL 60177. 224-535-8708. www.crystalrivergifts.com.

ENLIGHTENED BALANCE IS A SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT DESTINATION - featuring a wide variety of Nurturing Classes, Natural Products, Eclectic Gifts, Local Artist’s Art and Jewelry and Private Wellness in a truly Unique “BOUTIQUE” Environment!

PSYCHIC Intuitive Readings and Reiki along with other Wellness Options offered DAILY. Please learn more about us at www.EnlightenedBalance.com or stop in and see us at 30 North Williams Street

LIGHTWORKERS CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY

The Lightworkers Classified Directory provides listings of a wide variety of practitioners, products, and services available to our readers.

Lightworkers listings are $1.00 per word with 20 words minimum. Copy may be submitted by email or regular mail.

Check or credit card information must accompany your insertion unless you are submitting it by email. In that case, please call with your credit card information to finalize your listing.

Please call: 847-966-1110 or send your listings to: Kasia@ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com by the 10th of the month prior to publication.

Conscious Community - www.ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com 33

in the Brink Street Market in Historic Downtown Crystal Lake. 815-307-1180.

ENERGY HEALING

Joe Jarnol - (773) 465-9014 West Rogers Park BLUE ISLAND CENTER - Peggy Ford (708) 776-3139. Old Masonic Temple – Suite 224 12757 S. Western Avenue. Saturdays 10:00 am to 2:00pm.

Every 3rd Sunday – 11:00am to 1:00pm.

THE SPIRITUAL LEARNING CENTER (SLC) is here to offer you the opportunity to study with like-minded people in emotionally safe environments. SLC strives to provide learning opportunities based on expansive concepts that challenge and amplify mainstream knowledge and experience. We offer the chance to learn about things that you may have always been curious about, but haven’t known where to go for answers. To check our classes, please go to our website at www.SpiritualLearningCenter.com or call 312-786-0077. 47 W. Polk Street, Suite 153, Chicago, IL 60605.

NAN ACTIPES, Certified Master Practitioner of Yuen Method, Balances Body, Mind and Spirit on 6 levels. For Information Call: 312-802-6244.

FAIRS & EXPOS

INTERNET RESOURCES

PAST LIFE REGRESSION

THE WORLD OF FAERIES11TH FESTIVAL is now taking early bird applications to be a vendor at the festival August 1st and 2nd, 2015. Call 815-7881630 if interested.

CONSCIOUS COMMUNITY ADVERTISERS: Tap into an open and aware community by advertising your message in the Conscious Community Magazine! Calendar and Lightworkers Directory listings are due by the 10th of every month. Call Conscious Community at 847-966-1110 or see ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com for advertising information.

GREGORY PAXSON: Past Life Regression since 1977. Quickly achieve freedom from a myriad of issues and situations. Gain real spiritual growth.

See your life with new eyes. See me on YouTube. Information or appointment: 773-262-1168.

SUSAN WISEHART, LMFT, 25 years licensed therapist. Past/Between Lives regressions. Trained by Brian Weiss and Michael Newton. Des Plaines/Mundelein.

847-438-7878. www.susanwisehart.com.

COUNSELING SHERILYN ALEXANDER, MS OMC, Spiritual Counselor, Author, Journalist.

Please visit Sherilyn Alexander’s HOPE BLOOMS (www.lightblooms.com ) or e-mail to brightangel2012@outlook.com for information.

EFT – EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUES EFT WITH A GUARANTEE (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is a simple, rapid yet very effective process (gentle tapping).

Success Guaranteed in classes and individual sessions (over 5,000).

Tom Masbaum, www.EFT–Tom.com 708–955–3634, EFTwithTom@Gmail.com NAN ACTIPES, Certified Master Practitioner of Yuen Method, Balances Body, Mind and Spirit on 6 levels. For Information Call 312-802-6244.

34 Conscious Community - December 2014

RECONNECTIVE HEALING – a life-changing experience! Go beyond traditional energy healing and experience the benefits of these evolutionary frequencies for yourself. Mimi Broihier, certified practitioner. 224-388-4494 or 224-484-8808. Travel to you or northwest suburbs studio.

HEALTH SERVICES ALTERNATIVE HEALING & WELLNESS DR. THERESA R. PETER, D.C., M.S., REIKI MASTER, AND CERTIFIED ACUPUNCTURIST is dedicated to finding a holistic, comprehensive solution to your unique needs by way of Clinically Designed Nutrition, Muscle-Testing, Chiropractic, and Acupuncture. Also a provider of Lipo-Laser and Zaaz Whole Vibration Machine. Visit www.healthupwellness.com or call 773-481-3950.

HOLISTIC HEALING SERVICES Providing massage therapy, healing, ionic detox ($19/hr), Weight-loss, and Body Balancing. Insurance Accepted! http://www.h2oholistic.com/.

Call 773-664-8683.

J O H R E I - EXPECT A MIRACLE! Relieve Stress – Improve Health – Enjoy Well Being! A preventative therapy to balance mind, body and spirit. Physical, emotional and spiritual health can then improve rapidly. JOHREI is FREE for the asking. Love donations are deeply appreciated, and used for JOHREI expansion. NORTHSIDE CHICAGO CENTER -

HYPNOSIS ADVANCED HYPNOTISM by awardwinning, Board Certified Diplomate of the National Guild of Hypnotists. Specializing in difficult cases, including supportive medical hypnosis. Get our Free Report to learn more. www.CSGiles.org or call (630) 668-1141.

CONSCIOUSCOMMUNITYMAGAZINE.COM

Conscious Community online includes our print edition plus links to past issues.

INTUITIVE ARTS SPIRITUAL INTUITIVE CONSULTATION WITH SHERYL RAK - answering your questions, concerns through Spirit and Akasha, by phone, Skype, Chicago in-person. $60 PayPal or cash. 773-283-8349. www.SherylRak.com.

MEDIUMS MEDIUM AND LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER - Have you wanted to contact your deceased loved ones? Available for individual appointments, parties and events. Call Andrea at 312-328-6655.

MARK TROY - Mark is an evidential medium that offers Mediumship and psychic readings in person everyday (Hickory Hills, IL) and via Skype. Contact him at www.marktroymedium.com.

PSYCHICS

SCHOOLS & LEARNING CENTERS

ENLIGHTENED BALANCE IS A SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT DESTINATION - featuring a wide variety of Nurturing Classes, Natural Products, Eclectic Gifts, Local Artist’s Art and Jewelry and Private Wellness in a truly Unique “BOUTIQUE” Environment!

PSYCHIC Intuitive Readings and Reiki along with other Wellness Options offered DAILY. Please learn more about us at www.EnlightenedBalance.com or stop in and see us at 30 North Williams Street in the Brink Street Market in Historic Downtown Crystal Lake. 815-307-1180.

THE SPIRITUAL LEARNING CENTER (SLC) is here to offer you the opportunity to study with like-minded people in emotionally safe environments. SLC strives to provide learning opportunities based on expansive concepts that challenge and amplify mainstream knowledge and experience. We offer the chance to learn about things that you may have always been curious about, but haven’t known where to go for answers. To check our classes, please go to our website at www.SpiritualLearningCenter.com or call 312-786-0077. 47 W. Polk Street, Suite 153, Chicago, IL 60605.

