Issue 16 | Face the Current

Flow Edition

Issue 16

February 2018

fAce the current TRAVEL

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CULTURE

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MUSIC

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SPORTS & FITNESS

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HEALTH

HOW TO MASTER FLOW CONSCIOUSNESS

TO LIVE YOUR DREAM LIFE With Founder of Flow Consciousness Institute, Justin

FtC Roadtrip!

Finding flow through music

Hot Spots & hidden gems

How this heightened state can enhance your fitness & sport

IN DEPTH GUIDE TO ARIZONA

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...inspiring positive change in the world

Faerman

Transform Thinking To Eliminate Barriers To Flow + Ignite Inner Creativity with Ora Nadrich & Dr. Alexander

EDITORIAL

F tC fAce the current

editorial

Issue 16 · February 2018

Connect With Us... @facethecurrent @facethecurrent @facethecurrent @facethecurrent

In the Beginning Face the Current was created with the intention to inspire positive change in the world and enhance lives by encouraging one another to relentlessly discover, explore, question and learn from current and emerging information and perspectives. Driven by a deep-rooted love of learning, creative minds and a great appreciation for connection with other individuals who are passionate about what they do, Face the Current has quickly developed into a growing team and global community of incredible people who believe in living life to the fullest and discovering their true potential.

“I find it inspiring to connect with others who are following their flow, pursuing and exploring their passions. Their energy is vibrant & contagious and there is often a lot of incredible things to learn from their life experience and the perspectives they have gained.”

Sasha Frate Founder

sashafrate sasha@facethecurrent.com

Cover Image Credits: •

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Front cover by Ruben Gutiérrez Back cover by Danny McGee

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Available at

(click logo to go)

www.facethecurrent.com For advertisement and sponsor inquiries: Annette Krey, Sales Manager annette@facethecurrent.com David Aiello, Director of Marketing david@facethecurrent.com For writer and contributor inquiries: Sasha Frate, Founder & Editor in Chief sasha@facethecurrent.com All Rights Reserved DISCLAIMER The information provided on this magazine is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider.

Opinions and other statements expressed by the kind souls sharing their viewpoint, users and third parties are theirs alone, not opinions of Face the Current. Content created by third parties is the sole responsibility of the third parties and its accuracy and completeness are not endorsed or guaranteed. Face the Current Website and third parties may provide links to web pages, web sites, and various resources or locations on the web. Face the Current has no control over the information you access via such links, does not endorse that information, and shall not be responsible for it or for the consequences of your use of that information.

All products and services featured are selected by our editors. Face the Current may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this magazine.

flow Edition This month, we want to get you into a flow state and master it- aka achieve flow consciousness.

But what exactly are we referring to with “flow?” The term flow most commonly means things are happening effortlessly, fluidly, or without resistance, and athletes tend to refer to it as “being in the zone.” Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihály gave a lot of recognition to this natural state, coining the term academically as he examined the heightened states of consciousness from a scientific perspective through positive psychology. However, in our interview with Justin Faerman, Founder of Flow Mastery and Flow Consciousness Institute, he explains how the science and art of flow actually dates much farther back. Justin also reveals that the flow state is only temporary, whereas flow consciousness is something you can experience all the time as a way of life that helps you to experience a more effortless and deeply fulfilling reality, with accelerated personal and spiritual evolution that has you living your dream life.

Throughout this issue, we further examine the art and science of flow. Matt Belair shares his approach to achieving a ‘Zen Athlete flow state’ to enhance your fitness and sports performance.

Plus, visionary leader on Transformational Thinking, Ora Nadrich reveals how a Thought Coach as well as her “Says Who?” Method can help us eliminate barriers to finding flow by showing how we can change negative and fear-based thoughts that hinder our growth, to positive, constructive, productive, and life affirming ones. Likewise, Dr. Ronald Alexander guides us to find purpose and meaning in his articles on igniting your inner creativity and the reveal of 4 common myths of meditation. And, discover how empathy and intuition relates to flow state and consciousness with Dr. Judith Orloff in Health.

Ever considered how travel and exploration sparks flow? Journey with our contributors this month through Morocco and Alaska, and with our team as we travel throughout Arizona for our in-depth guide that takes you among stunning natural landscapes to the urban and Old Western scenes.

Jamie Janover examines how to find flow through music, and in this month’s installment of Yoga For Musicians that shares how musicians from around the world find flow in their life, yogis Woody Woodrow and Ellex discuss how flow can help you stay true to yourself in a competitive world.

Living a life of meaning requires us to challenge our own ideas and explore ways to get the most from our time on earth. Finding and mastering flow will vault us out of the banalities of life and closer to a more meaningful existence.

Jamie Janover examines how to find flow through music, and in this month’s installment of Yoga For Musicians that shares how musicians from around the world find flow in their life, yogis Woody Woodrow and Ellex discuss how flow can help you stay true to yourself in a competitive world.

Living a life of meaning requires us to challenge our own ideas and explore ways to get the most from our time on earth. Finding and mastering flow will vault us out of the banalities of life and closer to a more meaningful existence.

www.facethecurrent.com

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Issue 16 · February 2018

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FACE the CURRENT MAGAZINE

fAce the current Sasha Frate

Founder and Editor in Chief is a perspective seeker, adventurer, and explorer. She received her Master’s Degree in Liberal Arts and continues to study a variety of subjects within and outside of the academic setting. Frate brings her personal moonshot approach to life to FtC, aiming to provide an experience for our global community where we inspire one another to stay curious, never stop exploring, and to live on-purpose and to potential.

Annette Krey

Sales Manager Coming from the hospitality industry, Annette has successfully and passionately worked in Sales & Marketing both in the United States and in Germany in different industries. A German native, she has lived in the Portland, Oregon area for almost 8 years. There she learned to love the outdoors and the green lifestyle that plays an important role in the lives of many Oregonians. As a mom of two young children a healthy and sustainable lifestyle is now a big priority for her and she teaches her children to live passionately, be openminded and to be respectful to our planet and all living things.

Danny McGee

Photographer & Filmmaker is an adventure photographer and filmmaker based out of Colorado. For the past three years he has traveled all around the world taking photos and making films. His goal is to not only share his vision of the world, but to inspire people to get out and explore it for themselves.

David Aiello

Director of Marketing is an author, musician and photographer based in Portland, Oregon. He has worked with Fortune 50 companies to build their global brands but now applies his natural curiosity to exploring and documenting the world around him.

Candice Paschal Photojournalist

has an unquenchable thirst for truth, creative expression and philanthropy, which allows her to complete projects that inspire others and challenge existing boundaries. She embraces serenity in nature through meditation and a vegan lifestyle, and believes that we are the authors of our own destinies.

Candice is a business owner with her husband, a mother to twin sons and currently resides in Portland, Oregon.

Sema Garay

Executive Designer Sema is the graphic designer behind the development of the image and magazine of Face the Current. He has developed a multitude of projects, including his previous job leading the Creative Department of BG Life Magazine, in Marbella, Spain.

Sema is passionate about all kinds of artistic expressions, especially music and architecture.

February-

CREW David Ryan

We are a growing team of Up-standers whose intention is to create positive change in the world, through networking, connecting, supporting and developing at an individual and global community level. We are passionate about building our network of experts and industry leaders to deliver cutting edge information to our global community. This month’s Team and Crew are based in the US, Spain, UK, Germany, Austria, and Canada.

Benjamin Decker

is a writer, meditation teacher and holistic David is a celebrity trainer in Los business consultant. He is a founding Angeles, California and creator of LIFTSTRONG Max Intensity Interval Training. meditation teacher at Unplug Meditation, The DEN Meditation, Wanderlust You can get your own personalized HIIT Hollywood, Mystic Journey, and is the program at founding Spiritual Director at Full Circle www.DavidRyanFitness.com Venice. He is the author of the upcoming Instagram: @DavidRyanFitness book, Practical Meditation (Althea Press), released May 1, 2018 in stores worldwide. bendeckermeditation.com

Matthew Belair

is the author of the best selling book Zen Athlete and the host of the toprated Matt Belair podcast. He is an explorer of the mind and world and has trained with 34th generation Shaolin Masters in China, studied meditation with monks in Nepal and survived a near-death experience trekking Mount Everest just to name a few of his accomplishments. He is dedicated to teaching others how to expand their consciousness, connect with spirit and bring more awareness, love and kindness to the planet. www.ZenAthlete.com www.MattBelair.com

Woody Woodrow

Charlotte Bergin

Bergin is a co-founder of THE VACATION PROJECT, along with Lindsay Bradley and Mitchell Roy. The trio founded this company out of an inability to find trustworthy, impactful short-term volunteer opportunities while traveling.

Charlotte’s true passions have been rooted in travel and languages starting from a young age after being born in Belgium to a French mother and an American father, and she’s thrilled to be able to share these passions with others through her work in travel. www.thevacationproject.co

Niklas Siemens

is an outdoor and adventure photographer and filmmaker based in Austria. Through visual storytelling he aims to engage his followers to take part in his adventures and inspire them to travel on their own. Niklas does not mind going the extra mile for the perfect shot, often waking up early to avoid crowds for the best lighting or diving in icy waters. He creates content for tourism companies, hotels and other brands for their social media and promotion of these companies throughout his own channels. His clients have included brands such as BMW, RedBull and Sixt.

Ronald A. Alexander, PhD

is a licensed psychotherapist, leadership consultant, clinical trainer, and the author of the widely acclaimed book, Wise Mind, Open Mind. He is the Executive Director of the OpenMind Training® Institute in Santa Monica, a leading edge organization that offers personal and professional training programs in mindfulness based mind-body therapies, transformational leadership, and meditation. His unique method combines ancient wisdom teachings with positive psychology and creative thinking into a comprehensive integrated, behaviorally effective mind-body program.

This system combines techniques that support strategies of personal, clinical, and corporate excellence and growth. www.ronaldalexander.com

is a touring musician and yoga instructor.

On and off the road he enjoys guiding others through their practice. He believes through relaxation we have no limits to what we can accomplish.

Ora Nadrich Woody is a 200hr RYT and a Strala is the founder of The Institute for Transforguide having trained with his friend and mational Thinking. She is a Thought Coach, mentor Tara Stiles. Music is naturally an a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher and the important part of his practice and his author of Says Who? How One Simple classroom setting reflects just that.

Question Can Change The Way You Think www.woodywoodrow.com Forever.

Instagram: @woodywoodrow https://www.oranadrich.com

Jamie Janover

is recognized as a true innovator. His considerable creative output includes: being a master of the ancient percussion stringed instrument called the hammered dulcimer, inventing an instrument he calls the “mini-kit,” playing pyrocussion (fire drums) and creating fire-drumtrike. By combining recent innovations in modern technology with the wisdom of ancient instruments, Janover achieves a balance between the electronic and the acoustic to create music reflective of the nature of modern times. When not playing music, you can find Janover connecting dots around the world in his extensive travels creating stunning images as a professional photographer and making sculptures using natural found objects. Janover’s life-long interest in the true nature of reality and the universe brought him to become an official emissary for scientist Nassim Haramein delivering fascinating presentations on his unified field theory and the physics of the universe for the Resonance Science Foundation and Resonance Academy. http://bit.ly/Resonance-Academy www.facebook.com/JamieJanoverMusic/

Judith Orloff

MD is the author of The Empath’s Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People upon which this article is based. Dr. Orloff is a psychiatrist, an empath and intuitive healer, and is on the UCLA Psychiatric Clinical Faculty. She synthesizes the pearls of traditional medicine with cutting edge knowledge of intuition, energy, and spirituality. Dr. Orloff also specializes in treating empaths and highly sensitive people in her private practice. She passionately believes that the future of medicine involves integrating all this wisdom to achieve total wellness.

More information about her March 2-4 empath workshop at Multiversity Retreat Center in CA and books at https://drjudithorloff.com/ www.facebook.com/DrJudithOrloff/

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CONTENT Issue 16 · February 2018

HOW TO MASTER FLOW CONSCIOUSNESS TO LIVE YOUR DREAM LIFE With Founder of Flow Consciousness Institute, Justin Faerman 60

FTC ROADTRIP! IN DEPTH GUIDE TO ARIZONA Hot Spots & Hidden Gems 16

COVER stories

HOW HEIGHTENED FLOW STATE CAN ENHANCE YOUR FITNESS & SPORT 98 FINDING FLOW THROUGH MUSIC 80

TRANSFORM THINKING TO ELIMINATE BARRIERS TO FLOW 112 IGNITE INNER CREATIVITY WITH DR. ALEXANDER 54 6

FACE the CURRENT MAGAZINE

FEBRUARY CONTENT 10. Vacation Project: Destination Morocco 16. Ftc Guide To Arizona’s Hot Spots And Hidden Gems

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18. Tucson

24. The Old Drives The New In Welcoming Arizona

44. Ftc Travel Connection 54. 6 Steps To Ignite Your Inner Creativity

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60. Mastering Your Flow Consciousness With Justin Faerman 72. Arizona’s 21St Century Pioneers Are Disruptive Entrepreneurs 80. Finding Flow Through Music

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86. Yoga For Musicians Featuring Ellex Medina 92. The Most Sophisticated House Music

s rt s o sp nes it &f

98. The Art And Science Of A Zen Athlete Flow State 104. Everywhere I Roam: Patagonia Black Hole® Backpack 32L In Review 108. Eatstrong: Fit Nutrition By David Ryan Fitness 112. What Is A Thought Coach?

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116. Four Myths Of Meditation 120. Top 10 Characteristics Of An Empath

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Win an AMAZING Spring Skiing Getaway in Whistler

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fAce the current

TRAVEL

10. VACATION PROJECT: DESTINATION MOROCCO 16. FTC GUIDE TO ARIZONA’S HOT SPOTS

AND HIDDEN GEMS 44. FtC Travel Connection 8

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*Contest Period

The Contest is open from Monday, January 1, 2018 at 9:00 AM Pacific Standard Time (“PST”) to Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 11:59 AM PST www.facethecurrent.com

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Photo Credit: Tourism Whistler / Mike Crane

FtC travel

VACATION PROJECT: DESTINATION MOROCCO

By Charlotte Bergin | IMAGES BY NIKLAS SIEMENS

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When you think of Morocco, you probably think of bustling souks, colorful rugs, and luxury hotels and riads.

However, there is so much that lies beyond Marrakech and your Instagram feed.

The vast majority of the Moroccan population comes from Berber descent. The Berbers are the indigenous people of Northern Africa, representing a culture that goes back thousands of years.

However, beyond touristy day-trips to a traditional Berber village, visitors to Morocco rarely see this side of the country. Our team at THE VACATION PROJECT recently went on a trip to Morocco with a specific mission: Discover the genuine side of Morocco by appreciating the luxury, art, and social life of Marrakech while also immersing ourselves in a remote Berber village, spending 4 days volunteering and becoming a part of the community. www.facethecurrent.com

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At THE VACATION PROJECT, we design curated group trips that are focused on discovering the authentic side of our destinations to connect with local culture and place with an itinerary that is equally focused on volunteer service, as well as social and cultural outings. With our NGO partner, the High Atlas Foundation, we created a custom experience for this trip, staying with host families in the Berber village Tizian, located deep in the Azzaden Valley.

To kick off the trip, we landed in Morocco ready to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The two days were a whirlwind of souks, local restaurants, and outings. A common misconception about Marrakech is that there is no alcohol. While Morocco is a traditionally Muslim country, many parts of the country have a vibrant nightlife scene.

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After New Years, began our adventure to the mountains. Although the village is only 60 km outside of Marrakech, the drive itself takes over 2 hours. This is due to the windy, cliffside mountain road that leads to the valley. Our group learned all too well how intense of a drive it was when we had to force two wheels onto the side of the mountain to let a truck go past the one-lane road. We held our breath basically the whole way, but two hours later we arrived in Tizian.

Our trip was planned in partnership with The High Atlas Foundation, Morocco’s largest NGO who is working on driving sustainable development in Morocco using a participatory approach that involves the local community in identifying their particular needs.

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Once we arrived in Tizian, all of our travelers met their respective host families. This was a completely new experience for both travelers and villagers, as apart from the occasional hiker dead-set on Toubkal, we were the first tourists to spend an extended period of time in Tizian.

As Brahim, a host and village leader said, “I have never experienced hosting people from another culture, living with my small family, but I’m super excited to spend these 4 days together.”

The next few days were spent watering apple trees previously planted by the High Atlas Foundation, visiting the local school to drop off supplies that we had fundraised, and participating in a workshop run by HAF project manager Errachid Montassir.

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“

At the end of our 4 days together, both the travelers and the villagers were left feeling emotional and changed. Despite the language barrier of Berber to English, our groups from two such separate and different worlds were able to connect so deeply.

“

The workshops asked villagers to envision their village of the future, and vote to prioritize their needs. In the workshop with the local farmers, the top three priorities surfaced were: 1) a local community center, 2) a hospital and sewage system, and 3) an apple cider vinegar cooperative to employ the local women. Contrastingly, when we held a workshop with the local women, their top needs were: 1) a public hammam, 2) an apple cider vinegar cooperative to employ themselves, and 3) a sewage system.

At the end of our 4 days together, both the travelers and the villagers were left feeling emotional and changed.

Despite the language barrier of Berber to English, our groups from two such separate and different worlds were able to connect so deeply. We can’t wait to go back to Tizian, and feel extremely lucky to have been welcomed with open arms into such a special community.

ymore info: www.thevacationproject.co www.facethecurrent.com

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FtC travel

FTC GUIDE TO ARIZONA’S HOT SPOTS AND HIDDEN GEMS Our team hit the road to explore Arizona’s deserts, canyons, mountains and towns to curate this in depth guide on what to see and do in this beautiful Southwestern state.

Discover untold beauty and learn some interesting lore we’ve uncovered as we take you for an adventure through nature and urban landscapes that today comprise Arizona.

