Inner Tapestry "Living Without Definition" April May 2010

1

F

A Holistic Journal Celebrating & Supporting LIFE! April/May 2010

u Living Without Definition u

R

E

E

Volume 8, No. 6

Inner

Tapestry Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Seeing Life Without Definition, How Does It Feel? u A Time For Renewal

u Loving Earth ~ Growing Our Own Foods

u Accessing Our True Selves

u Destination Healing SNE ~ A Spirit of Light Among Us

u Eating... The Angel Way Part 2

u Modern Shamanic Living ~ Sorting Human Beans

u Who Is Eating The Strawberries?

u 21st Century Bohemian ~ The Power of Voice: Maya Angelou

2

UPCOMING THEMES June/July 2010

Good Vibrations August/S eptember 2010

Awakening Human Potential O c tober/November 2010

What Moves You?

D ecember/Januar y 2010/2011

It's A Wonderful Life!

Februar y/M arch 2011

Ch anging Your M ind SubmissionDates–June/July2010

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Articles – April 25th Display Ads & Directory of Resources To Reserve Space – May 1st For Ad Copy & Graphics – May 5th Calendar & Classified Ads – May 5th

Inner

Tapestry Publishers Joan Emmons Ron Damico Betty Close

Advertising & Distribution Curtis White

413-595-9092

207-799-7995 ~ 860-655-5500

Email: info@innertapestry.org Or Visit: www.innertapestry.org Subscriptions ~ $20.00/year, 6 issues Inner Tapestry can be found in over 500 locations, but to insure you don’t miss an issue, subscriptions are available.

Payments and Correspondence To: 5 Laurel Ridge Rd., Scarborough, ME 04074 2 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

3

Inner TAPESTRY Contents

This Issue's Theme Living Without Definition

Features

April/May 2010

Accessing Our True Selves

Page

6

Page

7

by Tara Wrobel

A Time For Renewal

by Dr. Kevin Ross Emery

Who Is Eating The Strawberries?

Page 16

by Raphael

Eating... The Angel Way...

Page 20

by Annie Kelleher and Karen M. Rider

Following Your Pets Lead and Live Without Definition

Page 21

by Donald and Sara Hassler

Alternative Healthcare As Preventative Medicine

Page

26

Page

8

Page

9

by Steven Thomas

Loving Earth ~ Growing Our Own Food ~ Seed and Soil

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Departments

by Pat Foley

Awareness and the Art of Seeing ~ Missing The Mark with Ol' Hickory

by Jen Deraspe

Destination Healing SNE ~ A Spirit of Light Among Us

Page 14

by Karen M. Rider

Wandering Sage Wisdom ~ The Time Is Upon Us

Page 16

by Aaron Hoopes

Modern Shamanic Living ~ Sorting Human Beans

Page 17

by Evelyn C. Rysdyk

Welcome Home ~ Ask Asrianna

Page 18

by Asrianna Dameron

21st Century Boheman ~ The Power of Voice: Maya Angelou

Page 19

by Teresa Piccari

A Breath of Healing ~ Yoga As Undoing Definitions

Page 23

by Donna Amrita Davidge

Destination Healing NNE ~ Conscientious Cleaning...

Page 28

by guest writer L. Jaye "L.J." Bell

Feng Shui & Geopathology ~ The Energetic Properties of Water Page 29

by Werner Brandmaier

The Way of Life-Itself ~ Living Without Definition ~

by Skye Hirst, Ph.D. A Work In Process

Page 30

Exploring the World Religions ~ God's Whisper,

by James Bean Creation's Thunder ~ Echoes of Ultimate Reality In The New Physics

Page 31

Directories

Directory of Resources Yoga, T'ai Chi, & Meditation Directory Heart Visions, Calendar of Events, Classifieds

Pages 32-40 Page 40 Pages 42-44 April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 3

4

Welcome to Inner Tapestry OUR EXPRESSION OF INTENTION: As we weave from within, we begin

the creation of the outward expression and celebration of our own unique tapestry.

Our intention is to provide a pathway of support for all seeking the awareness of living a conscious life by creating and supporting a network of connection within the holistic community and its practitioners. The journal is advertiser-supported. It can be found in businesses and services that promote complementary healing, and who support cultural, environmental and educational needs, where ideas of conscious living and integrative wholeness are welcomed and nourished.

In our eighth year as a Holistic Journal celebrating and supporting the exploration of life, we have become a leading voice for people in their discovery of holistic health, natural living and spiritual wisdom and insight.

AVAILABLE IN MORE THAN 500 LOCATIONS

Showing of Infinity The Ultimate Trip Beyond Death, Starring John Holland 6:30 PM at the Freeport Leapin' Lizards, Call for Reservations $7.50 (FMI: see page 15)

Distributed bimonthly (six times a year) this free publication is filled with carefully selected inspiring and informative articles promoting conscious life choices that lead to a higher quality of life, unity within one's self and community and a greater experience of spirit! Our distribution area spans throughout Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Massachusetts with over 500 locations. If you would like copies placed at your business or location please contact us. Inner Tapestry is a great resource for your family, friends, clients and customers.

SEE YOUR ADVERTISEMENT IN INNER TAPESTRY SIX WAYS TO ADVERTISE Throughout Inner Tapestry's pages are the Display Ads. Toward the back of the journal you will find the Directory of Resources, a comprehensive listing of practitioners and descriptions of their services. Immediately following you will find our Calendar of Events and the Classified section. The fifth method is the Yoga, T'ai Chi, & Meditation Practitioners Directory, with a listing of styles and forms available for study. Our online website is the sixth way to advertise, with a side banner Display Ad or an online Directory of Resource Ad. For ad size and pricing information visit www.innertapestry. org or call (207) 799-7995.

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

For those who need ad design, we offer a service to create a distinct way for you to present your business.

To our readers, we would like to ask everyone to take the opportunity to email our columnists, feature writers, artists and advertisers with comments, suggestions and information inquiries. They all are extremely wonderful and dedicated individuals who look forward to hearing from you. We also look forward to receiving your comments and suggestions as we all continue to evolve and grow together.

Articles are for information only and do not constitute medical advice. Please obtain written permission before reproducing any part of this publication. All rights reserved. ÂŽ 2010.

4 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

5

INNER WORKINGS New this Issue: Hi everyone, welcome to "Living Without Definition." There is so much in life defining us; who we are with family, who we are with co-workers, and who we are with friends. With so many people finding their way to wholeness, it is becoming easier to find people living a life more fully integrated in feeling. This awakening shows us we have the gift of a blank canvas to create our lives in concert with absolutely everything within us and the world around us with every breath of our lives.

We invite you to visit On The Cover to explore "Living Without Definition."

It may change the way that you are creating your canvas.

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Our Inner Tapestry family news this issue is, we will be moving once again. This time we will be spending some time in Connecticut. We are looking forward to expanding our community, growing our distribution sites and our network of friends and family. Nothing will take away from the love that we have for the Inner Tapestry family we've been blessed to know in Maine.

The mail address is all that will be different, and as soon as it is final you can find it on our website, Facebook page and the next issue of Inner Tapestry. We have so many friends here in Maine and so enjoy our time with all of you. Ron, Betty and myself are looking forward to being closer to family in the upcoming months and continuing our travels, now, back and forth from Connecticut to Maine for distribution, sessions and upcoming events.

I have found that during this issue, more of my references and perspectives of what we, I, can accomplish during this human experience have been shifting and changing almost as quickly as the weather.

As spring is upon us, renewal is also beginning once again. Our next issue, which will be the first issue of our ninth year, we will be working to create new communities, expanding them into one loving, joy-filled place where borders, definitions and references no longer exist—only the hope that is held in—now.

Welcome to all our new advertisers and our thanks to all our advertisers who continue to support our world community.

With the work they do and what they have to offer our world will become the place that we have longed for.

There are quite a few new calendar listings. Lots of outdoor trips, some close by and some much farther away, each creating the experience of growth, renewal and fun. Take a break, treat yourself and explore what the holistic community has to offer.

You may see some new things within the journal, Kevin Pennell, has taken a leave from his writing. He has moved his center, is finishing up his herbal studies and starting massage studies. Our love to Kevin and Vicki, during this busy time. We look forward to Kevin's return to writing and the opportunity to visit their new space.

At this time, we are welcoming guest writers and article submissions for our Destination Healing ~ Northern New England column to support the community.

Curtis, whom many of you have met, is caring for the advertising needs of the community and is now working on the journal's web presence. We are being viewed in 112 countries and have begun a growing following on Facebook. Yes, Facebook. But without reference, I have to admit that it's been fun! Thanks to all who have joined us on the web. We will also be looking forward to the redesign of our website in the near future... stay tuned!

Thanks everyone for all that you are and for being in our lives.

April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 5

6

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Accessing Our True Selves

by Tara Wrobel

W

e are here to be and experience what we truly are, but to get at that mystery, we are required to rid ourselves of all the fictions we live in daily. To be truly authentic means we cannot cling to any ideas about ourselves so that we may be free to move in any direction, at any time, and to access any latent abilities we hold within us that are necessary for what’s ahead. In short, authenticity is about having a willingness to surprise ourselves as to who we really are and what we really can do.

For better or worse, we weren’t raised in a society that values a nimble identity. We are taught not only to define and separate ourselves by every means possible, but to define and plot our whole lives in advance, to “make something of ourselves and our lives,” rather than let our lives show us what they are and, in the process, what we really are. Perhaps it’s too nebulous a notion for any kind of social environment, that by virtue of existence, requires a construct. And that’s ok—but although our membership in society might be a hindrance from time to time, it’s not to blame for our inner restriction. The problem is when we let our ability to create definition and structure limit what we can be and convince us that we know more than we really do.

Defining ourselves feels like a very safe thing to do. It gives us a form to function in, a way to distinguish ourselves from others, and confidence in our surroundings. We say each day, “I am this, I’m going here, and I know what I’m doing.” (Even if we really don’t, pretending feels pretty good.) There is a real comfort in our self-imposed limitations because they are known elements. Even if we are restricted to these artificial boundaries, we at least feel empowered because they allow us to assume we know stuff—what is, what can happen, what’s probably next if we do X or Y. But the opposite is also true: when we assume we know what can happen, or when we fear what might happen, we impose artificial boundaries upon ourselves, and we, in turn, react to these imaginary obstacles by going the other way.

The more invested we are in the ideas we’ve used to describe ourselves, the more we must insist, at any cost, that these things be true in order for us to feel good about ourselves. This is the dangerous territory of the ego, which will gladly

6 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

spend all our time defining and then defending itself, leaving little opportunity for us to explore the potential we have as people.

To really know who and what we are, we have to stop thinking we already know, drop all the descriptions we hope are true (or will be one day), let go of everything we’ve been in the past, and be willing to see and accept the new things we discover about ourselves, including accepting that they might only be temporary. This is much easier said than done. Even with constant and earnest effort, getting rid of old ways of seeing and doing things is often a task as aggravating as getting gum off your shoe. Old habits are sticky, frustrating, and persistent foes, always leaving a little residue left to contend with even when the bulk of the pattern is gone.

To be free of false ideas about ourselves is a challenging undertaking. It takes courage, humility, and a willingness to see the error of our ways. Even though it constitutes a victory over our ego's and our self-definitions, admitting we're wrong can be very, very hard to do when it means acknowledging how we may have hurt others or ourselves by our old ways. Being true to ourselves is naturally easier for some, who, with a little conscious awareness can continually ask themselves if their thinking minds and knowing minds are in sync, and then readjusting as necessary.

For others of us, it is a lot of hard work that takes practice, fortitude, and a lot of just plain time to untie ourselves from ways of looking at ourselves that we’ve been accustomed to for years and years.

In any case, eventually we don’t have to work at it, let alone think about it, anymore. It no longer matters to us what we call ourselves, where we’re going, or what we may or may not become. What matters is that we are fully alive, unhampered, flexible, and free. Rather than just the characters born in our childhoods, we finally know our true selves. And that is worth the effort. © 2010 Tara Wrobel.

Tara Wrobel is an artist from West Newbury, Massachusetts. She works mainly in photography, but also likes to experiment with poetry, 3-dimensional structure, and song. She publishes Temporary Truths, a free journal of ideas and imagery. For more

7

A Time For Renewal

by Dr. Kevin Ross Emery

“April showers bring May flowers.”

Dr. Kevin Ross Emery is a popular author, psychic, coach, consultant and teacher.

Dr. Kevin travels internationally, offering lectures and workshops to empower people from all walks of life. Dr. Kevin’s primary practices are in Phoenix, AZ and Haverhill, Massachusetts He is also available for phone (and Skype) consultations.

Visit his website for additional articles and his Internet radio show: “Outside the Box with Dr Kevin” at http://www.weboflight.com.

• Dowsing • Energetic evaluation of a home or property • Space Clearing • Special attention to sleeping problems • Products that neutralize the effects of Geopathic stress and electro-magnetic fields of cellphones & computers

• 20 yrs experience in health, engineering and energetic medicine.

(207) 772-7888 • www.InstituteofFengShui.com April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 7

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

I remember hearing that saying as a child. Of course, I was most likely to hear it when the April showers were interfering with my playing outside. The homily was, of course, filled with multiple meanings – everything from a message of patience and “good things come to those who wait” to “everything has a reason.”

However, I don’t remember much emphasis being put on the idea that April showers had their own beauty. While it might be nice that they brought May flowers, nice that they melted away the last of the snows of winter (that by April in New England seemed to have lasted forever), the April showers had a meaning, purpose and beauty all of their own.

There is beauty in rain, and those things we often associate with rain, such as loss, sadness or internal contemplation of an exquisitely melancholy nature. A slowing down, a reflection, and a crying of tears are not bad things when we put them into perspective.

Unfortunately, we have lost sight of the much-needed value of those things in our current society. We are always hurrying everything. We want sadness, grief and loss to be instantaneous, and then move on as if nothing had happened.

If we don’t move on, if we are sad for more than seven days, that is often the medical criteria for breaking out the prescription pad. Perhaps if we could have better

dealt with our grief, allowed our self to truly experience and grow from our sadness and losses and allowed them to mature us, we wouldn’t have to rush to the pill bottle to separate ourselves from our pains. For you see, it is oftentimes not the one pain that leads to the need for drugs, but the dozens of pains, losses and hurts that we never fully processed, and sometimes were not allowed to process, that sooner or later lead to the falling of the house of cards.

We move into action, addiction, and avoidance of our true feelings because they cannot be neatly filed away within the ninety-minute run time of the movies we grew up with.

If we do not fully engage in the process, do not experience what the process has to teach us and do not participate or grow in that process, then how can we expect the April showers in our lives to bring us anything but a garden full of weeds?

If you want flowers, you must first allow yourself to experience the showers for real.

8

lov ing e ar th

Growing Our Own Food Seeds and Soil

by Pat Foley

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

A

s we write, seed catalogs are arriving, each with appealing pictures of fat red tomatoes, lush leafy oriental greens and lettuces. There are broccolis with green heads and purple heads, carrots with purple skins and startling bright orange interiors. The squashes come in an assortment of sizes and shapes. They are tan and orange, mottled green, gray-green, lumpy and smooth, spotted and striped. All are tasty looking. Which ones shall we choose?

Because we want wholesome and healthy food, we choose not to purchase seeds or plants that have been subjected to mechanical genetic manipulation. The first thing we look for in each arriving catalog is the company’s declaration of adherence to the safe seed pledge, which states: “Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. We must protect this foundation as a safe and genetically stable source for future generations. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners and consumers who want an alternative, we pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants.

The mechanical transfer of genetic material outside of natural reproductive methods and between genera, families or kingdoms poses great biological risks as well as economic, political and cultural threats. We feel that genetically engineered varieties have been insufficiently tested prior to public release.

More research and testing is necessary to further assess the potential risks of genetically engineered seeds. Further we wish to support agricultural progress that leads to healthier soils, genetically diverse agricultural eco-systems and, ultimately, people and communities.”

If we cannot find the pledge, or if the company does not endorse it fully, we put that catalog in our paper recycling bin and move on to the next one. If we are feeling particularly energetic, we write the company a little note explaining why we are not ordering from them. After all, if they don’t know what the problem is, how can they correct it?

As home gardeners, we don’t have to worry about all the broccoli maturing at the same time for efficient harvesting. Nor are we worried about how well our vegetables will stand up during shipping. You must have seen those things that look exactly like tomatoes only when dropped, they don’t splatter, they bounce. We understand they ship extremely well.

We are interested in flavor rather than “bouncability” and whether the veggies will be happy growing in our somewhat harsh, zone 5 mini-climate.

We also think small is indeed beautiful. We like to support family businesses, cooperatively run companies and companies that have a knowledgeable, customerfriendly approach to doing business.

We like trying unusual varieties and heirloom veggies, so each year we engage in a few experiments. Over time we’ve discovered some really good plants this way.

Our favorite cucumber is called a mini white cuke, and it is. This little veggie is ready to eat when it is just a few inches long, two or three at the most. The flavor is fresh and bright, never bitter. It grows well under both good and bad conditions and 8 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

produces cucumbers with enthusiastic vigor all summer.

Fairy Tale eggplant is another good variety. It is suitable for growing in containers and produces multiple tasty little lavender streaked fruits that are perfect for stir-frying or roasting kabob style. In our part of the world eggplants can be difficult because of our short and often cool growing season. We put our pots of Fairy Tale on a second story deck against the southwest side of the house where it gets very warm. They thrive there well into September. The plants are bushy and full with attractive lavender flowers.

The fruits, each only a couple of inches long, are delectable.

Jimmy Nardello’s sweet Italian frying pepper is another favorite. The seeds were brought to this country by the Nardello family and now are carried by a number of commercial seed companies. Nardellos are pretty tough plants and produce well without pampering. The fruits are long and thin, turning from green to red when fully ripe. They can be eaten at either stage and are tasty both raw and fried.

But we have gotten way ahead of ourselves. Before the seeds comes the soil. The foundation of a good garden starts at ground level with healthy soil. Soil is composed of old rock, which has broken down over millions of years, decomposed organic matter and space. The space provides room for air and water. These three combine in varying proportions depending upon previous conditions in specific locations.

The ideal soil for most plants is loose and granular with ample organic content. To safeguard the structure of our soil, it is important to stay out of the garden when the ground is wet, to avoid over-working it by excessive tilling and, many would say, to avoid excessive walking in the garden at any time as our weight compacts the ground, eliminating those important air spaces. The walking problem can be solved by using raised beds or by putting down walking boards along our garden paths. These will distribute our weight over a greater area and are, if not a perfect solution, at least helpful.

There are three major ingredients in fertile soil: nitrogen, which encourages leafy growth; phosphorus, which plants use to form flowers, fruit and seeds, and potassium which encourages healthy root systems and disease resistance. There are organic sources for each of these and a professional soil test will reveal which are needed. It is important to ask for organic remediation solutions when sending in samples for testing.

We also want to know how available nutrients are to our plants. Most essential nutrients form water-soluble compounds when the soil ranges somewhere between slightly acidic and neutral. We measure this by the pH scale, which goes from 1 to 14, with 1 being most acidic, 7 being neutral and 14 being most alkaline. Each incremental increase represents a 10-fold change. In Maine, it is almost certain that our soil will be on the acid side. The usual way to raise pH level is to add lime to the garden. Avoid slaked or hydrated lime, as both can raise levels too quickly and can harm plant roots and organisms in the soil.

Now let’s consider the organic material in our soil. This magical stuff is made of decayed and disintegrating plants and may also include manure. Nature creates this wonderful growing medium slowly. In our four-season climate, autumn leaves fall and other plants die. Slowly over the years all this vegetation piles up and decays, aided by rain and snow and a multitude of organisms, most of which are too small to see.

We can speed up the whole process by building compost piles, layering green and brown plant material with a little soil, possibly a little manure, and making sure our piles are not soggy, but moist enough to encourage the decaying process. After a year or so, presto, we have black gold.

Compost conditions sandy soils and lightens up clay. It can absorb its own weight in water, storing it for when the plants need moisture. It contains both nutrients and sufficient necessary spaces. Properly made, it does not smell offensive and it does not attract animals. What it does do is encourage robust and healthy plant growth.

Properly made and distributed, compost allows us to garden indefinitely in the same place while actually increasing the depth and fertility of our soil. When we consider that according to a United Nations study, US farming the agri-business way depletes topsoil at a rate of 6 pounds of soil for every pound of produce grown, we realize the importance of farming and gardening in this sustainable way.

Growing our own food can be empowering no matter what size our gardens are. Nurturing our special piece of the Earth is an immensely rewarding and significant act of good stewardship as each individual gardener does her or his part to maintain a healthy planet.

And there is nothing that compares with the flavor of veggies fresh from the garden, absolutely nothing! © Pat Foley, 2010 Pat Foley attempts to live a green/sustainable life just outside of Cornish, Maine. She is the owner of Earthrest, a retreat center operating on solar power, which offers gathering space for groups and individuals. The underlying focus of Earthrest is on following Gandhi’s advice to be the change we wish to see in the world. Earthrest offers group seed and garden supply ordering each spring. You may contact Pat at earthrest@psouth.net.

9

Awareness and the Art of Seeing: Contemplations on the environment and interconnection

by Jen Deraspe

Missing the Mark with Ol'Hickory

The Thirteenth Moon

~ a light-filled circular sacred space surrounded by fields and trees ~

I slowly handed him Ol’ Hickory. “Maybe it will be different this time,” I thought to myself. Oh my...

Every day he split wood for an hour to help out with chores on the land. How sweet and generous... what a kind, kind NY man.

My axe attachment syndrome would occasionally slip into my thoughts. Coveting a $15 handle was apparently more important than my own peace of mind. I thought I needed to know the status of Ol’ Hickory. Sometimes, I would watch, peering from behind a tree, to see how he went about splitting the wood. He would line up the axe to the chopping block, checking for alignment and thwwaaack… right on target, he would hit it square.

I was so happy. I could breathe.

I couldn’t help myself… I just had to be sure…

I checked out the axe after the first week of his

stay to see how it was all going. There was even more damage than city dweller #1. I did nothing but watch more chipping and splitting happen as the weeks went by. I did my best to accept the damage that had been done to Ol’ Hickory, though bitterness still had a home in me.