MARK TROY - PSYCHIC READINGS will involve current situation, career, relationship, etc. as well as communicate with those that have crossed over. www.marktroymedium.com.

PSYCHIC / MEDIUM - Available for in-person / phone readings, group events / parties, corporate readings / events.

BS in Psychology. To set up an appointment please go to: www. foryourhighergood.com or call: ANITA @ 312-420-8969.

MEDICAL INTUITIVE ANGEL MESSAGES - 815315-0025. Love Offering. “Your intuition is heightened, the moment you call in!” Private Sessions with Cellular Memory Release available via Skype (IntuitiveStrategist). Share your love, encouragement and insight with us at www.Facebook.com/ BusySpiritualSeekers.

PAST LIFE HEALING BARRET HEDEEN, PAST LIFE HEALING - You are the master of your own destiny, but your pastlives can keep you from seeing all possibilities. Free 10-minute phone reading for you! Are you ready for a soul healing? Call 847-951-6328. www.BarretHedeen.com.

TAROT DESTINY TAROT® BY DONA MURPHY - accurate and insightful readings. In person, by phone, parties and events too. 847-735-1718; or www.dstnytarot.com for appointment.

KASSANDRA’S TAROT READINGS is back!! Experienced intuitive for private readings. Fun and exciting party entertainer. 847-289-0811 https://www.silvermoontones.com/.

VIDEO PRODUCTIONS VIDEO PRODUCTION PRANAYAMA PRODUCTIONS is a fun and professional conscious video production company. We specialize in creating video content for products & services that aid in the growth of humanity. Video is key in today’s world, and the world needs to know about you.

Visit us @ PranayamaProductions.com or 872-484-4561. Together We Are Stronger!

WELL-BEING AND EDUCATION RUAH CENTER offers a wide variety of classes and choices in healing modalities and spiritualities in pursuit of optimal health, peace and joy. Refer to our website (www.ruahcenter.com) for our many offerings. Located in the heart of Naperville, 1110 N. Washington, Naperville, IL 60563. Contact Jo Anderson at 630-640-6972.

Help Wanted Volunteers Needed

Are you a mover and a shaker? Are you an organized self-starter? Do you have a desire to help out, but you are not sure where your skills will be best suited?

The Conscious Community family is looking for assistance in the following areas: • ADMINISTRATION • SOCIAL MEDIA • EVENT SCHEDULING • EVENT SPONSORSHIP • NATIONAL CALENDAR COORDINATOR • IT EXPERTISE • CONFERENCE COORDINATOR • COPY EDITOR

Whether you can give 1 hour a month or 10 hours a month, we would love to have you join our team.

HELP WANTED – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! ARE YOU A MOVER AND A SHAKER? Are you an organized self-starter? Do you have a desire to help out, but you are not sure where your skills will be best suited? The Conscious Community family is looking for assistance in the following areas: Administration, Social Media, Event Scheduling, Event Sponsorship, National Calendar Coordinator, IT Expertise, Conference Coordinator, or Copy editor. Whether you can give 1 hour a month or 10 hours a month, we would love to have you join our team.

Please contact Kasia at Kasia@ ConsciousCommunityMagazine. com or call us at 847-966-1110.

Please contact Kasia at: Kasia@ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com or call us at 847-966-1110 Conscious Community - www.ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com 35

Yoga

From My Experience

by Cynthia Gran

Nature’s Hold

“How I pray, yes I pray, That I won’t get lost or go astray As I’m fated for the material world; Get frustrated in the material world.

Senses never gratified; only swelling like a tide, That could drown me in the material world.”

- Living In The Material World, George Harrison

Humans and animals are instinctively motivated by four natural urges that bind us to this world. They are self-preservation, sleep, sex, and food. Yoga psychology teaches that fears, emotions, desires, and poor habits are derived from imbalances in these four urges. Virtually all adverse behaviors can be traced to them. Yet, they need not control us in spirit.

“Fear is an impurity that colors the mind,” - Yoga Sutras, 2:9.

Sleep keeps the nervous system strong and the senses working properly. A stable sleep schedule is necessary for overall health.

Daily relaxation exercises also refresh the mind and body. A few very adept yogis practice sleep differently than most with a technique called yoga nidra. Yoga nidra rejuvenates the mind and body deeply, more efficiently and much quicker than the usual 6-9 hours of slumber most of us require. Neither too little nor too much sleep is helpful, because either could create fatigue, sloth, or laziness, which are considered transgressions in most of the world’s religions.

When we become conscious of the grasp these four basic urges have on us, humans can soar above what we share with animals, as evolution has already authorized. Once we understand these primitive urges and our attachments to them, we learn to consciously control them so their power over our lives is minimized. The Bhagavad Gita 4:9-10, teaches that humans are divine, but have forgotten this because we are focused on worldly attachments and fear. Further, it instructs us to satisfy the necessary, mundane needs of the body, such as the four urges, and then progress toward transcendent knowledge and actions through good karma, prayer and meditation.

Sex is a beautiful, bonding behavior. The mind thinks of sex first, and then the body reacts. Sex is necessary to continue the species and great effort is generated in the human and animal kingdoms to prepare, preen and attract a mate. Desire to procreate in humans is sometimes based on pride of legacy. People sometimes become self-centered or worried about their abilities. Some do not value sex as a sacred ritual or use it to manipulate others.

“We are beginning to recognize simultaneously Our many human weaknesses and our many divine strengths…

We are not bound by the physical level, unless we choose to be.”

- Illuminata, Marianne Williamson

Food eaten by yogis is fresh, unadulterated and taken in moderate quantities. Eating well is a means to a healthy body, regulated breath and a clear mind. When the body is well nourished and exercised, it tolerates sitting for meditation without agitation.

The body needs food first, and then the mind reacts. But even top quality food is unwholesome when too much is eaten, causing illness.

To illustrate, we begin with the urge that is linked to the other three. Self-preservation is the urge to protect and insure safety of the body. The nesting instinct, saving for the future, sufficiently clothing the body, and protecting the home are all self-preservation. We monitor the space where we eat, sleep and have sex because self-preservation is related to fear of attack and we can be vulnerable during all three activities. Fear is also worry about losing what we have or not getting what we want. Yoga teaches that all fear is rooted in the fear of death, but this sometimes becomes distorted and leads to other, often unwarranted fears. Yogis examine all fears and cultivate courage, believing that fear invites danger.

36 Conscious Community - December 2014

“Do not mistake the temporary of this world for the eternal, or the impure for the pure,” - Yoga Sutras, 2:5.

Psychologist Abraham Maslow taught in his Hierarchy of Needs something similar to the four urges. In his paradigm, after basic human needs of physiology and safety, and then middle needs of belonging and esteem are fulfilled, we can pursue the highest level, self-actualization. Self-actualization includes creativity, morality, and attaining one’s full potential. Of course, meeting the basic needs of life is challenging to many people and Maslow’s paradigm has had its critics. Yet, modern psychology agrees that as people age we become more religious. We reduce household

items, minimize unneeded habits that served past goals and lend new efforts toward spirituality.

Yoga teaches that if we decide to break our attachments to this world, then we will have decided to be happy and no longer be victims of fears. When we consciously cultivate self-control, then nature and its urges no longer limit us to this plane of existence.