16Photo FACE CURRENT MAGAZINE bythe Danny McGee

Monument Valley

Horseshoe Bend

Danny McGee kicks off the journey with a visual tour of the stunning glow of some of Arizona’s celebrated gems with Monument Valley and Horseshoe Bend. Next, join Sasha Frate as she guides us around Tucson, Arizona with sights to see, activities, fun facts, and gear essentials.

Finally, David Aiello goes in depth on beautiful hikes to get you off the beaten path and where to eat, stay, and see in several of Arizona’s towns, including Phoenix, Scottsdale, Jerome, and Bisbee.

Horseshoe Bend

Arizona roadtrip on the road www.facethecurrent.com

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FtC

TUCSON travel

Images and feature by Sasha Frate

ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM With over 98 acres, the Desert Museum is a stunning mix of zoo, aquarium, botanical gardens, art gallery, and natural history museum.

While it is ranked in the Top 10 Museums in the United States by Trip Advisor, this museum has a unique layout that will change the way you think of museums: 85% of the experience is all outdoors. The

living animal collection amounts to nearly 5,000 specimens and 242 species, and there are also over 56,000 plant specimens and nearly 17,000 mineral and fossil specimens.

The museum was initially founded on the basis that there was a real lack of knowledge and a need to educate people about the desert, along with a mission that continues today to “inspire people to live in harmony with the natural world by fostering love, appreciation, and understanding JAVELINA: Despite their similar appearance, Javelina are not pigs. They are one of three species of “New World” peccaries that live in large groups of six to ten on average, but as many as 50. They have a keen sense of smell and must rely on it, as their vision is very poor. While they tend to flee when threatened, if their young are present they will defend. Can you out run a javelina? They run as fast as 22 miles per hour HUMMINGBIRD PRAIRIE DOGS BOOJUM TREE: A relative of the ocotillo cactus, the boojum tree is native only to the deserts of Baja California and Sonora, Mexico and grow up to 15 metres (50 feet) tall.

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of the Sonoran Desert.” Indeed it is an educational experience as you watch the desert animals roam in their habitats, read the informative displays, and engage with numerous volunteers on site who point out things you’d likely miss (such as hummingbird nests) and tell you stories and facts about the creatures of the Sonoran desert. http://desertmuseum.org

OLD TUCSON One of the film industry’s premiere locations for over 400 Western films and commercials, whether you are a Western Film buff or not, getting a taste for the ‘Wild West’ and discovering what it was like behind the scenes of some of the most famous film sets is both fun and informative. Set out in real Arizona desert lands nestled among the Tucson Mountains, Old Tucson is an old village where the scenes of the Wild West live on. It is considered the “Hollywood of the desert,” where you can walk through the grounds frequented by movie legends like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Elizabeth Taylor, Steve Martin, and Sharon Stone during film productions. You might get lassoed by a Sheriff or stumble onto a live action stunt show reenacting scenes such as the infamous gunfights between Sheriffs and bank robbers on the run. Old Tucson also features other live entertainment, musicals, panning for gold, train rides, and traditional stagecoach rides where you’ll get behind the scenes stories along the way. Plus so much more! http://oldtucson.com

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TUCSON MINERAL AND GEM WORLD You won’t want to miss a visit to this shop, which sits right along the highway en route to Old Tucson, Desert Museum, and Saguaro National Park. This family run traditional Arizona rock shop has been around since 1968, serving novice to advanced collectors. They hold over 100,000 items, which include minerals, fossils, artifacts, crystals, meteorites, and more. www.tucsonmineral.com

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TUCSON MOUNTAINS Hit the trails hiking, running, or biking and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the desert landscape. Part of the Sonoran Desert region, these mountains are home to a variety of cactus and wildlife. It is possible to encounter rattlesnakes, scorpions, bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes, javelinas and many other creatures. While this mix of potentially dangerous wildlife could be enough to scare you from stepping onto the trails, just know that people enjoy time on these trails daily. It’s a matter of maintaining respect and awareness of your surroundings.

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MISSION SAN XAVIER DEL BAC “White Dove of the Desert” The San Xavier Mission is a National Historic Landmark dating back to 1692 when it was originally founded as a Catholic Mission. The structure that stands today was built in 1783 and completed in 1797 and remains the oldest European structure in Arizona. Its interior is filled with elaborate original statuary and murals. In addition to holding space for its place in history for those want to see one of the finest examples of Spanish Colonial architecture in the United States, the Mission continues maintain its original purpose of ministering spiritual needs of its parishioners. www.sanxaviermission.org

SAVE THE SAGUAROS! Volunteer Opportunity

SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK PETROGLYPHS Tucson, Arizona is home to some of the largest cacti in the entire United States, and the Saguaro National Park has been designated as a preservation area for the saguaro cactus, which is found only in the Sonoran Desert. There are many trails throughout the park, and if you aim for Signal Hill Picnic Area

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you’re likely to find your way to the petroglyph rock art that was created by the prehistoric Hohokam and predates modern written history. The representational images found often include animals, people, and astrological objects. www.nps.gov/sagu

The saguaro cactus is endangered by an invasive grass species called bufflegrass (Pennisetum ciliare). Both the Saguaro National Park and Desert Museum have ongoing events through March 4th where volunteers may join in the efforts to protect the saguaro cacti and desert lands. Bufflegrass not only outcompetes the saguaro cactus for space, water, and nutrients, but it also poses a serious risk of fire to the desert and surrounding city.

Watch this video to learn more about bufflegrass invasion and threat: https://youtu.be/ nQtIVzSrqZY Find Volunteer info: http:// desertmuseum.org/buffelgrass/

GEAR ESSENTIALS TREE TRIBE NATURAL SUNGLASSES Tree Tribe makes their sunglasses from 100% bamboo and natural wood for a look and feel that’s made for everything from adventure to street wear. Some of their styles even float in water! *“Sunnies” pictured in this feature are the Cruiser Wood Wayfs in real wood Walnut frame with UV400 Polarized Lenses.

Shop the collection- 10 trees are planted for every purchase! https://treetribe.com

FRESSKO TOUR FLASK The unique design of the Fressko Tour Flask features double walled borosilicate glass so your ‘hot’ can stay steamy and your ‘cold’ can stay chilled. Brew tea or coffee as you go, or remove the infuse filter to enjoy a cold water infusion with fruit or herbs, or your favorite colorful smoothie of fruit, veggies and superfoods. *Flask featured contains prickly pear cactus fruit infused water.

Shop the collection- With a philosophy that aims to “be kind to mother nature, to others, and yourself,” Fressko has eliminated a plastic, rubber and takeaway cup culture and created a 100% BPA and chemical free reusable product. https://madebyfressko.com

Saguaro National Park

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FtC travel

The Old Drives the New in

Welcoming Arizona

By David Aiello

When people think of Arizona they imagine the grandeur of the Grand Canyon, that imposing chasm carved by the Colorado River, or the iconic saguaro cactus that most have only seen satirized in cartoons. But those are just wonderful distractions.

I once read nature described as rude and incomprehensible.

Those terms are certainly applicable here, especially in the Sonoran Desert, which covers a large portion of the State.

This, sometimes hostile land, still remains rude and mostly untamed, yet incomprehensibly beautiful. As John Steinbeck remarked, for me my connection to Arizona has been

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more of an overture to a lifelong love affair, rather than just a travel destination.

Here it’s easy to step back into the nineteenth century and feel the pioneer spirit that drove—and still drives-- so many pilgrims to this land rich in resources, opportunities and majestic vistas.

There is much to be found here to revere. As a former resident of the State, I’m proud to revisit some of the more popular destinations and introduce you to some of the lesser-known treasures that can be experienced in this transformative land.

TAKE A HIKE TO EXPERIENCE THE REAL ARIZONA

The Wave is a sandstone rock formation located on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness near Arizona’s northern border with Utah.

Arizona is full of some of the best hiking in America. But don’t limit yourself to the more popular hiking destinations such as the Grand Canyon, Havasu Falls or Camel Back Mountain in Phoenix. There are plenty of hikes around the state that are a little off the beaten path and less crowded. There you can experience the grandeur of Arizona in relative solitude and experience just how overwhelming complete silence in the outdoors can be.

Here are just a few of my favorite hikes.

The Superstition Mountains Apache Junction, Arizona The Superstition Mountains, known to locals as the “Supes” is a range of mountains in Arizona located to the east of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Superstition Mountains carry with them the legend of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine as well Superstition Mountains | Credit: David Aiello as some incredible trails. www.facethecurrent.com

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The Flatiron The Flatiron trail begins in the Lost Dutchman’s State Park. The trailhead is actually called Siphon Draw. This is one of the more difficult hikes in the state but the payoff of reaching the top is worth it with wonderful views of the East Valley and Eastern Superstitions. The length is only about 6 miles round trip but on the way up you will climb almost 3,000 feet.

Told you… it is a cardiac buster! www.azstateparks.com/lost-dutchman

Peralta Trail Peralta Trail is a 4.9 mile round trip, on a moderately trafficked trail, located near Gold Canyon, Arizona. This is a great hike based on scenic value and the satisfaction of reaching “the saddle” for spectacular views of the Weaver’s Needle formation and the Superstition Wilderness beyond.

With a 1,400 elevation gain, you’ll get a good workout. This trail can get busy so I suggest avoiding the weekend. From Phoenix, take U.S. 60 east about 8 miles past Apache Junction and look for the Peralta Trailhead sign on the right side of the road. Turn left on Peralta Road (Forest Road 77) and drive 8 miles to the trailhead. FR77 is good dirt and passable by sedan.

See the Supes by Car If you don’t feel like hitting the trail on foot, you can experience the Superstition Mountains from your car by driving the Apache Trail. This is a well-traveled road and affords drivers incredible view of canyons, desert and lake views, and some wonderful roadside attractions such as Tortilla Flat (www.tortillaflataz. com) and the Goldfield Ghost Town (www.goldfieldghosttown.com). The Superstition Mountain Museum (www. superstitionmountainmuseum.org) is also a fun place to stop along the way. To get there, from Phoenix, take U.S. 60 east all the way to Apache Junction to the cutoff for AZ 88/Idaho Road. AZ 88 is the Apache Trail.

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Flatiron | Credit: David Aiello Once on top of the Flatiron, you can see for miles into the Superstition Wilderness.

Peralta Trail | Credit: David Aiello Making it to the saddle on the Peralta Trail rewards you with a magnificent view of Weaver’s Needle.

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park Between Pine and Payson, Arizona is the Tonto Natural Bridge, widely believed to be the largest natural travertine (calcium carbonate) bridge in the world.

At 183 feet high, the bridge spans an area over a 400-foot tunnel that is 150 feet at its widest point. There are several short trails in the park that allow you to hike through the arch.

All are safe for children although parts of the trail are very slippery. I like this destination because it involves a bit of hiking, rock scrambling and water. What could be better! From Phoenix take AZ-87 north for about 100 miles. www.azstateparks.com/tonto

Tonto Natural Bridge | Credit: David Aiello The sunlight highlights water flowing over the arch into the tunnel at Tonto Natural Bridge. www.facethecurrent.com

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Chiricahua National Monument Chiricahua National Monument is located in Southeast Arizona, and contains large expanses of eroded volcanic rocks that now appear as dramatic pinnacles and spires. I imagine this area was the inspiration for the scenery in the old Roadrunner and Coyote cartoons!

Luckily not many people visit, since the monument is quite remote and access is difficult. The most striking volcanic pinnacles are in the Heart of Rocks, reached by a number of

moderately strenuous hikes. One trail passes along the rim and later the floor of Echo Canyon, which has many huge boulders and eroded formations including the Grottoes and Wall Street, a straight, narrow passageway.

Arizona State Highway 181. Turn left and 4 miles later you will be at the Chiricahua entrance station. I suggest spending the night in Wilcox, hiking the monument the next day and then heading to Bisbee for a night to relax. www.nps.gov/chir/index.htm

The Monument is located 120 miles southeast of Tucson. Take I-10 east from Tucson to the first exit for Wilcox. Travel 3 miles into town to the stoplight and turn right.You will follow Arizona State Highway 186 for 32 miles to the junction of

Chiricauhua National Monument | Credit: David Aiello.

A view from the Heart of Rocks at the Chiricahua National Monument] Vulture Peak Trail Vulture Peak Trail is a 3.8 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Wickenburg, Arizona. Despite its imposing appearance, it’s not an incredibly strenuous hike but it will get your heart pumping. If you want to get to the very peak, you’ll have to travel and additional 240+ vertical feet to the top through a combination of chutes, rockscrambling and cactus-avoidance. Not many avail themselves of this hike and you’ll find peace and solitude plus dramatic views of the Vulture Mountains on the peak.

Once in Wickenburg, a quaint, quirky western town with wonderful museums and festivals, stay west on US-60 past downtown for about 3 miles to Vulture Mine Road. Turn left and drive south about 6 miles to a well-marked turn-off toward the peak. Passenger cars park at the trailhead while 4-wheel drive vehicles can proceed another 1.5 mile to a higher trailhead – you definitely need a high-clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle to do this. It’s a great Jeep trail and one of many off road opportunities in the vicinity. www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/vulture-peak

Vulture Peak | Credit: David Aiello.

Looking east atop Vulture Peak onto the Vulture Mountains

Please remember hiking can be dangerous, especially in Arizona when you combine a desert environment and the creatures that live there, with sometime extreme temperatures. Please prepare and train accordingly. A great resource to find that next trail is Hike Arizona www.hikearizona.com

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PHOENIX,THE AUDACIOUS OASIS IN THE DESERT Phoenix originated in 1866 as a hay camp to supply nearby Camp McDowell. That undertaking grew into America’s fifth largest city. Taming such an inhospitable environment is nothing short of audacious and took a special breed.

Today, the spirit of the ranchers, miners and visionaries who founded this oasis is surprisingly embodied in high-tech entrepreneurs who are the modern-day pioneers.

Those who come here are not only greeted with gorgeous desert scenery but cosmopolitan offerings few regions in America can match.You can find resorts and spas infused with American Indian tradition, golf courses that stay green all year, incredible dining experiences (fantastic street tacos still to be found for $1), mountain parks with saguaro-lined hiking trails, sports arenas that can hold a Super Bowl, and much more.

This Southwestern setting is the perfect destination for family vacations, weekend adventures or even a romantic getaway.

Where to Play Crescent Ballroom 308 N. 2nd Avenue, Phoenix / 602-716-2222 / www.crescentphx.com The Crescent Ballroom is the place to take in live music in the city. In addition to both world-class and up-and-coming acts, the Crescent boasts Cocina 10, serving a one-of-a-kind, locally sourced menu developed by chef Chris Bianco.

Musical Instrument Museum 4725 E. Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix 480-478-6000 / www.mim.org The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) showcases more than 6,500 instruments collected from around the world in displays wired for sound. Just grab some headphones and walk near a presentation to hear musical samples. Instruments from music icons such as Elvis and John Lennon are also on display. MIM also hosts a wide spectrum of live performances.

Phoenix skyline www.facethecurrent.com

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For the Young at Heart

Where to Eat

The Children’s Museum of Phoenix

Christo’s

It is no wonder the Children’s Museum of Phoenix is rated one of the top 10 children’s museums in the country. Here imagination and fun are encouraged through exploration. Designed for children up to age 10, the museum offers more than 300 interactive play areas including a “market” kids can shop in, a noodle forest they can run through, and even ride a tricycle through a “car wash!”

215 N. 7th Street, Phoenix / 602-253-0501 www.childrensmuseumofphoenix.org

6327 N 7th St, Phoenix places.singleplatform.com The perfect old school Italian eatery where entrees include soup and salad. The menu is usually heavy on the veal but includes plenty of daily fresh seafood selections.

Here the service is outstanding, the pasta always perfect and the parking always free! A gem.

Phoenix Zoo The zoo is home to more than 1,400 animals including mountain lions, giraffes, elephants, bears and bald eagles. Walk through Monkey Village, pet and brush goats in the Red Barn, take in a show at the 4-D theater, and ride the Safari Train. Kids can bring swimsuits and enjoy the water play area too during the spring / summer.

455. N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix / 602-286-3800 www.phoenixzoo.com Rawhide Who doesn’t want to experience a taste of the Wild West! In this 1880’s western town recreation, visitors can meander a general store, mercantile, blacksmith, toy store and even a photo emporium. But beware of the local sheriff. Through Rawhide’s Arrest-A-Guest package, if you look like you are up to no good, you could find yourself in the Rawhide jail! Staged gunfights, galleries, a petting zoo, stagecoach rides are also available. An award winning steakhouse is on the premises, serving up delicacies like rattlesnake bites, and if you are feeling particularly adventurous, rocky mountain oysters– you’ll get a certificate of completion if you down them!

5700 W. North Loop Road, Chandler / 480-502-5600 www.rawhide.com

Monsoon over Phoenix | Credit: David Aiello. illuminates downtown Phoenix.

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REDEFINING SCOTTSDALE

Reflection Rising, by Patrick Shearn of Poetic Kinetics, Scottsdale Waterfront. Photo by Jennifer Gill Admittedly Scottsdale can conjure connotations of being a bit too upscale. But there is a movement afoot dedicated to proving the essence of Scottsdale, to pardon a phrase, is more than skin deep.

Traditions old and new mix among this growing cultural evolution.Yes, there is cowboy art, but there is much more. The Scottsdale Public

Art effort is redefining art in the public realm through creative cultural events, exhibitions, and installations — contributing to the community’s creative and cultural evolution.

The question becomes, how much time do you have to spend here?

Visitors of all ages can find fun things to do.You can sample cutting-edge Southwest cuisine or indulge in a

Impulsion by Jeff Zischke, WestWorld of Scottsdale.

Photo by Andrew Pielage

world-renowned spa. Book at tee time on a championship golf course.

Walk under an ocean. Search for American Indian turquoise and silver jewelry. Catch a Cactus League baseball game, or an Arabian Horse Show.

You need to see how Scottsdale is redefining itself.

Industrial Pipe Wave by Christopher Fennell, Scottsdale.