One afternoon I took my precious axe to go and chop wood correctly and I noticed as soon as I saw the handle again thoughts began... “ I shouldn’t have lent him the axe,” “I should have made him get his own damn axe.” (All of this happening while I was cutting wood.) Then WHAMMM, I missed the target and hit the handle against the wood with a thud. Ok, a one-time mistake. I am still better than those city boys. Then I missed the target multiple times. It began to become rather amusing and very humbling. I would hear myself laugh out loud, shaking my head at the silliness and stress found in attachment to the seemingly smallest of things. It was as if I needed to miss my target in order to see not only how silly my attachment was but also to see I am no better than the city boys.

When I see the handle now, I smile and remember just how easy it is to be a bit off the mark and yet it all still works out. How missing the apparent target is sometimes perfect.

Until its last swing and with each miss, I will continue on, experiencing life with and without my attachments.

Scott has gone back to Manhattan now. I am left with my axe and my thinking and what’s left of the hickory handle.

Meanwhile, is there anybody out there who will get me a replacement handle?? J

Jen Deraspe, is the founder of Nurture Through Nature, an eco-retreat center in Denmark, Maine. Jen is a certified yoga instructor, a licensed Maine guide, and a certified coach and facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie. She has been leading holistic nature retreats since 1999. www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.

Susan Bakaley Marshall ATR-BC, LCPC board-certified art therapist, licensed clinical counselor, Shamanic practitioner

ART from the heART

Art Therapy & Shamanism Studio

I took the axe out of circulation and swore I would listen to the advice of those that taught me how to sharpen the thing and to never lend out my axe again. It’s personal, they said. Only I should handle my axe.

Fast-forward, to two months later…

A man from NY wants to come for a 100-day solo meditation retreat. Naturally, I asked him to bring his own axe, since lending out Ol’ Hickory was simply out of the question, obviously.

Well, NY man forgot and I didn’t have the guts to ask him to get his own and I watched myself, as

• Shamanic journeys and healings • Soul retrieval • Individuals • Groups • Classes

Life Beyond Definition

(207) 589-3063 moonarts@gmail.com April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 9

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

I found an old axe with a broken handle. I was so excited about the find and about bringing the axe back to good use. I placed it carefully in the corner of the shed where I could still see it often and be reminded to fix it. There it sat for a year and a half.

Sometimes procrastination is the rule.

A new friend offered help with some odds and ends projects. The axe had not been forgotten and out it finally came from the shed. Never having replaced an axe handle before, Tim took on the project, and between the two of us; it was done in a mere two hours (lifetimes).

I found my old notes on How to Sharpen Hand Tools. I set myself up nice and pretty to take care of this old axe. I was in my own strange heaven of sorts with a deep sense of satisfaction creeping in as I began this new project. Various files and sharpening stones were scattered around me as I settled into the circular rhythm and sound of steel against steel, honing in on the imperfect edges.

Tim watched me and appeared to be equally vested in the outcome of our shared project, smart with its brand new Hickory handle.

I felt so proud of the newly resurrected axe, receiving the attention and love it deserved.

I will love it and squeeze it and hold it closely for the rest of my life... so I thought.

This city dweller wanted to try it out. I took a deep breath, a very deep breath, and reluctantly passed him the axe. Off Tim went to the wood pile.

My heart sank and a bitter tear rolled down my cheek when he eventually handed the axe back to me. His eyes turned away in shame. He had broken in the handle, so to speak. Ol’ Hickory had been damaged and it was not ok!

I tried to not show my disappointment because I am an awake person and awake people know that accidents do happen... Right?!? My mind would travel back to only a few hours earlier when Ol’ Hickory was pristine and I would curse myself for letting the city boy touch my baby! I should have known better!

10

ON THE COVER

Life Without Definition

by Ron Damico

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

When Joan is in the process of bringing an issue of the journal into form one of the first pieces she begins to focus on is cover art.

This process has a few stages; finding the artwork, correspondence with the artist, receiving approval to publish and obtaining the artwork and information about the artist and their work. At any point along the way, there are gaps in time and sometimes quite a bit of last minute back and forth correspondence and other refinements necessary to bring Inner Tapestry's cover to form. With this issue it was a little different.

While Joan was putting things into motion for this issue there seemed to be a haziness, not a great deal of focus, clarity or emphasis on finding IT's cover art—unusual, but happening. The full schedule that we keep, our looking for a new place to live and hosting of upcoming events certainly had her attention elsewhere. This has been somewhat stressful in the past, but this time there was minimal to no worry on her part that the cover would be as always, as it should. And as usual, no worry from me.

The enjoyable part about this for me is, for the first time Joan was not getting worried. At certain points the shadow of worry did surface, “We do not have anything for the cover. What am I going to do? I haven’t even begun to look for cover art. What am I doing?”

As we talked about it and the print submission deadline was approaching, Joan found an artist's work who she and I appreciated with neither of us experiencing the feeling that “this is it!” For me I thought it was wonderful art and the artist's ability to express in their chosen medium is beautiful, but I was not feeling moved to “YES!” After Joan had connected with the artist and he agreed to offer his art for the cover the correspondence just stopped. I would like to make something clear, this is taking place just days before the journal is to be submitted for printing. At this point, the placement of the artwork would have been set and the information about the artist in the final stage of refinement.

Joan was remarkably calm and ok with it all. She expressed that it was going to work out but didn't have a clue as to how. We were traveling back from a trip to Connecticut and she allowed herself to be with the feelings of a blank cover.

As she began setting up the cover upon our arrival home, the actual day we were submitting for print, she put a frame on the

SANKOFA PROVIDING: Neuromuscular Therapy, including but not limited to: Myofascial Release, Soft Tissue Mobilization, Sports Massage, Trigger Point & Deep Tissue Massage

Member AMTA

Caring therapeutic touch to honor and nurture the total being.

Helen G. Caddie-Larcenia Licensed Massage Therapist

10 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

207 845-2707

Washington, ME 04574

cover where the artwork would be. As she sat with it she realized “this is it... a blank canvas!"

What a better expression of Life without Definition could there be? After all, is that not the ultimate expression of living without our definitions? Each moment of life is truly an opportunity to create yourself and life new for the first time. If you choose to fully honor each moment, embrace “all that is” without question, hesitation and doubt, you are creating life for the first time. No references, just choosing how to bring yourself into that moment from the core of your essential–self. Without the limitations of an unresolved past or worry for the future. Just expressing as your love guides you to be. This is life without definition. This is love expressed as life as every moment.

Living without definition may be asking more of people than is realized. This is not an intellectual process of understanding something, it is not something one learns. This is a process of forgetting all that you know and understand about life. With the known process of life forgotten, we begin living life without any defined purpose. What I am sharing, I feel, is living in what has been called “The Now.” Living in the now is an expression of living without definition. To experience this, one must choose to be at peace with the life that has been lived and to have the faith to live—the unknown.

To live in this Way, one must embrace a life that can only be experienced, not referenced. To live as an expression of Divine Truth in the moment without fail. Our language is much too limited at this point to explain and fully express in words this Way of being.

The only way one will be able to grasp, at any level, what I am sharing would be to observe and be present in each moment through the “eyes of the soul,” through the truest essence of the Divine-Self.

This requires the relinquishment of all forms of definition, to identify the Self and begin to utilize definition as a tool to share and express how one sees and feels about life rather than to use definition to confine, restrict and limit an experience.

Please take some time to ponder what this has to offer. If one chooses to sincerely explore and experience this Way, I believe, you will be in awe of this wonderful journey of how love is expressed as life. With this choosing, one will have the opportunity experience life as so many have been longing and searching for.

11

We Hope That You Enjoy This Issue of

Inner Tapestry!

April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 11

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Let us support your business in growing!

12

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

For Connecticut Advertising Call Inner Tapestry at 413-595-9092 or email info@innertapestry.org

BodyWorks Fitness Center, Inc. 3 East Hampton Rd. Marlborough, CT

Wednesday $20 6:30pm - 8:00pm April 14th & 28th May 12th & 26th June 9th & 23th 12 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

No Place Like with Ron and Joan

OM

Discussion and Vibrational Sound Meditation

Reservations & Information Call

860-655-5500

Space is limited so call first and come as often as you choose!

www.ronandjoan.com

13

What Is God? April 23rd $7.50 7:00 PM

In every corner of the world, there's one question that can never by definitively answered, yet stirs up equal parts of passion, curiosity, self-reflection and often wild imagination.

In this visual odyssey travel the globe with film maker, Peter Rodger as he explores this profound, age-old query in the provcative non-fiction feature Oh My God.

Bodyworks Fitness Center, Inc. 3 E Hampton Rd. Marlborough, CT

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Reservations 860-655-5500

www.omgmovie.com

Sound Vibrational Healing With Crystal Bowls and Gongs Sunday ~April 18th ~ 3:00 pm Friday ~ May 14th ~ 7:00 PM BodyWorks Fitness Center 3 East Hampton Rd. Marlborough, CT Call 860-655-5500 for Reservations $20 April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 13

14

d estina tio n h e al i n g ~ s ou t h e r n n ew en g l a n d

A Spirit of Light Amoung Us

by Karen M. Rider

Griswold, Connecticut

I

magine if each of us could learn to see the opportunities unfolding before us in every moment – in every triumph and in every disappointment—as doors opening us to our next best place. Is it possible? Yes, of course, but not always easy. Often, we get lost along the way.

Imagine if we had a beacon of light helping us to see more of who we are, helping us emerge from our own darkness. Where would we find this beacon? I believe such a beacon exists inside of each of us. Sometimes, though, we need help illuminating it. That kind of guiding light exists at Spirit of Light Wellness Studio, located in Wallingford, Connecticut.

—or not getting—what you want. We also work on manifestation, the role of Spirit and how to understand messages from Spirit.”

Awakening an Outlaw Colleen is an ethereal guide, helping clients become aware, educated and begin to live with purpose, which is not something she always had for her own life. She knows first hand the struggles that people face when they awaken from and try to emerge from a lifetime of self-defeating behaviors, whether self-inflicted or due to circumstance.

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

“We can become great navigators of the life we have been given. We can learn to see where we are going, even when we don’t recognize where we are. It is my mission to help people realize their greatest potential,” shared Colleen Behan, owner and director of Spirit of Light Studio (SOL). She has long been an agent of change, helping people who want to lead a more fully realized life and learn how best to use their talents in service of their higher self as well as others.

GROW serves the people of the Healing Arts Community including, artists, therapists, body workers, energy practitioners, teachers, and anyone with a mission to be of service in a healing way. However, this business is not new; Colleen has been providing these services for the past five years. “Now, it’s just more official and is ready to “grow” itself,” she added.

At SOL Studio, you will find an innovative selection of programs and services to help you turn on the inner light. In addition to private energy healing sessions and individual and group intuitive readings, there are workshops and classes designed to support personal and spiritual development.

“The response has been incredible. Lives have been changed, business have grown prosperous. The one thing you don’t realize when you hire me for 'business' services that personal growth is inevitable.”

“We have ongoing programs such as A Course In Miracles, Healing Through Dance, teachings on the Chakra System, and The Power of I, a self-empowerment class. We host trainings, including Medicinal Aromatherapy, Pineal Activation Certification, and Certified Energy Healing classes,” Colleen explained.

The capstone program is the Self-Mastery Program, developed by Colleen after considerable training in spiritual psychology and other energy healing modalities. Participants learn to transform beliefs and perceptions that keep them stuck. “Beginning a practice of Self-Mastery will put you on a continuous upward cycle to improving your experience in life,” Colleen says of the program.

The combination of her life experience, training and intuitive gifts, enables Colleen to guide clients through their life story, offering a whole new perspective on your experiences and a deep understanding of your purpose here this lifetime. “This program works with three main principles, Disciplined Mind, Clear Energy Field, and Connection to Spirit,” she explained.

“A few of my teaching intentions for the curriculum include learning how your Energy Field is a crucial component to what manifests in your life and understanding the role your thoughts play in getting 14 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

Colleen was inspired to establish this new business when she recognized a void in the services that marketing agencies could offer the healing arts community of businesses. “Most traditional agencies can find a market for, create flyers for, and build a website for a restaurant, a construction company, a medical group, and an insurance agency all in one day. Put them in front of a healer and they go “huh?”

Most non-healers do not understand the nature of the practitioners of the healing arts community.”

Being able to “speak the language” of the healing arts community and understanding that most [healers] are in a constant state of developing and honing their gifts and talents, Colleen is able to “facilitate and support who the healer is at heart and reflect that in the marketing of their services and products.” GROW offers Business Building and Consulting, E-Marketing, Website Development and Communications

Light on Self and Spirit

Many of the programs offered focus on self-education and empowerment so that an individual can learn and act from their strengths as they find their place in the world. The studio also hosts special events, including monthly group readings with our professional psychic and medium, spiritual movie night, and other programs that will bring people together in community and support of one another.

business building out of the hands of the Healer and free them to do what they were born to do, naturally.

“I was raised in an abusive, drug-addicted, alcoholic home around a gang of Outlaws. There definitely was not much healing going on. I am living proof that we can change our history, and heal from our wounds.

I emerged from a life of suffering from childhood into early adulthood. I found a new way to live, to feel, to think, to be. I consider my life a teaching in itself, a true example of human evolution.”

Colleen remembers as far back as age nine, that adults confided in her and were amazed by her “wisdom.”

“When I was ten I decided I wanted to be a social worker, even though I don’t remember having any healers around me. I think I was born with some knowledge about Spirit. Information about other people’s path began to flow through me.”

When Colleen was able to “own” her intuitive skills she sought answers about what to do with it by enrolling in every workshop, class and certification she could get to. Colleen is certified in advanced EMF, Rebirthing/Breathwork, Reiki, and Pineal Activation.

She also is a trainer is several of these modalities.

Priestess of Many Paths In addition to the spiritual development and personal empowerment programs offered, SOL Studio is also home to Colleen’s other business, GROW: Business Building for the Healing Arts Community. GROW’s mission is to take the stress of advertising and

There are many services to choose from and within those a variety of options that Colleen customizes to the needs of the client. “I begin with a meeting and form an assessment of where they are and what their goals and needs are. Essentially, we are designing their vision. I make recommendations based on that and together we build a custom package.”

The best feature for healing arts practitioners is the way Colleen is able to keep her costs far under market price. Most consultants’ rates start around $70.00 per hour. Colleen’s fees fall below that barometer.

She also is able to design a five page website for about $1,100.00 inclusive of design, layout and programming. How does she do it?

“The GROW Team makes it possible. We are skilled and experienced, knowledgeable about the needs and vision of the clients we serve, and recognize the higher purpose of what we do for our clients.”

It’s hard to believe GROW has just three key team members: Colleen, who handles consulting and project management, a graphics arts/designer and a programmer. “Our artist has roots in the healing arts and her own artwork is relevant to nature and spirit. Our programmer has 20 years experience in this field and also ran his own successful computer programming company,” she added.

You would think GROW and SOL studio would keep this enlightened lady busy. In addition to raising two children, Colleen also works for a local union in an administrative capacity. How does this Priestess of Many Paths keep her wits—and wisdom—about her?

My favorite healing/energizing practice is simply closing my eyes – where I can disappear into another

15 dimension. It energizes me, like hitting the reset button. I also have a mentor that I see once a week; she keeps me on point to what’s important to me.”

It’s how I hold myself accountable to my commitment to walk in Spirit. I strive to stay grounded in all areas of my life. I have wonderful people in my life that mirror that back to me and I see life as one opportunity after another to know myself better, to be a better human, to embody spirit. I feel fortunate in that my work keeps me grounded. That the nature of my work surrounds me with healers and their passions. My hands are always touching something of higher consciousness.

It’s my life’s work to be of service in a higher consciousness, higher vibrational way. To be a beacon of light. I can’t turn it off. It’s just the way it is.” And, as it should be. Light on!

Spirit of Light Wellness Studio's program room holds thirty people, and a private healing room equipped with massage table and chairs is available by the hour, day or week. Practitioners may rent these spaces. The rental fee includes marketing support.

GROW Services (for more details visit the website) ~ E-Marketing, Networking

and electronic communication services to build a successful web presence and high visibility. • eNewsletters • Database building • Reciprocal linking • Web Banners, Internet, Ezine ads • Business Building • Coaching services designed to assist you during your professional transformation process • Business Visioning, Optimization & Expansion • Personal and professional development and Coaching.

Communications ~ Communicating with your target audience through print, public appearances and branding • Event design (workshops, teleclasses, lectures) • Flyer design and circulation • Business card and Logo design • Calendar and event listing write-up and placement • Print Ad design and placement • Articles – publishing and coach writing • Grand openings, Expos and Fairs.

Websites ~ Custom-made websites designed to represent you and your services. • Design and layout • Content – coach writing • Graphics • Programming. GROW, LLC, 1161 S Broad Street, Wallingford, CT 06492, (203) 641 3371, colleen@growsites.org, www.growsites.com.

Karen M. Rider, M.A. is a freelance writer specializing in holistic and metaphysical subjects. Her articles, profiles, book reviews and promotional copy appear in local, regional and national publications including Door Opener, Natural Nutmeg, Angels Among Us, Dream Network Journal and The Writer magazine. Karen also writes fiction centered on the awakening of human-spiritual potential. Her first novel is underway. She is co-writing Eating... The Angel Way with intuitive medium Annie Kelleher due to publish in 2010. Karen lives in Cromwell, CT. Learn more: View Portfolio at www.KarenMRider.com, email: KarenMRider@comcast.net or call (860) 638-8140. Visit Karen's Blog: The Writing Parent www.thewritingparent.blogspot.com

April 9th $7.50

In this visual odyssey travel the globe with film maker, Peter Rodger as he explores this profound, age-old query in the provcative non-fiction feature Oh My God.

6:30 PM Leapin' Lizards

April 10th $7.50 6:30 PM

123 Maine Street Freeport, ME Reservations 207-865-0900

www.omgmovie.com April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 15

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

What Is God?

In every corner of the world, there's one question that can never by definitively answered, yet stirs up equal parts of passion, curiosity, self-reflection and often wild imagination.

16

wa nder ing s age w i s d o m

The Time is Upon Us by Aaron Hoopes

Aya Itagaki

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

There has been a lot of speculation as to what is going to occur during the winter solstice of 2012. The ancient Mayans determined it was the end of their long count calendar. The Vedic texts tell of the end of the Kali Yuga, or great age. Experts in cosmology say the Earth will come into alignment with the galactic center. Some assume it is the end of the world. Others believe it is the beginning of a new one. It could be just about anything from the next step in evolution to the extinction of the human race. This is not a disaster movie, but without your conscious attention it ends the same way.

The time has come to notice what is going on. Everyone has heard a lot of talk about climate change. Most people can understand the basic concept of overpopulation. It is quite easy to realize the consequences of the diminishing natural resources of the planet. Some people even have heard of the gyre, a giant whirlpool of plastic in the Northern Pacific ocean the size of Texas. And let’s not even get started on the financial nightmare that threatens to crash the world economy. These are all symptoms of a world gone astray. In the past few years these things have all come into sharper focus for a lot of people. At the very least, people must have some awareness of the rising cost of food and energy.

Unlimited growth is impossible on a finite planet.

Unfortunately, the most common result of this growing understanding is a sense of increasing stress and worry in daily life over events that we have no control over.

This stress impacts us at every level. We react to it in a number of different ways.

One of the most common ways is choosing to remain oblivious to the changes by concentrating on all of the stuff we have created in our society to distract us from what is important. This is not helpful.

The truth is that we are living in a precarious interconnected society that has the potential to collapse at any time. The longer we continue to distract our attention from these issues the quicker we travel headlong over the cliff. The time has come to pay attention. In order to carry on our existence we need to prepare ourselves for change; dramatic, society-encompassing, life-altering change.

The Hopi elders likened this time to a great river that is now flowing very fast.

Since it is rushing swiftly there are many who may be afraid and will try to hold onto the shore. They feel as if they will suffer and drown in the torrent. The elders said that we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water. It is a time to notice who is in there with you and celebrate the sacredness of the world.

Fundamentally, preparing for change is about preparing the self. Of course, our body needs to able to respond to whatever challenges come before us. This is why we practice our physical arts and strive to maintain a healthy diet. Our mind also needs to be sharp in order to deal with whatever situation we are confronted with.

This is why we cultivate mindfulness and clarity through the meditative arts. But it is our spiritual awakening that is going to bring us through the coming changes. We are no longer able to live the way we have been living on this earth. The civilization that replaces this one is going to have to have a different set of values and a deeper understanding of the inter-connectedness of all things. Spiritual realization is upon us. At this time in history we must reconnect to the sacred.

The time is upon us. Gather with like-minded people, share your knowledge and wisdom, strengthen your attitude and willpower, nourish your body, calm your mind, open your heart... honor your spiritual nature.

Wishing you much peace,

The Wandering Sage

More Wandering Sage Wisdom is available at: http://wanderingsagewisdom. blogspot.com. Aaron Hoopes teaches an Online Personal Development Course for Spiritual Deepening. He is the author of 5 books including Zen Yoga: A Path to Enlightenment through Breathing, Movement and Meditation. His best-selling Daily Warm-Up DVD is a simple method for integrating breath and movement into daily life. Please feel free to contact Aaron: breathe@artofzenyoga.com.

Visit the Zen Yoga Website: www.artofzenyoga.com 16 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

Who Is Eating The Strawberries?

by Raphael The other day, while meditating, I happened to be thinking about the people of Haiti and their current strife with not having access to food and being hungry. A thought popped into my head about a very easy way to help which was tied to my past experiences and teachings with the Blackfeet and the Lakota. Let me explain...

At certain times in any one’s life, we all face uncertainties and “forks in the road,” and we search to find answers to those pressing questions and situations. One of the ways that Native Americans go about finding their truth is to do a Hunbleceya, or what is commonly known as a Vision Quest. This vision quest involves being put up on a sacred mountain, with no water and no food, from anywhere to one to four days. There, amongst other things, they will pray to Creator for guidance.

I have been blessed to be a supporter at some of these Vision Quests. A supporter would assist in any way they could for the person going through the Vision Quest, with the exception of making physical and eye contact with that person. Ways to support included prayer, drinking water (very important) and... eating. Yes, I said drinking and eating. Since the person going through the Vision Quest was not allowed to eat or drink, in order to provide that person with the strength to endure through four days, the supporters were instructed to eat and drink for that person. This involved being very present when eating and drinking, and to eat and drink with the intent of nourishing the Vision Quester.