We arrive at freedom by non-attachment while living in the world, consistently adjusting and regulating our behaviors. We work to understand our motivations, because habits are not our fate. Then life opens and there is time to pursue spiritual and creative endeavors; time for beauty, prayer and meditation.

“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp. Or what’s a heaven for?”

- Andrea del Sarto, Robert Browning Questions for contemplation: Am I willing to sort out my fears and examine them?

Can I distinguish wants from needs?

Am I willing to renounce my attachment to worldly items?

Am I ready to surpass human weaknesses and limitations?

“GIVE THE FOLLOWING GIFTS: To your enemy . . .forgiveness.

To your opponent . . .tolerance.

To a friend . . . your heart.

To a customer . . . service.

To all men . . .charity.

To every child . . . a good example.

To yourself . . .respect” Author Unknown

Cynthia Gran loves to cook and garden. She teaches superconscious meditation and offers clear, supportive Ayurvedic consultations. Co-owner of Annapurna Holistic Services, she can be reached at cynthy3@gmail.com.

Conscious Community - www.ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com 37

From the Heart Pray to be Wrong

by Alan Cohen

I had a neighbor I saw as a nasty alcoholic. Brenda would regularly sit around the kitchen table with her husband, drink, and complain. I did not find any good in her. Then she and her husband took in a young man to live with them. Mark helped the older couple around the house and stayed with them for years.

When Brenda passed away several years later, Mark told me, “Brenda was one of the kindest people I have ever known. She and her husband treated me like a son. I will always remember and love her.” In that moment I realized how skewed was my interpretation of Brenda. I was focusing on one aspect of her that brought me pain to consider. Mark, on the other hand, had focused on an aspect of Brenda that brought him joy. Each of us was reaping the result of our interpretation. From that moment on I began to think of Brenda as a kind person, which has brought me peace.

A Course in Miracles tells us that perception is not a fact, but an interpretation. The world we see is determined by the kind of vision we use to observe it. When we view the world as unsafe and threatening, populated by ignorant, evil people, we will find plenty of evidence to prove our assumption. All belief systems are self-validating. If, on the other hand, we view the world as a place of kindness, filled with people willing and able to make life easier for each other, that is the world we will experience. An infinite variety of realities exist simultaneously. The one we live in is the one we focus on.

If the reality you are currently living in is not bringing you joy, abundance, connection, and healing, pray to be wrong about the judgments that form the platform of your beliefs. You cannot simultaneously be right about your limits and your possibilities.

For one to proliferate, you must release the other. Jesus said, “A man cannot serve two masters. He will hate one and love the other.” You can live in but one belief system at a time. Jesus also said, “Choose ye this day whom you will serve.” Ultimately there are only two belief systems: love and fear. You are either serving love or serving fear. Nothing in between.

Last summer a crazed gunman killed the parents and four siblings of fifteen-year-old Cassidy Stay, and, after shooting her, left her for dead. Miraculously she survived. At her family’s funeral service she quoted Harry Potter’s mentor Dumbledore: “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” This young woman made an extraordinary choice about how she would process such a horrendous ordeal. She chose love. On the day I read the news article about her eulogy I was upset about a credit card bill. Suddenly my upset felt absolutely trivial. I realized that if Cassidy could choose love in the face of such a terrible 38 Conscious Community - December 2014

experience, I could choose love over far lesser challenges.

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling heard about Cassidy’s oration and sent her a personal handwritten letter in purple ink from Dumbledore, a wand, and several autographed books. While these gifts could not undo the tragedy the young woman underwent, they demonstrate our power to soften each other’s pain. “What are we here for but to make life easier for one another?”

This holiday season you will have plenty of opportunities to pray to be wrong about what’s wrong and to be right about what’s working or what could work. You will have many chances to make life easier for yourself and others. You may experience the stress and pressure of shopping for holiday gifts; crowded travel during high season; family upsets, feuds, and dramas; financial fears; and handling end-of-year details. The season of joy, for many people, is not so joyful. This would be a fabulous time to remember that perception is not a fact, but an interpretation.

When faced with fear, anger, or guilt in yourself or another, ask yourself, “Is there another way to look at this that would bring me more ease, relief, or peace?” If there is, pray to be wrong about the way you have been looking at the event so you can see it from a new, more healing perspective. A Course in Miracles asks us, “Would you rather be right, or happy?”

The approach of the New Year brings a powerful invitation to let go of the limits that have kept us feeling small during the past year, and replace them with greater possibilities for the new year. Pray to be wrong about everything that hasn’t worked in your life, so you can be right about everything that could work, and will. Bless the old year for leading you to the new one, for both the challenges and blessings have lifted you to higher ground. As you consider what hasn’t made you happy, heed the profound advice of Kahlil Gibran: “Knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away.”

A happy and blessed holiday season and New Year to you and yours.

Alan Cohen is the author of many inspirational books, including I Had it All the Time: When Self-Improvement Gives Way to Ecstasy. Join Alan’s upcoming Life Coach Training Program to become a professional life coach or incorporate life coaching skills in your career or personal life, join. For more information about this program, Hawaii retreats, Alan’s books, free daily inspirational quotes, and his weekly radio show, visit www.alancohen.com, email info@alancohen.com

Getting a Grip on Anxiety: Enter the New Year Without Anything Holding You Back; the Process May Not Be Easy, but It is Simple.

by Dr. Denee Jordan, PSY.D When it comes to really changing the behaviors, thoughts, and feelings we have been rehearsing for years, the work required can be significant. After all, chances are, if you have an anxiety disorder, you are pretty good at feeling nervous and afraid. Think of all the energy you have used up suffering from your fear.

What would happen if you put as much energy into practicing new behaviors? Anxiety disorders are very persistent and can produce tremendous suffering. Anxiety is natural; debilitating anxiety is not. In fact, basic anxiety is necessary. It is our chemical preparation for potential danger. The more anxious we feel, the more we lose our ability to use our human intellect and the more prepared we become to protect ourselves from lifethreatening danger; much like a wild animal. I like to think of it as awareness moving from the ‘front’ of the brain (location of rational, reasonable thinking), to the ‘back’ of the brain (location of basic survival).

When looking at anxiety disorders it is very important to see how the stimulus-reaction cycle becomes progressively worse. The reason being is that the more anxious we become, the more we lose our ability to rationally manage our feelings and the less faith we have in our ability to do so. A person becomes afraid of fear itself and begins to live at a progressively more intensive, baseline state of anxiety, which in turn, makes them more susceptible to a full-blown panic attack. Without intentionally breaking the cycle, it frequently happens again and the baseline anxiety goes up even further.

When we lived in the wild, a rapid shift from intellect to ‘fight, flee, or freeze’, was absolutely necessary; however in modern society, it can create a myriad of problems. We are seldom in truly life-threatening situations. The interesting thing is that panic is a reaction to help prevent us from dying, but it is so uncomfortable it feels like we are dying. In fact, a panic attack itself can be much more uncomfortable than the supposed danger, and eventually the panic attack itself becomes the danger. Because panic is at the end of the Survival Spectrum, the part of the brain that can discern the difference between a life-threatening situation and one that isn’t, has already been disengaged. This is why logic can seem so useless when trying to manage a panic attack. It is supposed to be like this so we are in the optimal defensive state. In many ways, it can be compared to going into shock when the body is badly injured.