Photo by Sean Deckert www.facethecurrent.com

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Where to Stay

What to See

Hotel Valley Ho 6850 E. Main Street, Scottsdale / 480.376.2600 / www.hotelvalleyho.com

Scottsdale Arts District Main Street west of Scottsdale Road; Marshall Way north of Indian School Road / www.scottsdalegalleries.com Located in the heart of downtown Scottsdale, the Scottsdale’s Art District is a foot-friendly area home to art galleries and museums. Here you can find everything from paintings by masters such as Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and Norman Rockwell to sculptures by Dave McGary and original works by many locally based artists.

Visit on a Thursday night to experience the free ArtWalk gallery crawl.

Hotel Valley Ho After receiving an $80 million restoration in 2005, Scottsdale’s Hotel Valley Ho reopened and rededicated itself to its original, classic mid-century design. Originally a hideaway for celebrities, this Downtown Scottsdale treasure features generously sized guest rooms with glass walls opening onto airy patios or balconies.

Hotel Valley Ho can also boast being locally owned and independently managed, which is not the norm for hotels. A boutique hotel like this offers a one-of-a-kind experience you can’t find anywhere else. Ronen Aviram, General Manager, Hotel Valley Ho, is quick to add, “We are also proud to be a member of Local First Arizona and to support their mission of helping local, independent businesses thrive. In addition to keeping more money in the local economy, independent restaurants and boutiques are what excite people about visiting a new city and help create a unique sense of place that helps you connect with where you are.”

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West 12345 N. Taliesin Drive, Scottsdale / www.franklloydwright.org Architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) frequently wintered on a Scottsdale mountainside. There he directed his apprentices to construct and live in shelters of their own design. Taliesin West was both his residence and laboratory, and today it remains one of five Wright designed structures in Arizona open to the public.

Scottsdale Museum of the West 3830 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale / www.scottsdalemuseumwest.org True West Magazine named this Smithsonian Affiliate museum 2017’s Best Western Museum in the nation.You can get your cowboy on here while viewing Western art and Old West & historic Native American artifacts on loan from some of the world’s leading collections and institutions.

OdySea Aquarium 9500 E.Via de Ventura, Scottsdale / www.odyseaaquarium.com Where else can you ride a giant submerge escalator deep into the “ocean,” surrounded by thousands of sea creatures, while in the middle of the Sonaran Guests and visitors need Desert! The OdySea to avail themselves of Aquarium is the largest ZuZu, the signature aquarium in the Southwest, restaurant of Hotel Valley spans two levels and Ho. ZuZu is a modern features more than 50 take on the classic allexhibits and 30,000 animals, American restaurant including sharks, otters, of the 1950s, serving penguins, sea lions and rays. seasonal American fare Visitors can also ride the inside and on the shaded only Live Sea Carousel in patio. ZuZu’s famous the world, and view 3-D warm Parker House Rolls movies.

ZuZu located in the Hotel Valley Ho features a mid-century are worth the trip alone! modern design and serves delicious seasonal American food.

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JEROME | ARIZONA’S GHOST CITY IS ALIVE AND KICKING

Arizona Prohibition Started in 1915

The ghost town of Jerome is not really a ghost town anymore.

in 1914, Elections might drive some to drink, but consumption, Arizonans voted to ban alcohol sales and ct on Jan. 1, enacting a prohibition that went into effe began.

1915, five years before the national ban t to the The ratification of the 18th Amendmen ufacture, U.S. Constitution - which banned the man rs - but not transportation and sale of intoxicating liquo By this time, no consumption­- went into effect in 1920. d their own fewer than 33 states had already enacte ratified the prohibition legislation. In 1933, Congress would repeal 21st Amendment to the Constitution that d again! the 18th, and with that happy hour returne

I don’t know exactly what it is about Jerome that makes me feel immediately so comfortable here.

Could it be the crumbling stone, the decadent neon lights, or perhaps the canopy of stars that hangs over all of this? Whatever the attraction, on this glorious Sunday evening in October, I sat at the bar in Paul & Jerry’s Saloon on Main Street. My attentions were simultaneously fixed on watching a girl celebrating her birthday while dancing to a tune from the Rolling Blackouts I had played on the jukebox, while listening to George, the indulgent bartender, explain why he didn’t believe in ghosts. Paul & Jerry’s has been serving drinks for almost all of its 131 years of existence, claiming to be Arizona’s oldest family owned bar. Who am I to argue? While I was experiencing all of this, I thought of the words Louis Armstrong sang with such sentiment, “What a wonderful world.” At least right here in Jerome It hasn’t changed much in nearly 100 years Jerome, a historic copper mining boom town is located almost a mile-high atop Cleopatra Hill, near the exact geographic center of Arizona, roughly 100 miles north of Phoenix.

During its feisty history, fires ravaged the clapboard town and due to the 30-degree incline of the mountainside, fickle gravity often pulled a number of buildings down the slope. But the hardy residents persisted and always rebuilt.

Known as the “wickedest town in the west,” saloons and brothels lined the streets fueled by over a billion dollars worth of gold, copper, silver and zinc that was extracted during a period of over 70 years until the last mine closed in 1953.

A typical scene of the historical South West town of Jerome, showing mining carts and the town of Jerome Arizona in the background Then the remaining 50 to 100 resilient souls promoted the town as a historic ghost town. In 1967 Jerome was designated a National Historic District by the federal government.

Today Jerome is now a bustling tourist magnet and artistic community with a population of about 450 (including dogs and cats). From its twisting streets, you can witness the surrounding splendor of the Verde Valley nearly 2000 vertical feet below, and the breathtaking views of the terraced red rocks of Sedona. Many of the buildings used by the entrepreneurs were built after the fires of 1894 and 1899. Businesses include a generous mix of artists, craft people, musicians, writers, recluses, bed and breakfast owners, museum caretakers, gift shop proprietors and ever hardworking winemakers. www.facethecurrent.com

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What to See Jerome State Historic Park 100 Douglas Rd, Jerome / 928-634-5381 / www.azstateparks.com/jerome This is a must see. Here you can learn more about the fascinating history of this town through photographs, artifacts and minerals in addition to a video presentation and a 3-D model of the town with its underground mines. Don’t miss the displays outside which include taking a peek down the 1900-foot Audrey mine shaft.

Out of Africa Wildlife Park 3505 W. SR-260, Camp Verde, Arizona 86322 / 928-567-2840 / www.outofafricapark.com You can pet a snake or feed a giraffe by taking a side trip to Out of Africa, the Verde Valley’s own wild animal rescue park.

Verde Canyon Railroad 300 N Broadway, Clarkdale, AZ 86324 / 800-582-7245 / www.verdecanyonrr.com Sit back and relax once you climb

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aboard the Verde Canyon Railroad for a leisurely train ride from Clarkdale to Perkinsville and back—into Arizona’s other “grand canyon.”

Gold King Mine and Ghost Town 403 Clark Street, Jerome AZ 86331 / 928-634-005 / info@goldkingmineghosttown.com / www.goldkingmineghosttown.com/ In 1890, when the Haynes Copper Company dug a 1200-foot-deep shaft in search of copper, they found gold instead. The site is now a museum where visitors can see demonstrations of antique mining equipment and the operation of a turn-of-the-century sawmill. The diversity of items at the Gold King Mine can be mind-boggling. If you are a photographer, this can easily be an all-day excursion.

Tours of Jerome 110 Main St. Suite 1, Jerome / 928-639-4361 / www.toursofjerome.com Discover even more about Jerome by taking a walking tour or wine tour.

If that is not enough, find out why

Jerome is known as one of the most haunted towns in Arizona by taking a haunted tour!

For the More Adventurous Feel like getting high? Experience the Verde Valley from a balloon, www.

VerdeValleyBalloons.com, or the majesty of Sedona from a helicopter, www.SedonaAirtours.com.

If loftiness is not your thing, stay on the ground with a horseback ride through the high-desert, www.

TrailHorseAdventures.com or go off road in a jeep through the red rocks of Sedona, www.

PinkJeepToursSedona.com.

Where to Stay Ghost City Inn 541 Main St, Jerome, AZ 86331, (928) 634-4678, www.ghostcityinn.com Even if the name may suggest it, you may or may not encounter otherworldly spirits here, but you will definitely encounter innkeeper Ingrid Sarris and her wonderful hospitality and equally wonderful breakfasts!

Built around 1890 as a boarding house for employees of the nearby copper mines, the Ghost City Inn has experienced many incarnations including a restaurant, art gallery, ashram, and even a funeral home.

The building experienced major restorations as late as 2014 but still retains some of the uneven floors and original beadboard ceilings.

All six, unique rooms have private bathrooms, Direct TV, ceiling fans, and air conditioning.

However, if it is spiritual phenomenon that you seek, the Ghost City Inn is said to remain home to a female spirit who is most often seen in the Cleopatra Hill room.

Another male spirit has been spied in the hall outside the Verde View Room in addition to other unusual occurrences. The Inn was even featured on Ghost Adventures airing on the Travel Channel.

Today even the most discerning corporeal entities agree, the Ghost City Inn is a great place to watch the sun rise over the Verde Valley as you sip a cup of freshly brewed coffee, or

Surgeons House

simply lounge in your luxurious bed until breakfast is served. The Arrington Journal and Inn Traveler magazine listed the Ghost City Inn as “Best Weekend Get-Away in America,” “Most Perfect Stay” and “Best in the West” and it received a Tripadvisor Award for 2017.

Surgeon’s House Bed and Breakfast 100 Hill St., Jerome, AZ 86331 928-639-1452 www.surgeonshouse.com surgeonshouse@surgeonshouse.com Overlooking Jerome and the Verde Valley, this two-story Spanish-style home was built in 1917 to house the chief surgeon of United Verde Copper Company’s hospital. The mine closed in the 1950s, sending the home into disrepair before Andrea Prince, a nuclear engineer turned innkeeper bought it in 1992 and restored the grounds with exquisite gardens of cascading wisteria, lavender and iris. Now on the National Historic Registry, guests enjoy cozy rooms and fresh breakfasts from Prince’s own

cookbooks. “It’s kind of like staying with Aunt Minnie, only you don’t have to deal with Aunt Minnie!” chimes Andrea.

Where to Eat The Bordello of Jerome 412 Main Street, Jerome, Arizona www.facebook.com/Thebordello86331 Beautiful small restaurant serving lunch and dinner with full bar. As their Facebook page states, they feature flavors for carnivores and vegetarians alike including a homemade veggie burger or portobello burger, exotic meats such as bison, boar or venison burger, kale and quinoa salads, falafel and hummus, and fresh soups just to name a few of their flavorful offerings.

The Mine Café 115 Jerome Avenue / 928-639-0123 / www.minecafejerome.com Tucked away a bit below street level, this charming oasis opens early to serve breakfast, lunch & dinner. If they have it, try the lemon-blueberry cake!

www.facethecurrent.com

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ARTISTS OF JEROME: IMAGINATION IS SELF-EVIDENT IN THE WORKS OF MARY ANN SEARS During the 60’s and 70’s artists discovered the decaying ghost town community of Jerome and it blossomed into a mecca of artists.

The old buildings, mining sites, stately ruins, and incredible vistas provided rich inspiration for these creative free spirits. One of those who felt the pull was Mary Anne Sears.

The monoprints Mary Ann creates are filled with a feminine fluid energy that reflects the ballet, jazz and contemporary dance she studied as an undergraduate. Sweeping, flowing elegance are adjectives that come to mind when viewing her work. Indeed, organic curvature is ubiquitous and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say she has an aversion to straight lines!

“Whether I’m producing a figurative or abstract piece, I think it does have a distinctive elegance that I am very

proud of,” laughs the affable 65 year old Casper, Wyoming native.

a very immediate process and I just fell in love with it.”

Although Sears now calls Prescott, Arizona home, she makes the thirtyminute drive through the breathtaking Prescott Valley a few times a week to both visit and work at the Raku Gallery in Jerome, where her monoprints are highly sought after. “I just love the vibe there, the unique shops and galleries, the great food and fabulous views of the Mogollon Rim,” she adds.

After she left the coop and moved north to Prescott, her father recognized his daughter’s passion and offered to buy her an etching press.

Of course, she said, “Yes!” She then turned her garage, now home to her new press, into a studio and that is where she has been working since.

“After graduating from Arizona State University in Phoenix, I entered an artist coop and that’s where I was introduced to monoprinting,” Sears explained. There she had to confront the notion that purists did not consider monoprinting a pure form of fine art printmaking because nothing is etched or incised in a plate.

“You are basically using the press to mesh the ink and paper together. It’s

Rozendal Vinegars http://rozendal.co.za/ In September 2011, Kurt and Lynette Ammann, purchased the Raku Gallery. Originally from South Africa, they have brought a fresh, new energy to Raku and their award winning vinegars!

On Rozendal, the family farm located in Stellenbosch, South Africa, the traditional French Orleans method of vinegar preparation, passed down from patriarch Kurt Ammann, is still employed. Vinegars are made from a Bordeaux blend of Merlot and Cabernet grape cultivars, cultured by an indigenous “mother” from the first vinegars made on Rozendal in 1988.

The Ammann’s preference for taste, nature, health and patience, over preservatives, artificial additives, and mass production results in truly superior, small batch vinegars that have earned a couple of awards to boot!

I highly recommend the Hibiscus!

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A Challenging Creative Process “My work takes so long,” said Sears.

“Each piece is very labor intensive.”

Mary Ann says, “The most challenging is the start of a piece because I mix my own inks. Deciding which colors to use is the first challenge. The second challenge is ‘de-spacing’ the blank plate because I don’t like to draw or sketch anything—I want it to be spontaneous.”

While the lithographic ink is still wet on the Plexiglass plate, she works to blend colors and abuses the ink with a palette knife, pencil, or Q-tip to extract and thus create lines and shapes. “I’ve learned that by making the ink a bit thicker in places, and by flipping my roller over that area instead of blending it smooth, I can achieve different textures as well. This process is can take a full day.”

“When I feel good about what I’ve done, I put the paper on the plate and run it through the press which delivers about 1000 lbs. of pressure.

I then have to wait for the ink to dry and that could take several days,” explains Sears. But she is still not done. The challenge becomes deciding what colors she should add to the lines she has made. “I use colored pencils for this detailed work, and possibly apply gold leaf to guild portions of it.”

The results are prints that are highlighted with graceful, flowing contours, rich background hues, and

staccato accents of neon and jewel tones.

“I hope my imagination is self-evident in my work. My desire is to create emotionally provocative pieces that reveal a dream-like visual world.”

muses. “I love working with paper, but maybe I can adhere it to canvas. I’d like to explore more collage elements too, perhaps cutting up older prints I have not used and incorporating them into new works.”

Mary Ann’s clients include a director of the Metropolitan Opera and her work has been featured all around the globe including the Fine Arts Museum in Basel, Switzerland, and Hong Kong. Although her work has been collected worldwide, Mary Ann modestly adds that she does not keep a running list of where her arts goes.

We look forward to the continuing evolution of not only Mary Ann’s work but all of the work from the eclectic mix of artists, craftspersons, writers and musicians that have made Jerome their home. Mary Ann and those like her will continue to amaze and delight the more than 1.5 million visitors that flock to the seemingly vertical streets of Jerome with the variety and quality of their original works.

Next Steps Like many working artists, Mary Ann has to balance delivering to the galleries that feature her work and experimentation thus running the risk of not having her work accepted.

She addresses this challenge by working to improve on what she loves best right now. “I think I will explore different ways to present my work, so maybe not under glass,” she

Mary Ann Sears stands by one of her works in Raku Gallery. Her intent is to extend her personal vision to create emotionally, provocative pieces.

How to Reach Her In addition to Raku Gallery (www.rakugallery.com), Mary Ann’s work is on display at Van Gogh’s Ear Gallery (www.vgegallery.com) in Prescott. If you are interested in contacting Mary Ann, email her at art@rakugallery.com.

Mary Ann Sears: A Toast to Tickling. www.facethecurrent.com

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BISBEE

Bisbee aerial | Credit: Flyboy Drone Bisbee, built among the hills, with long staircases and narrow, winding streets and alleyways, has been known to conceal a spirit of two.

On this October night right before Halloween, I thought about the harrowing story our ghost tour guide was now relating about a soul named Julia.

I thought to myself, was there a fall chill in the air on that unrecorded day almost 100 years ago? Was the heat of June enveloping her entire being? Or was an August rain making her navigate the sea of mud quickly forming in the streets. We don’t know.

As she hurried, the glow of new electric lights must have mixed with

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the light of the stars.

She may have smiled listening to the new sounds of jazz or blues or even ragtime that echoed from the speakeasies in Brewery Gulch.

She may have winced from the pungent odor of sulfur dioxide riding a gentle wind from the copper smelter near town.

Whatever Julia was feeling that day, it would be fleeting.

The destination she hurried to, full of anticipation, was the concealed back staircase to the room she used on the third floor of Copper Queen Hotel.

You see, as our guide Lee recounted

on the Old Bisbee Haunted Pub Tour, Julia was a ‘lady of negotiable affections.’ Her father, having managed the hotel and wanting to keep his daughter safe, gave her own room, room 315, so she wouldn’t have to walk the streets.

Perhaps not a prudent business decision, Julia had allowed one of her clients to descend deep into her heart. Tonight, she was to make plans with him to escape the harsh realities of living in a mining town.

A life far away from the acrid smell of sweat and sour breath from the smelter workers, freighters, gamblers, bootleggers and saloon keepers flush with cash, condescension and insolence.

But the trouble with dreams is that many don’t come true. And on this night, for whatever reason, Julia’s love rejected her.

their feet playfully. She’s also been reported doing a seductive dance by the bedside.

Perhaps it was the regret she felt over her past, or perhaps fear of a future without him, whatever her state of mind, Julia took her own life that night… in room 315.

Luckily for us, these tales and more are perpetuated by the lively spirits from the Old Bisbee Ghost Tour.

These and other non-apparitions are dedicated to keeping the rich history of Bisbee alive.