Many times when a person came down from the mountain, he/she would ask “Who was eating strawberries? They were delicious! Thank you!” It is all about our intent and being present when eating and drinking. So I ask all of you, when you eat your breakfast, lunch and dinner in the coming months, center yourself and ask your guides to send the nourishing energies of the food that you are eating, and the liquids that you are drinking, to the people and animals of Haiti. Be very present when eating with the intent and the knowledge that this is occurring.

The idea of nourishing another person by what you are eating and drinking is not a new one. I shared my above thoughts with a dear friend of mine, and she informed me that there is a popular Hindu food mantra, from the Bhagavad Gita, called the “Brahmarpanam”. It loosely states... “Food is God (Brahma). The act of offering is God. The one who offers is God, and he who receives the food is God.” So it follows that the God in our selves should be able to enjoy the food on behalf of the God in “another” no matter how far away that person is.

But with our busy schedules, who can remember to do this every time we sit down to eat? Since writing this article and sending it to some friends, another friend wrote me back stating that in order to remember to include the Haitian people when eating, she sets an extra place setting at her table. What a wonderful suggestion.

I know that this may not fill the hunger and thirst void completely for those starving in Haiti, but it may very well be enough to have them hold on until food supplies can get to them during the coming months. So if you are not in the position to send money, clothing or food, or if you are not an experienced healer to send energy healing, you can still send love and nourishment. Just food for thought... pun intended. :)

Raphael is an energy worker who is certified in Quantum Touch, Angelic Reiki and Kahuna Ancient Rainbow Conscious Healing (ARCH). He also provides free, monthly, long distance healing sessions for all people and animals interested. In addition, he is one of the co-formulators for the I AM Blessing Water and Archangel Essences, and also works with his sweetie, Aluna Joy, taking spiritual groups to the Maya lands and Peru. His spiritual path has provided him with a deep humbleness and appreciation of all life and Mother Earth, as a direct result of his relationships with the Blackfeet, the Ojibwa and the Lakota Nations. For more information on Raphael and his work, feel free to visit http://www.iamblessingwater.com.

17

m o dern sham an ic l i v i n g

Sorting Human Beans

by Evelyn C. Rysdyk

Y

ou meet someone for the first time and hear, “How do you do?” This may be accompanied by a polite smile or a nod of the head. It has commonly come to mean, “How are you?” Yet, like the phrase “How’re you doing?” it is curiously couched in the language of what we do as a profession or preferred activity.

After an initial greeting, members of a group usually continues “finding out about each other” by mutually engaging in a swap of information. This is usually a period of time spent talking about the activities they engage in for work or for enjoyment. These introductions become conscious and unconscious tools to establish a social pecking order and alliances within the gathered group.

each other first. In sharing ourselves in this way, it feels as though we would get a deeper sense of ourselves as well as each other.

This kind of sharing feels very intimate, and yet the above “script” actually revealed very little in the way of details. I believe that it feels more intimate because this way of interacting eliminates the masks we hide ourselves behind.

These disguises are the descriptions of ourselves that we put forth as a kind of “social shorthand.” They are definitions that function like categories in a library.

While these library labels give us a very general idea of what is in the stacks, we can’t ever know anything about an individual volume unless we take it down off the shelf, open it up and begin to read.

When we only share our labels with each other, it is as though we are scattering a flurry of file cards in the air! It is a form of distraction that clouds genuine points of contact with another person. While it may feel safer to use these definitions we’ve become attached to, we ultimately rob ourselves of the opportunity to experience a more profound human connection. Furthermore, I believe this kind of behavior has caused us to feel more and more isolated as we move further onward into this still – fresh century.

Whole series of thoughts and feelings are triggered when we hear these definitions about other people. For instance, we may think to ourselves, “Oh, he’s a (insert profession here), they’re all creeps!” On the other hand, if we hear someone identify with a profession we may have longed to enter, we may have feelings of inadequacy or jealousy.

Wouldn’t it be more refreshing if we introduced ourselves by asking the question “Who are you?” instead of “How are you?” That would certainly give us a lot more information to develop a deeper perspective of each other.

In our early evolution, we functioned in small groups of interconnected individuals.

Take a minute to think about how you might respond if you were asked the question, “Who are you?” What would your honest answer be?

As I thought about this myself, I wondered if there wasn’t some kind of universal human greeting that could be used to start out our conversation. It could be something like the following: “Hello. I am known as (chosen name).

My soul entered this world (your age) years ago.

During the time I’ve been here I’ve been gaining lots of experiences.

I’ve used my senses, my thoughts and my emotional body to explore my world.

I have sometimes been hurt through these explorations and I have also had some truly wonderful moments.

I’ve made a lot of choices while I’ve been here, both consciously and unknowingly.

Some of these choices have brought me great joy.

Other times I have been lonely and sad.

Sometimes I feel lost and confused.

I have loved with all my heart And I have laughed until my sides ached.

In all these very different times, my eyes have filled with tears.

In our health center, we are seeing an epidemic people who are experiencing loneliness and depression. People are feeling isolated even when living in a city amid thousands of people.

This must be why we are collectively tweeting, blogging and posting to Facebook in ever larger numbers. Yet even while filling our time with social media, we are still left longing.

While these technological innovations may help us to track down our long lost friends and spread the word about our projects, they aren’t a substitute for true, human ties.

Human beings are social animals. In our early evolution, we functioned in small groups of interconnected individuals.

The same seems to hold true for us now. Even though we are part of larger communities and may know a lot of people, we usually have a smaller core of good friends or loved ones. These connections provide us with emotional nurturing and offer feelings of kinship. I would argue that it is precisely this fact that has created the phenomenon of “Tweet-ups”—those physical gatherings of people who have been following each other on Twitter!

When a human is deprived of social connections over a long period of time, they may begin experiencing feelings of depression and even spatiotemporal disorientation. It is as though our connection to other people (and the natural world)

Continued on Page 41

I have had moments of connection to something much larger than myself and sometimes even get a glimpse of why I am meant to be here.

As we talk, I am wondering if you are a person I’ll travel with for a while.

Maybe as we learn more, we can help each other remember who we really are—the ones we knew ourselves to be before we came into our bodies.

Lets see what unfolds.”

Perhaps this is how our hearts and spirits would greet each other if we got our minds and personalities out of the way! Imagine how we might follow up with each on each of the points. We could share how and when we each have felt loved or alone. We could share all the moments we have experienced joy. We could also shrink our fears by taking turns bringing them out into the light.

What wonderful kinds of information about each other this sort of interchange could provide! Since it focuses on our mutually humanness before delineating the places and ways that we differ, we could have an opportunity to feel kinship with April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 17

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

While we may be doing a lot of things in this interchange, we aren’t finding out very much about the person in front of us. Instead, we are making assumptions about each other.

These assumptions are largely based on our perceptions about the scraps of information they and we have provided. We may “enhance” these assumptions by evaluating their overall, outward appearance but even at that we are actually just making the person up in our heads!

18

welcom e ho m e

ask asrianna Questions and Answers on Relationships, Spirituality and Conscious Living

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Dear Asrianna, My entire life I’ve been plagued by feelings of not being alone even when there’s no one else in the room. When I was little, I had nightmares that were so real I eventually had to sleep with the light on and even to this day I don’t like the dark. My parents weren’t very supportive and told me it was all in my mind, that I was being overdramatic and too imaginative. They were also very religious and in my upbringing anything remotely paranormal was considered demonic. So I feel completely unprepared for the fact that my 6-year-old son seems to be able to sense the same things I did when I was his age, including his having nightmares.

How do I help him so that he doesn’t suffer like I did?

Signed, Still Afraid of the Dark Dear Still, All things are energy. You, I, the chair we sit in, and the very air we breathe. We tend, in our culture, to discard what isn’t readily tangible, but it doesn’t take quantum physics to tell us we’re energy—atoms bouncing against each other in vibratory patterns—physics 101 tells us this. And some individuals have a keen sense of recognizing those energetic patterns. Children are particularly sensitive to feeling this energy, as are animals. It’s perfectly natural, but we lack a supportive framework from which to integrate this into our day-to-day lives.

Your ability to help your son will depend a great deal on your willingness to reframe your own psychic tendencies. If you continue to see your own ability as frightening and suspect, as being even slightly “demonic,” then you’ll transmit your trepidation to your son and will perpetuate a cycle of misinformation, misinterpretation, fear and avoidance.

As you’ve already realized, this only pushes those experiences to the subconscious where they reemerge more terrifying than ever in the darkness of our dreams.

If your son was blessed with a beautiful singing voice, you’d find a way to honor and value his gift even as you worked to keep him in the mainstream of life. You’d acknowledge the uniqueness of his ability, you’d hone his skills by making available teachers and opportunities to understand the range of his voice, but you’d be wise to allow him to feel like any other kid his age. You’d help him realize the value and gift of his voice, even as you allowed him to feel the familiar security of normalcy and predictability. What our children deeply desire is to feel safe, loved, and protected and when their parent radiates fear, the child feels adrift.

Healing through the Dark Emotions

by Angie Arndt, MS

This gem of a book is dedicated to helping us understand the benefits of and the need to work with our darkest emotions, so we may heal them and not be ruled by them. Author Miriam Greenspan makes it clear that our work is to go deep into these “dark” places and really feel them, and she advocates a practice of meditation and offers exercises to help guide us. As she says: “We can’t heal what we don’t feel” so let us learn how to feel!

As it states on the author's website (http://www.miriamgreenspan.com/) this book is a fresh approach to the three emotions we most dread and devalue: grief, fear, and despair. Greenspan argues that our avoidance and denial of these dark emotions contributes to the epidemic of psychological ailments characteristic of our age: chronic depression, anxiety, psychic numbing, addiction, and irrational violence. By attending to and befriending the dark emotions, we discover their innate intelligence and purpose. We learn the emotional alchemy by which grief turns to gratitude, fear delivers us to joy, and despair becomes a doorway to a more resilient faith in life. The wisdom of the dark emotions not only helps us to heal and transform our lives, but strengthens our connections to one another and to the world.”

As an interfaith Chaplain I have nurtured a meditation practice for many years.

But it wasn’t until I read this book that I truly understood the gift that such a practice can contain. Greenspan explains through stories and clear instruction how such a practice can help us tap into our truth and identify what is really going on 18 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

It’s not clear to me from your letter just how much of your son’s experiences are due to psychic mediumistic gifts—the ability to sense the presence of disembodied spirits, for instance—and what is your projected perception of his experiences. He may have the rather normal, occasional nightmares of a six-year-old yet, because of the events of your childhood, you assume he shares your exact history. That being said, let’s assume he does sense energies.

First, listen to him. If your son has a nightmare, be comforting and available and let him tell you the details, but don’t feed him ideas or information. Treat his words with respect and a matter-of-fact practicality, neither making too much of his experience nor discounting his descriptions and fears. The key is to empower him, to help him to feel he can respond to what seems unusual and fearful with calm and strength.

Help him design nightly rituals that give him a sense of security, such as reading bedtime stories with humorous or uplifting messages, or saying a simple prayer—if that is appropriate for you and your family—making sure not to emphasize fear or the need for excessive protection, which will merely give him more cause to believe his worry is well-founded.

Designating a favorite stuffed animal as his companion and helper at night can also strengthen your son’s sense of security. A night light can be of benefit if he’s to the point where he can’t sleep in the dark. If he feels there’s energy in his room that doesn’t allow him to sleep, help him to feel as if he can calmly tell it to leave, that it’s his room and nothing is allowed to bother him. Asserting his right to feel comfortable in his own room can begin a process in which he takes back his strength and refuses to feel bullied.

All children need to be loved, nurtured, and taught to value their innate talents, skills and abilities. Those with profound psychic gifts are no different and you’ve already taken the right steps by wanting to move beyond your own fears in order to help your son have a different experience than your own.

Many blessings, Asrianna Asrianna Dameron is a Psychic Medium, a Certified Hypnotherapist, and a Certified Past Life Regressionist in private practice. She offers individual sessions and gallery readings as well as workshops and speaking engagements on the topics of Psychic Development, Mediumship, Energy Management and Shamanic Healing. Asrianna can be reached and your questions answered at Asrianna@shamansheart.com, by visiting her website at www.asrianna.com, by visiting her at Facebook, or by calling (603) 892-1268.

and be with that truth. Through that honest practice we can then truly see the grip that we allow these emotions to have on us and instead of getting more upset we can bow to the feelings, honor them. Then, and yes perhaps only then, can they be healed or allowed to move on. The word "emotion" when broken down reads: “e –motion” which can be seen as “energy in motion.” With practice we can help the motion part of that equation occur.

Says Greenspan: “There is something really good in so-called bad feelings – but we can only get to the good by fully experiencing the bad. Grief, despair and fear are really neither positive nor negative but simply human emotions; it is our attitude toward them that is negative.”

There is little wonder this book was selected as one of the best spiritual books of 2003

by Spirituality & Health Magazine. It teaches us how to best take care of our spirits.

As Dr. Christiane Northrup, author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom said: “The gold standard of books on difficult emotions. This book has the power to heal your body and to change your life and the way you live it.”

Greenspan has given the world a tool for genuine healing to anyone who wishes to break free from the grips of fear, despair and grief. With her guidance we can learn to be honest and true with what we are experiencing and thereby allow healing and growth to occur in ourselves and our relationships.

The Chaplaincy Institute of Maine and Center for Grieving Children are bringing author and psychotherapist Miriam Greenspan to Portland for a workshop based on her book Healing Through the Dark Emotions. (FMI: see ad on page 10) Why? Like the book her program presents information that can truly help everyone on their spiritual journey to experience the dark emotions that often lead us to feel stuck and disconnected from our inner wisdom and ability to grow.

Angie Arndt, MS., is a facilitator, teacher, counselor and Interfatih Minister, who as worked in variety of settings including The Center for Grieving Children, Chime, Hospice Programs, Day Care Centers, Churches and schools.

19

t h e 2 1 st c e n tur y b oh em i a n

The Power of Voice: Maya Angelou

by Teresa Piccari

R

eading an author's words in print is good. But hearing the words breathed to life by the voice of the author who created them takes us to a whole other level – we ascend to the penthouse suite of the artist’s lair where, if we glance gently sideways, we might even catch a whisper of a muse.

My introduction to Maya Angelou occurred many years ago as I went about my normal, morning routine readying for work, listening to a morning program on the television. The deep timbre of her voice, infused with Southern honey, reached out and drew me to the screen, where I stood transfixed as she read her poem "Phenomenal Woman." That voice. Lush, confident, sensual, and sassy. "Where did that voice come from" I wondered to myself – changed already.

When I say voice, I mean the sounds, words, rhythms and cadence we hear; and so much more. It is the endurance, wisdom, elegance, humor, audacity, hope and moxie – yes moxie, which have been distilled to a fine vintage. Dr. Angelou’s voice is that of an artist in full embracement of her instrument.

Chocolate Éclairs and Moxie

I was thrilled to take part in the three-hour seminar, hosted by with UMA assistant professors Sarah Hentges, Ph.D. and Ellen M. Taylor, Ph.D. and Julie Hendrickson, coordinator of UMA’s Writing Center. That night, a friend asked me what new thing I had learned. I replied that Dr. Angelou’s cure for writer’s block is chocolate éclairs.

Not liking pastries in general, a chocolate éclair is not something I would normally eat. Perhaps they looked more appealing in miniature, nestled in their individual paper wrappers like petit fours. Maybe I thought, if it’s good enough for Dr. Angelou, I ought to try it. Whatever the reason, I ate one. It must have been a combination of the éclair and the workshop experience that got my moxie up and within hours I got the idea to request an interview with Dr. Angelou.

Interviewing Maya Angelou The answer was yes! Limited to fifteen minutes, I tell the three-time, Grammy winner, prolific author, poet, actor, director, professor, civil rights activist, composer and overall cultural icon (among many other accolades and awards) that I would like to focus on her as a writer and her creative process.

I relate my introduction to her work through her reading "Phenomenal Woman" and, more recently, the video screened at the workshop that shows her reading another poem, "And Still I Rise," observing how each time she repeats the title phrase, she speaks it in an entirely different way.

“Well, I use the first person singular, the 'I' to mean the third person, the ‘we,’” she explains. And does she take on different roles, perspectives, or personas, I ask.

“I don’t take it on, I am that,” she says.

I refer to a quote by her that says, “Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them shades of deeper meaning.”

“Exactly. I think that’s true. In fact, I know it’s true. Poetry is really music for the human voice. It needs to be read, it needs to be spoken. It needs to come across the speaker’s tongue to someone’s ear. Then it comes to its real fullness,” she explains.

As someone who writes in several genres I am curious which she feels is the most challenging and if she has a favorite. “The one I’m working in is the most challenging."

"I many times ask God," "Do you really mean me to do this? Can you get someone else?" Dr. Angelou says.

Writers, she observes “have to take the most common elements put them together and make them seem fresh. You and I have to take a few verbs and nouns, and pronouns and adverbs and adjectives, dangling participles. Put them together, ball them up and throw them against the wall and make them bounce. So it’s very hard

If I’m working on an essay I want to write it so well that the reader is at least two pages or three pages in the work before she realizes she’s reading. That’s what I hope for. I work toward that end,” the author said.

I mention her editor Robert Loomis at Random House with whom she has enjoyed a great professional relationship. “Forty years,” she says emphatically. "In fact, 42 years.

I’m preparing a manuscript just now to send back to him. If he went to a university press I would follow him because he knows what I hope to achieve in the body of my work."

What does he do for her as an artist, I ask. “Ms. Piccari, I hope you get an editor like this. He’s still the old-fashioned one that you read about in the ‘30s and ‘40s who edited Faulkner, who edited Thomas Wolfe. He asks things like ‘Why did you use a colon as opposed to a semi-colon?’ and you have to defend it. He’s said many times to me ‘If most people read five books a year, I read five a week. So forget that I’m senior vice president at Random House… thinks of me as a glorified reader. And if I say this sentence is awkward, then I’ve had some experience in that,” relates Dr. Angelou.

“So many times, over these years, I have told him ‘I will never speak to you again’ gathered up my manuscript and walked out. And then I go home and read the piece and I find he’s right. I send him a (over)night letter saying ‘Okay, so you were right and I’ll make these changes but if you ever mention this, I’ll never speak to you again,” she says laughing.

“I told that story when I was in the Hamptons with a whole bunch of very famous writers, at a sit-down lunch for 20 people. I was at one end of the table talking to some famous person and when I said I sent those night letters, he said from the other end of the table, ‘And I’ve kept every one,’” she recalls.

I ask about what she refers to as “enchantment” in her creative process, wondering if she writing from the unconscious, pulling something forward?

“It’s not really fully unconscious. My grandmother who raised me, my father’s mother, used to tell me ‘Sister, that wasn’t even on my little mind’. Somehow early on I got that one had a big mind and a little mind. And so I occupy my little mind with playing cards or crossword puzzles or jumbles and then I feel I can get down to my clear mind. It’s just an enchantment,” she explains.

With one question left, I mention mythic scholar Joseph Campbell and his work related to The Hero’s Journey. Looking at her life from the perspective of The Heroine’s Journey, what would she say her journey is about and what is the elixir that she brings back to share? I ask.

“I’d like to think my journey is about love. Not mush, not sentimentality. But truly, love. That condition of the human spirit so profound that it allows us to develop courage. And to try and look into each other’s eyes and say the kind word, the courteous thing. That’s what I think. I’m trying to be a Christian. It’s like trying to be a Jew, or Muslim, or Shinto, or Confucian. It’s not something you achieve and then can sit back and say 'Hey, I got it’—it’s an ongoing learning, applying, a condition.

I’m always amazed when people walk up to me and say ‘I’m a Christian’ and I think, 'already? You already got it?' Here I am eighty years old and I’m working at it.

So as I understand it, I am a child of God. I must know that the biggest brute, the batterer, is also a child of God. Whether he or she knows it or not. And I’m supposed to treat her or him in a loving way. This does not mean indulging, this does not mean accepting rudeness but treating another in a loving way,” says Dr. Angelou.

Time’s up. Twenty-some years after first hearing it, it's her voice I cannot get over.

A voice teeming with wisdom and life – swinging the door wide, inviting us in.

As we wrap up our fifteen minutes together, Dr. Angelou extends an invitation to me, to come backstage and see her when she is in Maine. “I’ll leave word,” she says.

The University of Maine Augusta will host Maya Angelou at the Augusta Civic Center on Monday, April 26th. Tickets are $25. For more information call (207) 621-3133. To order tickets, call (877) 862-1234 or visit the UMA Enrollment Services Center, located in Robinson Hall, just down the street from the Civic Center. © 2010 Teresa Piccari Teresa Piccari is a writer and teacher living in coastal Maine. She is the proprietor of The Village Scribe, a professional writing and editing business, at The Wellness Center in Camden at 71 Elm St. She teaches writing workshops including Memoir, Creative Writing and Mythic Structure and also runs the monthly Ducktrap Writers’ Round Table on third Sundays at the Camden Public Library. Contact her at The21sCenturyBohemian@hotmail.com or (207) 344-7070.

April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 19

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

In hadn’t occurred to me that I would hear that voice on the phone, or in person.

Then one day in late January day as I exited the Post Office thumbing through my mail, a photo of Angelou in the newspaper jumped out from the pile. Three faculty members from the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA) were presenting a workshop on the writer, in anticipation of her speaking engagement hosted by the University at the Augusta Civic Center on April 26th.

work for me. It is also very gratifying. It’s what I do.”

20

Eating... The Angel Way A Spectrum of Choices For Nourishing Your Divine Uniqueness

by Annie Kelleher & Karen M. Rider

Your Divine Uniqueness There are two questions we most often are asked by people who are curious about The Angel Way. The first is, "Will it 'work' for everyone?" "Work" isn’t a term we like to use—but in the broadest sense, yes, if applied and followed, the Guidelines will “work” for everyone - just in very individual ways.

The second question is one that Annie herself asked the Angels during meditation and which clients often ask her: "Why do we all react so differently to things that are supposed to be good for us?"

The Angels response: “Because you are different. Women are different from men.

You and every woman differ across a much broader spectrum in terms of dietary needs, than any two men. No two women are exactly alike.”

The Second Guideline: “Men are like raindrops, women are like snowflakes.”