The message from the body and the brain is that there is imminent, life-threatening danger. Eventually, the brain automatically associates this feeling of terror with a ‘trigger’, or cause, in order to avoid this danger in the future. We believe the cause of our panic attack is this trigger; when, in fact, the cause of our panic attack is our lack of ability to recognize and regulate our feelings or fear responses. Panic attacks do not come out of nowhere. They are at the end of a progressive survival continuum. There can also be many contributing factors, besides the trigger, that can intensify the anxiety such as fatigue, hunger, illness, etc.; all of which need to be taken into consideration as well.

Eventually a person completely loses faith in his/her ability to respond in healthy, manageable ways to general stress and/ or the trigger. S/he naturally tries to control the perceived danger (going outside, germs, becoming homosexual, eating certain foods, being dirty and so forth) and this leads to avoidant behavior, obsessive thinking, withdrawal and shame. It becomes a progressively vicious cycle.

People with Anxiety Disorders can often trace a history of ‘original anxiety’. In other words, there is frequently a significant level of anxiety s/he learned to have in their early years that they have carried with them. Remember, anxiety is a natural response to perceived danger, and perceived danger as a child can be significantly more intense than that of an adult. Children by nature lack the skill to adequately manage significant stress and anxiety and internalize it. Nearly every person I have worked with who has OCD or other anxiety disorders has a history of baseline nervousness. Again, recognition of baseline anxiety levels becomes an important part of recovery.

I ask my clients to use a rating scale for their anxiety levels 1 through 5: 1. Without bothersome anxiety 2. Noticeable anxiety- Able to function in usual activities 3. Anxiety is prevalent- Interfering in ability to engage in usual activities 4. Anxiety is extremely uncomfortable - Not able to function in usual activities. Conscious fear of having a Panic Attack 5. Panic Attack- Physical symptoms (rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, sweaty palms, lightheadedness, terror, and so forth)

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The use of a scale helps to contain the anxiety and helps a person to view his/her feelings more objectively. The scale is used as a reference point multiple times a day. The person begins to recognize more subtle fluctuations in feelings and practices prescribed skills to regulate them. The person then begins to build back self-trust and sees s/he is capable of experiencing different levels of day-to-day anxiety, recognizing it and regulating it. It is essential that the person sees that it is a loss of faith in their own ability to respond accordingly to people, places and situations that is the problem. They are afraid of their responses, not of the actual trigger. We wire the two things together in the brain when they are actually separate. The good news is that recovery is possible with compassion, courage, patience and commitment.

Recovery is very simple, but usually not easy. It involves a series of individualized physical and mental exercises to re-teach the brain how to respond to different levels of anxiety. These exercises are done daily and monitored and supported daily. The basic idea is that ‘Practice makes Progress’. The more a person practices his/her recovery, the more progress will be made. The goal is to restore a person’s ability to recognize and regulate his/her feelings in an effective, loving way. This recognition and regulation is done consistently whether or not there is an uncomfortable level of anxiety. Human beings function better when we remain in (or return to) the ‘front’ of our brains where

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we are able to calmly, rationally, deal with our lives. We are amazing creatures with amazing brains. We have anxiety attacks as a perfectly natural reaction to our perception of intense danger and our drive to survive. We can learn to respond differently as a natural part of our need to trust ourselves, feel safe, and evolve.

Anxiety can be crippling, but it is actually nature’s way of trying to protect us. With compassion and commitment, it is entirely possible to regain the ability to regulate a very natural response to life. It’s simply a matter of realizing that you had the key to recovery within you all along and trusting that you will always have the strength to overcome.

Dr. Denee Jordan, PSY.D is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and Marriage and Family Therapist. Dr. Jordan is the founder of Already Well, a progressive approach to treatment that works on the premise that no matter your present circumstance, you are already well.

“Nothing can hurt you unless you give it the power to do so” A Course in Miracles

In Print

by Kayla Hancock

The Yoga of Ghost Hunting- Tips and Techniques for Psychic Protection and More by Richard Salva (Crystal Clarity Publishers, $14.95, Paperback)

Dreaming With Polar Bears: Spirit Journeys With Animals Guides by Dawn Baumann Brunke (Bear & Company, $16.00, Paperback)

This book reveals various techniques rooted in the deep teachings of yoga that will help you manage spiritual occurrences.

Learn how to protect yourself using aura clearing practices, mantras, meditations, and visualizations so that you can explore your paranormal interests with courage and fearlessness.

Dreams can reveal a lot to us about our inner world. This book explores different dreaming techniques to help people engage in lucid dreaming, dream recall, shared dreamscapes, and even forming dream relationships with other species.

The Sky and the Earth Touched Me by Joseph Bharat Cornell (Crystal Clarity Publishers, $16.95, Paperback)

Full Spectrum Intelligence: A Practical Course on Behaving Wisely and Well by Chris Thomson (Changemakers Books, $14.95, Paperback)

This book enables people to discover and deepen their connection with nature. Various exercises are described that help people to open up their hearts and find appreciation for all of creation.

This book explains the six main forms of intelligence and how to maximize these and your other senses to thrive in today’s world.

All You Need is Less by Madeleine Somerville (Viva Editions, $12.88, Paperback)

Heaven on Earth by Suzie Price (BalboaPressAU, $15.22, Paperback) This collection of experiences and insights from Australian psychic, Suzie Price, sheds light on both positive and negative experiences throughout her spiritual journey.

She also shares her knowledge on spiritual topics to help readers develop there own psychic awareness as well as view life with a fresh perspective.

Raising Abel by Ronald Ragotzy, MD (BalboaPress, $13.99, Paperback) The world is not perfect, but it is something greater than that. It is because of this imperfection that we have faith. In this book, Ragotzy uses the Genesis stories to describe spiritual development from a perspective that believes spirituality and science can coexist in harmony.

This book provides creative ways to go green and save green! Different money-saving DIY projects range from home-made deodorizing dog spray to delicious eco-friendly recipes.

Scorpio Moons by Helen Noble (Soul Rocks Books, $18.95, Paperback) This book includes a collection of tales that reveals the deep, intense energy of women born with the moon in Scorpio. The stories of these passionate individuals in search of self-empowerment draw on the magical topics of astrology, dreams, and therapy and casts a light that showcases the hidden drives behind their deeds.

Conscious Community - www.ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com 41

The Immortal Mind: Science and the Continuity of Consciousness beyond the Brain by Ervin Laszlo and Anthony Peake There is, in fact, scientific evidence that suggests that we are more than our physical bodies. This book provides evidence such as NDE’s (near death experiences), reincarnation, after death communication, and other information recovered from altered states of consciousness that proves that our souls live on after we go through the change called death.

42 Conscious Community - December 2014

Medical Uses of Marijuana by Joseph W. Jacon, B.A., M.P.A. (Trafford, $20.66, Paperback) Medical marijuana can provide countless health benefits to those who utilize it. This book provides a fuller understanding of the various health benefits and current taboo associated with this natural drug.