Room 315 is still available at the Romanesque Revival style Copper Queen. It is said, married men, staying alone in that room will sometimes report that Julia whispers in their ear late at night, or lifts the blankets at the bottom of the bed and tickles

You Have to Visit Bisbee!

Once known as “The Queen of the Copper Camps”, Bisbee is nestled among the Mule Mountains of southeast Arizona, world renowned

for its diverse minerals and wealth of copper.

It all started back in 1877, when a reconnaissance detail of U.S. army scouts was dispatched to the Mule Mountains to in search of Apache Indians. However, what they found instead were signs of lead, copper and possibly silver.

Ultimately, Bisbee proved to be a remarkable find producing nearly three million ounces of gold and more than eight billion pounds of copper, not to mention the silver, lead and zinc that came from these deposits.

Bisbee www.facethecurrent.com

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By the early 1900’s, Bisbee had become the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco, with a population of over 20,000 people. Along with its cosmopolitan character, grew the rough-hewn Brewery Gulch portion of town, which at its peak boasted nearly 50 saloons and a number of brothels. Taverns like St. Elmo (36 Brewery Avenue) Arizona’s oldest bar, maintain the boom-town flavor of this period.

Bisbee remained prosperous until the 1970’s. When the mine operations no longer remained profitable and began to close, mining employees and their families left to pursue work elsewhere. The availability of cheap real estate, coupled with a comfortable year-round climate and beautiful surroundings, lured an influx of artists and “hippies” that found Bisbee’s historic district to be an attractive, inspiring, and inexpensive location to settle and pursue artistic endeavors.

Today Bisbee retains its welcoming spirit, offering visitors a rich mix of art, music, history, architecture, outdoor activities, dining and nightlife. In fact, in 2016, Bisbee was voted ‘Best Historical Small Town in America,’ by USA Today and ‘Best Small Town in the West’ by Sunset Magazine.

Bisbee circa 1885, not long after copper was discovered.

Credit: Discover Bisbee

Frommer’s Best Places to Go in 2018 Includes Bisbee!

The word is getting out about Bisbee. As part of its Best Places to Go in 2018 recommendations, Frommer’s boasts, “Bisbee is the sort of artist’s hamlet that Key West and Sundance used to be before the jet set moved in—antique, offbeat, affordable, and genuine.”

There is always free entertainment to be found in the streets of Bisbee

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BISBEE 1000 THE GREAT STAIR CLIMB www.Bisbee1000.org Annual and monthly events draw crowds from around the region and even across the globe to Bisbee.

Ongoing happenings include the monthly Bisbee After Five art walk (www.bisbeeafter5.com) and the weekly farmer’s market, now a Saturday morning tradition.

But arguably Bisbee’s biggest and most anticipated event of the year, is the Bisbee 1000 The Great Stair Climb, which attracts 1,500

participants annually.

Founded by Cynthia Conroy in 1991 as a charitable fundraiser promoting healthy living in Cochise County, the event incorporates nine of Bisbee’s 82 Depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) built staircases (formerly miners’ mule paths) into a giant city street race course.

At more than a mile elevation, the oldest and most authentic outdoor stair climb in the US features a 4.5mile course that weaves through Old

Bisbee’s historic hills and narrow streets, funneling the participants up 1,034 steps. The event also features the Bisbee 1000 Ironman Ice Competition (yes, participants climb Bisbee’s steps carrying a block of ice!) and the Bisbee 1000 Invitational Craft Beer Festival.

The 28th Bisbee 1000 The Great Stair Climb is scheduled for October 20, 2018. For more information or to register (do it quickly because it will fill up).

Credit: Bisbee Vogue, Inc www.facethecurrent.com

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What to Do Old Bisbee Ghost Tours PO Box 946, Bisbee / 520-432-3308 www.oldbisbeeghosttour.com A Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence winner for seven years in a row, Old Bisbee Ghost Tours is the place to fulfill all of your paranormal entertainment needs while in Bisbee! They offer a number of different themed tours, from haunted pub tours to walking tours. Each will take you on a spooky walking tour through Old Bisbee’s streets, stairways, and alleys to embark on a nocturnal adventure to discover and learn about the ghosts that haunt this hundred thirty-five-year-old town!

Bisbee Queen Mine Tours 478 N Dart Rd, Bisbee / 520-432-2071 www.queenminetour.com/ Outfitted in a hard hat, miner’s headlamp and a yellow slicker, thousands of Bisbee visitors ride into the Queen Mine Tour each year—heading underground and back in time. This is a highly-recommended fascinating, up-close opportunity to experience the underground world of the miners. Retired Phelps Dodge mine employees act as tour guides, leading the group 1,500 feet into the mine and recount mining days, techniques, dangers and drama.

These miners-turned-tour guides truly add a personal touch and help visitors experience what it was like to work underground.

Where to Eat

Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum 5 Copper Queen Plaza, Bisbee / 520-432-7071 www.bisbeemuseum.org/bm-museum.aspx The Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum has welcomed, educated and entertained more than a half-million visitors over recent decades. Featured among its exhibits is “Bisbee: Urban Outpost on the Frontier”, an in-depth look at the lives of the miners and settlers of this unique area of the southwest. What’s more, the Museum is the first rural affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution nationwide, forming a partnership between the nation’s largest museum and one of its smallest.

Queen Mine Tour | Credit: Discover Bisbee

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Café Roka 35 Main St, Bisbee / 520-432-5153 www.caferoka.com/ Whether you are in New Orleans, San Francisco, or New York City, let alone Bisbee, Café Roka delivers an unsurpassed multi-course dining experience. According to their website, Chef Rod Kass came to Bisbee in 1990 for a visit and found himself immediately at home. Kass and Sally Holcomb opened Café Roka in 1992 and it has all the markings of a Bisbee original. From Kass’ passion for quality, locally sourced ingredients to the historic building’s art deco ambiance, a dinner at Café Roka is an experience to remember. We agree!

Where to Stay The Bisbee Inn/Hotel La More 45 OK Street, Bisbee / 520-432-5131 www.bisbeeinn.com The Bisbee Inn/Hotel La More is a delightful, affordable small historic hotel, located within walking distance to all entertainment, restaurants, and shops.You step back in time as soon as you walk through the front door.

Every effort has been made to maintain the period authenticity of this hotel by retaining original furniture and charm. In continuous operation since 1912, the property was originally miners’ lodging, then a Peace Corps training center, and has been a hotel for visitors since 1983. Heather, the manager, is warm, friendly and accommodating, and keeps an eye on making every detail

of Bisbee your stay Innmemorable!

It is also said a few specters may occupy the hotel as well! Sightings of the angelic and watchful Lady in White, known for her heroic actions by saving some young boys from certain death, are often reported. But by far the most popular ghost at the Inn is that of a kitty! The ghost cat haunts Room 23 of the hotel and, is said to like to snuggle up to your warm feet!

If you stay at the Bisbee Inn, perhaps you should leave the lights on and don’t forget to check under the bed!

The Copper Queen Hotel 11 Howell Ave, Bisbee / 520-432-2216 www.copperqueen.com This Romanesque Revival style building was built between 1898 and 1902, and it was designed by a New York City architecture firm. The ghost house as it is known, is Arizona’s longest operating hotel, and is a place of countless paranormal activities. The building has been featured on paranormal investigation shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures. John Wayne was a frequent visitor.

Tombstone, Arizona www.tombstoneweb.com Step back in time and walk the very same streets that legendary lawman Wyatt Earp and his brothers walked with the likes of Doc Holliday! Best known as the site of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral the town now offers a glimpse into the past with historic attractions such as museums, history tours on foot, by stagecoach or trolley, underground mine experiences, paranormal adventures, shopping, dining and of course gunfight reenactments!

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FtC Travel Connection Wanderlusters, Adventurers, Explorers, and Travel Photographers –‘Sharing Our Stories’ ftc travel connection

Preston Hoffman PLACE I Call Home: Bellingham, WA @prestonhoffman_ WWW.prestonhoffmanmedia.com

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Do you remember that moment when creativity and productivity sprung from your mind smoothly?

According to positive psychology cofounder Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, this state is called flow, and it is an important contributor to creativity and well-being.

Can you share a time you experienced this while traveling and capturing the moment?

I took a road trip from Colorado to Fairbanks, Alaska that was planned to be a one-week drive with a few stops along the way.

Due to passport complications and other unpredictable factors,

it took me one month and two days to arrive in Alaska. The trip was exciting and had its fair share of stressful moments, but it completely changed the way I looked at traveling. Tapping into creative “flow” felt easier than it ever had been. The creativity was stemming from instances like my passport getting lost in the mail for weeks, to picking up hitchhikers, sleeping on the streets of Vancouver, bathing in unnamed lakes in the middle of Yukon Territories, and almost running out of gas after not seeing a station for six hours.

These experiences opened the floodgates of creative flow and the only thing I wanted to do was create and document

everything around me. When situations were unpredictable, I was forced to be present, and to truly take each moment in time and interpret what I was feeling through photography. The moments were that, which I had only ever imagined of such as exploring my first glacier, laying underneath an aurora borealis soaked sky, and experiencing what true desolation looks and feels like- I couldn’t help but be immersed in creative flow.

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When situations were unpredictable, I was forced to be present, and to truly take each moment in time and interpret what I was feeling through photography

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Tourism in Cuba isn’t quite up to date with the rest of the world, but if you’re in Trinidad, make SURE you find Yaseel and have him take you on a $10, 6-hour horseback ride through some of the most beautiful terrain you’ll ever see in your entire life. (Experience NOT required).

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What do you find unique about the experience of traveling to produce a positive psychology flow state where one is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity and surroundings?

The most unique thing I find about travel is that when I’m traveling to a new place, or somewhere familiar, I feel my senses begin to heighten. I start to pick up on the smallest of

details again: the smell of a new place, the different sounds of surrounding wildlife, and the way people talk and interact with one another. Traveling can be unnerving at times and it can put you in unexpected situations that force you to think outside the box. Stepping outside the box and getting away from that day to day routine that we are all guilty of slipping into, is the most unique aspect about traveling.

Breaking that daily routine for me has helped me from getting too comfortable with how things are, and has kept me focused

on how beautiful life can be and what it truly has to offer. Not only has travel helped my view on life, but it has trickled into the way I use my camera. Life is too unpredictable and offers too much to just sit back and not want to crack it open and see what it’s all about.

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54. 6 Steps To Ignite Your Inner Creativity 60. Mastering Your Flow Consciousness With

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6 Steps To Ignite

Your Inner Creativity (Adapted from Wise Mind, Open Mind: Finding Purpose and Meaning in Times of Crisis, Loss and Change by Ronald Alexander, PhD) Most of us were taught that creativity comes from the thoughts and emotions of the mind. The greatest singers, dancers, painters, writers, and filmmakers recognize that the most original, and even transformative, ideas actually come from the core of our being, which is accessed through an “open-mind consciousness.”

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What Sarah described has been called not only “openmind awareness” but also, in the West, a “peak experience,” “being in the flow,” or “being in the zone.” I call it accessing your “core creativity,” because I believe that deep inside every person lies this potential for connecting to a universal flow of knowledge and creativity that’s boundless and expansive.

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In ancient traditions, open-mind consciousness was considered to be a spiritual awakening, the great enlightenment that dissolves the darkness of confusion and fear, and ushers in peace, happiness, clarity, and contentment. Today the notion that there’s one formulaic way to achieve this spiritual awakening and creative vibrancy has been blown apart.You don’t have to run off to a monastery or practice meditation for thirty years before attaining a breakthrough.

light and energy infuse her body, and experienced an ineffable sense of the presence of the divine, the cosmos, and a collective consciousness.

After this transcendent experience, Sarah who’d been overweight to an unhealthy degree, lost several pounds, became more engaged by her work and closer to her friends, and was no longer suicidal. It was a major turning point for her.

What Sarah described has been called not only “open-mind A few years ago, I had a client, named awareness” but also, in the West, a Sarah who’d completely given up on “peak experience,” “being in the psychotherapy until a failed suicide flow,” or “being in the zone.” I call attempt convinced her to try it one it accessing your “core creativity,” more time. I urged her to begin a because I believe that deep inside mindfulness practice, and she agreed. every person lies this potential After several months—not years, for connecting to a universal flow but months—she had an extremely of knowledge and creativity that’s powerful experience while meditating. boundless and expansive. Our As she described it, she felt a rush of individual thoughts and memories are

a part of this greater, larger resource.

Just as an athlete who’s in condition has the muscle tone to be able to spring into action instantly, someone who regularly accesses their core creativity becomes creatively toned.

For this person, the faucet to this remarkable flow of inspiration opens up easily, naturally, and often, allowing spontaneous and dramatic breakthroughs. When you’re creatively toned, instead of merely dipping your toe in the water and playing it safe, you’re willing to be utterly daring. Knowing this, you can navigate through a sea of selflimiting thoughts and transform such unwholesome beliefs as “I had my chance and blew it,” “It’s too late; my time is over,” “I’ll never be happy again,” and “I can’t.”

HERE ARE 6 WAYS YOU CAN STIMULATE AND TONE YOUR CREATIVITY FROM MY BOOK, WISE MIND, OPEN MIND

Mindfulness Meditation Practice One of the most effective ways to become creatively toned and start accessing core creativity is through a mindfulness meditation practice.

Mindfulness allows us to listen and pay attention to what we might otherwise overlook—whether it’s a fresh idea or a new way of perceiving a situation—enhancing our creativity and letting go of our obstacles to innovation. Many people are intimidated with the idea of meditating with excuses of not having the time or ability to quiet the mind. Really all you need is 5 to 20 minutes a day and there are many mediation CDs that can help guide you through the process. In fact my CD Mindful Meditations for Creative Transformation was created to specifically help one access their inner resources. www.facethecurrent.com

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Our culture’s overemphasis on fame and great success often turns people away from their creative inclinations, because they feel that if they can’t reach a professional goal with their writing, singing, or painting endeavors, they shouldn’t bother. What they don’t realize is that simply dabbling in the fine arts, with no specific goals or intentions, awakens our ability to approach life with greater openness and curiosity. In the same way that mindfulness practice jogs the areas of the brain associated with well-being, optimism, and compassion for yourself and others, so too does immersing yourself in any artistic exploration or enjoyment jog your creativity.

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simply dabbling in the fine arts, with no specific goals or intentions, awakens our ability to approach life with greater openness and curiosity.

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Dabbling in the Arts

Immersing Yourself in Nature Experiencing nature can awaken in you a sense of vitality and infinity, which becomes a path to your core creativity. Without conscious thought, you can look up at the astonishing number of stars in the sky or leaves on a single tree in a forest, and feel a sense of vastness and spaciousness.

As you gaze at the heavens the ancients observed, knowing that humanity throughout history and across continents has pondered these very stars, you experience being a part of something larger than yourself that feels as if it has always existed and always will.

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Entering Sacred Space In ancient times, sacred spaces, such as churches, temples, and sites for group rituals, were built on land whose features evoked a sense of spirituality. Treks to places like Machu Picchu, the temples of India, and Stonehenge have become more popular for Westerners who yearn for a sense of connection to their divine nature.Yet sacred spaces can exist wherever you feel a sense of spaciousness and connection to the creative, life-supporting forces of the universe. Arranging the space in your home or office to bring in light and nature will help you feel expansive and access your core creativity as you open up to your important role in all of creation.

Seeking Out Creative Stimulation When the Irish band U2 wanted to reinvent their music, they traveled to Berlin, a bustling, gritty city unfamiliar to them, and soaked in the atmosphere, allowing its energy to infuse their songwriting and sound.

Similarly, a famous actor I once spotted in an art museum stood before a painting for a good ten minutes before throwing his arms out and his head back, and standing for many more minutes, as if opening his heart to a beam of creative energy emanating from that painting. We all have this capacity to open to the vital forces around us and allow ourselves to take them in, mingling them with our own passions.

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Becoming creatively toned can lead to a breakthrough in parenting or relating to others, or it can make you feel vitalized and fully engaged in the mundane chores of the day. The Buddha said that to find enlightenment, one must chop wood and carry water, meaning that the deepest, more purposeful life may not be one dedicated to an extraordinary cause or endeavor, but one that’s simply lived with a deep sense of awareness and openness to both the known and the unknown.

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Mindful Movement Many forms of physical movement can be an entrée into open-mind consciousness. Somatic therapy or somatic disciplines such as martial arts, tai chi, and yoga are the most well-known ways of quieting the rational mind and opening up to the intuitive mind and its connection to the numinous creative force.

Any physical activity that involves discipline and a slowing down of thoughts, from skiing to dance, actually creates new neural pathways

in your brain that become roads to innovation.

Becoming creatively toned can lead to a breakthrough in parenting or relating to others, or it can make you feel vitalized and fully engaged in the mundane chores of the day. The Buddha said that to find enlightenment, one must chop wood and carry water, meaning that the deepest, more purposeful life may not be one dedicated to an extraordinary cause or endeavor, but

one that’s simply lived with a deep sense of awareness and openness to both the known and the unknown. A passion for discovery, for embracing the new and the unfamiliar can help you transform your life in ways you never dreamed possible, as you find the strength to move out of fear and resistance and into something new.

ymore info: www.ronaldalexander.com www.facebook.com/RonaldAlexanderPhD/ www.facethecurrent.com

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Mastering Your Flow Consciousness

With Justin Faerman Interview By Sasha Frate

Justin Faerman has been described as a visionary change-agent, and indeed he has been making a positive impact throughout his career as an accomplished international speaker, serial entrepreneur and consciousness researcher.

Justin founded Conscious Lifestyle Magazine, as a channel deliver powerful, practical tools, techniques, wisdom and inspiration for creating radiant happiness, health and healing. He is also a founder of the Flow Consciousness Institute, a research body dedicated to understanding the mechanics of consciousness, reality and the relationship between the two and using these insights to develop highly practical tools and trainings for the betterment of us all.

Justin travels the world conducting workshops on the art of living in flow consciousness, merging intuition and business and conducting deep research into the practical applications of consciousness enhancing, psychospiritual technologies.