In terms of figuring out how to nourish ourselves, the Second Guideline emphasizes the divine uniqueness we each bring to our physical vessel. The Second Guideline, in its beautiful simplicity, actually addresses a very complex issue in science: Physiologically, men vary across a much narrower range of what is considered "normal" than women. A man’s body remains far more static in the course of his adult life than a woman’s does. A woman, mentally, emotionally and physically, experiences the cycle of menses, the cycle of child-bearing years, pre and post-menses—all which affect her spiritual Self, too. As far as we know from modern science, men do not experience the frequency or depth of such changes over a lifetime. Hence, the analogy of raindrops and snowflakes.

O Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

ne of the most confusing things about figuring out how to nourish ourselves appropriately is learning how to sort through an everincreasing amount of nutritional information and apply it to ourselves. It’s not surprising, then, that some people come to us looking for another diet. That is, they approach The Angel Way as another way to lose body weight.

Following The Angel Way Guidelines will likely to lead to weight loss if you are carrying more weight than is healthy for your body.

Let’s get back to the variation between women on a more personal level. One of the most frustrating things for many women, including ourselves, was how different we each seemed to be from everyone else we knew. It was easy to understand why we might have different metabolisms, and therefore different food requirements, from our husbands. But, Annie had a very hard time understanding why her body reacted to commercial diets and popular "healthy" foods so much differently from the other women she knew, including her closest relatives.

For example, Annie loves yogurt. For her, it’s a snack, a breakfast food, a “whitelight” food (complete protein)* around which to build a meal. However, some people wrinkle their noses in disgust at even the sight of yogurt. Some are allergic to it.

Likewise, certain things that seem to agree with many people, just don’t appeal to her.

To be clear, the Angel Way is not a “diet” in that sense.

The Angel Way Guidelines represent a diet in the most general sense of the word, in that they address what the human body needs for holistic and integrative nourishment. The Angel Way is more than simply a diet. The Guidelines can assist you in shaping a lifestyle that will enable you to choose healthier, more palatable and easily assimilated foods that align with your unique needs—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

Continued on Page 41

The Food You Eat is Your Choice A typical diet, you’ve probably noticed, instructs you on what to eat, how to eat, when to eat and even how to prepare what you are going to feed your body.

You may also be aware that, in our culture, food and body image present difficult challenges for just about all of us, even those of us in good physical health. With all the media hype around diets, size and shape, it can be very hard to know what to eat in order to feel healthy, which in turn can help you look and be your best Self.

The Angels don’t tell you what to eat; at most, they offer suggestions based in love. The Angels never negate or in any way attempt to take away your free will.

The First Angel Guideline is: “What you eat is up to you.”

The Angels would like everyone to understand that for adults without serious health, emotional or financial challenges, the power to choose what, how and when to eat is theirs alone. As simple and as self-evident as this statement may sound, in reality, the choices we each make about food are a mix of physical needs, beliefs, emotional cravings, and spiritual desires.

The Angels support the freedom you have to make choices about how you will nourish your bodymind, heart and spirit. Beyond this, they offer you a way to understand how the choices you make about the food you eat reflect how you truly feel about yourself. We acknowledge that it can be hard to allow nourishing yourself with this tangible form of love. Yes, food is love.

From Harvest to the Table: Acts of Love For the Angels, all acts associated with eating and food preparation – right down to the raising of the vegetables, the picking of the fruit, or the slaughtering of the animal – are opportunities to show love, respect and gratitude. This love can be shown in many ways: sharing food with those who don’t have it or aren’t able to cook it; showing responsibility in how we raise our foods and in how we treat the people who harvest, prepare or bring it to us; and in how we treat ourselves by what we do and don’t choose to eat.

We hope you can see that The Angel Way Guidelines aren’t just about what you choose to eat; the Guidelines illuminate the choices you have for planning meals, preparing the food, and of course, how you eat it. The Angel Way shines a light on the connections between body and mind; between physical body and soul body; between mental-emotional states and the well-being of your physical vessel.

20 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

COME AND SEE OUR NEW LINE OF Organic Clothing And Recycled Leather Bags!

21

Follow Your Pet's Lead and Live Without Definition!

by Donald and Sara Hassler

H

ave you ever noticed the wonderful way our animal companions seem to live without definitions? By taking a close look at how they approach living their lives, we might find a way to master the art of living without definition, too. Think of it, what it would be like to live without definitions? But then again, what is a definition? Is it a line drawn in the sand? Is it a rule of thumb that we choose to live by, or is it a pre-determined set of stringent guidelines that we force everyone around us to live by? How could we choose, try, learn, or even grow into living without definition?

If we were to follow this literally, how we would live then??! If at a stoplight, should we not recognize that symbol? Should we choose to not speak out about the very nature of someone else or their actions? To refocus on how we could learn to live without definition, let's take another reflective peek at how our animal friends live...

Born into our world, naked flesh, eyes still closed, needing help to learn to even breathe, our pets enter life the same way we do, young and innocent— fresh—clear—beautiful.

Yet we know that even our animal friends have learned some type of life definitions. They learn and grow through trial and experience and use each one to guide their next decision or act of life. For instance, if a mouse finds food in a pantry, chances are, he or she will return the next time they're hungry. If a horse was once abused by a large man/woman wearing a bright red hat, it's no surprise if that horse learns to fear people in red hats.

Even though animals can show learned responses, the ultimate beauty of the animal kingdom is that animals strive to live in the present moment of each day.

The memory recall of a creature is very different then the selective recall of their human counterparts. Animals don't rely on their learned responses as much as humans do. This allows an animal the ability to be re-trained, re-located and even domesticated.

The action that our pets take—is making choices.

Sometimes we as humans choose to ignore the choices that we have or that are given to us. Worse yet, we can even miss the choices that fall into our laps without notice. Animals however, make notice of that choice.

How wonderful it is to be able to take a look at another species, learn from them, and allow them to influence our lives. If we could give them as much as they give to us... we would celebrate our natural connection to them. Instinctively and naturally, we know we are connected to our pets and the animals of our world because of how they make us feel. We feel their presence in our hearts, we appreciate the bond we have developed with them and deep down inside, we somehow know we are part of their being.

Is it possible to define why it can leave us breathless to watch the wonder of an Eagle in flight?

Can we make a statement as to how amazing it is to see the speed of a wild Cougar?

Have you ever tried to describe why gazing at a sleeping cat brings peace to you?

Is there a meaning behind why our body relaxes when we snuggle a snoring puppy?

Some things simply have no explanation. If we cannot describe why, and we can't solidify the meaning of something or put it into exact words, or come up with a proper definition, is that such a bad thing? Sometimes, doesn't it just feel good to have the experience and enjoy the present moment and know that your living, breathing and a part of life?

We thought we would share a few fun facts that might not be able to be explained or defined. Enjoy! Wishing all our readers much success and joy in living this year and many more without definitions!

History of the Human-Animal Bond** • • • • •

The human-canine bond is one of the oldest relationships.

Domestication of dogs dates back to over 12,000 years ago.

Canines transitioned from working companion to pet sometime between the times of 600 to 1300 AD. Evidence of human-feline bonds dates back to 9,500 years ago.

Farm animals became domesticated approximately 10,000 years ago.

Family Pets = Family Members** • • •

Children are more likely to have pets than they are to have siblings or fathers that live at home. (Melson, 2001) More than 75% of owners say their dog’s health is as important to them as their own (Pfizer Animal Health/Gallup survey) 57% would prefer their pet as their only companion if they were stranded on a desert island (2001 APPMA pet owner survey)

Continued on Page 45

Consider the abused horse who, by all rights, can make a choice to allow itself to be re-trained or not. If handled by a loving and gentle trainer, that horse will probably choose to open itself up to paying attention and learning. If that trainer slowly introduces wearing a red hat 6 weeks into therapy training, the horse might recognize their previous fear of a human wearing a red hat and associate that symbol with abuse. However, they also make the choice to re-learn, through the gentle training they are receiving, that they no longer need to fear humans who wear red hats. By all rights, this is a joint effort between the handler's choice on therapy training and the horse's choice to trust again. Once this partnership is formed, and both parties trust each other, that horse has chosen to live without definition. The trainer has done the same by not boxing the horse into the definition of not being trainable. Can we explain, associate a meaning for this outcome, or even create a blanket statement for the nature of the experience for both the horse and human?

We cannot, because both trainer and horse have chosen to live without definitions.

Living without definition for us as humans, could simply mean that we follow our pets lead. This means that we make the choice to live an open lifestyle. Whereby, with our own choosing we can learn not to make determinations or statements explaining either something or someone. Maybe we leave things open-ended, allowing each instance in our lives to play out. We allow people to be themselves

April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 21

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

As any great journey begins, we start with the first step, and that’s to identify what the word "definition" means. Merriam-Webster defines the word definition as a Middle English noun dating back to the 14th century and describes its meaning as: * • An act of determining • A statement expressing the essential nature of something • A statement of the meaning of a word or word group or a sign or symbol • The action or process of defining • The action or the power of describing, explaining or making definite and clear So in order to live without definition we can break it down to mean that we shouldn't: • Make determinations • Make statements expressing the nature of something • Make statements of the meanings of words or word groups, signs or symbols We also might try to refrain from: • Defining anything or describing, explaining or making definitely clear—anything!

and we practice acceptance. Maybe we learn to be open to being re-trained ourselves. Perhaps we work to live in the gray area of life, where we realize that nothing is set in stone, there are no real truths and life is ultimately a mystery. Which means we cannot define, describe or clarify anything. Even though this might sound scary, or uncertain, this does sound like something we could actually do and still be able to live, function and socialize.

22

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black 22 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

23

a b rea th o f he alin g

Yoga As Undoing Definitions

by Donna Amrita Davidge

F

her name, I explained that it had not been my intention to identify her just by what she had done but more importantly for who she is.

Yogi Bhajan’s words for that day, which I read to the class, were this: “I have set a standard. That is the human consciousness.

I am not a woman. I am not a man. I am not a person. I am not myself.”

These words are also, a suggested affirmation for Kundalini Yoga teachers, that they may separate themselves from any identity that might block them from being a channel of sharing yoga tools for "upliftment" and happiness.

In the same class, I recounted how the Kundalini Yoga gatherings at Solstice time that attracted practitioners from all parts of the world and walks of life were special because people came together, all wearing white, all doing Kundalini Yoga and were not identified with external identities, but were there for the common purpose of relating to the Soul through yoga.

Yes it is true, that of the 15 million Americans doing yoga, they are not all doing it for this reason. Yet as more and more embark on their journey more and more also embrace the yoga teachings as a whole. The idea of living without definition makes a lot of sense. This is not to say that it makes it easy. It is not easy to avoid thinking that our age, our looks, our health, our jobs, our friends and family or our finances are part of who we are. Yet, if for at least a moment, we suspend our definitions of others and ourselves, we may discover more freedom to live authentically, accepting others and ourselves as all part of that family that shares the bond of an inner identity (humanity) beyond the bonds of the external.

To Go Within: There are many techniques in yoga, but in this one will attempt to sound like a bee.

Eyes are closed; spine is straight (either sitting on a chair or cross-legged) Inhale deeply, close off your ears with any finger and create a sound like a bee until the breath is all expired.

Do up to three times and see what you hear/find inside. Do not search for results, simply feel what it brings and does to take you deep within.

\

Donna Amrita Davidge is the owner of Sewall House Yoga Retreat in Island Falls, Maine which is open all year offering yoga retreats and small teacher trainings. Her husband Kent Bonham is the chef and resident musician. Sewall House is built on a legacy of healing and hospitality, which began with Donna’s great grandparents in the 1860’s. Recently, the story has been beautifully told (and well researched) by Andrew Vietze in his recent book by Down East publications Becoming Teddy Roosevelt, How a Maine Guide Inspired America’s 26th President, a story of friendship based on who we are internally, not where we come from or what we have externally and the power of that authentic bond. Available on Amazon, www.sewallhouse.com, (888) 235-2395, info@sewallhouse.com.

April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 23

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

rom the moment we are born we are in some way defined. We are a daughter or a son, brother or sister, healthy or unhealthy, with a certain ethnic heritage and/or possibly a certain religion. The yoga quest started in earnest for me some twenty-five years ago in great part as a search for answers about life and what all these definitions mean to us.

This past January, the young man (well, younger than me!) who I have studied Ashtanga Yoga with since 1999 was interviewed on The Martha Stewart Show, someone recently sent me the clip. Eddie, too, said that since the age of nine he had been looking for answers to these same questions. The Meysore style of Ashtanga Yoga that we practice at his studio is silent self-practice so, unlike other forms like Kundalini or Hatha where the teacher instructs and sometimes speaks a bit about their own experiences, this was the first time I heard that Eddie also found Yoga to be a good place to look at these questions and definitions life had handed us. Eddie is clearly someone who explores Yoga as much more than a physical practice, the point being that Yoga can be an exploration of life and what it means to live beyond the definitions we may know. Through yoga, we may detach ourselves from identities that we thought defined us.

In the changing times that we live in, yoga can be a powerful tool for introspection and answers, or at least a place to look for them. People change jobs, relationships and where they live, much more now than in past generations (even changing their sex!). We are bombarded by messages from society, more now with the digital age.

The principles of yoga, among which are contentment and truthfulness, can be very useful. We live in a time and country where we have the luxury and freedom to question our definitions of ourselves.

The huge upsurge in yoga teacher training programs attests to the fact that people are changing their definitions of themselves, some giving up jobs in corporate America or elsewhere to pursue a new identity as a yoga teacher. Even ten years ago, this was not a popular or viable occupation for these changing people. Living life authentically, free from the bonds of how family or peers may have wanted us to define ourselves, can bring a peace that is for many an ultimate goal—one of practicing yoga's inner peace. Other times we do not choose what we identify with to change; our roles in our family or our job, but these do change and sometimes quickly. Principles put into practice, such as contentment, help people live through the ups and downs in life, especially the disappointments.

Throughout the Yoga Sutras, considered by many to be the Bible of Yoga, there are references to the True Self, which could also be translated as meaning the True Identity. This identity which yoga connects us to is deep, inner and eternal. It is not dictated by job, sex, looks or anything else superficial or defined. It is an identity that we all share, the common link of humanity.

There are tools in yoga, one being meditation in various forms, that take us into parts of the mind where our normal mental workings and identities disappear for the moment. Some call it connection to the divine, bliss or, in yoga language, samadhi.

Meditation can be on, and with, a sound current or on, and with, the breath. Students have reported an experience of melting into the sound or breath, merging with it in a way that allows their normal experience of thinking and being to be momentarily suspended. In that moment they are pure consciousness, devoid of definition but uniting with all, or the Infinite. Some get frustrated when they cannot repeat the experience on demand. The mind, even though it is a computer of sorts, cannot be programed to save or replay something. This is when the conscious yoga work comes in, constantly reminding us that we are not the external identity we so often associate ourselves with, and continuing the practice.

If we let go of the things we think define us – bills, education, relationships, religion, and careers – we may find internal freedom, security and peace for at least a suspended moment. If we search in our heart, mind and soul through meditation we might even discover a new definition externally that fits us better.

Today I taught a yoga class where a woman showed up whom I had not seen in a long time. Happy to see her, but not remembering her name, I said, “Oh, you are the woman who accomplished this and this and now are doing that.” Later, when I asked

24

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black 24 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

25

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 25

26

Alternative Healthcare As Preventative Medicine

by Steven Thomas

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.”

- Thomas Edison

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Are we in the midst of becoming the future Thomas Edison imagined? I’d like to believe so. There is a slow and deliberate shift taking place and it is flowing through the cracks in our consciousness. It can be felt everywhere. The bookshelves are overflowing with new thoughts about it. There are thousands upon thousands of websites and blogs dedicated to it. Television shows have had many guests spotlighting it. There have been DVDs, movies, documentaries; all discussing it.

What is it? It is the idea that we are responsible for our own health and our own state of well-being. We attract what we think and what we vibrate. We are not just glorified machines in which you can simply replace parts as needed. We are complex beings with dynamic vibrating energy fields imbued with spirit! A new thought paradigm is taking hold, but I also believe that we have quite a way to go to fully liberate ourselves from the medical paradigms of our past.

Our current Western model of healthcare tends to place its emphasis on eradicating symptoms rather than addressing their underlying causes. This results in an ideology fervently focusing its attention on curative methods of treatment rather than preventive measures. As I see it, it is really not a model of “health-care” at all. It is a system based on the symptomatic treatment of sickness and disease.

This approach treats our parts as they send us complaint. Rarely does this model look at underlying causative factors or means of preventative healthcare. Medicine was revolutionized in the 19th century by advances in chemistry and laboratory techniques and equipment, long-standing beliefs of the origins of disease and sickness were quickly replaced with the study of bacteria and viruses through advances in microbiology, thus giving rise to modern medicine and our reliance on pharmaceuticals. This might sound a bit simplistic, but basically science supplanted traditional ancient methods of healing.

Standard Western medicine does have many answers and has found remedies for many ailments. But it is curious that as the medical community discovers a “cure” for one disease multiple new ones rise up to take its place, leading me to believe that there is benefit to looking further at underlying root causes. If underlying factors are not properly identified and addressed, the body will continually find new ways to manifest its complaints. I believe that we are and have been for some time moving from a model of sickness to a model of wellness. A client once told me that doctors in China are paid to keep you well and that if you get sick then the treatment is free. What a fascinating concept that is to contemplate, whether it be true or not.

I once read that 80-90% of all illness is stress related. That would mean that our stressed out lifestyles are making us sick! It would make sense to conclude then that stress is the root cause of illness and our lifestyles are the vehicle driving the cause. What a potentially frightening thought! The days of simple living appear to be gone forever, engulfed by an increasingly fast paced, bite-sized, superficial, mediafrenzied world. Stress has become a fact of modern life and a way of living for many.

We have been seduced into a lifestyle that is out of balance. We have been fed an incredibly powerful elixir that has seemingly anesthetized our very essence without us even realizing it.

Modern advances in technology have provided us with virtually unlimited choice; our lifestyles have become an increasingly persuasive factor in how we experience life. Rather than developing more awareness for mindful living and conscious choices, we tend to rarely, if at all, examine lifestyle choices. Symptoms begin to emerge and then resurface because we have not examined the causative factors—stress and lifestyle. Our aches and pains manifest into new and seemingly complex forms until our imbalance becomes habituated and illness now demands our attention. This way of living is like driving our car blindfolded down a winding mountain road and hoping for the best. Yet, this is the lifestyle that Western

26 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

medicine attracts and treats. We truly are more than glorified machines. But to get to the very nature of our complex energetic and vital natures we must look deeper into ourselves and explore our daily routines.

By examining our way of living and the lifestyle choices we make on a daily basis, we can begin to gain an understanding of the root causes behind the patterns of discomfort, pain and illness that plague us. Alternative healthcare can act as your guide to finding new ways of thinking about the choices that we make for how we live and how to overcome the potentially damaging effects of stress. If we begin to slow down and pay attention to the details of our lives, things shift, thoughts unfold and we begin to discover our place in the world. We begin to sense that everything is connected and that we are part of the bigger picture. Every thought, every word, every action becomes meaningful and important. In this way, “health-care” and life essentially become one. Prevention then becomes the cure. We become responsible for our own well-being. We are empowered by the choices we make and then take deliberate action based on our needs to stay connected, healthy and happy and most of all we are in vibrational alignment with our True selves.

The alternative practitioner can help empower us with the tools necessary for identifying and working with the many factors contributing to our stressful modern lifestyles, employing compassionate understanding to guide us to that which is appropriate for our current state of body and mind.

Current methods of alternative healthcare or the New Age healing arts are based on metaphysical health systems that are thousands of years old. Ayurveda, Acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine and Yoga, to name a few, have all been around for thousands of years and are still alive and well in many parts of the world. We are shifting from a mechanistic, Newtonian based world view and slowly opening ourselves up to ideals held by Einstein and quantum physics, which suggests there is much more to the world than meets the eye. We can never be mere observers in this world. We are fully active participants, each playing our role on the world’s stage.

As more and more of us are turning our attention towards “the care of the human frame, diet and prevention of disease” we look towards alternative healthcare as a means of restoring health and maintaining wholeness. There are more practitioners and modalities available than ever before. The multitude of choices and treatments can be overwhelming and daunting to those unfamiliar with alternative choices.

Education and awareness is now more important than ever and is the key to success when it comes to our health and well-being.

Health fairs have become a way to invite the general public into the arena of alternative healthcare, providing a unique way to experience first-hand the many choices available to us and to meet practitioners face to face.

The Yarmouth Health Fair is one such place. Where else might you be able to find forty alternative healthcare providers gathered in one place for the express purpose of meeting you and answering your questions?

There will be chiropractors to explain their favorite word, “subluxation.” There will be massage therapists to answer your questions about your sore and tired muscles while providing free mini massages. There will be acupuncturists who can finally tell you exactly what “chi” really is. There will be Reiki and Polarity practitioners to shed some “light” on energy work.

Many modalities have been represented at the Yarmouth Health Fairs of the past including homeopathy, naturopathy, kinesiology, crystal healing, reflexology, Rolfing, Trager and Alexander techniques, meditation and aromatherapy just to name a few. And best of all, it's free! How can you pass on that? So roll down your windows, keep your eyes on the road and most of all enjoy the ride.

See you at the health fair!

The Yarmouth Health Fair is a free event open to the public. The fair will take place on Saturday April 10, 2010 from 10am-3pm at the Rowe School, 52 School St, Yarmouth ME. For additional information go to www.yarmouthmaine.org or call (207) 846-3984.

Steven Thomas is a licensed massage therapist & Reiki practitioner specializing in deep tissue and myofascial massage and Deep Spiritual Bodywork. He has a private practice in Yarmouth, Maine. He can be reached at 207.632.4468 or steventhomasmassage@earthlink.net

27

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 27

28

d estina tio n h e al i n g ~ n o r t h e r n n ew en g l a n d

Conscientious Cleaning One Load at a Time

by Guest Writer L. Jaye "L.J." Bell Bethel, Maine

A

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

ll too often, just the idea of taking stuff to the laundromat brings hassle to mind. Many make the pilgrimage because the machines at home have suddenly refused to work, and the resulting instant mountain of laundry that springs up is too overwhelming to wait for the hit-or-miss schedule of a repairman. The image that comes to mind is a dimly lit room filled with noisy machines and questionable characters lurking in the shadows. In these places, dropping a newly laundered item on the floor goes hand in hand with the immediate urge to reach for the disinfectant. One business owner in Camden is changing these stereotypical images, one load at a time.