December 2014

COSMIC DAILY WEATHER

by Kelley Hunter

COSMIC DAILY WEATHER 2014 - Now Available Cosmic Daily Weather 2014 Day-to-Day Astrological Guidance for Everyone

After a charged up and somewhat volatile 5-week passage through Capricorn, Mars has significantly altered the ground plan. This planet of action enters Aquarius on the 4th, where it generates a lot of electricity, potentially in the shape of storms, as well as social networking. We will soon be able to see Venus, the Evening Star, as she comes out from the Sun’s light, blossoming like a Christmas cactus. On the 10th, Venus moves into Natureloving Capricorn, the sign in which it started 2014. We may revisit some of the issues we were experiencing at the beginning of this year. How has your plan changed between then and now?

A week later Mercury joins Venus in Capricorn on the 16th, for some pragmatic thinking and application. These days, let us remember, any planet in Capricorn is going to meet up with Pluto, a telluric energy that changes things from the inside out and the bottom up. From the 19th-26th, Venus and Mercury visit Pluto’s hot spot and the Pluto-Uranus Square.

It doesn’t matter what sign you are or how much you know about Astrology,

COSMIC DAILY WEATHER 2014 is a useful guide for you. * Daily interpretations of planetary patterns in plain English with minimal use of astrological terminology. * Written for Central Time with alternate time zone instructions. * Moon Tables for all four U.S. Time Zones, include New & Full Moons plus Moon Changes & Void of Course Moons. * A dash of poetry and musical suggestions.

Kelley Hunter, Ph.D, C.A.P.

There is a time to every purpose under Heaven Astrology seeks to reveal that time and that purpose, interpreting astronomical data in relation to our experience on planet Earth.

As a cosmic language, Astrology expands awareness of universal patterns so that we move in harmony with the ever-changing rhythms of life. As a tool for self-awareness, Astrology reveals the larger meaning of our personal and collective experience.

In these exceptional times, we need a broad perspective and all the guidance available to navigate through the turbulent seas of change. COSMIC DAILY WEATHER 2014 gives useful insights to help you through this coming year.

by Kelley Hunter, Ph.D., C.A.P.

www.MonthlyAspectarian.com TheMonthlyAspectarian@gmail.com (847) 966-1110

$19.95 ISBN 978-0-9912431-0-5

51995>

9 780991 243105

December 2014 Overview December starts out with a big bang as the Moon in Aries joins explosive Uranus, and the major Uranus-Pluto Square. Midmonth those two planets make another exact interaction, for one of the most powerful days of the year. A number of planetary sign changes and directional shifts usher in such a new the energy that it starts feeling like a new year. Winter Solstice on the 21st has a very strong sense of being just that and was celebrated as the New Year in days of yore. As the Sun turns around to head south, the darkest, shortest days of the year turn toward the light and a sense of new beginnings. The fiery Sagittarian spirit generates a lot of motivation and creativity in the first part of the month, with strong interest in the arts and in sports. Jupiter turns retrograde on the 8th, shining a momentary spotlight on public figures who then step back off the world stage for some months.

The Sun enters Capricorn on the 21st, marking Winter Solstice.

Uranus turns direct that same day, to forward the revolutionary and evolutionary cause. Just a few days earlier, on the 15th, this Revolutionary Awakener planet made the sixth of seven exact dynamic squares with Pluto, the Transformer, another major turning of the wheel in the redesign of the world as we used to know it. We’ve got the last of those pivotal points coming up in March of 2015.

That Big Square is clearly significant, but equally so is the sign change of Saturn into Sagittarius on the 23rd, after 26 months of deep examination in Scorpio. We have had to clean out a lot of closets, literally and metaphorically, letting go of much obsolete internal and external “stuff.” Entering Sagittarius, Saturn sets up a new agenda that takes us into the New Year. In goal-oriented Sagittarius, Saturn sets up reachable targets to keep us moving forward on our vision. It can also confront us with belief systems that are hampering progress on many fronts. Some people will become more rigid and righteous, while others expand their

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horizons with new experiences, through study or globetrotting.

What are you aiming for in 2015? Make your New Year’s resolutions with your sights aligned. A month of very short Void of Course Moon respites offers little down time as we keep up a rapid pace toward the 2014 finish line.

Monday, December 1

The month starts with energetic fireworks set off by the Moon’s meet up with Uranus, thus also a challenge from Pluto. There’s a lot of motivation behind the change curve today, with unexpected developments that meet popular applause. There is an overall feeling that things are heading in the right direction, at long last.

Let us not be overly enthusiastic, though, as it is necessary to incorporate changes into our operating strategy, not always the easiest thing to do. Don’t believe all the news, which can be misleading hype. Put out your own public relations materials today, especially if you are offering something that meets popular trends. It is a good night for new fiction and movie releases, with some inspiring storylines coming out on the big screen. Also watch for good music and exciting sports events.

Tuesday, December 2

High motivation and inspiration continue for a productive day, another good one for sports and artistic modalities. Get out there yourself and use some of this good energy. How about trying something new, just for fun. Dancing, anyone? Many projects and businesses are making great strides this week. Certain visionary leaders or groups may claim attention for promoting initiatives that catch the public interest, ready to spread like wildfire. Not all claims are valid. Look at the realistic consequences before you sign up. Certain of these people or situations may not live up to their promises. Some of us push for further results even after an evening Void of Course Moon begins at 8:43pm. Better to take a look at gains have been made and deal with any testy dynamics that linger. These largely dissipate with the Moon’s entry into Taurus at 11:15pm. Call it a night.

Wednesday, December 3

We become more aware of the practical considerations of any ideas on the table. Some are simply not feasible, lacking funds, person-power or some other necessary support. We can gather needed resources to realize our goals or rework the idea into something attainable. Rather than allow our creative enthusiasm to dissipate, let’s channel it into meaningful progress. A timetable will be useful to monitor our progress, as some of these initiatives will be months or years in the making. If it’s worth doing, let’s go for it. More information may be needed to turn vision into reality.

A continuing theme of artistic inspiration continues, with some special, original works being produced and widely enjoyed.

Thursday, December 4

Use the continuing productive thrust to get as much done today as possible, taking advantage of this last day of strongly grounded Mars energy. There’s no need to be discouraged that the vision exceeds the reach as of yet. It’s a grand vision and will take some time to come to fruition. The action planet makes a move into Aquarius at 5:58pm, where it generates social activity and a likely change in the weather. Unusual ideas grab attention 44 Conscious Community - December 2014

and the airwaves. The assertive or aggressive energy of Mars puts its force behind collaborative efforts, social networking and technologies. Particular organizations or groups make their views or inventions known. Community action is on the rise. As we come together we can accomplish more and get closer to our common goals.

Friday, December 5

A short Void of Course Moon in the early hours, 12:46-4:28am, passes largely unnoticed by most. A Gemini Moon then pops up with a variety of activities and interactions, generating a multitude of ideas, questions, gossip, and information, multitasking and busy-ness. Spontaneous, light-hearted moments, spiced with a sense of humor, can open surprisingly apt insights.

There is an excitement in the air and on the airwaves. Social media and news program are buzzing with new trends. Innovative political and organizational affiliations open new potentials. It is easy to be deceived by something that sounds good, but doesn’t make the grade. Don’t lose your edge by indulging in substances that distract your attention. There is a crisis point for some in relation to addictive issues.