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Sasha Frate:You are considered a “global pioneer in the art and science of flow consciousness”How would you explain flow consciousness as an art and as a science, and what do you identify as your greatest contribution that has made you a pioneer in this field?

Justin Faerman: Flow is an integrative practice in that when living in flow, one seeks to find the point of perfect balance between two opposing forces. As such, Flow is both an art and a science because there is value in both approaches to living in flow and life in general.

Science refers to the systematic study or practice of a phenomenon typically through observation and experimentation. In this sense, how we teach flow is systematic and methodical in many ways, which

is one of our innovations in what has historically been a somewhat mystical practice. But within the system we teach, there is great room for personalized interpretation and creativity. There are typically multiple entry points to find flow in any given moment and how one chooses that is entirely unique and based upon their skill at finding flow, among other things. In that sense it is very artful and intuitive—not hyper rational like science typical is. Describing it here it sounds more technical than it actually is in practice. In everyday life, it is very fluid and more of a direct experience than anything else.

Beyond that, almost all of what we teach in the flow consciousness methodology is either a) directly research-based or based on principles and practices that are extensions of said research or b) based on insights

and practices from various ancient spiritual traditions such as Zen philosophy, Taoism, Buddhism, etc. So in that sense as well, it is also an art and a science.

There are a couple of levels that could be considered pioneering in terms of how I and we at the Flow Consciousness Institute approach flow. The first is that, as mentioned, we are integrative in how we approach flow, blending the modern/scientific and ancient/ artistic approaches seamlessly, which has not previously been done and allows people to tap into flow very easily. The second is that through many years of research into the mechanics of reality and consciousness, I developed a unique, holistic framework that integrates various branches of psychology with quantum mechanics and explains www.facethecurrent.com

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the mechanics of flow and many other phenomena in a number of fields quite elegantly, summarized in a paper I released in 2015. It paints a very accessible yet still deep and comprehensive view of the evolution of consciousness that is very practical, which most forays into this field lack. Reading it you actually walk away with a deep understanding and ways to actually benefit from it in your day to day life.

SF: Where do you see the emergence having truly come from in the recognition of a positive psychology of flow and ‘flow consciousness’?

In 1990 Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi authored the book FLOW that gave a lot of recognition to this natural state that we are all capable of experiencing. Where else does this concept of flow stem from?

JF: If you think about the word flow and how it has been historically used, it most commonly means things are happening effortlessly, fluidly or without resistance. In that sense it stems from various aspects of Zen philosophy and the ancient Taoist concept of Wu Wei, which loosely translates to effortless action.

You could argue that the classic text by Lao Tzu the Tao te Ching was a meditation on that art of living in flow. Beyond that the idea of a flow and harmony existing between all things is a central concept of Taoism and many other Eastern philosophies. As such, the concept of flow is ancient in nature, but has gone by many names over the millennia.

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People were also using it as a colloquial term to describe things being effortless or ‘being in the zone’ or some kind of heightened state long before Csikszentmihalyi coined it academically. However, he was one of the first to really examine these heightened states of consciousness from a more scientific perspective

and flow is definitely a great word to describe them in certain ways.

However, how we teach flow is more similar to the ancient concept of Wu Wei, although it is more than that too. One of the major distinctions between our work we call Flow Consciousness and Flow States,

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Flow States are by their very nature inherently temporary, whereas Flow Consciousness is something that you can experience all the time. It is a way of life that helps you to experience a more effortless and deeply fulfilling reality. The end goal is essentially accelerated personal and spiritual evolution and living your dream life.

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which is what has been popularized

by Csikszentmihalyi and others, is that Flow States are by their very nature inherently temporary, whereas Flow Consciousness is something that you can experience all the time.

It is a way of life that helps you to experience a more effortless and deeply fulfilling reality. Living in Flow Consciousness will definitely allow you to experience Flow States more frequently but that is not the end goal. The end goal is essentially

accelerated personal and spiritual evolution and living your dream life. These things are not mutually exclusive but intricately intertwined.

SF: Consciousness is generally described as having two “levels”- either conscious or sub conscious.You actually identify more levels of consciousnesscan you explain what these are?

JF: Conscious and subconscious are terms that refer to the structure of

the mind itself, which is actually only one aspect of our consciousness, which encompasses much more than just the mind. The conscious and subconscious aspects of the mind are always there and operating at whatever level of consciousness you may currently be at.You can think of cars as an analogy—both a Honda Civic and a Ferrari both have engines that function on the same basic combustion technology, but they are also very different in other ways. This is how the conscious and subconscious mind relates to levels of consciousness. At each level, the conscious and subconscious are there to more or less power the mind, but each level of consciousness, like the bodies of the Civic or the Ferrari is also quite different.

‘Levels of consciousness’ is really shorthand for ‘Stage of Development’, which is best understood as a phase of mental, emotional, perceptual and psychological development. Stages are a bit hard to define, but the simplest analogy I can give is one of developmental maturity. It is the level of awareness with which we perceive and interact with ourselves and the world around us. Another distinction is that stages (or levels if you prefer) are sequential and more or less permanent. Similar in analogy to how a human develops from a fetus to an adult, they map the course of development and evolution over a period of time and they serve as milestones and demarcation points on the path of the evolution of consciousness, psycho-spiritual development and self-actualization.

At each level or stage of consciousness, we make certain internal shifts in how we perceive ourselves and reality around us, which leads to very different experiences of life. For example, in my paper I outline 8 core stages of development or levels of consciousness. In stage 1, someone is more or less living in a www.facethecurrent.com

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Over the years we have found that there are some key things that everyone begins to reliably experience when they start living in Flow Consciousness:

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You start to experience effortlessness— your life gets significantly easier to the point where it feels and becomes effortless, even in challenging situations and even if you have a lot of responsibilities.

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You begin to experience exponential growth and success in pretty much every area of your life as you learn to operate from your superconscious/ intuitive mind. Our research has shown that these higher order, quantum aspects of our consciousness reliably lead us down the path of greatest flow, fulfillment and success in life and there is an increasingly large body of scientific evidence to back this up.

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You experience deep inner peace and emotional freedom from fear, anxiety, worry, doubt, negative emotional states, chronic stress, negative thoughts, limiting beliefs and really any inner blocks as you go deeper into Flow Consciousness. Flow allows you to operate from a place of joy, passion and happiness the vast majority of the time.

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You begin to experience heightened levels of synchronicities and fortuitous events, which is essentially when it feels like life is conspiring in your favor and the resources you need to thrive begin showing up for your effortlessly and at just the right moment. It’s quite a magical experience.

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Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you begin to feel a deep sense of trust in yourself and life so you can finally relax, let go and enjoy the ride because you know it is going to work out in your favor long term.

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There are 8 core stages of development or levels of consciousness. In stage 1, someone is more or less living in a state of survival and primarily focused on getting their most basic human needs met in what they perceive to be an otherwise dangerous and hostile world. Whereas in stage 8, someone is living in a reality of more or less endless bliss and transcendental consciousness,

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state of survival and primarily focused on getting their most basic human needs met in what they perceive to be an otherwise dangerous and hostile world. Whereas in stage 8, someone is living a reality of more or less endless bliss and transcendental consciousness, similar to how most people would conceive an enlightened master to be operating. So there is really a huge spectrum in our possible experience of consciousness and one of the main keys to shifting to the higher levels is our perception—and shifting perception is one of the core keys to getting into flow.You have to learn to perceive yourself and reality in a way that engenders flow.

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Most people are seeking safety and security first and purpose and meaning second. In flow, we teach the opposite in that through aligning with purpose you will find the greatest security and safety… and happiness and fulfillment, which are the real prizes anyways.

SF: Why do you believe it can be challenging for people to identify their own gifts and sense of purpose?

JF: The biggest challenge most people have with identifying their gifts and purpose is typically letting go of all the cultural, parental and societal programming (read: beliefs and perceptions) that tend to lead us away from, rather than toward our calling. Most people are seeking safety and security first and purpose

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Once you have experienced it, it is pretty hard to go back to living ‘normally.’ Operating from flow consciousness is definitely a peak experience.

and meaning second. In flow, we teach the opposite in that through aligning with purpose you will find the greatest security and safety… and happiness and fulfillment, which are the real prizes anyways.

SF: Can you elaborate on the following: “success and growth are not about what you are doing… they come as a result of who you are being… “ JF: What we mean by that is true, lasting success, which is much broader in scope than simply financial or professional success and includes quality of relationships, alignment with purpose, health and wellbeing, spiritual awareness and so on, cannot

be found simply by rearranging circumstances in your life or being more productive, i.e. by doing. Rather, it requires a shift at the deeper level of our being to come into alignment internally with our purpose and the inner psychological programming, which engenders flow. This leads to what we call holistic success and growth, which is measured in quality of life and fulfillment more than anything else, but also includes traditional measures like financial and professional success as well. With flow you get everything, not just what looks good on paper. Many people who are traditionally successful are really lacking in other areas of life and come to us to help them find what they are missing. www.facethecurrent.com

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of flow, however, for most people SF: How long does it take for it’s a bit like learning to ride a bike people to “Master” flow and experience what you describe as: in that you get better at it the more you do it. But at the end of the “feeling magical—as if life day what really determines speed is is conspiring in your favor at how deeply and quickly you apply all times.Think of a nevereverything. Now with that being said, ending stream of jaw-dropping, flow is a deep subject with many awe-inducing synchronicities, layers and there are different levels of where everything you want and understanding and nuance. Like riding need to thrive and be wildly a bike its one thing to be able to ride successful living your purpose and leisurely down the sidewalk and a giving your gift to the world shows completely different thing to be doing up in your life effortlessly.” back flips off jumps. So to experience flow initially, it is not difficult but to JF: Quite frankly its different become a master requires practice for everyone but the single most like any art, skill or sport. And there important factor for mastering and are advanced levels for people who experiencing high levels of flow is want to go all the way to Olympian actually making the internal shifts levels. and taking action by applying the principles in your life. For those who With that being said, people who do that consistently and steadfastly, it have a background in personal can be virtually instant. Some people development work often find it easier come to a workshop and that same than those who don’t, but it is not a night they launch into experiences deal breaker and we are pleasantly

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surprised all the time by people who take to it very quickly regardless of their background or previous training.

Our core online training program is 8 weeks long and by the end of it you have everything you need to experience high levels of flow. We could teach the content more quickly, but it is not so much about gaining more knowledge, per se. Rather it is about living what you are learning and embodying flow. Each week we teach a different aspect of living in flow and give you practices to go apply in the real world to start experiencing it firsthand and really understand the nuances before moving on to a new part of it.

SF: The cultural ‘programming’ that says “chase your dreams” or “work harder to be successful” - or even “work smarter,” are actually NOT where it’s at?!

Why is this the case?

towards anybody who’s had money fall into their lap or don’t seem to have worked hard for it. You’ll admire hard working people, and your thoughts will reflect those beliefs and emotions and you’ll make decisions consciously and subconsciously to get yourself into situations where you have to work really hard to get what you want, you’ll be skeptical of any opportunities that seem to be ‘easy’ or not involve ‘hard work’ and your results in life and the level of success you experience will be a direct reflection of how hard you work.

JF: It is not that you can’t be successful by working hard.You can, but that is not the only way and in our opinion not the ideal way.You can also do it in a much more effortless, fun and fulfilling way by living in flow, without sacrificing anything. In fact, flow will actually make you more successful long term because you are not unconsciously limiting yourself by holding beliefs and perceptions that are counterproductive to what you actually want, which is success.

You see, your beliefs are the most powerful determinant of the reality you can experience because your beliefs affect every aspect of your life.

This is part of what I mapped out in the research I shared about earlier and it is called the BETDAR model (BETDAR is a acronym for Beliefs, Emotions, Thoughts, Decisions, Actions and Results/Reality). The BETDAR model is a map of the chain of psychological phenomenon

which ultimately control your life and the reality you experience.Your beliefs control your emotional state, your beliefs and your emotions control your thoughts, your thoughts determine your decisions and your decisions determine the actions you take and it is the things you consistently do that shape your reality… but it all traces back to and starts with your beliefs.

So let’s go back to the first point…

How do you think a limiting belief structure like ‘I need to work hard to be successful’ affects your reality?

Because this is a VERY common limiting belief that many people have that limits your ability to experience flow and effortless success and growth... And if you believe it, then when you work hard you feel good and when you don’t you feel lazy and guilty and like you don’t deserve what you have. And you’ll feel resentful

So as you can see this one belief can literally wreak havoc on your life and create all kinds of unnecessary hardship struggle and suffering…

And this is a really common belief… I mean, think about it, it’s everywhere… Who here has heard the saying ‘money doesn’t grow on trees’ and ‘no pain no gain’ and so on… and there are certainly a lot of people who have had great success working very hard and attribute it to that and then they tell you that you need to follow in the same footsteps if you want to achieve what they did.

But that’s a trap. That is their belief structure and so it became a selffulfilling prophecy for them. But that does not mean that you must obey the same rules. If you change your Belief structures to ones that dial you into flow and effortlessness then life doesn’t have to be like that for you and we have proven this time and time again with the people we have taught to live in flow. www.facethecurrent.com

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If you believe that you are ‘effortlessly supported in life’, on the other hand, then you begin to relax into a deep sense of trust, inner peace and confidence.You start to make decisions and take actions from a place of joy and based on what you actually want to be doing instead of fear, what you think is safest or that you feel obligated to do, which typically means sacrificing part or all of your dreams and ambitions for a sense of security and duty. As a result you begin to re-organize your life around what brings you joy and you feel much happier and freer as a result... and combined with the newfound self-confidence you will take bigger and bolder actions in the direction of your goals, projects and dreams, which moves them all forward much more rapidly and let’s you experience exponential growth compared to the trajectory that you were on… Because of the different choices you are making and actions you are taking, you end up in new situations, connecting with new people, learning new things that all combine to open up an additional range of possibilities in your life that literally expands your reality.

SF: You’ve identified the value of emotional intelligence as playing a key role in one’s growth. How would you define EQ vs. IQ and their role in flow?

JF: Humans have multiple modes of decision making in life: via felt sense, rational/logical thought and finally intuition, which is an integration of the previous two to some degree.

Most people are stuck in rational/ logical thought and analysis (IQ) as their dominant mode of processing and navigating life and have learned to ignore their EQ, which is not exactly the best term to describe felt sense, but is a general approximation of what we are talking about, which is essentially making decisions based on

how you are feeling and what you are sensing.

The common assumption is that rational/logical thought it is the best decision making tool, but this is not actually the case. Felt sense (EQ) is just as valuable a decision making tool as rational/logical thought in its own way, but it is non-linear and more mystical in nature and so in our hyper rational, science oriented culture it is typically discarded or ignored.

However, that is a major mistake as felt sense is a key access point for flow and intuition and is, in fact, in many ways superior to rational/logical thought and so learning to get back in touch with that aspect of ourselves is critical to really reach our highest potential.

So as you can see, just these two beliefs alone make a world of difference in your reality...

So the truth is that your beliefs are actually the biggest determinant of your success and not how hard you work and, in fact, hard work is not required to be highly successful so long as you have belief structures that engender that kind of reality.

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If you believe that you are ‘effortlessly supported in life’.

Then you begin to relax into a deep sense of trust, inner peace and confidence. You start to make decisions and take actions from a place of joy and based on what you actually want to be doing instead of fear, what you think is safest or that you feel obligated to do, which typically means sacrificing part or all of your dreams and ambitions for a sense of security and duty.

“

And, ‘I need to work hard to be successful’ is just ONE limiting belief... consider that you have literally hundreds and even thousands of belief structures all operating simultaneously and you can see how things can compound and get out of hand very quickly and really begin to limit you… or expand your reality if you have flow-based belief structures.

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For most people, learning how to get in flow involves in part, a rekindling of our felt sense as a navigation tool in life and learning to use it a masterful level—just as fluidly and reliably as we do our minds. There is an entire art and science to this and those who get good at it, go on to reach the highest echelons of success. Einstein, Steve Jobs, Oprah, Estee Lauder and most business executives cite intuition as their greatest asset in life and business.

“

For most people, learning how to get in flow involves in part, a rekindling of our felt sense as a navigation tool in life and learning to use it a masterful level—just as fluidly and reliably as we do our minds. There is an entire art and science to this and those who get good at it, go on to reach the highest echelons of success. Einstein, Steve Jobs, Oprah, Estee Lauder and most business executives cite intuition as their greatest asset in life and business. This is where a lot of the magic happens.

JF: In regards to people having trouble letting go of limiting beliefs and emotional patterns, what our research has revealed is that the reason that this happens is because they’re only trying to help you shift the belief on the mental level—that is, the level of the mind. But what we’ve found is that limiting beliefs need to be cleared on four different levels in order for them to be completely erased. Those four levels are mentally, emotionally, energetically and physically.

SF: So many people spend years working to let go of limiting beliefs and emotional wounds with no real success. Flow is about becoming unlimited, but just how simple is it if it means clearing out all the old patterns, subconscious beliefs, emotional wounds, traumas and inner blocks that are keeping you and your reality limited in any way, shape or form?

Remember from the BETDAR model we know that your beliefs in large part determine your emotional state… Well there is also an absolutely huge body of evidence from the fields of epigenetics and psychoneurobiology that show they also alter how your physical body functions and beyond that can create energetic patterns and blocks in your nervous system and fascia that also

need to be cleared.

Most personal development trainings only clear on the mental level. An even smaller percentage might work on the energetic or emotional level.

Very few on the physical and to our knowledge almost none that work on all four simultaneously.You can’t cut a few branches off a tree and expect it to fall over—you have to uproot it.

That’s how we are different. We work on all four levels to uproot these patterns and this makes it highly effective.

The truth is that once you understand the basics of how your mind works and interacts with reality and have effective tools for getting the job done, it is a fairly straightforward process. We can teach people everything they need to know to make serious progress in about 2 hours.