Welcome to the Clean Bee Laundromat, Camden’s cleanest solution to dirty laundry.

Owners Broo Temple and Jennifer Moore Temple have redefined laundry day from a laborious chore to an anticipated joy. Together, they infuse globally conscious values in each load of freshly laundered clothes. Newly painted walls, family friendly ambiance and scrubbed white floors brighten the place in such a way that one wouldn’t hesitate stretching the five second rule for a wayward sock.

Spare change is donated to Safe Passage, a non-profit that works with the poorest at-risk children of families working in the Guatemala City garbage dump. The change jar fills up quickly, and as of February 2010, Clean Bee donated $120 to Safe Passage.

As business owners, the Temples are content with small moves if it means measurable progress. The business started as the Temples pondered ways to diaper with cloth and positively impact the environment after the birth of their oldest daughter, Liefe. For the last 5 years, the Temples have promoted a healthier environment from the bottom up through the mid coast’s only cloth diaper service, Buzzie Bee Diapers.

Liefe, age 7, assists at the counter while Haydee shows off a drawing by the Aqua Wing washers.

As one of thirty Women, Work and Community participants profiled in “Creating the Future,” Jennifer maximized what she learned in WWC’s New Ventures Program into a business that serves the whole in positive ways. Adding Clean Bee Laundry to the business portfolio has allowed the Temples to broaden the scope of their passion for a greener, cleaner Midcoast while simultaneously reaching out to improve the lives of children in a country a world away.

The Temple’s values are also reflected in the array of services provided for local businesses in the hospitality, restaurant and health industries. The first order of business for the laundromat was to purchase two large capacity Aquawing Aquafusion Ozone washing machines. A contained thunderstorm in a rotating steel drum, these environmentally friendly washers charge clothes with electricity, just as lightning charges the air during a storm.

The Aquawing Ozone washer

The difference between chlorine bleach and an ozone cleaning process is speed and strength. Ozone relaxes fabrics, killing bacteria immediately so they do not survive the wash process. Relaxed fabrics require less drying time, which also saves energy and extends fabric life. Ozone is 150% stronger than chlorine, reducing the chemicals necessary to clean by up to 30%. Ozone works best with cold water, reducing the energy required per load up to 80%. In contrast, bleach slowly melts bacteria, allowing organisms to build up immunity and stay in the fabric long after washing. Thus, an ozone cleaning process results in cleaner laundry, smaller amounts of detergent, reduced wear and tear for fabrics, and a significantly lessened environmental impact.

Clean Bee Laundry offers personal service and delivery to commercial accounts and shut ins in the Midcoast region within a 15-mile radius of Camden. Restaurants, B & B’s, rental properties, health practitioners and individual customers can take make use of these revolutionary machines that also come with Clean Bee’s hassle-free, quality service and the owners’ cheery grins.

Offering different levels of service allows for flexibility. Customers can bring in their basket of laundry for the same day wash, dry and fold service, or start their wash loads and leave to run errands while utilizing the changeover service from washer to dryer.

28 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

For the time-frazzled, a starter service is also available for a mere buck. Forgot your detergent/softener or non-chlorine bleach? No problem. Charlie’s Soap Laundry Powder, non-chlorine bleach and fabric softener sheets are on hand. Need your shirts pressed and hung up or boxed? These services are also available, as well as drop-off dry cleaning with a twice-weekly turnaround. Alterations, down and synthetic comforter washing and rug cleaning also extend the level of convenient service at Clean Bee. For those who prefer to do their own laundry, Clean Bee offers many options.

Eight single loaders, six triple loaders and four giant machines that will hold the contents of an entire suitcase, make the washing choices plentiful. All the machines are ultra high efficiency, most washing loads in 25 minutes or less. Brightly painted walls, well lit areas and a book nook for children make the time spent waiting for laundry to wash and dry a more pleasant experience. For those wishing to check email or keep up with friends on Facebook, wireless internet service is a perk. Curbfree access from the parking lot provides ease of entry, eliminating the dangerously blind search for the step while lugging an overstuffed laundry basket inside.

The book corner at Clean Bee holds plenty of stories to keep young ones busy.

Customers have positive things to say about the new Clean Bee. Laura van Orsdall splits her time between North Carolina and Camden. She shared, “With four kids and many guests visiting our home, my laundry burden is cumbersome.

I hate to fold sheets, so taking my linens into Clean Bee really lightens my workload. It feels good to hand over this chore, and to see a closet full of neatly folded, stacked and bagged linens waiting for the arrival of my next guest.”

Clean Bee is open Mondays 8:00 am to 8:30 pm, Tuesday through Saturday 8:00 am to 7:00 pm, and Sundays 12:30 pm to 5:30 p,. Hours are longer during the summer months. Whether you’re in the mood to do laundry yourself or drop it off and run errands, Clean Bee is there to make it a pleasant experience any day of the week.

Jennifer Moore Temple, Clean Bee Laundry, 83 Elm Street Suite 3, Camden, Maine (207) 236-2530.

References: Aquawing Ozone Washers: http://www.decequip.com/equipment/ozone/ozone.html Charlie’s Soap: http://www.charliesoap.com/ Safe Passage: www.safepassage.org Women Work and Community: http://www.womenworkandcommunity.org/ Services: • Pick up Service • Commercial Laundry • Wash Dry Fold • Alterations •Dry Cleaning Drop Off Site • Shirt Drop Off Site • Self Service Laundromat • Rug Cleaning • Laundry Change Over Service • Tanning and Tanning Products • Drop off Comforter Cleaning • Wireless Internet.

This content also appears in the ezine The Valley Voice.

L. Jaye Bell brought herself off of disability from Fibromyalgia by focusing on what she loves: whole foods, music, art, photography and writing about the things that inspire her. She writes about travel, arts, music, food and healing. She is the producer and host of Tribal Vibe, an spiritual, indigenous music show online. She also produces new media press releases for businesses. Her website, http://sites.google.com/site/gypsyblondereport/

Melissa Harris June 12th ~ Painting and Drawing Outside the lines June 13th ~ Individual Spirit Essence Portraits Leapin' Lizards 123 Maine Street, Freeport, ME 207-865-0900

29

f eng shu i & ge o pa t h ol o g y

TheEnergeticPropertiesofWater Part 1

by Werner Brandmaier

W

e have discussed water and its importance for all life on this planet, the significance of hydrating with good quality water, but also the danger water can bring in form of geopathic stress (degenerative earth energies) on top of an underground water stream. Today in this article I’d like to delve deeper into some properties of structured water and the information this water carries with it.

After a 2002 Geological survey in 139 major streams in 30 states in the US, the National Drug Control Policy is now urging consumers not to flush unused pills down the toilet anymore. Instead they should seek out “drug take-back programs.” Why this sudden change from former advice?

Every year millions of tons of pharmaceuticals are ending in our waste water system, and now traces are showing up in our water supplies—which means that everybody who is drinking public water is getting a regular dose of Prozac and many other drugs like, anti-depressants, heart medications and so on, whether they like it or not. The amount seems to be so significant now, that it can be proven with simple testing methods.

However, it is not just the amount of water that we drink that counts. If the water quality is not good; i.e., it contains toxins, traces of pharmaceutical, etc., the body cannot process the water properly. Now it becomes wastewater, stressing our “waste management system,” specifically the kidneys and the urinary tract.

How do we find good quality water?

Best, of course, is a natural spring on your property. Find a local dowser who can help with locating an underground water vein carrying good quality water in a sufficient amount to feed your well. Get the water tested to make sure everything is safe, but a good water dowser can determine that during the search.

Newstudiesshowthatthesubtlestructureofwaterinaperson's bodyissimilartothewateroftheareawheretheywereborn.

On an even more subtle level, water appears to have a quality that can best be described as memory. Homeopaths have always claimed that their remedies work even in such high dilution, that not one molecule of the substance is left in a bottle. The explanation is that the water would store the vibrational information of the remedy and send out those frequencies into the body.

Dr. Masaru Emoto’s experiments of exposing water to different genres of music or single written words also demonstrate the impressive memory capacity and the direct impact of those vibrations on the water’s crystal structure. It is a small step to understand that our own health, our own body that consists of 70 – 90% water, must be affected by the same criteria; by the music we listen to, words, and the names we call each other, daily stresses, and the electro-magnetic bombardment of all those technical devices we cannot live without anymore.

No wonder people are getting sicker and sicker.

In the 1930’s, Victor Schauberger, a forester in the Austrian mountains, discovered that water is a living entity and has truly remarkable powers as it emerges from high mountain springs.

Schauberger became famous for an experiment where he showed that logs could be transported more quickly down waterways if the water was allowed to run its natural winding path, rather than down straight chutes or canals, because the natural spin actually energizes the water itself.

New studies show that the subtle structure of water in a person’s body is similar to the water of the area where they was born. The question then could be raised if the emotional connection to the “home country,” to the place where a person was born and raised, can be explained by that resonance in water molecules. “Feng Shui” itself (meaning “Wind and Water”) indicates in its very name, the origin of influence of a landscape on the people who live there—coincidence or knowledge thousands of year old?

So, what can we do today to improve our own situation?

Keep drinking pure water! Dehydration is the number one problem of most people. Our blood consists of more than 90 % water. As little as 1 percent dehydration in the blood slows down brain activity significantly. One can imagine how important this is for school children.

As mentioned earlier, public water is often better than bottled water. Some simple steps can improve the quality further: 1. Use a good filter, preferably a double filter, found at your local hardware store. We do not recommend distillers or osmosis water systems any more, except when the water quality is really bad and needs this level of extreme filtering. Energetically, water is pretty dead after those two processes. Not only the minerals, but also the life force itself, is gone.

2. Make sure the water has a pH above 7. Those of you who have read articles about “alkalizing” before might remember, that the blood needs a constant pH of 7.3 – 7.4. The most practical way to achieve a good pH is to use a water ionizer where you can choose any pH you’d like. Those ionizers use titanium electrodes to separate alkaline and acidic water. There are a wide variety of machines on the market. Be aware that good quality has its price.

3. If you have to use bottled water I recommend having a look in Dr. Robert Young’s book: The pH Miracle for Weigthloss. You’ll find a useful chart for rating quality of water brands for bottled water on the market today.

On our own search for the perfect drinking water we have tried out many things over the years.

We have used different filters, drunk bottled water from a 2,000-foot-deep mountain spring for a while (unfortunately the company does not exist anymore), used a water distiller and even an osmosis system. Today we use city water (Portland’s water is pretty good to start with.) with a double carbon filter, a water ionizer for boosting the pH and redox level (with additional EMF protection), energize and detox the water in the pitcher and finally apply Intelligent Matrix Activation (IMA) technology as our latest discovery.

In the next issue we will further discuss those restructuring methods and techniques that help bring our water back to its original composition for its maximum potential.

References: Masaru Emoto – Messages from Water Robert O. Young – The pH Miracle for Weightloss

Werner Brandmaier Dipl.Ing., a medical engineer and a citizen of Austria, studied with prominent international Feng Shui masters and trained in Germany to practice dowsing and geopathology. Werner offers consultations for homes and businesses and teaches workshops and seminars. He is a member of the International Feng Shui Guild and the American Society of Dowsers. You may contact Werner at (207) 772-7888 or office@InstituteOfFengShui.com.

“In an age when man has forgotten his origins and is blind even to his most essential needs for survival, water along with other resources has become the victim of his indifference.” . ..Rachael Carson April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 29

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

If we test water energetically for toxic traces, we find that bottled water is often even worse than public water. Many water companies fill their bottles from public water supplies anyway, and if the containers are plastic, have toxins leaching out in addition. Not to mention the environmental strain of transporting the water over thousands of miles, i.e. “San Pelegrino” from Italy, or Maine’s “Poland Spring” to New York or Florida.

Additionally, caffeine as in coffee, tea, sodas, and many “energy” drinks, dehydrates the body even further! We are 80-90% water at birth and about 70% in our later years. We need only do the math.

30

t he w ay o f lif e - it s e l f

Living Without Definition ~ A Work In Process

by Skye Hirst, Ph.D.

It seems we have choices but if we get ahead of ourselves with what we think is to happen, life simply tolerates us as we get it out of our system so we can get on with what She has in mind for us. —Skye Hirst I’m struck at so many levels by the meaning of this theme, living without definition. As of late, I’m feeling life, feeling the essence of the Living Reality we are opening to; the chaos, the shifts, the death, creativity, forming and decaying.

I’m sensing something awakening. There’s so much creativity, projects, efforts to help the shift. Each variation is an attempt to explain what is becoming, and how to make our lives and world better, and less violent and to call out peace. Then peace is questioned. Does it exist or is it a mere illusion we cling to?

In the words of the process philosopher Alfred North Whitehead, I hear the voices of the many becoming one.

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

I hear more and more voices saying, nature, let’s turn to nature; she seems to know more than we ever noticed. Others are crying, Let’s turn to Source, to God, yet the clinging to dogma, rules or something to help control the processes we are living continues.

And there is a turning, a sounding, creating, correcting, harmonizing, learning and evolving. This pulsing of life force through its life forms, each of us – organisms – nested in larger organisms, would appear to be pulling in different directions. Yet we are in the same boat mixing up the soup – stirring the energy from fixedness of centuries of holding this or that idea, definition or rule against another.

As the Quakers say, we’re coming to the sense of the meeting. It takes time, patience, sometimes longer than is comfortable sitting in silence tuning in to our deepest levels of knowing, of listening to the development of creativity, then learning what she has in mind for us to be, to do, to form or unform. It’s not passively surrendering to the flow, it’s learning how to work with the flow, the nature, our nature, life’s nature as a unity, each entity with a vibration of its own – contributing to Life’s chord.

And when we come to the sense of the meeting, something wonderful happens.

All concerns, needs, issues, differences and distinctions seem to integrate, resolve into a new way none of us could have imagined. It’s peaceful, quieting, and oh so beautiful. This Living Organism of Life beats our hearts as one and we know a new way. It will last because it’s better than any one idea or definition, it’s the many miraculously, magically becoming one. All is included and forms around a coherence that somehow each of us recognizes as such. A new manifestation of reality has formed. All life shares in the knowing. This is how the living reality as organisms co-creates, and to perceive it requires no rules, things, or definition. It requires listening deeply beyond words, from our experience, our hearts; and the sound of OMMMM unifies the details. And the shift occurs.

Beyond boundaries, opening our awareness of something deeper, higher, fuller, where peace lives, where there is no separation, where acceptance is, the nature of oneness emerges, and there we are all connected, not homogenized, but where we recognize the beauty of all forms, formlessness, even chaos can have a time, and something else is happening – a giant energy ball wraps us all up, forms us, energizes each of us in our uniqueness – each living a vital role creating the harmony like we sense in a whirlpool, the elegance of an organic dance between flowers, trees, water, wind and sun and me, you, dogs and cats, all life pulsates with giant heart beat, unifying, simplifying, singing a word sound Oommmmm, and in this sound we hear 72 octaves of overtones from all voices of life living through its diversity and what a chord it strikes over and over ever weaving its manifesting ever in this now. —Syke Hirst

A friend recently sent us this letter that seems to capture so beautifully much of what is happening.

What I Learned from Norm and Skye Hirst And How It Changed My Life

by Rodney Plimpton Before I met Norm and Skye I had a pretty good handle on how Life worked, or so I thought. I had a PhD in Social Psychology from Stanford, had studied Human Potential for Five years with Jean Houston, and knew all about stimulus-response and something about cybernetics. I didn’t consciously realize how much my model of life was based on a popular concoction of Darwinism, materialism, elitism, and computer science. But it all came down to this: the brain was in charge. (Except maybe for those messy outbursts of emotion, or the unconscious power of the Id; but even that was a brain function; just a hidden one.) Whatever we did or experienced was noticed by the brain, consciously or unconsciously, and got written into little programs that told us what to do and what not to do to get what we wanted. The rest of the body obeyed, unless it was sick or wounded.

It's not passively surrendering to the flow,

If this was the model, then being smart was good, and being smarter than others was evidence of being farther along on the evolutionary scale.

Having a heart and genuinely caring about others?

Yes, that was very important, too; a sign of evolved consciousness; simply more evidence of being multidimensionally smart.

Then I met Norm and Skye at a small conference that I wasn’t even supposed to be at. They were an odd couple for sure. He had all the hallmarks of an out-on-a-limb academic, and she looked and talked and sang like someone who should have been headed for Hollywood or Broadway, instead of Bayview Avenue in Camden, Maine. And to hear them talk!

According to them nobody else knew what they were talking about. Our bodies weren’t anything like computers. There were no programs inside of us.

Somebody named Hartman did something brilliant about values that were really important but it was hard to understand why or how. So while that well-developed brain was saying “Maybe brilliant, but also maybe a nut case” my gut was saying, “there’s something there really worth understanding… dig deeper…" and the gut won.

it's learning to work with the flow.

I’m glad it did. I read their papers, and tried to rewrite them so that they made sense to me. I read on my own. I thought about what they were saying and began to look at the world a little bit differently. I particularly thought about their notions of autonomy and coherence. And eventually I got it…. sort of.

What I got was that yes, our brain was important; you could lose a toenail and function better than if you lost your brain. But it was only one part of some 70 trillion cells in our bodies. And those cells were, to a surprising degree, making autonomous decisions about what to do, based on awareness of themselves, combined with awareness of what was going on throughout the whole body. And they were aiming for coherence; doing what would work for them but would also either work for the rest of the body, or at the very least, not interfere with letting all the other cells do what they needed to do for themselves and for the whole body.

The brain plays an important role on its own, for sure… but not in the command and control way that I previously thought.

It was a very short leap from there to a much larger understanding. There are some 70 trillion cells in our bodies, getting along pretty well in a cooperative way that enables us to live and learn. It took them some billions of years to get there from primeval slime, but every one of us is living proof of the accomplishment.

There are only about 7 billion of these collections of living cells walking around this planet at this time. It ought to be easier for 7 billion big, smart cells to figure

Continued on Page 45 30 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

31

explorin g the wo r l d r e l i g i on s

God's Whisper, Creation's Thunder ~ Echoes of Ultimate Reality In The New Physics

by James Bean The book, God’s Whisper, Creation’s Thunder – Echoes of Ultimate Reality In the New Physics, by Brian Hines, Threshold Books, I find has brought the science versus religion debate to a higher plane.

Rumi says, Window-shoppers, for God-sakes, buy something!

These Spiritual Window-Shoppers These spiritual window-shoppers, who idly ask, ‘How much is that?’ Oh, I’m just looking.

They handle a hundred items and put them down, shadows with no capital.

What is spent is love and two eyes wet with weeping.

But these walk into a shop, and their whole lives pass suddenly in that moment, in that shop.

Where did you go? “Nowhere.”

What did you have to eat? “Nothing much.”

Rumi Says:

In truth, everything and everyone is a shadow of the Beloved.

And our seeking is His seeking, and our words are His words.

We search for Him here and there.

While looking right at Him, sitting by His side, we ask: ‘O Beloved, where is the Beloved?’

Enough with such questions!

Let silence take you to the core of life.

All your talk is worthless when compared with one whisper of the Beloved.

In this ground-breaking study, Hines demonstrates the parallels between the discoveries of the new physics and the revelations of the great mystics, whom he describes as “spiritual scientists.” One of the mystics that he heavily quotes is Jalaluddin Rumi, the great 12th century Sufi poet who, by the way, has become America’s most widely read poet in recent years, a hopeful sign. Those of you who have come to enjoy reading Rumi may find yourself gaining some new insight into Rumi’s true mystical Sufi teachings by reading this book. There’s a Rumi poem on practically every page.

Hines contends that there is a final truth that is echoed in the findings of material science. But in order to come to a full realization of the ultimate truth behind this material plane of creation, he says we must be willing to take a look at the possibility that the mystics are right, that there exist spiritual dimensions of reality (higher planes, spheres, levels of vibration). He points out that it’s not good science to dismiss out of hand this possibility. Materialistic belief systems, traditionally follow a self-imposed rule that only material phenomena can be used to explain the material universe. Hines says, “in a sense, physics already has biased answers to the big sweepstakes question, 'What is Ultimate Reality?,’ by the very rules it uses to screen out certain entries. In effect, the fine print of the entry form says, ‘Any answer concerning the true nature of nature which unnaturally looks outside of nature for explanation will not be accepted,” (The bad grammar is deliberate. The author has a good sense of humor.)

Science, like religion, has its entrenched orthodox belief systems, and the revelers of new truth are sometimes branded as “heretics,” as least for while, until experiments can be repeated, observations can be made, and the evidence of a new discovery finally gets accepted by the scientific community. Brian Hines is a master of logic, reason, analytical thinking, and scientific methods. I admire the way he skillfully

Continued on Page 45 April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 31

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Even if you don’t know what you want, buy – something – to be part of the exchanging flow.

Start a huge, foolish project, like Noah.

It makes absolutely no difference what people think of you.

makes the case for his views. His book will inform you about “Super String Theory,” “the Big Bang,” “a Theory of Everything,” and all the latest observations of physicists on quantum mechanics. He’s satisfied that the investigative approach of scientists is really quite good when it comes to making observations about the discrete parts of the material universe, yet “is nonsensical if one’s goal is knowledge of ultimate reality.” He asks, “Can a snail ever comprehend a garden?”

There’s a delightful metaphor in the book about a snail encountering a garden hose.

With its limited awareness, how much empirical data can our snail gather? Can our scientifically inclined snail even comprehend that it is living in a garden? From the ground level what would our slow-moving snail think of a garden hose? Being five feet or more above the surface of the earth, human eyes could observe the hose as it snakes its way across the lawn, eventually connecting to a faucet. But the snail, with its confined perspective, may never comprehend these mysteries, and can’t even begin to know of their creators.

The main focus of this new book is the spiritual science of mysticism, which according to the author allows us to master the universe at a snail’s pace – or at a leap if we’re willing to do the necessary research, which for Hines means discovering contemplation, “the research tool of spiritual science.” For the author, ultimate reality will never be found by looking through the material lens of a microscope or telescope, but through another kind of lens: contemplative meditation. He divides human consciousness into four states of being. Most of us only operate in the worlds of feeling, thinking, and observing. The fourth state of consciousness is ignored, or remains dormant. However, the mystically inclined are desirous of spending some time in that other state: the inner world of contemplation. Although they too spend most of their time in the objective outer world, they yearn for something more, asking, “Is this all there is?”