Saturday, December 6

FULL MOON AT 15 SAGITTARIUS-GEMINI, 6:27AM CST Gemini gathers pieces of the puzzle and Sagittarius puts them together to reveal the bigger picture. Gemini brings an open mind to encounters and experiences, while Sagittarian entrenched belief systems can sometimes be self-righteously narrow. Gemini has curiosity to explore options, whereas Sagittarius can be so intent on the goal that it fails to enjoy the journey. On the other hand, with that keen eye on the goal, Sagittarius keeps a sense of direction, when Gemini can be easily distracted and lose the way. Chiron, an odd little body in the solar system, has a strong impact on this Full Moon. Mythically known as the Wounded Healer, Chiron seeks holistic alignment of body-mind-spirit, suggesting a critical moment to address unhealed issues. We might be contending with intolerance, be it racial, religious, gender, sexual, or other, that needs to be overcome. Compassion and understanding from the heart are keys to the quantum shift in progress. We are all in this together. There is a new way to go.

As we turn a major collective corner, new vistas appear in front of us. In any projects that we are engaged in, new voices and viewpoints offer perspectives that help us move beyond stuck points. It might be the most unusual, out-of-the-box suggestions that do the trick. Watch for synchronicities, like clues on your path, confirming that you are cosmically connected. Many join together in Full Moon ceremonies around the globe, raising the vibrational tone and shifting the energy. We may be experiencing a heightened influx of cosmic frequencies through this whole Moon cycle.

Sunday, December 7

The Void of Course Moon at 3:53am leaves some disharmony in the air, as we remain at a critical turning point in our collective healing. Mercury is in the heart of the Sun today, evoking core intuitive wisdom. There is an extraordinary potential to open our cosmic vision to universal truths that are at the heart of all religions, a perspective that can resolve contentious issues. There

may be some solar impact today from powerful flares or a huge surge from the interstellar cloud our solar system has entered.

The Moon moves into Cancer at 11:34am, bringing our attention back home to our personal circumstances, pulling us down from the clouds and higher stratospheres to take care of immediate needs. Relax, tune yourself like the fine instrument that you are, and go with the flow of the day.

Others will join their loved ones under this affectionate Moon sign.

Wednesday, December 10

Monday, December 8

Mercury continues in the heart of the Sun, emitting cosmic messages from solar headquarters. Jupiter enhances this potential, as it has stopped its forward movement to turn retrograde. At a still point, Jupiter beams its attention like a magnifying glass focusing sunlight so intensely that a flame bursts to life. So do inspirations and insights. Jupiter also focuses attention on leaders, artists or other notable figures that hold center stage for the week.

More and more forward-looking initiatives that meet the criteria of the Uranus-Pluto Square are sprouting everywhere. This is another one of “those” days, when the Moon plugs into the global change pattern. Our sense of security may be challenged as the big picture alters yet again. We are heading toward another exact square of the two outer planets next week. We clearly feel it today. What does this mean to you?

Tuesday, December 9

Mercury lingers a little longer in the heart of the Sun, continuing to convey universal wisdom through our imaginations. Do you believe it? This alchemical alignment has the capacity to change our perceptions. Today the Sun-Mercury Magician joins up with another celestial factor that I would like to introduce into the discussion. CERES, named for the goddess of agriculture, has been long considered as the first discovered asteroid in the belt of thousands that orbit between Mars and Jupiter. This asteroid belt may be the remains of a small planet that was somehow shattered into pieces. During the same 2006 astronomical redefinition of the solar system that “demoted” Pluto from a full-fledged planet to the category of dwarf planet, Ceres was “promoted” from asteroid to dwarf planet. This was a hopeful event in the collective consciousness, raising the importance of Ceres and all that she represents. As Ceres grows the grain and feeds the people, body and soul, she has to do with food production and “soul” food. She was also a key goddess of the Eleusinian mysteries, an important and long-term esoteric cult in early Greece. Imagine that the Sun makes a halo today around this archetypal goddess, as she makes an important announcement.

Ceres stands atop the State Houses in both Missouri and Vermont, suggesting the possibility of key legislation in these states. The mystery teachings of Ceres are enlivened in some way, suggesting legal issues having to do with agriculture. A negative manifestation of Ceres is the GMO trend to genetically manipulate agricultural produce and assert corporate control over seed availability. Positive manifestations include organic farming, permaculture, urban gardens, herbal medicinals and other such natural means of growing foods. Ceres also oversees issues of the common good and public wellbeing, such as public healthcare and social security. The Moon goes Void of Course at 6:16pm, with a satisfying sense of accomplishment and resolution. Listen for some of these results in the evening news. The Moon enters Leo at 9:14pm. Some will enjoy a late night party or celebration.

The Moon in Leo enhances the positive mood of the last week, uplifting our spirits along with the several planets in the fire signs—Sagittarius, Aries and Leo. We see a lot of positive developments during this month. Venus changes sign, heading into Capricorn at 10:43am. She’s got work to do and is ready to take it on. We started this year with Venus retrograde in Capricorn, engaging us in a serious reevaluation of our economic status. Where are we now as the year is coming to a close? Have the new plans worked out? We take stock again to see what needs to be done. Yesterday Ceres yesterday likely pointed to ecological issues. Clearly we are not yet in total economic resonance with what is best for a healthy, sustainable environment. Let’s get down to it and take more steps in the right direction. We each have a role to play. Where and how can you make your best contribution to improve both your personal and our shared financial situation? It’s not just about money, it’s about living according to values we really believe in. We do vote with our dollars. Let’s take another look at what we are buying. What brands do you buy, from what companies do you purchase goods and food? Are these businesses contributing the community and global wellbeing? Is your company doing so? Venus insists on addressing such tough questions as we head further into the holiday season.

Thursday, December 11

The Moon in Leo joins Jupiter, the planet of wisdom, and the whole fire triangle—planets in all the fire signs—that is generating so much good will and enthusiasm. This can be a really fun and inspiring day, with lots of good news to share.

Storytelling arts, such as movies, books, music, theater, circuses, etc. are exciting the public. There are gripping storylines in sports and on television. Popular talent and reality shows are bigger than ever. Of course bigger is not always better, and sometimes too much of a good thing really is too much. New kinds of arts are thrilling audiences this season. This is a good day for office parties and pre-holiday cheer. Let’s take advantage of this while the energy is so uplifting. As the month ticks on, things intensify with more rigorous dynamics.

Friday, December 12

A Void of Course Moon at 6:50am may leave us a little rattled.

Perhaps we have overindulged or behaved badly yesterday and now experience the repercussions. Maybe work left undone has caught up to us or caught us out. When the Moon enters worker bee sign Virgo at 11:19am, we sit right back down at the desk and to the job in front of us. But it’s not a total a drudge day, not at all. We can take pleasure in seeing the details come together, seeing how even small steps bring us closer to our goal. It can be just those details that make the work so satisfying. Our spirits are good, and there is still plenty of positive news to talk about.

We can be cheerleaders for each other, appreciating what we each contribute to the cause. Good job! We deserve downtime at the end of the day.

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Saturday, December 13

Keep on track with tasks at hand, and don’t skip fine-tuning the details in a fit of impatience. Slogans can grab attention, so pay attention now to the words used in advertising and other publicity materials. Make sure people are walking their talk, and that you are doing the same. You might have noticed a lot of exaggerated claims being made lately. A look at the fine print brings reality into focus. Being overly optimistic can lead one to take risks that don’t pay off. Do your homework, preparing for yet another oncoming wave of intensity and the challenge it offers.