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SF: Your 8-week Flow Mastery Course sounds pretty in depth, and maybe even a bit advanced, covering topics such as Psychodynamic Restructuring, Neurobiological Rewiring, and Leveraging The Laws Of Physics To Enhance Flow. Who is this course for and can you share one of your personal favorite elements of this course?

limitless and helping them expand their consciousness into a new perception of reality and watching what unfolds as a result. After they adjust, most take off like a rocket ship and feel this new sense of freedom, excitement and possibility and that is priceless.

awareness, and intercultural travel,” the arts and more!

How did you select what segments/components would represent a ‘Conscious Lifestyle’ and what has been one of the most rewarding aspects for you in creating this magazine?

SF: In addition to founding the Flow Consciousness Institute, you also co-founded Conscious

JF: A lot of it was via inspiration and the personal excitement of Meghan McDonald (who is the co-founder of the magazine with me) and I to put out, deep, artful content on topics we felt were not being adequately covered in the larger conversation around living consciously. Beyond that we just looked at our own lives, the lives of our close friends and the lives of our extended network and tribe that shared our values and worldview and tried to identify the themes into workable topics that felt really meaningful, impactful and relevant as part of our overall mission and what we knew people were interested in.

JF: It is deep, for sure, but we make sure to keep things very accessible. We’ve taught thousands how to live in flow worldwide, working with a diverse background of people including everyone from CEO’s and founders of major companies to professional athletes to Ivy League professors, VC’s and Angel investors, musicians, screenwriters, executive coaches, TV hosts, college students, school teachers, artists, yoga instructors, healers, spiritual teachers and really people from all walks of life.

Anyone can learn and sure you might need to listen to something twice if it’s the first time you have heard something like this, but it’s absolutely attainable for anyone.

There’s a lot I love about the course… it’s hard to pick just one thing out topic wise. However, I think the most fun part for me is teaching people how to live in a reality of infinite possibility… to walk them through the process of becoming

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Lifestyle Magazine in California.

It is a beautiful publication, which operates on very aligned principles and mission with Face the Current, sharing content that is a catalyst for positive change in the world as well as “helping individuals bring consciousness into their lives at every level - through the mind, body and spirit - and into the world around them - through humanitarianism, ecological

The most rewarding aspect of the magazine for me is twofold: personal self-expression and the positive impact it has on people’s lives.

SF: You essentially mapped the evolution of human consciousness for a research paper not long ago. From this research and with your extensive background in the field of consciousness, how would you describe where the average

STAGES OF CONSCIOUSNESS STAGE 1: Feeling powerless over our destiny STAGE 2: Feeling empowered to determine our destiny STAGE 3: Beginning to shift into a deeper understanding of reality in which it is actually far more responsive to our perception than we had previously realized STAGE 4: Realizing that reality has its own intelligence that is far greater than our individual or collective consciousness’s

person is currently at and how has it been evolving?

JF: If you took an average of the entire planet we are somewhere in between stage 1 and 4 which essentially means we are in the transition from feeling powerless over our destiny (stage 1) to feeling empowered to determine our destiny (stage 2) and beginning to shift into a deeper understanding of reality in which it is actually far more responsive to our perception than we had previously realized (stage 3) and even has its own intelligence that is far greater than our individual

or collective consciousness’s (stage 4). The vast majority of people will be in one or more of those stages simultaneously. The general trend is towards higher stages of consciousness in my opinion. What’s up for debate is how long it will take us to get the majority of people into a stage of higher consciousness which starts at stage 3 and up.

SF: As a “visionary changeagent,” what is the real change you envision for people over the next decade?

JF: I’d like to see us all enter a new

era of peace, prosperity and higher consciousness where we are living in harmony and synergy with the natural world and all life… and I truly believe flow consciousness is one of the main keys to get us there. It is truly a new operating system for human consciousness that allows everyone to thrive.

ymore info: www.flowconsciousnessinstitute.com www.flow-mastery.com www.consciouslifestylemag.com www.facethecurrent.com

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FtC culture

Arizona’s

21st Century Pioneers Are Disruptive Entrepreneurs Tempe, Arizona’s Computes is Poised to Bring Supercomputing to the Masses David Aiello During the early territorial years of Arizona, the development of rich gold mines along the lower Colorado River and the discovery of copper and silver bonanzas in Bisbee and Jerome and other districts, attracted both people and capital to Arizona.This was truly a disruptive lot—these pioneers went against the grain of conventional thinking; exposed themselves to unprecedented risks.They ignored the skeptics to follow their dreams and passions in an effort to strike it rich.

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Chris Matthieu discusses Computes at the Phoenix Mobile & Emerging Tech Festival.

Today Arizona still attracts risk takers, but they are not miners, ranchers or railroaders. Instead they are imaginative high-tech entrepreneurs. And some like Chris Matthieu, President & CEO of Computes, inc., want to be disruptive but with a social conscious.

While many of his peers are working to advance our ability to shop, travel or even find a parking spot in a busy city, Chris has higher goals such as fighting disease, improving the environment and addressing other social issues.

THE NEEDS OF CUSTOMERS AND SOCIETY DEMAND A CHANGE TO THE SCALE OF COMPUTING Today computationally intensive tasks such as developing algorithms for molecular modeling, quantum mechanics, or weather forecasting, have been reserved for supercomputers. With price tags starting around $100 million for design and assembly, not to mention a $6 to $7 million dollar annual electric bill and maintenance, supercomputers generally reside within government facilities or large universities. But with more businesses requiring advanced computing capabilities to understand and solve increasingly complex problems, it is clear a change is necessary.

What is Disruptive?

In his book The Innovator’s Dilemma, Clayton Christensen, of the Harvard Business School, defines disruptive technology as not only harnessing new technologies but also developing new business models and exploiting old technologies in new ways. For example, personal computers were disruptive innovations because they created a new mass market for computers.

Matthieu and his disruptive team at Computes in Tempe, Arizona, believe they can solve this problem by creating a mass market for inexpensive supercomputers.

WHAT IS COMPUTES? “My ‘ah-ha’ moment occurred when I started to think that there are hundreds of millions if not billions of PCs, servers, and mobile devices in the world. And no matter how hard I push my computer the CPU is still 80% idle,” explains Matthieu. Adding to this is an assessment by Gartner, a leading research and advisory company, that estimates there could be 50 billion devices connected to the Internet by 2020—all having processors that are idle a great deal of the time.

“I asked myself,” said Matthieu, “what if people and companies could donate or rent their idle CPUs for humanitarian-related causes such as curing cancer or fighting terrorism? What if companies could harness their idle computers and put them to work collectively as a private supercomputer without purchasing any additional hardware? What if we all could contribute to meaningful efforts like this by simply checking a box on our web browser?”

Chris’ solution is Computes, a software-defined, supercomputer. Matthieu explains, “It’s all software. There is no infrastructure. It does not need a server or database in a datacenter to run. It’s like a private mesh network that forms.”

A mesh network allows all the devices or nodes connected to it to communicate and distribute data amongst each other.

These devices could be personal computers, cell phones, or printers—anything that has a CPU, and if on the internet, an IP address. www.facethecurrent.com

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Computes can dynamically distribute or move computations to or from any node where computing resources are available. This is a new kind of supercomputer limited only by the number of devices you connect. Further Matthieu adds, “It would not consume any extra electricity! It would be the greenest supercomputer in the world.”

CORES FOR CURES Computes is not a concept or a dream, it’s operating now at the University of Wisconsin. “At a conference recently I talked to a group of professors from the University of Wisconsin who are conducting research on Parkinson’s disease. Their issues, which is typical, was that they did not have funds or computing power to do the research they wanted.” Matthieu beams, “With Computes, they were able to connect all the computers in their lab and their personal computers to create a mini-supercomputer. This provided them the computational power, with very little overhead, to conduct their research.”

Indeed there seems to be a trend in the medical research regarding the need for computing power. “A

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member of my team coined the phrase, ‘Cores for Cures™.’ Just think about a campaign around bio medical research using Computes for the greater good. We could attack cancer, Parkinson’s, genomics all sorts of bio medical research. It’s mind boggling.”

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT Matthieu is eager to note that the network you create doesn’t have to consist of idle machines. He says, “You could certainly dedicate specific machines or server racks to be linked via Computes to enhance your computing capability. This could be an ‘always on’ mini supercomputer resource available to researchers or students.”

He also notes, Computes could be used to link Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The IoT is any electronic device that has a processor that is connected to the internet. This could be anything from your electric toothbrush, refrigerator, to a jet engine or your car.

As an example, Matthieu explains that electric utilities are placing smart electric meters on your home. “Each smart meter has the computing power of a cell phone. They are on

24/7. And they are idle 99% of the time. They wake up every 15 minutes to check your electrical consumption, send that information wirelessly to the utility, then they turn off.” If Computes was installed on all the smart meters in the greater Phoenix area, he calculates the nearly 1 million smart meters would create about 2 petaflops (you are on your own to look that up) of computing speed.

“That would make this example the 61st largest supercomputer in the world. And that is just smart power meters. If you include the city’s smart parking meters, it just scales up.”

As Chris understands, disruption is part of high-tech life and a critical part of a businesses’ success or failure. “If an electric utility, or any organization was to do this, they would have a supercomputer they could open to the public who could rent out processor cycles for research or business purposes.”

These new points of profit could compete very aggressively against not only institutional supercomputers but the likes of Google, Amazon and Microsoft who also rent out computer nodes. “Maybe the electric utility would use those profits to lower your electric bill!”

“Further,” Matthieu adds, “this could be a cloud disruptive technology as well. Companies might not need to use the cloud anymore if they have all this unused, or idle processing power within their company. They could reuse old machines or repurpose older machines instead of buying new ones and use Computes to build an economical supercomputer.

They could probably then say ‘I have enough computing power, I do not have to go to the cloud or buy new computers.’ ” EASY AND SAFE FOR EVERYONE TO HELP What makes Computes really disruptive is how easy it is to join a Computes network. Let’s say Facebook wanted to help fight breast cancer. They could post a small promotion on their website inviting visitors to simply check a box to donate their idle CPU processing power to breast cancer research.

That’s it! Checking this box would allow your device, when idle, to become part of the breast cancer research supercomputer. And with

Facebook quickly closing in on nearly 2 billion users, the size and potential processing power of this theoretical supercomputer is immense.

Matthieu stresses it’s a safe process for those who wish to opt in. “The work is performed using JavaScript which we chose for security purposes. JavaScript will create a work area or sandbox within your browser that it will run in. Only Computes JavaScript and data have access to the sandbox for the duration of the job and then the sandbox is destroyed at the end of the computation. This process cannot access your hard drive or memory.

That way your web browser can surf any website and you are essentially safe.”

THERE IS A SUPERCOMPUTER ALL AROUND US The scale of computing requirements today is necessitating a change. As Matthieu smiles at the tattoo of an infinity symbol he spies on the inside of my ring finger, he expresses,

“I’ve always been fascinated with the infinity symbol. When I started thinking about what is now Computes, I thought the opportunity was bigger than a supercomputer. It’s infinite computing.”

As more and more devices are built with microprocessors and are being connected to the internet, it’s now possible to harness the unused computer power of all these computerized devices. The whole world could become a supercomputer (think about that “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” fans!). What would that mean for mankind?

Matthieu is positive. “Using Computes to connect these devices would allow us to do grander things. It’s beyond the supercomputer. If used for the greater good, I honestly believe we could have a seriously positive impact on our future.”

ymore info: www.computes.com

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It`s rather difficult to say clearly to which family of musical instruments GUDA belongs to. The instrument itself is quite young, and it does not stop its process of transformation in its sounding.

Technologically GUDA consists of two connected metal hemispheres made of stainless steel sheet 1.2 mm thick. The earlier production of GUDA models were made of high-carbon steel.

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MUSIC 80. FINDING FLOW THROUGH MUSIC 86. Yoga For Musicians Featuring Ellex Medina 92. the most sophisticated house music 78

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In the center of the upper hemisphere is positioned 8 cm opening which serves to increase the sound volume.

Semicircular reeds, located on the upper hemisphere, serve as the source of vibrations and sound. The lower hemisphere has no openings

and serves to reinforce the resonance. While playing the GUDA you can find an interesting acoustic effect – one reed of the instrument produces two notes. In addition to the main tone, the reed performs additional sound one octave above.

Thus, when you are playing the GUDA, to the characteristic “belfry”

sounding of reed instrument, a kind of “steel pan” overtone is added.

As a consequence, GUDA performs more complex timbre, as well as the volumetric and brighter sound. Also another interesting point is the use of harmonics while playing, which are extracted when struck just below the melodic lobe.

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FtC music

FINDING FLOW THROUGH MUSIC

By Jamie Janover

We’ve all heard the phrase “go with the flow.” But what does that really mean? Intuitively, it makes sense to want to go with the flow rather than against it. But how do we find it?

Jon Zinn said, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”

Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi popularized the term “flow state” in his 1990 book Flow:The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Csíkszentmihályi writes, “Flow also happens when a person’s skills are fully involved in overcoming a challenge that is just about manageable, so it acts as a magnet for learning new skills and increasing challenge…. If challenges are too low, one gets back to flow by increasing them. If challenges are too great, one can return to the flow state by learning new skills.”

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In a flow state you no longer are questioning if what you are doing is the right thing. Time seems to pass strangely, either feeling like it’s going faster or slower than normal and you lose your sense of self. Each decision and action immediately and naturally follows based on the one prior and you forget about the fact that you’re making these decisions in the first place.

It has been shown that flow states seem to occur most often when there’s the right balance between your skill level and the challenge you are taking-on. There is a balance between boredom on one end and anxiety on the other. Flow happens most often when the challenge is just beyond one’s skill level but not too far beyond it. It has to be just

far enough away that if you reach for it, you can get there and break new ground. The process of facing that challenge and overcoming it helps inspire taking on the next microchallenge until one naturally leads into the next.

Flow can happen most easily when you have automatized certain skills with practice over time and then combine those skills with new ones in novel combinations. If you can develop a basic skill set in any activity and then combine those skills with another skill set, then you can set yourself up for reaching the flow state.

In the deepest flow states you almost completely lose your sense of self and seemingly act on intuition. ub in 2012 where he regularly lay

Photo: Jamie Janover | Credit: @ReSunator

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Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.

-Lao Tzu

Remember what Lao Tzu taught us, “Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”

There is a fundamental field-patterning of energy flow at all scales in the universe. This is called the torus (the shape of a doughnut). In this pattern, information is both moving toward the center of the structure and outward away from the center at the same time in a continuous feedback/feedforward loop. We see this energy pattern expressed by nature and the physics of the universe on all scales in everything from atoms to the magnetic fields of planets to stars, galaxies, black holes and likely the universe itself.

The physics of the universe is something I have been interested in for quite some time and began to explore more extensively thanks to having discovered the unified field theory of physicist Nassim Haramein. After learning the details of his theories I’ve gone on to teach his work in presentations world-wide as well as being a faculty member in his foundation’s online learning community and courses in the Resonance Academy.

As Nassim has said, “We’re traveling in this boundless sea of infinite torus flow.” www.facethecurrent.com

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As a musician, I have always been fascinated by the flow state and how to achieve it as playing music is one of the activities that most inspires flow states. Of the many activities our brains engage in, music is one that uses more of your cognitive abilities simultaneously than almost any other. Playing music triggers the shutting down your pre frontal cortex, the part of your brain that is responsible for higher cognitive functions such as future planning and decision-making. This allows your brain to focus on the task at hand.

Playing music is a great way to take you into a flow state partly because when playing, you can engage in challenges and take risks with few consequences (depending on the situation). If you are playing by yourself or with friends, or even in certain public settings, you can take the music anywhere you want and have the freedom to decide how far to push yourself and your musical abilities.

Photo: Playing on Indian drums during Holi Festival in India

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As a drummer and percussionist, one who also plays a tonal percussion instrument called a hammered dulcimer, I have experience with hitting the flow state in my improvisations where I allow myself to go musically wherever my flow happens to take me. Playing drums or any instrument is a great way to get yourself into one of those places where you are centered in the present moment. Even something as simple as singing or humming along to your favorite music is a good way to achieve a

flow state that is available to anyone who can speak.

Some of my best flow states in music have been when I am playing with really skilled musicians that are pushing me to stay very present with and listening closely to what is happening in the moment. However, it is when I am solo improvising that I am most able to get into the flow state as I can align my playing and thought process with the fractal geometry and dynamics of the universe in and around me.

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Playing music is one of the activities that most inspires flow states. Of the many activities our brains engage in, music is one that uses more of your cognitive abilities simultaneously than almost any other. Playing music triggers the shutting down your pre frontal cortex, the part of your brain that is responsible for higher cognitive functions such as future planning and decision-making. This allows your brain to focus on the task at hand.

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I like to think of the NOW as being the center of time.

Whether you think of time as a linear timeline with an infinite past and an infinite future of if you think of time as a sphere, we are always at the middle point of the line or the center of the sphere. We are continually experiencing what I like to call a “momentinuum.”

If you are having a challenge getting into a higher state of flow sometimes it can help to do something as simple as just going for a walk or a bike ride. By finding your

own personal flow you get closer to finding a sense of meaning in your life by setting yourself up for a challenge, navigating through it and outs and coming out stronger on the other end. Everyone wants to pursue happiness.

Considering that happiness can be defined as a feeling of having a sense of purpose and direction and then pursuing and reaching those goals, it follows that regularly reaching flow states can help you to find happiness. Now go jump on your bike, put on your favorite music and sing along as you ride and may the flow be with you!

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I like to think of the NOW as being the center of time. Whether you think of time as a linear timeline with an infinite past and an infinite future or if you think of time as a sphere, we are always at the middle point of the line or the center of the sphere. We are continually experiencing what I like to call a “momentinuum.”