For the mystic, both science and religion appear to confine themselves to feeling, thinking and observing in the outer world of the five senses, unaware of the fourth option, contemplation. Religion often suggests that in the next life we’ll experience the world of spirit – that we’re not interested in this experience right now. Religion focuses on rites, rituals and other physical plane activities that symbolize or illustrate eternal truths, or on indirect intellectual information about the illusive world of spirit in the form of true doctrines, creeds, theology and salvation history. Most remain content with the material-intellectual paradigm. But mystic souls say to themselves: “OK, I have found the true holy book, now I want to start searching for Eden.” Or. “I have faith that this spiritual road map that I have been given will take me to my destination, so I will get in my car and start driving.” Or, “this cookbook (path) that I have found is the ‘true cookbook,’ is reliable and good, therefore I will choose a recipe, gather the ingredients I need, turn the oven on, bake something and satisfy my hunger.” For the mystic, fighting over which “cook book” is the “true cook book” is not enough. Beyond feeling good about the “menus” or “maps” of their tradition, the mystic yearns to move his or her consciousness into that ineffable fourth state of being, the world of contemplative meditation, in order to find sustenance for the soul in the other world, and to finally reach a vantage point where observations about the steps and stages, the levels and planes that lead to ultimate reality, can be made. In order to really know about spirit, we have to become spirit. Mystics believe that this is possible, but we don’t need to take their word for it. We don’t need to limit ourselves to just believing in untested theories.

We must get beyond reading books on meditation. If we’re really serious, we can make our own attempt to repeat the experiments of mystics. Spiritual scientists advocate that we “Learn the meditation practice, then do the meditation practice!”

If a scientist claims to be getting a fusion reaction – a burst of energy by combining certain ingredients together, other scientists will want to repeat the this experiment to see if they get the same results. If they’re making a sincere effort, they will learn every detail of what happened, and will faithfully duplicate every single step that took place during the original experiment. They will not say for instance, “We didn’t have any hydrogen so we used helium instead.”

So, too, in spiritual science we ought to make a sincere effort to duplicate the experiments of masters with accuracy in every detail. This is where Westerners usually get into trouble. When it comes to, let’s say, learning about biology or chemistry, most

32 7

INNER TAPESTRY's Directory of Resources Holistic Practitioners, Products and Resources Each category contains practitioners from various states.

a c u p un c t u re

counseling & the rapy Maine

Maine

Abigail Lopez, LAc, Dipl.OM

Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine Acupuncture guides the proper flow of energy within and stimulates our body’s natural healing response.

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

In my practice I offer acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine; both have been used for healing for over 3,000 years and are safe, natural and drug-free methods to restore whole body health. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are effective for numerous conditions including: pain, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, depression, gynecological concerns and preventative care. I am committed to assisting all members of the family to experience total health and well-being. To learn more please contact Abigail at The Wellness Solution, 366 US Route 1, Falmouth, Maine, 04105, (207) 899-0727, www.thewellnesssolution.net.

Patricia A. Burke, MSW, LCSW

Holistic Psychotherapy & Spiritual Development Work "When we are fully present to ourselves the light of who we are shines through and like a slow deep breath, fills the world with love." -PB

In over twenty-five years of experience I have merged a variety of psychological, sensate awareness, spiritual and creative practices into a process of deep awakening that can help you heal trauma, addictions and depression, rediscover meaning and purpose in life, build mutually empowering relationships, enhance creativity and embrace the deep stillness of being from within which all experience arises. I have been deeply engaged in my own inner work for over twenty years and call upon my extensive training in spiritual and transformational practices to guide my work with others. I offer individual, group and couples consultation, personal intensives, workshops, supervision and training. Offices in West Baldwin & Yarmouth, ME, (207) 625-7012, pab@patriciaburke.com, www.patriciaburke.com.

a l t e r n a t i ve livin g Maine Greensward Hamlet

Acupuncture ......................................................... page 32 Alternative Living .................................................. page 32 Counseling & Therapy ................................... pages 32-33 Creative Healing Arts ........................................... page 33 Evolutionary Consciousness................................. page 34 Holistic Healing Centers ...................................... page 34 Hypnotherapy ...................................................... page 34 Integrative Healing ........................................ pages 34-36 Life Mastery ......................................................... page 36 Meditation ............................................................ page 36 Psychic & Spiritual Mediumship .................... pages 36-37 Reflexology & Healing Massage .......................... page 37 Retreats ............................................................... page 37 Sacred Space .......................................................page 38 Salons & Spas ..................................................... page 38 Schools & Trainings ...................................... pages 38-39 Shamanic Healing ................................................ page 39 Writing Services..................................................... page 40 Yoga, Tai Chi, Aikido ............................................. page 40

Live From Your Center

Greensward Hamlet A Co-housing Community In Buxton, Maine Drawing on the Strength of Community To Live Sustainably. Maine’s first Green,

fossil free, co - housing community is nestled on 30 private country acres. Your 1-, 2-, or 3-bedroom home (& 1- or 2-car garage) will include the amenities of a spacious Common House for weekly community meals & gatherings; organic community gardens and nature trails. Access to the Saco River and hundreds of acres of pristine park land is within walking distance. Train and international airport services are just a 15-minute drive. Ready to begin construction in 2009. Visit www.greenswardhamlet.com or www.cohousing.org. Or contact: Françoise Paradis, Ed.D. PO Box 1325, Saco, Me 04072 (207) 227-3678.

Mark Nakell, LCPC Awareness-based Psychotherapy Growth and Self-Realization Individual & Couples Counseling All of life happens in the present moment: Our natural condition is an

open awareness of each moment as it occurs. Increased awareness of this moment—now—and of yourself in the moment, provides an increased experience of life, more joy, and greater fulfillment. Developing the capacity of your own center enables a deeper, more immediate experience of your aliveness and presence now. The result is increased freedom—freedom of choice, freedom of action, freedom of purpose—and deepened participation in the events of your own life. For a FREE introductory session, call (207) 773-4413 or email mnakell@openawareness.com, 25 Middle Street, Portland, ME 04101. Further information can be found at www.openawareness.com.

"Come to the edge," she said.

They said," We are afraid."

"Come to the edge," she said.

They Came... she pushed them... and they flew.

32 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

33 cou ns e l i ng & t h e r apy- co n t .

What is somatic therapy?

Somatic therapy is a self-awareness process with a particular focus on the body. With guided practice to help you remain present in the body, you simply allow thoughts, emotions and sensations to emerge in their natural patterns. This combination – conscious awareness and observation of patterns – allows both increased capability of self-regulation and expanded capacity for awareness itself. Current brain research shows that the part of the brain involved in awareness Douglas Smith also regulates emotions and behavior. So practice of focused awareness actually strengthens and expands the brain cell connections in this area, making the benefit of this work cumulative. The difference between this and mindfulness practice alone is that you also have access to somatic, or body reactions. These come under conscious awareness, creating the possibility of physical as well as emotional healing. Somatic therapy is useful for the resolution of stress and trauma, anxiety, depression, habits, addictions, "stuck" patterns, or can be used to enhance personal growth. For an appointment or more information please call, email or visit me on the web at www.mindmeetsbody.com.

Douglas Smith, LCPC, SEP., 205 Ocean Avenue, Portland, ME 04103 (207) 773-7993 x19. smith@mindmeetsbody.com.

creative healing arts Maine Surry Music Therapy Center: Alan Wittenberg M.A., CMT Certified Music Therapist, (AMTA) American Music Therapy Association Music therapy opens new channels of communication and contact through the creative and interactive use of music towards self-expression and self-discovery. It goes beyond

words and emotionally, physically, and intellectually touches those with psychological issues and special needs. Music Therapy is a dynamic clinical, educational, developmental, and rehabilitative treatment approach. Alan specializes in autism spectrum disorders, emotional and behavioral issues, speech and sensory integrative delays; as well as work with the elderly and Alzheimer’s.The Surry Music Therapy Center is a unique facility in Maine offering individual and small group sessions, seminars, conferences, in-service training, and workshop programs throughout Maine.

Contact Alan Wittenberg at (207) 667-1308, alan@surrymusictherapy.com.

Visit www.surrymusictherapy.com for seminar and conference information.

Art Therapy & Shamanism

Nancy Roberts, Ph.D., Psy.D. Transformational Psychotherapy this to address the yearning that many people feel for a deeper sense of meaning and joy, and highlights an appreciation for spiritual paths to a more heart-centered life. Offices at 141 North Main Street in Brewer and 5 School Street in Ellsworth. Telephone: 207-852-7656

Art therapy is a dynamic combination—powerful artistic creation with the insight of psychotherapy. Art therapy

and shamanic counselling will help you cultivate your strengths like a gardener tending plants. Together we can use imagination to design the garden. We can learn to tell flowers from weeds when your spirit is overgrown. Then we can plant seeds, nurture and water them and reap a new harvest. Everyone has an artist within. Our spirit and soul speak through the artwork. The art never lies; it gently reflects back those areas of life that need our attention, promoting positive change and healing on all levels. The best way to walk into your future is to create it! Board Certified Art Therapist, Licensed Clinical Counselor, Shamanic Practitioner with over thirty years experience. The Thirteenth Moon Center, "ART from the heART," (207) 589-3063. moonarts@gmail.com.

Vermont Zen Yoga & healing arts center A healthy functioning brain is crucial to your everyday cognitive, psychological, AND physical well-being. At Maine Neurotherapy Center, we

provide EEG Neurofeedback utilizing cutting edge techniques and equipment, without the use of medication, to help you achieve your goals. Neurotherapy is a powerful tool which involves exercising and training the brain to function better, manage anxiety and stress better, and improve overall day-to-day cognitive ability. We believe our clients deserve choices in care – whether that involves state-of-the-art neurofeedback or other traditional therapies.

We provide both. In addition, we will work collaboratively with your current providers to develop a tailored neurofeedback program that works for you. For more information contact us at www.MaineNeurotherapy. com., 1051 Washington Ave, Suite 2, Portland, Maine 04105. E-mail: MaineNeurotherapy@gmail.com

Nancy C. Campbell, LCSW (207) 650-9728

Sandra E. Couch Kelly, LCSW (207) 233-3469

Directo ry of R es our ce s $375 for 1 year Print & Online Listing with an active link to your website!

Includes 2.8 inch ad space, (approximately 130 words) Initial set-up fee $20

Zen Yoga is a journey of spiritual deepening that begins with the breath.

Zen Yoga uses deep breathing to gather energy and then introduces soft, flowing movement and stretches to facilitate the smooth flow of that energy throughout the body. Based on the fundamental principles of qigong, tai chi and yoga, Zen Yoga is like nothing you have tried before.

We offer ongoing classes, workshops, therapy and retreats at the Zen Yoga & Healing Arts Center in the mountains of Vermont. We can customize special programs to meet the needs of your group throughout New England.

We also offer a 12-week online program that provides time honored teachings of various spiritual disciplinary arts designed to assist you on your journey of self-discovery. For more information: Phone: (860) 805-6551, Email: breathe@artofzenyoga.com, Website: www.artofzenyoga.com.

Online listing (without print copy) with an active link to your website. $100 plus an Initial set-up fee of $20

Call 207-799-7995 or email: info@innertapestry.org

April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 33

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

In my psychotherapy practice I deal with the concerns that bring most people into therapy: depression, anxiety, stress, and challenges with relationships and work. However, my transformational focus goes beyond

Susan Bakaley Marshall, ATR-BC, LCPC

34 evolutionary consciousness

hypnotherapy

Main e

M a i ne

HypnoWave Hypnosis Training Center

The Autognomics Institute since 1992 Norm and Skye Hirst co-founders Transcendental Autognomics (TA); going beyond scientific materialism to discover the emergent epi-principles within lifeitself... doing science the old fashion way.

TA; New Field of Life-Energy and Transcendental Science/Philosophy is based on emergent epi-energy principles now being discovered throughout the Autognomics Research Community and Alliance. The mystery/the miraculous/ the wisdom of life-itself is revealing herself. To receive our email newsletter on how latest revelations are impacting us all, visit us at www.autognomics.org or join us on Twitter @autognomics for frequent tips and insights plus see who we are following. Co-founders – Norm and Skye Hirst, PhD.

holistic healing centers

M a i ne Gardens of Atlantis Healing Arts Center Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Welcome Spring! It's a time of renewal, new life, lush

colors and sounds of nature. Bring yourself back to your roots in Mother Earth. Stop and listen to the sounds, breathe in the smells, feel the warmth of the Sun. Refresh your energy, mind and spirit.

Join us for our May Day Fair on May 2nd. Lots of wonderful vendors and healers. Bring your Mom for an early Mother's Day celebration! Treat her to a chair massage, facial rejuvenation, special gift and lunch! Or make an appointment another day for a full massage for each of you. You both deserve a treat! (207) 929-5088, www.gardensofatlantis.org.

Ernest VanDenBossche, BCH, CI - Director Is it time for a change? Let hypnosis work for you in so

many ways. Become a Consulting Hypnotist. Training with Ernest VanDenBossche, Board Certified Hypnotherapist and Certified Instructor with the National Guild of Hypnotists (ngh.net), President Maine Guild of Hypnotists. Take the NGH “Consulting Hypnotist” Certification Training, 100-hour course. Be a Certified Hypnotist.

Learn – What is Hypnosis, Trance Depth Testing, Hypnotizability and Suggestibility, Rapid Inductions, Mind/Body Relaxation, Self-Hypnosis, Goal Development, Smoking Cessation, Weight Management, Stress Management, Pain Management, Age Regression, Reframing Trauma, Ethics for Professional Hypnotists, create customized scripts, and CDs for your clients. You get: NGH Manuals, One Year NGH Membership, Local and International support by other professional hypnotists, supervised in-class practice time to master your techniques quickly, informational Hypnosis CD ROM, and CDs and DVDs for your business. Call: (207) 453-6133, www.hypnotraining.us. Private consulting and other trainings available.

integrative healing Connecticut

Belanger Physical Therapy A neck or back doesn't walk into the office, a whole person does and all their history as well. What we do not

choose to express emotionally will show itself in our bodies through tension, pain, illness and/or dis-ease. Joe invites his clients to welcome and feel, in order to transition, the walls that keep each of us from expressing our authentic selves in the world. Everything you need for what you really desire in your life is right in front of you. All you have to do is surrender to feel what is there. Joe chooses to support people physically, emotionally and energetically through manual therapy (cranial, muscle energy, functional technique, myofascial release), a deep belief in osteopathic philosophy, and heart.

Marlborough, CT (860) 295-0572, or e-mail Joe at joeb.pt@snet.net.

Main e Education and awakening for the curious, the aware and those who feel or hear a calling from within for change, growth and enlightenment of the physical, mental and spiritual vessels.

Curious about words like crystallinity, consciousness, light body, or fascia?

Come to Center to enrich your life and its purpose in a safe, nurturing, home-like atmosphere. Offering individual expression through various movement modalities and enhancing holistic therapies. Yamuna Body Rolling (www.yamunabodyrolling.com) , Yoga, Dance, Astrology classes, Crystal Consults/Therapies, Young Living Oils classes and treatments, Holistic Skincare and Body Therapies and a gallery of goods that support local and eclectic artists and writers. Singles, families, the youth and the wise... we welcome groups of any size. Be well. Visit us @ www.centerstudioandspa.com or call (207) 865-0086 for more info. Located in Freeport, off of exit 22.

Enlightenment is not imagining figures of light but making the darkness conscious. ...Carl Gustav Jung

34 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

Roberta Barnes, CHT, Gendai Reiki-ho & Komyo Reiki Shihan (teacher/master) & Herbalist

Gendai Reiki-ho brings balance and harmony to mind/body/spirit, and all areas of your life. Roberta teaches and

practices as she learned from her Japanese Reiki Shihans, each of whom has only 2 Shihans between themselves and Mikao Usui, the founder of Usui Reiki. Roberta has practiced various forms of natural healing for over 30 years. Her Natural Healing & Learning Center, nestled in a wildlife habitat in Windsor, Maine, is the perfect environment to reflect the balancing and harmonizing essence of Mikao Usui’s spiritual practice.

Encased in harmonizing relaxation, you can... *Learn Japanese styles of Reiki, *Experience Reiki healing sessions, *Learn inward or outward meditation, *Receive a personalized herb report, or *Experience a healing journey into your past. Roberta schedules classes to meet individual needs and travels out-of-State to teach groups. Roberta’s guided meditations are available on CDs. View scheduled classes at www.naturalhealinglearning.com or call (207) 445-5671 today to register for classes or healing sessions.

35 integrative healing–cont.

Ron and Joan

Are You Listening? Through the challenges of our lives we are being asked to release what no longer serves us; to expand, living with an open mind and heart. Are You Willing? To embody the Truth of living your life as love in action, Ron and Joan support people to live the

highest/greatest vision of themselves. Living Visions is a method of support that deepens levels of calm and joy, releasing the causes of emotional and physical trauma, which increases awareness of your true center and grounding. Living Visions is a way of realizing perfect

union with one's self. If you are interested in exploring how we may be able to support you please visit www.ronandjoan.com, or call us at (207) 799-7998 with questions or for more information.

"There is more hunger for Love and Acceptance in the world today than there is for bread." (Mother Teresa).

integrative healing–cont.

Kevin Pennell, Usui and Karuna® Reiki Master Teacher/Herbalist/ Hypnotherapist/Shamanic Practitioner/Psychic Empath and Vickie Cummings, Licensed and Nationally Certified Massage Therapist/Cranio Sacral Therapist/Usui & Karuna® Reiki Practitioner:

SpiritWings CompassionateHealing

Massage – Including Therapeutic Massage – Seated Massage – Couples Massage and Outcalls available, Craniosacral Therapy, Herbal Consultations, Hypnotherapy, Reiki and Karuna® Reiki, Past Life Regression, Shamanic Services and Readings. We consult with each client to identify the appropriate modalities to achieve self-healing and overall well-being. We offer Reiki and Karuna® Reiki Classes plus other workshops to guide you on your spiritual journey. Visit SpiritWings apothecary for a cross-cultural variety of enchanting gifts, herbs, herbal tea blends, supplies and accessories to aid your spiritual journey, including Fair Traded and Quartz Singing Bowls, Books and Chimes.

SpiritWings is conveniently located at 85 Main Street (across from the Post Office) in Bethel, Maine. Sessions by appointment. Store hours Tuesday through Saturday 10 - 5. Telephone (207) 824-2204 or visit us on the web at www.SpiritWingsBethel.com. Credit Cards accepted.

Dr. Adi Philpott

Osteopathic P hysician Acupuncture Practitioner, Certified Hypnotherapist, EF T-Adv Holistic Facial Rejuvenation

osteopathy, auriculotherapy (ear acupuncture), hypnotherapy, EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), and Quantum Touch Technique® modalities are highly effective in treating medical conditions and physical/emotional concerns as well as improving performance. These treatments offer excellent results in areas such as pain, stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, phobias, weight loss, smoking cessation, sports and public speaking. Free initial consultation. For more information or an appointment call (888) 598-5445. Conveniently located at, 222 St. John Street, Suite 130, Portland, ME. Now accepting insurance, www.DrPhilpott.com.

SattvaTM

Health and Wellness, Inc. Ayurveda * Energy Medicine Ayurveda is a natural system of medicine that has been successfully practiced for more than 5,000 years. It is a holistic approach to preventing and

treating illness through proper diet, lifestyle, daily routine, and other natural therapies. Ayurveda seeks to find the root cause of imbalances in order to correct the underlying condition or disease, rather than only treat the symptoms. Each individual is unique, and treatment is tailored to your specific needs. Energy medicine supports the body's natural healing ability by restoring energies that have become weak, blocked, or out of balance. My sessions are a combination of Reiki, Quantum Touch® and Therapeutic Touch techniques, and are a wonderful opportunity to decompress and reconnect with yourself. Benefits may include deep relaxation, anxiety and stress reduction, release of blocked feelings and emotions, pain relief and more. Please contact Sandra Maguire for more information. www.sattvahealthandwellness.com, (207) 838-1602, 9 Whites Bridge Road, N. Windham, Maine.

Reiki with Crystals, Stones, Integrated Energy Therapy, Reading, Write-up. Our intuition guides us to the stones and crystals

necessary for our development. Reiki is introduced to balance the body, mind and spirit so your innate healing ability can be bolstered. If you choose, Integrated Energy Therapy is added.

IET provides a simple and gentle way to open the flow of vital life force within the human body and energy field by integrating suppressed feelings from cellular memory and clearing their associated energy blockages. Your messages are discussed. A write-up (detailing the meanings of the stones, the meanings of the flowers, animals, etc. that I saw/ heard/felt during the session and any other messages received) is then sent to you. Call (207) 415-8638 or e-mail: fdyer@maine.rr.com for an appointment/more information.Visa/MC accepted. Jewelry, nature photos. Now in-town Portland, www.lilysongbird.com.

Shen THerapy Thai Bodywork

S. Brennan Murphy, CST, CTYB, CYI SHEN Therapy: A highly effective and accelerated

approach to resolving stuck emotions and physical conditions that are directly affected by emotions.

Have you lost direction? Are you stressed? Do you feel disconnected from yourself and those around you? SHEN therapy works by releasing pain, old emotional memories and life scripts/beliefs buried in our unconscious mind. SHEN also helps with release of grief, depression, low self-esteem, panic/anxiety attacks, anger, shame, guilt, hate, eating disorders, bowel problems, sexual problems, PMS, post traumatic stress disorder, pregnancy and labor. Thai Bodywork: is a comprehensive and relaxing approach to opening the physical body, reducing tension, opening joints, stretching muscles, over-all grounding. Excellent for athletes, sciatica and more! For more information on these modalities and Brennan, please email: sowelu@midmaine.com or phone (207) 326-3236.

If I could define enlightenment briefly I would say it is ''the quiet acceptance of what is.'" ...Wayne Dyer

April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 35

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

For those seeking gentle, safe, alternative methods to improve health and performance Dr. Philpott offers a multidisciplinary approach. Used alone or in combination,

FERN DYER - Reiki Master/IET Practitioner

36 integrative healing–cont.