Sunday, December 14

Another good day for sports and other entertaining drama. What a weekend, indeed what a month for big drama. Some of us might feel like getting things in order and squared away today. There is a sense of cleaning things up, resolving issues and tidying up the details. Long-term projects are coming to completion, just as we are experiencing another major turn of the wheel of change.

The Moon makes a short Void of Course break in the action as of 8:12pm. Enjoy—even celebrate—the sense of completion after a few really busy days, not to mention the whole year. The Moon goes into Libra at 10:05pm, to focus on relationships. It is especially important to attend to our loved ones and work on the quality of our encounters.

Monday, December 15

A powerful day, as the Moon joins up with an exact Uranus-Pluto Square at 13 degrees of Aries and Capricorn, turning the wheel of change another major notch. Remember that this is one of seven such exact interactions that punctuate the years 2012-1015 with such global significance. We’ve only got one more to go, in just a few months. Remember last April, during the last such shift?

Things were pulling us from all sides at that time. Energies are more focused now, with intent, especially as Venus and Mercury soon join Pluto, bringing our attention to pressing issues and bearing down on the personal implications in our lives. We can expect more major developments, rumblings from the Earth and obvious impact from cosmic influences. The end of the year is a deadline for some situations. Some pockets of resistance to incoming changes make moves to block the action. Others raise their voices in support. Watch the drama among leaders, many of whom are spokespersons representing powerful factions that remain behind the scenes. Some of the deeper workings are exposed, outing some persons we might call “false prophets,” those who say one thing and do another.

Tuesday, December 16

The urgency of the Uranus-Pluto Square signals a karmic shift in the collective consciousness, an irreversible turning point.

Breakthroughs in dialogues and negotiations lead to further cooperation and results that may amaze us. There might be a ground-breaking legal decision in a landmark case that favors the common good, giving rise to jubilation and exhilaration.

Mercury joins Venus in Capricorn at 9:54pm, signaling an opportune moment to work out the implications and applications now possible. What is going on for you? On a personal level, we can come to new understandings with business partners and significant others that allow us to move forward. Even if we part 46 Conscious Community - December 2014

ways, the ending is agreed upon and most likely amicable. The Void of Course Moon at 11:41pm is accompanied by “a joyful noise unto the Lord,” as in that delightful Biblical passage.

Wednesday, December 17

The Moon enters Scorpio at 8:52am, adding to the level of intensity of the Uranus-Pluto Square, still at a peak turning point. We continue to feel encouraged and motivated by what is happening, but the tone has clearly shifted to one of practical action to ground the vision and make it a reality. We draw up plans of action, led by good strategists. Joining forces with others leads to best results. Some plans for joint projects are consolidated. A whole new grid is being developed, a solid platform upon which to build a new operating system. The holiday season starts in a powerful way, with an opportunity to demonstrate generosity and hearts of gold.

Thursday, December 18

Early morning is a time to step back for an overview and get the team together before jumping into the day full steam ahead. The push is on. Venus and Mercury are closing in on Pluto, suggesting a financial redesign deadline and deal that may release funds for all sorts of innovative projects and technologies. We are redoing the way we conduct business on a lot of levels. This is big news for big and small business. A rare intelligence is leveling the playing field.

Review your strategy and check your presentation and timing to prevent rash moves. Think like a chess player.

Friday, December 19

A creative surge gets the day underway; just beware of going on overdrive or being overly optimistic. Good things are happening, though some plans will take some time to accomplish. Still, much is settled and resolved in a promising way by the time the Moon goes Void of Course at 3:12pm. Shrewd maneuvers and teamwork create a winning combination, especially when guided by long-sighted vision and the wisdom of the ages. There’s hardly time to catch our breath before the Moon moves into fast-paced Sagittarius at 3:55pm. We might have a dip in energy tonight, no surprise under the relentless pace of recent days. Some inspirational lines from poetry come to mind as a preparation for tomorrow. From Keats: “Beauty is truth, truth beauty—that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.” And from Kathleen Raine: “Because I love the earth upon her celestial spindle winds/ Her ecstasy-producing dance.”

Saturday, December 20

Venus fully engages the Uranus-Pluto Square today. Themes of Venus—finance, emotions, relationship, values, beauty, style and the arts—are up for the full impact of the avant-garde, transformational power combo. Venus represents the magnetic principle of the life force. Clearly Venus wrote the popular “law of attraction,” which declares that our emotional state of being attracts resonant events, situations and people. If we feeling good about our lives and ourselves, we attract satisfying experiences.

If we are not happy within ourselves, we don’t. On a personal level, we are definitely dealing with the implications of our

Monday, December 22

Today’s Moon intensifies the impact of the Uranus-Pluto Square, joining the potent quorum of planets at yet another highly pivotal point in our collective and personal experience. Today also marks the last day of the Saturn in Scorpio cycle that has been so rigorous over the last two years plus. We have had to dive deep to tap hidden resources within and around ourselves, to let go on many levels. We have plumbed some shadowy depths, wrestled in the dark to revitalize core energies and release new light. It’s as if we have been changing the collective DNA. We are now concluding this phase, barring a brief revisit of Saturn into Scorpio next summer to tie up any loose ends. What conclusions have you come to?

When the Moon goes into a 24-hour Void period at 9:18pm, we may feel awestruck in front of the profoundly intelligent and stunning manifestations of Heaven on Earth. We may be relieved, exultant or miserable about what is going on, depending on where we invested our energy and will. There is something larger at stake than our ego preferences.

emotional status today. This plays out in those areas listed above.

This same principle of “like attracts like” operates on the level of the collective consciousness. Today we witness our collective emotional status. We are each on our own path, yet our personal values, aesthetics and self-esteem to contribute to the larger consciousness shift. Remember the fact that we vote with our dollars to support collective values. It starts with the individual and radiates from there.

Tuesday, December 23

CAPRICORN, the SEA GOAT Sunday, December 21, Winter Solstice

NEW MOON AT 0+ CAPRICORN, 7:35PM CST HAPPY BIRTHDAY, accomplished Capricorns!

The Sun enters to claim its due in Capricorn at 5:04pm. A festival of Capricorn planets gathers to celebrate Winter Solstice, a seasonal turning point of the year that various cultures have observed as the New Year. We might as well celebrate, too, with a Void of Course Moon in effect all day starting at 6:36am. The Moon also enters Capricorn at 7:25pm, joining the Sun for a Winter Solstice New Moon. Clearly this is the gateway to New Year 2015. Uranus turns direct today at 2:46pm, sparking off fresh initiatives and some sort of global fireworks. This planet of higher mind appears to agree that, indeed, a brand new year is upon us. Mercury and Venus invite transformational energies directly into our experience for this new cycle. Radical new systems and ways of thinking rearrange our lives. Putting our egos aside, can we cheer on the wildly creative life force that directs the show for our highest good? It’s not an easy time.

We are in the midst of chaos as it is being reformed into a new design. We are not all thrilled about this, to say the least.

However, if we maintain a higher perspective, we can keep our heads above the stormy waters and work together to live up to the potential of these interesting times. This last week or so of 2014 is going to test our mettle.