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Jamie Janover

ymore info: Jamie Janover is recognized as a true innovator. His considerable creative output includes: being a master of the ancient percussion stringed instrument called the hammered dulcimer, inventing an instrument he calls the “mini-kit,” playing pyrocussion (fire drums) and creating a fire-drum-trike. By combining recent innovations in modern technology with the wisdom of ancient instruments, Janover achieves a balance between the electronic and the acoustic to create music reflective of the nature of modern times. When not playing music, you can find Janover connecting dots around the world in his extensive travels creating stunning images as a professional photographer and making sculptures using natural found objects. Janover’s life-long interest in the true nature of reality and the universe brought him to become an official emissary for scientist Nassim

Haramein delivering fascinating presentations on his unified field theory and the physics of the universe for the Resonance Science Foundation and a faculty member of the Resonance Academy.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/JamieJanoverMusic Twitter: @jamiejanover YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/JamieJanover Bandcamp - FREE music downloads: www.jamiejanover.bandcamp.com Instagram: @jjjanover Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/janover Pandora: www.pandora.com/artist/jamie-janover Resonance Academy: www.academy.resonance.is www.facethecurrent.com

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Yoga For Musicians Featuring Ellex Medina Interview By Woody Woodrow In the February edition of Yoga For Musician’s, Woody Woodrow sits down with musician-yogi Ellex Medina whose balance of classical vocal training and yoga instruction has paved the way for her success both on and off the mat. Ellex’s violin and vocal expertise has paved the way for her strong presence and gifted guidance in her yoga classes. She teaches all over Southern California while playing professionally under the name Ellex Bree. Ellex joins Woody to discuss what it was like to train as a classical musician, how she stays true to herself in a competitive world and she gives us important advice to anyone facing adversity.

Join musician and yoga instructor Woody Woodrow every month for his Yoga For Musicians interviews to hear how musicians from around the world find flow in their life, and what tools they use to step into their power on and off stage.

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Woody Woodrow: What came first in your life?

Was it Yoga, or was it the music?

Ellex Medina: It was definitely music. I took an interest in violin when I was in first grade. I actually came about it because my friends were all getting violins and starting lessons. Of course, I wanted to do whatever my friends were doing. So, I begged my mom and dad to take violin lessons, and sure enough, my journey began.

Through the experience, I started participating in orchestras. I eventually worked my way into choir. And then, when I got into the fourth or fifth grade, that’s when I really started noticing I was taking more of an interest in singing, and performing in a singing setting.

So, when I was in the seventh grade, I started to sing competitively, in choirs. And then, eventually decided that I would study that, instead of violin, when I went to college. So, I received my Bachelor of Arts in Music and Classical Voice.

WW: In your training to be a classical vocalist, do you find that your training empowers you and gives you confidence when you’re in the Yoga classroom?

EM: It does, because obviously, when you’re trained classically, you have to perform. That’s a requirement. When you get your Bachelor’s in Performance, you have to perform. That’s a prerequisite of any course that you take. So, being in front of people has never really been a challenge for me, because I’ve been doing it for such a long time. That’s really one of my fortes in teaching, being able to stand and speak, and teach in front of people. Just being myself, maybe that’s been more of a challenge. Because classical, you know, you’re supposed to stand up really tall, and you’re supposed to not really look at anyone else.You’re supposed to just focus on what’s ahead, and focus on what’s on the paper. But when I started to dive more into the contemporary world of music, and as I started to practice more on my mat, in a studio or at my home, there was more freedom from that. I was able to explore, kind of breaking out of that box, in the sense that everything had to be perfect, and it had to look perfect. So, I’m kind of blending a lot of things. I’m blending my classical roots with my love for songwriting and contemporary music, along with this freedom that I find in Yoga. I think, definitely, being trained classically has given me the discipline and the comfort to be in front of people. And then, just practicing Yoga and exploring songwriting has given me the freedom to be myself.

Contemporary Music Center, Nashville, TN

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WATCH VIDEO Credit: Sam Castro WW: Do you find that you experience a flow state more on the mic or on the mat?

EM: It really is both. I was literally just explaining this the other night, to my boyfriend, actually. I was explaining to him how when I practice yoga, or when I sing, is the only time that I am able to just be. I’m not thinking about anything else. I’m just thinking about what my body is doing. And vocally, what I’m producing from my diaphragm.

It’s the one time that I feel like I can really be myself, because I’m not really thinking, or trying to be myself.

It’s just happening.

WW: Are there any mantras that resonate with you, in being yourself right now, that you’re practicing?

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EM: I definitely have a piece of advice that I’ve lived by musically, and I also have a mantra for yoga.

I’ll start with the mantra for yoga.

At the beginning of any new year, everyone is always like, “It’s a new year! It’s going to be the best year yet! New year, new me!” kind of vibe. For me, that feels really overwhelming, because I don’t want to be new. I just want to be me, maybe in a more elevated way, in the sense that I want to learn more. I want to grow more. So, my mantra has been for myself, as well as something that I’ve encouraged my students in the classes that I’ve been teaching, to allow yourself space – space to try, space to fail, space to learn, and space to grow.

Just allowing yourself space to be whatever it is you need to, at that current moment in your life.

In terms of the advice that I am constantly living by in music, besides, “Don’t give up,” because you, as well as I know that’s the first thing that goes wrong in a musical career.

People just give up. They get tired.

They feel like no one is listening to them, so they should just give up.

But if you’re truly passionate about something, just keep going. It doesn’t have to be for anyone else. It just might be for you. When I was first starting to write my own music, my dad was always my biggest fan, and is still my biggest fan. He would really encourage me to remember this very important piece of information. He would always say to me, “Look. Someone is always going to be better than you, in the sense that someone is always going to be more experienced. They’re going to have more training. They

might be naturally more gifted. But no one is ever going to be exactly like you.You are the one and only Ellex Bree.” That’s what I like to give other people in encouragement, too.

Sure, someone else might be able to do this. They might be able to do it better than you. But no one is going to be able to do it the way that you do. So, do that, because we need you.

There’s no one else like you in the world! So be you!

WW: Living authentic is something that can really take

“

time for a lot of people to feel comfortable and confident with.

High school years often shell shock us as we are forming our sense of self identity- what was this experience like for you?

EM: High school was really rough for me. I was teased quite a bit, for the color of my skin, which is going to sound very odd. But I’m very fair-skinned, obviously. I used to get teased quite a bit, saying that I looked like a vampire or a ghost, that you could see the veins in

my face, and that was creepy. So, I constantly covered up. I wore the biggest sweaters I could find, and skirts that were down to my knees.

I’d never hike them up higher, and I’d wear socks. I just tried to cover up, as much as I could. If I could go back in time, I would remind myself that I am beautiful just the way that I am. I don’t have to be so scared, and I don’t have to mind anyone else, because it will be fine. I’ll get a boyfriend, eventually. And I’m going to be ok.

Allow yourself space – space to try, space to fail, space to learn, and space to grow. Just allowing yourself space to be whatever it is you need to, at that current moment in your life.

“

Credit: rebekahlemire.com

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As long as you keep following your heart, and doing what you feel like you’re supposed to be doing, no one can knock that. Haters are going to hate. Let them hate. You just show up.

It’s fine.

“

WW: That’s awesome advice.

So, for anyone that’s feeling a little bullied, or out of the normit gets better.

EM: It’s not forever. It does get better. And as long as you keep following your heart, and doing what you feel like you’re supposed to be doing, no one can knock that. Haters are going to hate. Let them hate.You just show up. It’s fine.

WW: Talking more on the music and yoga- you’re instructing multiple classes a day and then also performing at night.You’re

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Credit: Jared Rice

finding quite the balance in your life. How do you feel like the progression of yoga is going to be impacted by music moving forward? Do you feel like there’s going to be more music within classes, more of it intertwined?

EM: I think that music and yoga will always intertwine. In terms of our country, I think it has been a bit of a fad, especially these last couple of years, where there have been live DJs or live performances as you do yoga. I feel like those are just going to continue to build. Especially as a musician, if you have a strong practice,

I feel like that definitely deals in your favor, because then, you’re opening another door to a community of people. So, I definitely think that the progression will continue, in the sense that there will be more live performances linked with live events of classes happening here and now.

WW: Especially giving people more of the permission to move, and be free. I feel like that’s the case with music, and it’s also the case with Yoga, you’re mixing some of the best sauces together, and making an even better sauce!

EM: And I feel like, especially lately, we’re kind of getting over that hump where yoga is just the “cool” thing to do. It’s no longer just the cool thing to do. People are actually starting to realize that it’s making a difference in their life. It actually makes them feel more at peace with their bodies, than working out for five days straight, and slaying in the gym. There’s something to doing an hour and a half of yoga, and giving yourself a break at the end of it.

And then, rising up from our corpse pose, coming back to our renewed selves, in a way. Right? Because that’s what corpse pose is; you die to your old self, and you rise up, after the practice that you’ve just experienced. And you take a moment in gratitude.

How many times do people take a moment in gratitude, after the gym? No! They thank themselves with a hamburger, maybe, or some pizza. I get that.

There’s a time and place for that. But I think people are starting to really see the benefits of yoga, long term. Not just “Oh, it’s the cool thing to do. Let’ go grab some coconut water.” This is actually changing how I view myself, and how I view the person next to me.

WW: It’s all about the “feels!” The music and the vibe.

EM: Oh, my gosh! That’s why I do it! It’s epic!

WW: Whether they want to take your class or they want to find your music, where should people go?

EM: Music-wise, people can check out my website to find everything. I’m currently working on my second EP with a full band, so that’s going to take priority over performing live. But I am going to start experimenting with Facebook and Instagram Live, because people are busy, and I understand. I just want to meet people where they’re at, right now. I also am on Spotify- just search Ellex Bree!

In terms of taking a class, I teach all over in the OC area of Southern California. It’s not hard to find me!

WW: So, if anyone here is in southern California, or if you travel to southern California from wherever you are, make sure you check out one of her classes, because they’re rocking! Thank you so much for taking the time. It was an honor and a pleasure.

ymore info: www.ellexbree.com Youtube: Ellex Bree Facebook: Ellex Bree Instagram: @ellexbree Credit: rebekahlemire.com

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music

www.soundcloud.com/semagaray www.facebook.com/semagaraydj www.mixcloud.com/semagaray beachgrooves.com/portfolio-item/ sema-garay/

the most sophisticated house music by Sema Garay presents his favorite monthly recent and upcoming new house music releases with a Top 10 chart that includes a variety of styles from deep house, soulful, and nu-disco, to tech-house and more. Tune in to these tracks by clicking the image or scanning the QR code!

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ARTIST Alberto Segador TITLE In off of You (VenomiS & Emanuele Esposito Rework Mix) label Go Deeva Light Records genre House Release 2018-01-15

ARTIST Alaia & Gallo, Saison TITLE Satisfied (Come With Us Remix) label Guesthouse genre House Release 2018-02-05

ARTIST Moon Rocket, Bel-Ami TITLE Like Wind label Doomusic genre SOULFUL HOUSE Release 2018-03-25

ARTIST Roog, David Penn TITLE House Thing (48 Hours Mix) label URBANA genre House Release 2018-02-05

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ARTIST Sasha Anastasov TITLE Interstellar String Ensemble (Original Mix) label SuperDuperSoul genre deep House Release 2018-02-02

ARTIST Dave Spoon, Doorly TITLE Sunrise (Doorly Remix) label Big Love genre HOUSE Release 2018-02-02

ARTIST Synchrony TITLE Deeper Feeling (Original Mix) label audiometrica genre DEEP house Release 2018-01-21

ARTIST Tuccillo TITLE People Around label roush label genre deep House Release 2018-01-22

ARTIST DuBeats, Michael Oberling TITLE Tender Love (Michael Oberling Dusty Mix) label Oh So Coy Recordings genre deep house Release 2018-01-26

ARTIST Javi Bora, Javi Lopez TITLE Fucking Hummer label Roush Label genre tech house Release 2018-01-15 www.facethecurrent.com

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LSTN has helped more than 22,000 people in 9 countries.

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Custom 40mm Neodymium Drivers

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sports & FITNESS

98. The Art And Science Of A Zen athlete

Flow State 104. EVERYWHERE I ROAM:

PATAGONIA Black hole® Backpack 32L

In Review 108. EATSTRONG: FIT NUTRITION

BY David Ryan Fitness 96

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February 25-28, 2018 www.facethecurrent.com

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The Art And Science Of A Zen athlete Flow State

By Matt Belair Brodie Carmichael was a world-class Freestyle motocross rider who wanted to land a front flip on his motorcycle after crashing on his first attempt, moreover he wanted to do some variations that have never been done before.Three weeks after our first session, Brodie landed the front flip. Another three weeks later, he landed the world´s first front flip heel clicker, and four weeks after that he landed the worlds first front flip superman on a 200 lb motorcycle at his first attempt!

Alexey Kolesnikov performs at NewStarCamp in Sochi, Russia on April 3rd, 2016

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Credit: Svetlana Baranova / Red Bull Content Pool

Brodie was able to attain entering flow state on command and subsequently achieved his highest potential.

As incredible as this accomplishment may be, the science and strategy is relatively simple. There is a great deal of misconception around flow state so let’s begin with a simple definition from Wikipedia: “Flow, also known as the zone, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting loss in one’s sense of space and time.”

In his book, “The Book Of Five Rings” he shares the same powerful knowledge and insights many have used to enter into a state of flow. Although the concept has been around for centuries it is enjoying a resurgence in modern day culture and was first given new life by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi in his book “Flow: The Psychology Of Optimal Experience.”

This concept has been around for thousands of years and was written about by many masters, including legendary Samurai Master Miyamoto Musashi who won over 60 battles, some of which were life and death. www.facethecurrent.com

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“

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Flow is earned and not given, it is a result of practice and dedication to mental and physical practices. Flow is nothing mythical, it is a natural way of being.

It seems today that everyone is jumping on the bandwagon of achieving the flow state, from athletes and CEOs to your average Joe. Everyone wants to hack their biology and learn how to perform better in a society and world that demands results. It is true that there are many things that you can do to improve your performance, but first let us quickly touch on some myths about the flow state. First, flow is earned and not given, it is a result of practice and dedication to mental and physical practices. Flow is nothing mythical, it is a natural way of being.

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You can further demystify flow when you become aware of the four stages of competence, which are: 1. Unconscious Incompetence: You are not even aware that you can’t do something.

2. Conscious Incompetence: You become aware you cannot perform a task.

3. Conscious Competence: You can perform the task with focus.

4. Unconscious Competence: You can perform the task on command, the skill becomes second nature.

You can easily understand the 4 stages when you think about what it was like learning to ride a bike or drive a car. At first it was challenging and you needed to concentrate, and over time you perfected the skill. Flow is a natural mastery that is developed over time, and the process can be dramatically accelerated with effective mental training.

In my book Zen Athlete I share a training model, which I term the “Zen Performance model.” This consists of eight elements with the result or focal point being ZEN. The elements are dedication, focus, meditation, goal setting, visualization, belief, simulation, fitness and nutrition. If you can learn how to achieve a high degree of aptitude in each area, your ability to enter flow state, or ZEN performance, dramatically increase.

HERE ARE SOME PRACTICAL THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY TO ACHIEVE MORE FLOW IN YOUR LIFE: Exercise: Your body is your temple. The more your body is taken care of, the easier it will be to perform at higher levels.

You are what you eat: Diet is either fuel or poison.

Clean up your diet to experience greater energy and concentration.

Meditation: To have the ability to enter the zone you must be able to quiet and still your mind. If you cannot achieve this, do not pass go or collect $200 until you can! www.facethecurrent.com

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To have the ability to enter the zone you must be able to quiet and still your mind. When you can quiet your mind, you become a better gatekeeper of your thoughts.

Monitor and Manage Your Internal Dialogue: When you want to achieve something, you must believe in yourself and set a powerful intention. When you can quiet your mind, you become a better gatekeeper of your thoughts.You must be able to sustain a positive mental attitude toward your goal.

Visualization: There are countless studies on the power of visualization. When we visualize, we create the neuro connections needed to perform a skill without doing it in real life. The more we visualize the more we train the mind and body.

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Use a Trigger: A trigger is any external stimulus that creates an internal response.You can easily start to consciously activate states of focus with intentions like, “I AM highly focused.” Next, visualize the result and energy activating, doing your best to feel the emotion. Add inspiring mental music in the background of your mind and finally set the trigger, which could be squeezing your non dominant hand or any unique cue so you train your body to enter this state.

Levi Sherwood competes in the Moto X FMX Final during X Games at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, USA on June 03, 2016 Credit: Garth Milan / Red Bull Content Pool

The above list is more than enough to get the beginner started and the expert more practice.

The difference between a beginner and expert is experience. The only thing that was different for Brodie was that he had the motivation to begin applying the techniques on day one! He also had years of practice developing his skill, which meant he was able to quickly put the puzzle pieces together and take his performance to another level. With more time and practice his level of mastery will continue to elevate. In our follow up coaching call I shared with him that it did not matter what he chose to create and visualize each day, that with time and practice whatever it was would come into this reality.

This realization caused him to begin thinking bigger about his sports abilities and more importantly how he could apply this knowledge to expanding his life and consciousness. We are beginning to understand behind why and how this all works with the discovery of “imaginal” cells, the work of Dr.

Joe Dispenza and Bruce Lipton. They are beginning to add logic and science to what we often coin a miracle. The best news is that it does not require your knowledge or understanding to get the results in the same way you don’t need to understand what’s happening to your leg muscles when you do a squat to gain strength.

Brodie’s sport, desire to elevate his game and stay safe gave him the catalyst necessary to begin putting in the work it requires to master the mental game.

Most people do not have the catalyst or reason to put these simple practices into action so they never realize how powerful they are. If you can learn to quiet your mind, visualize your goals on a daily basis, set intentions frequently and constantly monitor and manage your internal dialogue, flow state will eventually become your natural state.

ymore info: https://zenathlete.com www.facethecurrent.com

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EVERYWHERE I ROAM PATAGONIA Black Hole ® Backpack 32L In Review

By Sasha Frate Over a 3-month period, I set out to visit places across the globe with varied climates and terrain.