Massachusetts

intuitive HEALING

"As a healer, I work with individuals in a way that consciously promotes a peaceful and healthy planet. Our

healing work takes place despite the conflicts that wash over us in our daily lives. By healing ourselves we create Wendy Marks changes that have a ripple effect on M.Ed, C.A.S.,FAPA the world around us." I offer Medical Intuitive sessions, energy healing and integrative therapy. With 30 years of experience in traditional and complementary healthcare, I am here to improve your physical, mental and spiritual health. I work with adults to develop and hone their own intuitive skills. www.wendymarks.com (781) 449-5368, wlm922@wendymarks.com"

life mastery

life mastery-cont.

Jen Deraspe, MS

Certified Coach; The Institute for The Work, Holistic Personal Trainer, Retreat Facilitator I spent my life searching for truth and happiness outside of myself. All served me on the path and I am

grateful. Because my seeking path was more external, I experienced only temporary relief. What ultimately led me home was the simplest of methods, The Work of Byron Katie. It is a direct, no non-sense path to personal truth, clarity and freedom held within and no teacher is required. I have been humbled and opened through my own personal inquiry into the source of my stress, fear and internal war with what is. If you are seeking sustained peace and experiencing lasting wellbeing, you are invited to join me on an invigorating journey back to you. The tools used are customized for your individual plan and include The Work, Hatha yoga, meditation, holistic nutrition, lifetime fitness and wellness programming. It would be a privilege to be your guide. I am happy to offer a complimentary phone consultation if you are interested in the possibility of working together. www.ntnretreats.com, 207-452-2929, ntnretreat@yahoo.com

Maine

meditation

Ocean of Possibilities Life Coaching Deborah Bergeron, CPCC, Certified Life Coach, Prosperity Guide

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Create an intentional life… Consider what it would be like to live life fully and authentically, experiencing love, prosperity, ease, freedom, and

fun. In our work together, you will learn to break through limiting paradigms

and create a dynamic vision for your life – a vision that can pave the way to living your greatest potential and sharing your gifts with the world. By weaving in successful coaching principals and the Law of Attraction, you will be guided to access your inner wisdom, to get clear on what you want in your life and learn the tools that will support you in having it. Every journey truly starts with a single step. When you are ready to embark on your mission of life, I would be honored to walk with you. For a complimentary

Maine

Sant Mat Radhaswami, The Path of the Masters The Maine Sant Mat Society presents the Enlightenment Experience as taught by Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj of Bihir, India,

a series of free lectures, meditations and satsangs around Maine facilitated by James Bean, a local representative of the Sant Mat tradition of Inner Light & Sound Meditation known as Surat Shabd Yoga, in the lineage of Tulsi Sahib.

For More Information call (207) 368-5866, or email: James@SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com, Website: www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com/santmat.

coaching session or schedule of workshops call (207) 797-9007 or email: debcoaches@aol.com. Phone sessions available. www.oceanofpossibilities.com.

psychic & spiritual mediumship Maine

TAROTWORKS Jeanne Fiorini A tarot reading is an avenue by which to have an authentic conversation about what matters most in your life. Tarot Works provides numerous ways to

experience the wisdom and beauty of this ancient system of symbols, by offering individual and group readings, classes from beginner's level to "readers in training," ongoing monthly groups, and special events. Phone readings are available.

With 18 years experience as a Tarot practitioner and teacher, and formal training in both mediation and psychosynthesis counseling, Jeanne brings a unique blend of practical guidance and useful information to all readings and classes. She is a contributing columnist for the American Tarot Association's website www.ata-tarot.com/reflections and is currently working on her second book, to be published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd., autumn 2010.

For more information about Jeanne or the TarotWorks offerings, visit www.tarotworks.com or call (207) 799-8648.

PsychicMediumship, Hypnotherapy

Bonnie Lee Gibson is a professional Psychic Medium, Hypnotherapist, Registered Counselor, Reiki Master, healer, teacher and lecturer with thirty years of experience. She

resides in Fairfield and Northport, Maine.

Her first experience with Spirit was at the age of four. She has connected many people with loved ones who have crossed over, as well as their angels and spirit guides. Bonnie Lee communicates with pets, both here and on the spirit side. She gives spirit readings all over the world by telephone and travels in the US and Canada.

Services include: Hypnotherapy, Psychic Mediumship Readings, Gallery Readings, Workshops, Classes and Lectures, Reading Circles and Private Groups in the comfort of your home. Call (207) 453-6133, cell (207) 649-7089, spirit@bonnielee.net, www.bonnielee.net, and www.hypno.us.

Directory of Resources Listings are easy to compose.

Write as though you are speaking to others about the work you do and the services you offer.

For more information call: (207) 799-7995 or email info@innertapestry.org 36 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

37 psychic & spiritual mediumship -cont.

Kat Logan

retreats-cont.

This land is a living resource! The 47 blessed

Intuitive Readings and Healing

• Intuitive Readings (personal, group, parties, phone or email) • Energy Healing (also offering... Sound, Aromatherapy & Flower Essences) • Sacred Space Design for home and garden • Dowsing and Space Clearing Intuitively aware since childhood Kat has been offering readings and energy work for over 25 years. As a spiritual medium, empath and clairvoyant she lovingly brings the messages from the Divine Energies that are resonating with you, to assist you on your life's journey. My work is not to tell you your future but to intuitively counsel you of the many potentials that are resonating with you.

You have the personal power and will to create the life you want. I want to assist you in that process. I also offer sliding scale fee schedules if money is a problem. Kat also offers other services such as Sacred Space Design, Intuitive Art Work, Medicinal Herbal Teas and Flower Essences.

For more information, please check the website: www.mygreatfullheart.com or email: kat@mygreatfullheart.com. Kat is located in Friendship, Maine. Telephone (207) 226-7446.

acres on which “Forest Circles” is located continues to provide visitors with uniquely personal mystical experiences. Overnight solo retreats in the forest are popular. Come for a gathering in a peaceful inside space, a program around the sacred fire pit or a walk. All are invited to experience this parcel of Earth that is eager to communicate and teach you how to find your way back to your heart. At Forest Circles we offer programs which include: multi-cultural spiritual ceremonies, classes for enhancing one’s connection to Earth and inner self, solo and group retreats, classes on native medicinal plants, children’s programs. Strongheart Healing with Regina Strongheart is featured at the retreat center. Self-Retrieval” is a technique developed by Regina that helps you reclaim your personal power and peace. Using healing energy, shamanic journeying and medical intuition, Regina will assist you in finding health and peace. Regina Strongheart, has an MA in education from UNH and experiences including 29 years teaching high school chemistry, 8 years in the medical field and 14 years as a spiritual healer and teacher. She is the owner of “Forest Circles,” Topsham, Me. 207-776-3152, www.forestcircles.com.

reflexology & healing massage Maine

Reflexology is an amazing stress-relieving technique. Relaxation is a skill that most Americans do not practice often. Stress builds

and builds until it becomes a lifestyle. Lynn Marie Danforth has been practicing Reflexology for over 10 years. Lynn specializes in therapeutic Reflexology.

Her greatest success is with tendonitis, plantar fasciitis and relief of tension. Lynn’s Reflexology sessions are quick, effective and could be the answer to your body’s cry for relief. Lynn has been able to show clients that change for the better is possible, that improved health is truly in your hands... and feet. To contact Lynn call (207) 767-5776 or 207-318-0129, or visit www.handsonfeet.net.

Rolling Meadows, a 100 acre yoga and meditation retreat center over-looking the hills of coastal Maine, provides a unique environment for inner reflection away from the stimulation, demands and distractions of daily life. Scheduled silent retreats for up to 10 participants are offered

throughout the year blending meditation, creatively-explored hatha yoga, and guidance in the direct path of self-inquiry. Patricia Brown and Surya Chandra Das teach from 30 years of experience, encouraging students to cultivate intuitive receptivity and openness, guiding them to find the unique expression of their True Nature. They also teach retreats in Guatemala, Mexico and throughout the US. Rolling Meadows Retreat, Brooks, Maine, (888) 666-6412, www.rollingmeadowsretreat.com.

retreats Maine

Sewall House Yoga Retreat Enjoy yoga twice daily, meditation, massage, sauna and healthy home-cooked vegetarian cuisine. Near pristine lakes

and Baxter State Park, hike, bike, swim, canoe, kayak or simply porch sit! Five days suggested, weekends, shorter and longer stays arranged. Step back into time in the comfort of this bed and breakfast style retreat listed in the National Registry of Historic Places.

Nature guide William Sewall shared the healing attributes of nature with a young Theodore Roosevelt, who restored his health from life-threatening asthma here. The tradition continues since 1997 with William Sewall's great granddaughter, yoga instructor Donna Davidge, with over 25 years' experience in the healing arts, and her Swedish husband, musician and chef Kent Bonham. Experience the friendly hospitality Sewall House has always offered.

Sewall House Yoga Retreat Island Falls, Maine www.sewallhouse.com.

(888) 235-2395 Open All Year, prearranged retreats available upon request.

The knowledgeable and experienced practitioners at The Wellness Center offer a full spectrum of holistic, traditional and alternative techniques.

Enjoy engaging seminars that will flex your intellect. Join a movement class to tone your heart and spirit.

Experience the skillful touch of artists sensitive to the subtle thread of muscle and mind. Freshen your outward glow from head to toe. For more information about ongoing programs, upcoming seminars and suite availability, please call (207) 465-4490 or visit us on the Wellness page at VillageSoup.com. The Wellness Center, 69 & 71 Elm Street, Camden, ME 04843.

Not creating delusions is enlightenment. ...Bodhidharma April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 37

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Hands on Feet ~ Lynn Danforth, Certified Reflexologist

38 sacred space

schools & trainings Maine

Maine Earthrest offers indoor and outside gathering space for retreats, workshops, spiritual questing, ceremony and celebration. Come,

surround yourself with natural beauty in a country setting of organic gardens, open fields, woods and water where the land is still a little wild and the animals remember their true names. We are just 35 miles from Portland on 350 acres of very special land, nestled in the foothills of the White Mountains. Inside enjoy the large gathering spaces, both with fireplaces. Outside walk the land, the labyrinth and hiking trails. Many options available. FMI call Pat at (207) 625-4179 or email: earthrest@psouth.net.

Treat Your Feet

A Very Rewarding Career ~ Nurturing your physical Nervous System through reflex points found within your feet & hands.

Learn about a specific touch technique of applying pressure, using your thumb and fingers, to reflex points of the feet and hands that relate to other parts of the body.

Reflexology is credited with improving circulation and reducing body stress, which

removes blockages along the nerve pathways what we call Zones. A 250-hour certification course for School of Reflexology $3,300 to learn Reflexology and its Application.

Cost includes two Reflexology chairs, all required reading books, foot, hand charts, footbath items & much more.

For more information, call Board Certified Foot & Hand Reflexologist Myra Achorn, Augusta (207) 626-FEET. Classes start in February, May & September, www.treatyourfeet.com. Licensed by the State of Maine Department of Education.

Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge and Husky Farm rests on 60 picturesque acres nestled in the heart of the Bear River Valley of Newry in western Maine.

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

The lodge is a marvel of Yankee craftsmanship—a traditional New England timberframe structure featuring hand-cut mortise and tenon joinery throughout. We're also home to the Mahoosuc Guide Service and their working sled dogs! (www.mahoosuc.com.) Our Bed and Breakfast is a fully renovated 1903, three bedroom farmhouse fitted for modern comfort, and situated amid Bear River Valley's breath-taking natural vistas. Guests can take in panoramic views of the 3,500-4,000 foot peaks of the Mahoosuc Range. And we're in the heart of it all: just 1 mile to Grafton Notch State Park; 2 Miles to Grafton Loop Trail; only 4.7 miles to the Appalachian Trail; and just 14 miles to Umbagog Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge is the ideal retreat destination. We're a great location for weddings, concerts/events, business retreats, family reunions, meetings, and more. Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge is ideal for the traveler seeking relaxation, adventure or both. Call Polly or Kevin at: (207) 824-2073 for more

Yokids

is a non-profit, tax-deductible organization. We teach yoga to elementary school children and their homeroom teachers. We can come to your school and teach

formal yoga classes or we can come to your classroom and help you to initiate a yoga program you can use on a daily basis in your class. We also offer Tools for Teachers, an in-house workshop, which teaches teachers to use four basic yoga tools in their daily teaching. These tools will allow teachers to help children with relaxation, breathing, and stress reduction, which will complement their overall learning and create a harmonious learning environment. Workshops can be scheduled as in-house workdays for teachers in public and private schools.

These workshops are individually tailored, and price varies according to the length. Please contact Lily Goodale at ngoodale@aol.com or (207) 236-6001.

Workshops can be given from Portland to Bar Harbor and are certified and part of the Yoga Ed foundation of yoga for children. www.yogaed.com.

information or visit: www.mahoosucmountainlodge.com.

salons & spas Maine

Holistic Facial Rejuvenation Take Beauty to the Next Level More than a cosmetic procedure, Holistic Facial Rejuvenation using ELR™ is a revitalization process for the entire body designed to make you look and feel renewed. Lose that under-eye “baggage!” Turn jowls into a

jaw-line! Look rested, awake and rejuvenated! A complete course of treatment is 10 to 12 sessions, but noticeable results occur after only 1-3 treatments.

• Non-Surgical Facelift • Non-needle, Acupuncture-based • No Side Effects • No Pain • No Downtime for Healing • Holistic Anyone can benefit from ELR™ treatments. From acne to aging, ELR™ is a whole body rejuvenation that will bring your facial beauty to the next level!

Dr. Adi Philpott, 222 St. John St, Suite 130, Portland, ME 04102, (888) 598-5445, www.HolisticFacialRejuvenation.com.

Osteopathic physician, Acupuncture practitioner.

GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

38 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

Healing Ways of Kennebunk Reiki Certification Classes

For Massage Therapists and Bodyworkers Reiki I and Reiki II training offered monthly NCBTMB approved – 8 CE hours per class Learn the ancient hands-on-healing technique known as Reiki. This training is designed to inspire and teach massage therapists to integrate Reiki into their existing practice. Reiki is a powerful yet gentle therapy. Reiki has no contraindications so you will never have to turn another client away. This practical hands-on workshop allows you to work on yourself, others, pets and animals. Reiki is essential for every massage therapist, even if you do not need continuing education hours. Register early – class size limited for individual attention. For more information on class details contact Rachel Pelletier, LMT, Kennebunk, Maine (207) 967-0035 or www.healingwaysonline.com.

“Rachel Pelletier is approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a continuing education Approved Provider.”

If you lay down your perceptions and I lay down mine....

What will we have left?

This certainly is a journey worth taking!

39 schools & trainings–cont.

Chaplaincy Institute of Maine

Interfaith Spiritual Growth and Ordination World Religions, Art as Meditation, Creation Spirituality, Interfaith Worship

First Year: The Way of Contemplation • Second Year: The Way of Action The next two-year program begins September 2010

ChIME offers a two-year program for Interfaith Spiritual growth and possible ordination as an Interfaith Minister.

Students commit to attending class one evening a week and one weekend a month September through May. Two weekend retreats are also built into the schedule. Some weekend workshops are open to the general public.

Tuition for the two years is $5,400.

Information and applications: ChIME Admissions, P.O. Box 3833, Portland, Maine 04104 (207) 347-6740 • chimeadmin@gmail.com • chimeofmaine.org

New Hampshire

The Center for Feng Shui and Intuitive Arts Would you like to learn how to arrange your environment to enhance your life? The Center for

D O R Y C OTE

…Follow the Path to Your Own True Essence. At

the core of my shamanic healing practice is the belief that we have the capacity to be whole, stable, and functioning at our highest potential. My healing space is safe, quiet and nourishing. I regularly perform soul retrievals, communicate with the spirits of deceased loved ones and facilitate healing the numerous wounds of life in the 21st century. I have completed a Three-Year The Center for Program in Advanced Shamanism and Shamanic Earth Light Healing Healing with the Foundation for Shamanic Studies and other intensive trainings, including experiences with indigenous shamans from around the world. I graduated from a Two-Year Teacher Training Program with world-renowned shaman, Sandra Ingerman, and this authorizes me to teach beginner and advanced shamanic healing methods. Please see my workshop schedule or make an appointment at www.earthlighthealing.com, email me at dory@dorycote.com, or call (207) 841-1215.

Pacha Works

Holding New Possibilities.

Working with traditional shamanistic practices for healing.

Eva Rose Goetz, director

"Healing is a collaboration. I love working with people privately or with groups. By working together we remove energies that may be in the way of our coming into wholeness and balance." Eva Rose Goetz: BFA University of Texas at Austin, MS Ed.

Bank Street College NYC, Medicine Wheel Training with Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D. and Lisa Summerlott. Certified In Light Body Medicine with Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D. Core Shamanism with Evelyn Rysdyk and Allie Knowlton.

Eva gratefully continues her studies with indigenous medicine people in Peru, New Mexico, Canada, Africa and Mexico. Eva hosts workshops, leads ceremonies and has a private Shamanic Energy Practice in Falmouth, Maine.

A new 16-month course in beginning Shamanism begins June 2010. More information about classes, private sessions, or ceremonies can be found at www.pachaworks.com or contact Eva directly at (207) 756-0488. "By

working with intentions of great love and spirit it is believed energy can move. A door opens and there is possibility of something new."

shamanic healing Maine Spirit Passages Allie Knowlton, MSW, DCSW & Evelyn Rysdyk As Spirit Passages, C. Allie Knowlton, MSW, DCSW and Evelyn C. Rysdyk (author of Modern Shamanic Living) have facilitated shamanic healings and taught shamanic workshops across the U.S. and Canada since 1991. Graduates of the Foundation

for Shamanic Studies 3-Year Program in Advanced Shamanism and Shamanic Healing, they have also been fortunate to study with indigenous shamans from Peru, Ecuador, Tuva and Siberia. Working heart-to-heart with Spirit, they offer all traditional forms of shamanic healings at True North (207) 781-4488 ~ a unique, multidisciplinary medical center that they helped to found. They may also be reached at: www.spiritpassages.com.

Debra Rainbow Heart Full Mesa Carrier & Lineage Keeper In the Andean Shamanic Tradition

Andean and Core Shamanism Healing Practices Munay-Ki Rites, Ceremonies & Despachos, Workshops, Mentorships, Classes & Retreats Energy medicine sessions on-site or at distance Shamanic Music & Visionary Art

I offer a safe, nurturing, sacred space for healing and transforming energetic patterns of fear/suffering into sources of wisdom, power and grace. Our work together might include: Shamanic Journeying, Deep Chakra Clearing and Illuminations, Soul Retrieval, Energy Extractions, Entity Removal, healing of soul or ancestral wounds from this or past lifetimes, rewriting Soul Contracts, the Munay-Ki Rites, energy-centered bodywork and/or ceremony.

My offerings incorporate 25 years of study and practice with master teachers, indigenous medicine men and women and wisdom keepers of the Americas including: Q'ero elder Don Francisco Chura Flores of Peru, Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D., Brooke Medicine Eagle and Foundation for Shamanic Studies Faculty, Nan Moss and David Corbin. info@rainbowheartshaman.com, (207) 929-6776, 59 Salmon Falls Road, Buxton, ME 04093, www.rainbowheartshaman.com www.munay-ki.org. Offering programs in Maine, New England, the Southwest and Peru.

Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.

...Lao Tzu

April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 39

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Feng Shui and Intuitive Arts can teach you how to do just that! Feng shui is an amazing art and science revealing the patterns that our spaces hold. You’ll be inspired to employ timeless concepts and techniques, empowering yourself and others to thrive in contemporary times. Programs include feng shui certification, workshops, teleclasses and more. Onsite classes are held at Southern NH University, Salem, NH. Call Katina Lemay at (888) 211-2206 or go to www.center4fengshui.com for program details. Classes are for the general public as well as those seeking certification. You’ll also find us on the Diva Toolbox radio twice monthly. To listen, go to: www.divatoolbox.com and click on radio programs. You can listen live or to past episodes.

shamanic healing-cont.

40 writing services Connecticut

Yoga ~ T'ai Chi ~ Aikido Connecticut COLCHESTER, CROMWELL, EAST HAMPTON, PORTLAND & WESTCHESTER Yoga for Health

What’s the best way to reach potential customers?

Speak their language.

Most holistic business owners make the mistake of writing promotional copy that they like instead of what will capture a customer. Karen Rider creates custom copy that aligns your product or service with customer needs.

Ads – Brochures – E-newsletters – Websites – Book Jackets – Press Releases Ghostwriting & co-writing services for articles, columns and books.

View Portfolio at: www.KarenMRider.com, email: KarenMRider@comcast.net phone: (860) 638-8140.

Maine

The Village Scribe The Wellness Center, Camden, Maine

207.344.7070

TheVillageScribe@hotmail.com Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Communicate your authentic message.

Writing and Editing services for the Creative and Holistic communities.

Original Copy for: Ads ~ Business cards ~ Brochures Articles ~ Memoirs ~ Websites Writing Workshops Creative Writing ~ Memoir ~ Mythic Structure Ducktrap Writers' Round Table ~ Supporting writers in their craft.

Camden Public Library, third Sundays, 2:00pm-4:00pm $15.

Custom crafted words that represent who you are and what you do.

Deadlines for the Directory of Resources To Reserve space May 1st

Marcie Loffredo, RYT ~ No experience needed. Styles of Yoga: Ashtanga, Vinyasa Flow, Hot Yoga, Back Care, Stretch and Tone, Weight Loss, Yoga-lates (combo of Yoga and Pilates), meditation, and relaxation.

Visit our website for details www.yoga-4-health.com or email us at marcialoffredo@sbcglobal.net or call (860) 267-8279.

GLASTONBURY Sacred Rivers Yoga Offers Yoga for Every Body, therapeutic massage and bodywork modalities, acupuncture, nutritional and herbal therapies. We are also a Yoga Alliance 200- and 500-hour registered yoga teacher training school. www.sacredriversyoga.com.

Maine BRUNSWICK Human Element Center

The art of movement and the role that it plays in our well-being cannot be underestimated. Come join us in one of our regularly scheduled Tai Chi, QiGong and meditation classes and explore movement with joy. Check out our schedule at www.humanelementcenter.com or call us at (207) 710-0331. Fort Andross Building, 14 Maine Street, Suite 410, Brunswick, ME 04011.

DENMARK, GREATER BRIDGTON LAKES REGION Nurture Through Nature's Donation Based Yoga Center

Our intention is to offer the gift of yoga in a sacred space, supporting healing, restoration, and healthy active movement. We offer weekly, quality classes in a beautiful, natural setting. Design your own healing yoga retreat. www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929, getaway@ntnretreats.com,.