With the Moon Void of Course all day, we are still taking in all that has been happening and reorienting ourselves emotionally.

Saturn moves into Sagittarius at 10:35am, setting up a new agenda and new goals for the next three years. Now that we have renewed our motivation under Scorpio’s scrutiny, we seek inspiration in Sagittarius. This phase will challenge our belief systems. Aren’t we already sensing that? Like the Beatle’s inscrutable “Fool on the Hill,” Pluto is metaphorically standing atop the Capricorn mountain, “And he never gives an answer,” but he “sees the world spinning ‘round.” Pluto doesn’t care what we call it. Pluto will do what Pluto does. It is not wise to underestimate the god of death and rebirth. Today Pluto is not alone, but has a planet on each arm. Venus and Mercury hang out with this remote, dark, nuclear, power planet. We hang out, too, probably feeling somewhat powerless in front of energies that rock our planet from the inside out, irrevocably changing our lives. We are implicated in this transformation because we are here now, witnessing and participating in the powerful sweep of destiny. The Moon changes into Aquarius at 8:52pm, opening a larger perspective of the human family and all our relations, as the Native Americans say.

Wednesday, December 24

Today and tomorrow Mercury is in cahoots with Pluto. We are firmly in a process of reframing the way we think about what is going on and what to do about it. We may need new words to describe our experience. We may need to start from scratch, with a totally fresh perspective, to get workable plan. Teamwork and social activism are called for, part of this year’s holiday spirit. We struggle for a while (make that several months) to define the distinction between idealism and fantasy. We will have enough reality checks along the way to figure it out. The plan will either work or it won’t, clear and simple. With so many planets in Capricorn, an essentially Zen sign, things are clear and

Conscious Community - www.ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com 47

simple—and basic. What are the basics: food, shelter, clothing, companionship, what else? Let’s add beauty, which is not a frill, but a basic soul necessity.

Thursday, December 25

The Void of Course Moon from 11:12am gives this holiday a spacious feeling, as well as a religious one for many, with religious leaders in the spotlight. Community spirit is high, led by those who have stepped forth from their hearts of gold during this holiday season. Following the conservational trend of economic transformation so powerfully activated this month, gift-giving may include more home-crafted, recycled or fair trade items, or donations to good causes. We likely see more soup kitchens this season. The Moon enters Pisces at 10:07pm, offering a deeply spiritual tone with a feeling of kindness and service.

Friday, December 26

On one hand, a spirit of service and compassion for the suffering of others permeates this day. On the other hand, some people are feeling overwhelmed and take refuge in pain-numbing substances, spacing out to avoid reality. We will see such extremes and everything in between. We probably all feel a need for time out, for rest and pleasure. On plane flights we are instructed to put our own oxygen masks on first before helping others. Honoring this need is part of the qualitative aspect of global renewal. We want all the finest values to be incorporated into any new system. Our highest ideals are being evoked, to fill our hearts, not only with hope, but also with faith and belief that, yes, such ideals really can be attained—and in this life.

Saturday, December 27

A Void of Course Moon begins at 11:45am, with a fulfilling sense of qualitative achievement. What are you feeling good about accomplishing? A job well done can feel so satisfying that we want to do more. Take time to feel the satisfaction and step back to consider how to proceed. It is time for some fun and entertainment, maybe some of the good movies that have come out in the last week. Possibly, though, you are so inspired that you continue working on those very rewarding projects. Still, remember that creativity is fueled by re-creation, so do enjoy some playtime. Accomplishment is one part effort, three parts coordination of head and heart, and six parts spiritual alignment.

Much less effort is necessary to get things done when we use the higher mind and imagination to set our energy in a clear direction.

Sunday, December 28

The Moon jumpstarts into Aries at 12:35am, heating things up.

The half moon is high in the sky at sunset, as it moves in the thick of the Uranus-Pluto Square. As if foreseeing the future, we impatiently want to fast-forward into it. There is a heightened tension between Aries, a fire sign that impulsively moves forward into the unknown, and Capricorn, an earth sign that doesn’t like to act without a plan. Heroic Aries says, “Carpe Diem, seize the moment. Let’s just go for it.” “Wait,” says, Capricorn, master chess player, “let’s consider the consequences before we do this.”

This archetypal challenge is dramatized on the global stage and in our personal dramas. Let’s work the creative potential of this 48 Conscious Community - December 2014

combination of influences by using the best of both. We can’t completely control how things are going to work out. We can draw from our experience, using our well-earned know-how and the resources at our disposal to explore new options. We can’t go back to what was. We clearly need to blaze a new trail.

Monday, December 29

Onward we courageously tread, “lifting our hearts and our hands to the Heavens,” to paraphrase a passage in the Bible, suggesting that we devote our actions to the Great Spirit and to the highest good for all. That guidance is echoed in the Indian epic, the Mahabharata, and is a core theme of spiritual development.

Whatever we do, we invite spirit to take over for the best results.

The Void of Course Moon at 6:47pm may leave us feeling that things are not quite working out the way we thought they would.

Or maybe we are unhappy with what others are doing. Perhaps we find that our partner has different ideas about the plan of action. Maybe we are not giving things enough time to play out.

Plans can always be redrafted after further discussion. Perhaps, on another level, we are not happy with plans outlined by political leaders. Feeling a true democratic spirit, many citizens are feeling increasingly at odds with government. We look for individuals who sincerely represent the people. What is your role as a citizen? This question has become more pressing as the month has gone on.

Tuesday, December 30

The Moon slows things down when it moves into Taurus at 4:56am, good timing, as we need to calm down after the last tense couple of weeks. As usual with the Moon in this grounded, practical sign, these two days can be very productive. We implement the plan, taking one deliberate step at a time. Plant your feet firmly on the earth, steady yourself and prepare to give it your all. Rely on your own efforts and resources as much as possible, using all the creative means at your disposal. This is a team effort, however. If everyone does their part and gives of their best, we can accomplish a great deal.

Wednesday, December 31

This ending day of 2014 finds us in a full on press, pushing the shoulder to the wheel of change to make it work for us and the Earth. Enjoy what you are doing, or it’s hardly worth doing. We can make anything more fun if we work together and support each other, with praise, jokes, song and laughter. We’ll have more time tomorrow to look back on the year and see from start to finish just how much has changed and what yet needs to be addressed. We are being asked a huge question: Where does power come from? As we stand firmly with our feet on the ground, aligned with the emerging crystalline reformation of cosmic energy, the Earth herself will uphold us. Stand in your truth and your integrity, remember your life quest and the holy oaths of your soul. We each bring unique energy through our spirit-mind-body vehicles, connecting Heaven to Earth, contributing to this Third Millennium Renaissance. We aren’t done yet. In fact, we are just crossing the threshold of a new beginning.

Kelley Hunter, Ph.D., living in Vermont, is an internationally known astrologer and mythologist, enriching her offerings in Depth Astrology with perspectives from psychology, spirituality and consciousness studies. Author of Living Lilith: Four Dimensions of the Cosmic Feminine and Black Moon Lilith, Kelley has a special interest in women’s spirituality. She offers consultations that illumine the potential of current planetary cycles in relation to your life. Visit her website at www.heliastar. com or on FaceBook: Kelley Hunter, AstroMythology. You can contact her by email at kellhunter@earthlink.net.

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