From the depths of the subterranean chamber of the Great Pyramid of Giza to the mountain trails of Whistler, B.C. and the Sonoran Desert of South West Arizona I journeyed with Patagonia’s 32L Patagonia Black Hole® Backpack. For someone who literally lives with their laptop and camera everywhere I roam, from the trails to the urban scene and everywhere in between, this pack was the perfect companion for everywhere I roam.

What’s more, the fabric used to make this pack is certified as bluesign® approved, which means Patagonia has employed methods and materials in their manufacture that both conserves resources and minimizes impacts on people and our environment.

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whistler, canada

cascade mountain range, washington

portland,oregon saguro national park, arizona

giza, egypt

Crossing through a river in the Cascade Mountain Range to spend the afternoon soaking in the sun on the riverbed.

When you want to be sure it’s just your feet, not your gear getting wet, the Black Hole® has you (and your gear) covered.

CONVENIENT POCKETS AND ACCESS For my international travels, the outside pocket was a convenient place to stash my passport and tickets for easy access. The pocket is not incredibly visible, so ‘pick pocketing’ is less likely to happen compared with most backpack’s outer access pockets. I had never

encountered so many security checks until I traveled to Egypt. This is where I fell in love with this pack’s double zipper design feature. It had never been so easy to access the contents of my bag and pull out the security check’s checklist essentials of laptop and camera gear, and load it back in once I made it through the checkpoint. The folding lid feature and padded sleeve was great for added

protection of my laptop and easy access to the main compartment of the pack. It’s also recommended as a great place to hold a water reservoir, although I tend to carry a reusable bottle. Keeping a water bottle conveniently zipped inside the backpack made for easy access, while preventing it from falling out of a would-be exterior bottle holder. www.facethecurrent.com

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WANT SPACE? THIS BACKPACK HAS IT! This backpack is literally a ‘black hole!’ I’m notorious for wanting to carry everything with me, from my water bottle- or two to my laptop, an extra layer of clothing, camera gear, and all those “just in case” items. Especially when traveling far to Egypt, that list of “just in case” items kept growing as my departure date and time got closer. It was quite surprising to see how much I was able to fit into this backpack. On the return from Egypt I thought I had it stuffed to the max, but when I began to purchase more last minute gift items at the airport the Black Hole® held true to its name and made space.

EASY TO KEEP CLEAN & DRY Dust it off and it’s ready for the next journey. The Black Hole® is so easy to keep clean and dry for the dusty, sandy, or wet climates, it is great for travel and adventuring anywhere. My first test started with the plane ride to Egypt. I’m always leery of stashing my backpack under the foot space in front of me on the plane because of every traveler before me leaving their crumbs, dirt and germs, but I always want to have it there for ease of access during the flight.

Because the exterior of the Black Hole® backpack is made of a light yet strong polyester ripstop with highly weatherproof TPU laminate and a DWR (durable water repellent) finish, this concern was alleviated by the ability to wipe clean the exterior.

Arriving to a place like Egypt and later to the Sonoran desert in Arizona I encountered a lot of dust, but the dust does not cling to or get absorbed by the material finish of this bag’s exterior. Roaming around the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and Whistler, Canada during winter months equates to wet and snowy encounters on and off the trails. With the water resistant exterior of the Black Hole®, gear stays dry inside and out- no hassles, no worries.

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IT’S LIGHTWEIGHT Your contents might not be, but this backpack is lightweight, totaling a mere 850 g (1 lb 14 oz). It’s also equipped with a heavy-duty molded back panel for comfort and durability, plus padded shoulder harness and an adjustable sternum strap. Hiking the trails around Whistler, Canada and the Saguaro National Park in Arizona were a breeze with this backpack, and it’s not only light in weight but it’s also comfortably fitting to wear for hours on end.

I wore the Black Hole® backpack into Egypt’s “black hole” abyss: the subterranean chamber of the Great Pyramid of Giza, which was comparable to part of my ‘boot camp’ experience with the military obstacle course in the Air Force as we ducked through long tunnels and low to no lighting.

With the backpack on my back, I was forced to duck even lower to make my way through the tunnels into the subterranean chamber and then back to the entry of the pyramid before exploring and climbing up to the King’s and Queen’s chambers. It was dusty nearly everywhere I went in Egypt, but this didn’t phase the Black Hole® backpack or my back at any point during the trip.

Exploring into the depths of the subterranean chamber of the Great Pyramid of Giza

ymore info: Shop this product *Also featured are Patagonia pants and outerwear. To see more products, visit www.patagonia.com

Saguaro National Park

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EATSTRONG: FIT NUTRITION BY

David Ryan Fitness

A core element of the Eatstrong protocol is Intermittent Fasting, an eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and fasting. Numerous studies have revealed many ways that it can have powerful benefits for your body and brain. For example, your body initiates important cellular repair processes and changes hormone levels to make stored body fat more accessible. By increasing your metabolic rate and reducing daily caloric intake, weight loss can be accelerated and energy levels and mental focus become naturally enhanced.

yFor a more in depth look at using intermittent fasting for enhanced health, download the free Eatstrong ebook at www.DavidRyanFitness.com/eatstrong Instagram: @davidryanfitness YouTube: LIFTSTRONG 108

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Another key benefit of this eating pattern is simplicity. By reducing the feeding window, there is less meal prep, fewer meals, and more room for calories when you do eat. My favorite way to go about intermittent fasting is as follows.

Skip breakfast and only consume coffee or tea and water until lunch time, keeping your coffee or tea “black” without cream or sugar. Around 12pm, break your fast with a big salad. Before 8pm, have a dinner with a protein and starch. If you’re not a meat eater, choose a meat substitute like tofu and fill your plate with hearty cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, and/or kale.

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HEALTH

112. What Is A Thought Coach?

116. Four Myths OF Meditation 120. Top 10 Characteristics Of An Empath 110

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What Is A Thought Coach?

By Ora Nadrich As a Life Coach, which is someone that counsels, and motivates people in the areas of career and personal challenges and obstacles, I found that the number one thing my clients have needed the most help with is their thoughts, and overall thinking process.

It was with one client in particular that this became very apparent to me, and where I began the “Says Who?” inquiry. This became the bases of my book, and the “Says Who? Method.” an original, unique technique for transforming negative and fear-based thoughts. My client came to me for what would be considered a “life coaching” session, where I would apply my coaching expertise, that at the time was more motivational and encouraging of my client’s abilities.

It could be considered a tune up, which as with a car, you “adjust the instrument” to perform its best.

But what I soon realized about that

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particular approach was that no matter how much you motivate, encourage, or “tune up” a person, eventually the same problems they are experiencing, will most likely rear their head again. This is because what isn’t being addressed more deeply and thoroughly are the thoughts that get in the way of the counseled getting what they want, or reaching their goals. In this case, my client was having thoughts that were sabotaging the very thing she wanted, thus causing her great distress.

session was a recurring thought she experienced, which she described as “disturbing and scary.” She told me, to my complete surprise, “I’m afraid I’m going to be homeless and penniless!” What struck me as most unusual about what she confessed to me was how incongruent it was with what she wanted to do, which was to start a new business. I felt I was in the presence of someone with “two minds.” One that was creative, and proactive, and the other completely riddled with fear.

My client had come to me for advice on a business decision, but what she shared with me early in our

What came up for me when she said that was, “Says Who?” which for me meant, who is saying that thought in

“

We don’t usually question our fearbased thoughts but accept them readily.

These thoughts can have a very negative effect on us if we don’t look at them more closely to find out if they’re real or not, or even if they belong to us.

“

your head”. In other words, where did she get it, where did it come from? I was going completely on instinct at that point, and felt strongly that her fearful thought of being homeless and penniless did not begin with her, and must have come from somewhere, or even someone else. I went out on a limb and asked her, “Says Who?” and then, “who is saying that thought in your head?”

She looked completely taken aback by that question, as if she had no reference point for it, meaning she had never asked herself that before, nor did anyone else. I then went one step further and asked, “Have you ever heard someone say that thought before; that you were going to be homeless and penniless?” And that was it. That was the question that reached into her gut, and located her fear like never before. She looked like a sad, scared child. The confident woman who wanted to start a new business, suddenly looked like she was 12, and very vulnerable and afraid. She began to cry, and then her eyes widened like saucers as if

she had realized something new. “Oh my God!” she said. “My father always used to say that when I was little.

He was in and out of work a lot, and when money was scarce he would say in a loud, scary voice, “we’re going to be homeless and penniless. We’re going to be out on the streets.” It frightened me.

“Bingo,” I thought to myself. I knew her fear-based thought didn’t originate with her- she had heard it somewhere else. I just knew it.

I then said to her, “So can you see that this was your father’s thought and not yours?” She sat quietly and pondered my question, and then said to me, “I never connected that before. I never asked myself that question. How would I have known to ask myself that?” I went on to explain that we don’t usually question our fear-based thoughts but accept them readily. These thoughts can have a very negative effect on us if we don’t look at them more closely to find out if they’re real or not, or even if they belong to us. She had

lived most of her life with a thought that caused her tremendous fear, and if left ignored or unattended, could inhibit her from creating a new business, which she went on to do successfully.

Her fear-based thought, which she called, “disturbing, scary,” and “random” would have continued to surface in her mind. She would have continued having these thoughts repeatedly, and be at the mercy of it every single time it reared its ugly head. My client went on to use the ‘Says Who? Method,’ and she, like many others claim that the negative or fear-based thought that used to hold them hostage, no longer had the same afflicting affect. They had come to discover that their thought wasn’t real or valid, didn’t support their well-being, and was ultimately useless for them in realizing their goals and dreams, all by questioning the thought with the ‘Says Who? Method,’ which pronounces, “If this thought doesn’t support my well-being, then I have no use for it.” www.facethecurrent.com

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The positive results of this work inspired me to create a Thought Coach program to not only help people deepen their understanding of their minds and how the thinking process works, but to develop for Thought Coach facilitators to effectively teach the Says Who? Method to many others who need it, and can benefit tremendously from it.

My hope is to see as many people as possible overcome their worst fears by transforming the very thought that is causing it.

A thought coach has a very important role in a person’s life.

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And like a life coach, can still encourage and motivate their clients. They know that “tune ups” are all fine and good, but that the true sign of excellence and high performance doesn’t come from making temporary adjustments or corrections like you would on a car.

A thought coach teaches you that your mind is much more powerful than a car, it’s a star ship, and you, its pilot. And in order to fly it correctly and responsibly, you have to think as sharply and as intelligently as the very thing you are in control of.

And above all, a thought coach

is a thought leader. They are committed to not only their own “transformational thinking,” but also to helping others be accountable for their thoughts by using valuable tools like the Says Who? Method, and teaching them how to change negative and fear-based thoughts to positive, constructive, productive, and life affirming ones. They subscribe to the words of Buddha; “All that we are is a result of all that we thought: it is founded on our thoughts and made up of our thoughts.”

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A thought coach is a thought leader.

They are committed to not only their own “transformational thinking,” but also to helping others be accountable for their thoughts by using valuable tools.

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All that we are is a result of all that we thought: it is founded on our thoughts and made up of our thoughts.

-Buddha

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ymore info: www.oranadrich.com Purchase “Says Who?” Book www.facethecurrent.com

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Four Myths OF Meditation

By Dr. Ronald Alexander

The majority of my clients resist meditation at first, although the time commitment is small and the Bywasn’t Dr. Ronald Alexander payoff is enormous. One insisted that it necessary and that she didn’t have enough time in her day to devote to a regular practice.Then she went through the loss of a parent, and had such trouble coping that she couldn’t even drag herself out of bed. When she called me for my advice, I told her to mindfully meditate while in bed.Terrified and bewildered, my client did and soon found that she could face going to work again. Afterwards whenever she was in an overwhelming state of grief she would close her door, hold all calls and do a five-minute meditation. Slowly, her grief lessened.

Typically, those who resist meditation are buying in to one of the following four common myths that create resistance to regular meditation practice.

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MYTH 1: “I’m too restless and busy to learn to be quiet and practice any form of meditation.”

Meditating five to twenty minutes a day will cause you to need less sleep, and be more productive. When you first begin you’re likely to experience many mental distractions. Rather than judge yourself; simply observe them and then set them aside.

MYTH 2: “If I meditate, it will put out the fire of my ambition and creativity.”

Meditation seems to ground restless people, transforming their energy from a chaotic, even manic, discharge to a more focused and heightened exuberance. If you’re uncomfortable with the thought of slowing down your mental output keep in mind that this is not the goal of a meditation practice. Instead this approach will allow you to access some of the vitality and passion you associate with mania.

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MYTH 3: “If I meditate what I’ll discover will be so upsetting that I’ll become paralyzed with fear.”

The fear of what will arise from the subconscious isn’t entirely irrational, but the chances of experiencing intense discomfort while meditating are slim. Emotions that remain buried have no chance of dissipating, and will remain as an underlying toxin that affects the functioning of the mind and body. If you’ve been avoiding painful feelings and thoughts for a long time, you may not be able to handle more than a five-minute-long session of meditation initially, and you may need someone with you to support you in your process of uncovering this pain.

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MYTH 3: “Meditating will conflict with my religious beliefs.”

The practice of meditation is free of religious and spiritual dogma. In fact, if you believe in turning to God for guidance, you can use mindfulness meditation to set aside distractions and listen to the divine wisdom that can be found only when you tune out the endless chain of thoughts your own mind creates.

Explore principles derived from Buddhist mindfulness meditation in order to foster positive transformation and learn how to build “mind strength,” which gives one the ability to be less reactive and more fully present in the moment in Wise Mind Open Mind: Finding Purpose and Meaning In Times of Crisis, Loss, and Change by Ronald Alexander and Lama Surya Das

ymore info: www.ronaldalexander.com www.facebook.com/RonaldAlexanderPhD/ www.facethecurrent.com

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Top 10 Characteristics

Of An Empath

By Dr. Judith Orloff

The trademark of an empath is that they feel and absorb other people’s emotions and/or physical symptoms because of their high sensitivities.

They filter the world through their intuition and have a difficult time intellectualizing their feelings.

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As a psychiatrist and empath myself, I know the challenges of being a highly sensitive person. When overwhelmed with the impact of stressful emotions, empaths can have panic attacks, depression, chronic fatigue, food, sex and drug binges, and many physical symptoms that defy traditional medical diagnosis. But an empath

doesn’t have to feel too much and be overloaded once they learn how to center themselves. The first step is to acknowledge that you are an empath.

Here are the top 10 traits of an empath from my book, The Empath’s Survival Guide. See if you can relate to them.

10 Traits Of An Empath 1. EMPATHS ARE HIGHLY SENSITIVE Empaths are naturally giving, spiritually open, and good listeners. If you want heart, empaths have got it.

Through thick and thin, they’re there for you, world-class nurturers. But they can easily have their feelings hurt. Empaths are often told that they are “too sensitive” and need to toughen up.

2. EMPATHS ABSORB OTHER PEOPLE’S EMOTIONS Empaths are highly attuned to other people’s moods, good and bad. They feel everything, sometimes to an extreme. They take on negativity such as anger or anxiety, which is exhausting. If they are around peace and love, their bodies take these on and flourish.

3. MANY EMPATHS ARE INTROVERTED Empaths become overwhelmed in crowds, which can amplify their empathy. They tend to be introverted and prefer one to one contact or small groups. Even if an empath is more extroverted they prefer limiting how much time they can be in a crowd or at a party.

4. EMPATHS ARE HIGHLY INTUITIVE Empaths experience the world through their intuition. It is important for them to develop their intuition and listen to their gut feelings about people. This will help empaths find positive relationships and avoid energy vampires. www.facethecurrent.com

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5. EMPATHS NEED ALONE TIME As super-responders, being around people can drain an empath so they periodically need alone time to recharge their batteries. Even a brief escape prevents emotionally overload. Empaths like to take their own cars when they go places so they can leave when they please.

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6. EMPATHS CAN BECOME OVERWHELMED IN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS Too much togetherness can be difficult for an empath so they may avoid intimate relationships.

Deep down they are afraid of being engulfed and losing their identity.

For empaths to be at ease in a relationship, the traditional paradigm for being a couple must be redefined. For more strategies see my article “Relationship Tips for Sensitive People.”

7. EMPATHS ARE TARGETS FOR ENERGY VAMPIRES An empath’s sensitivity makes them particularly easy marks for energy vampires, whose fear or rage can sap their energy and peace of mind.

Vampires do more than drain an empath’s physical energy. The especially dangerous ones such as narcissists (they lack empathy and are only concerned with themselves) can make them believe they’re unworthy and unlovable. Other vampires include The Victim, The Chronic Talker, The Drama Queen and more.

To help you deal with the drainers in your life read “4 Strategies to Survive Emotional Vampires.”

8. EMPATHS BECOME REPLENISHED IN NATURE The busyness of ever day life can be too much for an empath. The natural world nourishes and restores them.

It helps them to release their burdens and they take refuge in the presence of green wild things, the ocean or other bodies of water.

9. EMPATHS HAVE HIGHLY TUNED SENSES

10. EMPATHS HAVE HUGE HEARTS BUT SOMETIMES GIVE TOO MUCH

An empath’s nerves can get frayed by noise, smells, or excessive talking.

Empaths are big-hearted people and try to relieve the pain of others. A homeless person holding a cardboard sign, “I’m hungry” at a busy intersection; a hurt child; a distraught friend.

It’s natural to want to reach out to them, ease their pain. But empaths don’t stop there. Instead, they take it on. Suddenly they’re the one feeling drained or upset when they felt fine before.

As an empath myself, I use many strategies to protect my sensitivities such as fierce time management, setting limits and boundaries with draining people, meditation to calm and center myself, and going out into nature. Being an empath is a gift in my life but I had to learn to take care of myself.

Empaths have special needs.

It’s important to honor yours and communicate them to loved ones.

: Adapted from Dr. Judith Orloff ’s book, “The Empath’s Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People” (Sounds True, 2017).

ymore info:

http://www.drjudithorloff.com www.facebook.com/DrJudithOrloff/ www.facethecurrent.com

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FtC - Fuel for an inspired life.

Be your potential.... www.facethecurrent.com