For all graphic and text material May 5th

GORHAM Holistic Pathways Yoga & Healing Center

Yoga ~ T'ai Chi Listings Six issues in print costs $160 for 35 words plus logo.

Online placement in the Directory of Resources with a direct link to your website for an additional $75.

Please call: Curtis White at (413) 595-9092 or (207) 799-7995 or Email: info@innertapestry.org.

40 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

Offering YOGA ONLINE. Now practice yoga in your home with a detailed 8-week series! In-studio classes available—all ages/abilities including Pregnancy Yoga, Family Yoga and Toning & Sculpting. Postures, breathwork, meditation and relaxation. (207) 839-7192. www.holisticpathways.com.

Our thanks to the many who support our community.

41 Continued from page 17 ~ modern shamanic living ~ Sorting Human Beans provides a context within which we can experience ourselves within time/space.

While intentional solitude is an experience that many seek for a brief period to clear their minds or to seek communion with the divine, it is no accident that enforced loneliness has been used as an effective punishment method throughout history.

Recent publications have suggested links between social isolation and an increased rate of illness and early death. It seems that loneliness is profoundly disruptive to human physiology in that it impairs the thinking processes, diminishes the sense of self and will, and even alters the way the DNA functions in our immune cells.

With so many things at stake, maybe it’s time we began exploring genuine human interactions. Certainly, this new way of being would involve the risks of feeling vulnerable or “exposed.” On the other hand, this vulnerability could stimulate us to uncover and heal the misperceptions we have about ourselves and the world that produce those feelings. In feeling more whole, we would risk more connection and it could become a profound chain reaction! Each discomfort unveiling another place inside of ourselves that could eventually contribute to our inner and outer balance.

Maybe the best we can be is a suite of splendid interconnections! Certainly, if we look at our physical body or the Earth, it is the intricate interconnectivity within each that makes the organism or environment healthy. John Muir said

something lovely about those connections, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.”

When we drop the facade that our definitions provide for us, we have the opportunity to see the connections that are already present. We discover that we weren’t really alone in this world after all. By gazing into another’s eyes, we can see reflections of our own. We can also see beyond them as if they were windows that look out on the entire universe.

So we’re back to the mutual question, “Who are you?” Let’s start avoiding the old definitions about ourselves and each other. While we don’t yet have all the details, we can be assured that we are a part of a huge, marvelous, interconnected Whole.

And within that entirety, every tiny aspect is equally magnificent. © 2010 Evelyn C. Rysdyk

Nationally recognized shaman teacher/healer, speaker, and author of Modern Shamanic Living: New Explorations of an Ancient Path, Evelyn C. Rysdyk delights in supporting people to remember their sacred place in All That Is. Whether though face-to-face contact with individual patients, workshop groups and conference participants, or through the printed word—Evelyn uses her loving humor and passion to open people’s hearts and inspire them to live more joyful, fulfilling and purposeful lives. In joint practice with Allie Knowlton as Spirit Passages, her web site is www.spiritpassages.com.

Continued from page 20 ~ Eating... The Angel Way

Based on the Angels messages and the personal and academic experience that we bring to the Angel Way, we hope the next set of ideas we present will help those who have been confused about nourishment to understand why there is no one diet, or no one eating plan or philosophy that works for everyone—not even identical twins.

Physiological and Spiritual Uniqueness The bodymind – yours, mine, everyone’s – is unique. Physiologically, it is an awe-inspiring entity that provides you with “information” through a divinely orchestrated, cascading network of neurotransmitters (information molecules), electrical, chemical and hormonal signals. All of these conduits of information carry messages between cells and all the biological systems in the body. Every stimulus you encounter in your environment, even those that you are not consciously aware of, generates a physiological, mental and emotional response as the situation requires.

Your physiology interacts with any genetic tendencies you acquired through your family of origin and with your lifestyle. As a result, each person exhibits a unique biochemistry that is dependant upon lifestyle experiences and genetic blueprint. Though science is not quite on board with the idea, if we consider the Soul scientifically, we can extend these ideas to say that the energetic patterns from past lives – or the spiritual lessons we are here to learn—also influence and interact with the physical vessel.

A Spectrum of Choices for Divine Uniqueness Let’s take a look at how these first two Angel Way Guidelines fit together.

First, no two Angel Guideline followers will use the same methods of preparation, have the same eating habits or food preferences. A vegan and a meat-eater may both choose a salad that incorporates all the colors of the rainbow, but the “white-light” food (complete protein) accompanying that salad may be quinoa and forbidden rice for the vegan, and cold sliced beef filet for the meat-eater. A vegetarian may choose cheese. Someone on a heart-healthy diet or with other health concerns might choose salmon. Someone who wants to lose a couple pounds might choose a hard-boiled egg or cottage cheese.

Second, no two Angel Way followers are going to have access to the same sources of food, methods of preparation or habits of eating. The Angels encourage us to choose the best we can with the resources and options available to us. A few examples from Angel Way followers: Annie just returned from three weeks in Hawaii; she enjoyed rainbow foods and high quality protein at every meal! Meanwhile, Karen was struggling through the New England winter with only purple cabbage as an acceptable (to her tastes) in-season veggie in that color family. Another friend who just moved to Texas is having a hard time with the lack-luster produce selections available to her. While our California Angel Way followers have nearly year-round access to the full spectrum of foods that nourish their bodyminds the Angel Way. (They still like their lattes, though).

Third, no two Angel Way followers will eat their meal in the same way, though all are encouraged to eat mindfully. So, when Annie sits down to a meal, she likes to visualize the respective foods activating the associated chakra*. Karen rarely gets to sit and savor her food because she has two pre-school age children dancing at her feet. Still, she makes a conscious effort to be aware of what food she has chosen, to chew mindfully, and to listen for feelings of fullness amidst the giggles and screeches of the young ones. Others listen to classical music to set an appropriate atmosphere for eating… The Angel Way. Again, what and how you eat is up to you.

The Angels’ prayer for each of us is to go slowly, to consider the spectrum of choices—from most to least healthy—available to us at all phases of food consumption, harvest to table. They urge us to pay attention to the signals from our wise bodyminds and, most importantly, appreciate how uniquely special each of us truly is, and therefore, how deserving of loving nurturance.

Next in The Angel Way Series: A Rainbow Recipe for Change: Slowly and With Care, more about complete protein—“white light” and “rainbow” foods in the next articles in this series.

Annie Kelleher is the published author of 11 novels, a Reiki Master and an intuitive medium whose office is located in Avon, CT. Karen M. Rider holds degrees in Exercise Science and in Health/ Experimental Psychology; she is the author of 100+ articles and several works of short fiction on holistic health and metaphysical subjects. Annie and Karen’s book, Eating…The Angel Way, is under consideration with a major publishing house. For private consultations with Annie, call: 860-693-4149.

Send questions to: eatingtheangelway@gmail.com. Blog www.eatingtheangelway.blogspot.com.

SUPPORT THE GROWTH OF INNER TAPESTRY AND THE ADVERTISERS WHO BRING THIS JOURNAL TO YOU! Let them know that you saw their ads in Inner Tapestry!

April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 41

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

In her studies and professional work as a wellness coach, Karen found that what makes one woman energetic, could make another feel sluggish. She observed that the same eating plan worked for one client but not another just as the same exercise routine had different results for different women, even if their initial physical assessments were similar.

42

Calendar and Classified

Guidelines And Advertising Rates Are Located on Page 45

H eart V isions May 2010 through October 2010 Greenwood Herbals 2010 Herbal Apprenticeship A beginner's hands-on 6 month program meeting one weekend a month. The focus will be on native plant identification and use as well as to learn how to work with plants in our daily lives. FMI contact Debbie Mercier, Herbalist at herbalist@ greenwoodherbals.com or visit www.greenwoodherbals.com.

May 16th-22nd, 2010 Avila, Spain: Walking with Teresa of Avila

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

(2 spaces left) www.mysticpeace.com.

May 28th-30th Weekend Retreat Gaining Balance For The New Consciousness Of 2012 $295.00 with a $100.00 deposit before April 15th. For more information visit: www.holisticuniversalhealing.com or call Claudia (207) 324-3276.

June 2010 Ireland Pilgrimage: Exploring the Divine Feminine www.mysticpeace.com.

June 25th-27th Weekend Retreat at the Windham Retreat House In Windham, New York, 12496. Cost $225, per person double occupancy includes yoga, meditation, workshops, mountain hikes, organic vegetarian meals. Contact Divyajvoti@sbcglobal.net.

June 29th-July 12th, Journey Into Oneness Peruvian Amazon & Andes Mountains, $3,400.00, deposit by April 7th of $500.00. Call Claudia (207) 3243276 or e-mail her, cragonesi@hotmail.com. Space is limited: for more information visit www.holisticuniversalhealing.com.

May 24th-29th, 2011 Assisi, Italy Know the wisdom of St. Clare and St. Francis and the sacred silence of the stones of Assisi with Megan Don. www.mysticpeace.com.

May 2012 Glastonbury, England Experience the healing waters of the Chalice Well, bringing harmony to your well being. With Megan Don www.mysticpeace.com.

April ~ Connecticut April 11th Workshop: Spiritual Wisdom on Conquering Fear Discover how the solution to fear is at your fingertips. Learn how to overcome fear of losing love, fear of change, and fear of death. Explore tools to overcome fear, including dreams and spiritual exercises. 12:30pm-2:00pm. Eckankar Temple of Connecticut, Route 66 and Harvestwood Rd., Middlefield, CT, (860) 346-2226, www.ct-eckankar.org.

April 28th, Wednesday, 7:00pm-9:00pm Lecture ~ The Wellness Aspect of Feng Shui With Micheléy Angelina, Willimantic - Windham Hospital Integrative Health Services "For The Health of It" in Bernard & Desrosier Rooms, 112 Mansfield Ave., Willimantic, CT. For more information call (860) 456-6002, Cost: Free.

42 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

April ~ Maine

April ~ Vermont

April 10th & 17th, 9:00am-4:00pm, both Saturdays Usui Reiki III, ART Workshop:

April 11th, 1:00pm-4:00pm Qigong Workshop - Microcosmic Orbit

Advanced practitioner attunement and techniques, working with crystals and the Reiki Grid, meditation and aura balancing techniques. Ample practice time. Must have completed Reiki I. FMI-Yvonne Thibodeau, Sophia’s Wisdom at (207) 356-2662.

The Microcosmic Orbit is a fundamental practice of Qigong training. Learning to circulate the energy through the proper channels is a lifelong endeavor. This class will focus on the main points of focus along the orbit. Beginners Welcome. Studio Time and Space www.studiotimeandspace.org (802) 951-0990.

April 10th-11th Loving What Is and What Isn’t

May ~ Connecticut

through Yoga, Meditation, Nature and The Work™ of Byron Katie. Relationship Retreat $120.00 at Nurture Through Nature’s Green Retreat Center, Denmark, Maine www. ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.

April 17th, 1:00pm-3:00pm Unique Hypnosis Weight Loss Discover the Mind-Body Weight Loss System developed by Master Hypnotist (1998) Carol Cliche, M.CHT. Includes class, holistic food plan, plus BONUS 1-hr private hypnosis appointment customized to you! $99 Spring Special. Pre-register April12th, limit 8-seats. Kennebunk, ME (207) 251-6776.

May 26th, Wednesday, 7:00pm-9:00pm Lecture ~ Reiki for Self Healing Cherese Mathews and Carleen Wells Willimantic - Windham Hospital Integrative Health Services "For The Health of It" in Bernard & Desrosier Rooms,112 Mansfield Ave., Willimantic, CT For more information call (860) 456-6002, Cost: Free.

May ~ Maine

April 23rd-25th Spring Cleaning your Body, Mind and Spirit

May 1st, Saturday, 9:30am-4:00pm The Light Inside the Dark:

through Ayurveda, Yoga, Meditation and Nature at Nurture Through Nature’s Green Retreat Center, Denmark, Maine , www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929, $350.

The Spiritual Alchemy of Grief, Fear and Despair, Author & Presenter, Miriam Greenspan, Trinity Episcopal Church, 580 Forest Ave, Portland, Maine. This workshop is $75 per person.

To register http://www.gifttool.com/shop/ShopDepartment?ID =1226&VER=1&LNG=EN&DID=853.

April 22nd-May 27th, Thursday evenings 6:30pm-9:00pm Level I Mentorship The Munay-Ki Great Rites of EnlightenmentOpen your Heart to the Power of Munay - Love in Motion. Engage all nine rites, mystery teachings and transformational ceremonies seeding your luminous body to hold the highest vibrations of universal love. A deeply transformational and empowering journey! 15 contact hours, resource materials including a DVD & MunayKi Pi Stone: $288 Facilitated by Debra Rainbow Heart at RiverRest, 59 Salmon Falls Road, Buxton, ME 04093 FMI: www.rainbowheartshaman.com info@rainbowheartshaman.com, (207) 929-6776.

April 23rd-25th Yoga & Meditation Retreat w/Surya Chandra Das Yoga postures, pranayama, restorative poses, meditation, selfinquiry, silence, organic vegetarian meals, free time at quiet 100-acre country sanctuary. www.rollingmeadowsretreat.com (888) 666-6412.

April 24th-25th, 9:00am-4:00pm both days Usui Reiki I Workshop: Learn the history of Reiki energy and the energetic system, as well as, meditation and treatment techniques. Ample practice time.

FMI: Yvonne Thibodeau, Sophia’s Wisdom at (207) 356-2662.

April 25th, 3:00pm Reconciliation Pianist Elan Sicroff presents sacred music from the Gurdjieff-de Hartmann repertoire; a unique reconciling of East and West. First Parish Church, Portland, ME. Contact: hbennett@Wyllaned.org.

April 30th, Friday, 7:00pm-9:00pm Healing Through the Dark Emotions: The Wisdom of Grief, Fear and Despair Author & Presenter, Miriam Greenspan, Trinity Episcopal Church, 580 Forest Ave, Portland, Maine. This lecture is $20 per person. To register http://www.gifttool.com/shop/ShopDepartment?ID=1226&VE R=1&LNG=EN&DID=853.

May 3rd & May17th, 5:30pm-6:30pm Animal Totem Playshops First playshop is for children 6 and up; the second playshop is for teens. $12 per person and will be held at Dana Warp Mill, Westbrook ME. Visit www.acorn-productions.org. FMI: call Cindy McOsker at (207) 329-8273, www.altmd.com/Specialists/Cynthia-McOsker.

May 8th, 2:00pm-4:00pm Mother/Daughter Workshops A relationship enhancing experiential learning workshop, $33/ couple at Gardens of Atlantis. Registration (207) 929-5088, www.gardensofatlantis.org, FMI: Cindy McOsker (207) 329-8273, www.altmd.com/Specialists/Cynthia-McOsker..

May 16th-22nd a St John canoe trip and May 24th-29th an Allagash trip Wilderness canoeing trips with Mahoosuc Guide Service May October. Owner guided, wholesome food, wood canvas canoes, handcrafted ash paddles, some women only trips, some western river trips. www.mahoosuc.com or (207) 824-2073.

May ~ Massachusetts May 23rd, Sunday, 10:00am-5:00pm Psychic Development, Past Lives, & Angel Communication Workshop with Ross J. Miller, psychic healer, medium, regression therapist. In this unique, experiential workshop you’ll learn how to identify your guardian angels and spirit guides by name and receive their guidance, healing and inspiration; discover your soul’s life purpose; experience two of your past lives and heal the residual karma from them; give psychic readings to others in class and more, Newton, MA. To register for the workshop or to schedule a psychic or past-life reading or healing session in person or over the phone, visit our website: www.TheMysticWay.com or call Ross J. Miller (617) 527-3583.

April ~ Massachusetts May ~ New Hampshire April 10th I.D.E.A.L. Process 7:

EOL and I.D.E.A.L. Process as Quantum Physics in Action Seventh class in series; Prerequisite: EOL Workshops 16. Presented by EOL Founders Sue and Aaron Singleton. $175; Early-Pay discount; 9.6 Contact Hours. Details: Visit www.TheWayToBalance.com; (978) 834-0341.

May 17th-21st, Monday-Friday, 9:00am-4:30pm Immersion in the Energetic Realms Explore subtle energy through 5 unique classes.Contact: Katina Lemay, The Center for Feng Shui and Intuitive Art, PO Box 394, Windham, NH 03087, www.center4fengshui.com (888) 211-2206.

43

May ~ Vermont May 29th & 30th, all day event Zen Yoga & Qigong Workshop/Bonfire - Fire Spinning Join us for a day or two days! of Zen Yoga, bonfires, fire spinning, sword performances in our magical gardens at the Zen Yoga & Healing Arts Center. www.artofzenyoga.com (802) 685-4448.

July 30th-August 1st Women's Wilderness Canoe and T'ai Chi Adventure Explore the wilds of Maine by canoe with Polly Mahoney, coowner of Mahoosuc Guide Service, with daily T'ai Chi & Qigong play led by Betsey Foster. www.mahoosuc.com, Betsey Foster, MPH, director T'ai Chi & Qigong for All, LLC., 36 Knoll Rd., Greenwood, ME, 04255, (207) 875-2426.

U p com ing M aine Upcoming~Massachusetts

June 2nd-6th, Mid-coast ~ Women's Retreat: Cleanse the Body ~ Celebrate the Soul ~Deep mind-body-spirit healing. Cost: $310 (includes Cleanse Kit) Hallie Holland, MSW, RMT ~ (207) 751-7537. Awaken Awareness: Reiki, The Polarity Way * Member of Team Northrup.

June 4th-6th Wellness Weekend at Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge in the western mountains. Practitioners offering their services throughout the weekend, evening presenters, comfortable accommodations available. FMI: call Polly (207) 824-2073.

June 5th & 6th, 9:00am-4:00pm both days Welcome to “Shamanism: What’s it all about?”

This workshop will be an introductory journey into shamanic practice. We will look at history, practice, and basic techniques.

FMI: Yvonne Thibodeau, Sophia’s Wisdom at (207) 356-2662.

June 6th, Sunday, 1:30pm-7:00pm Lee Carroll & Kryon Live Channelling! Lee Carroll, author of 14 books, explores the 2012 Phenomenon, Quantum thinking and application to practical life, recognizing when we're stuck in 3D. $95, (239) 357-661, kryonportland@kryon.com.

June 6th, 10:30am-3:00pm, June 13th, 10:00am-4:00pm Spring Workshops on Frye Island, Sebago Lake

June 18th-20th Summer Solstice Holistic Retreat for Women, Come Nurture your soul! www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929, $395.

June 26th (raindate June 27th), 1:00pm-4:00pm Outdoor Family Reiki Attunement

Level 1, Module 4 This Acupressure System fuses ancient and modern techniques, making a quantum leap to address the direct frequencies of trauma and illness. Open to practitioners and laypersons; details at (978) 834-0341 or visit www.TheWayToBalance.com.

Ongoing~Connecticut Sunday ~ Bhakti-Yoga Festival – 5:00pm Join us for kirtan, philosophy and vegetarian dinner. No charge. Hare Krishna Temple. 1683 Main St. East Hartford CT 06108 (860) 289-7252, www.iskconct.org.

Island Falls, Maine: Enjoy food, yoga twice daily and New York City Belly Dancing Teacher Reyna Alcala, (888) 235-2395 or info@ sewallhouse.com. Cost of accommodations plus $100 for workshop.

July 30th-August 1st Inner Development Workshop with Master Fong Ha A rare opportunity to study with an internationally respected and beloved Master of the Chinese Internal Arts. Renowned for his power, graciousness and insight, Fong Ha is one of the few I Ch'uan teachers in the West. He will teach selections from I Ch'uan, Ruler Chi Kung, Yang Style Tai Chi and other meditative Qigong styles. Join us for one or more days to naturally develop your inner health and vitality. Register Early, space is limited. Brunswick, ME. FMI: (207) 798-8488 or www.HumanElementCenter.com.

Send all listings to

info@innertapestry.org

All women welcome to a weekly meditation in the Greenfire tradition. Location: Newcastle, St.Andrews Parish House, Glidden St. 6:30pm–7:30pm (not on the 3rd Wednesday of the month).

For more info please call: Angela Hassenpflug (207) 592-7888.

Sunday Night: Portland Spiritualist Church meets at 719 Main Street, Westbrook (UU Church) for 6:30pm Service, Healing Meditation, Inspirational Talk, Messages from Spirit. FMI call (207) 655-6673 or visit our website at www.portlandspiritualistchurch.org.

Fourth Friday of each month - Gallery Readings.

Friday Night: Weekly Psychic Development

National non-profit organization for parents with an interest in holistic health and green living. Visit www.holisticmoms.org to find a local chapter.

and Awareness Classes, except for the 4th Friday which is Gallery Readings - see above. Portland Spiritualist Church, 719 Main Street, Westbrook (UU Church). Classes start at 7:30pm.

Most classes are by donation. FMI call (207) 655-6673 or visit our website at www.portlandspiritualistchurch.org.

SunDo Mountain Taoism Classes in Taoist breathwork, meditation and postures for all fitness levels. SunDo Taoist practice enhances the body's qi-energy flow, which promotes health and higher consciousness. (860) 523-5260, www.sundo.org.

ECKANKAR Temple of CT -- a place for all who love God. ECKANKAR, the religion of the Light and Sound of God. Worship services are the second Sunday of every month 10:00am with fellowship and refreshments afterwards.

Corner of Route. 66 and Harvestwood Rd. Middlefield, CT. (860) 346-2226; www.ct-eckankar.org.

Ongo i ng~ M aine

Have a problem with food?

July 23rd-26th Sewall House Yoga Retreat Belly Dancing Weekend

Wednesday Women’s Meditation Group

Holistic Moms Network

July 2nd, 3rd, & 4th 2010 Camp Etna Summer Program

6-week speech therapy sessions available for children with Speech and Language Diagnosis i.e. fluency/stuttering, Aspergers… Walnut Equestrian Center, Cape Elizabeth, FMI: Cindy McOsker (207) 329-8273, hourly sessions, www.altmd.com/Specialists/Cynthia-McOsker.

Sustain or reclaim your good health with the Taoist Tai Chi Society® internal art of Tai Chi Chuan. In more than 25 countries around the globe, people of all ages and abilities enjoy the many benefits of practicing this art of holistic health.

Classes are offered in Westbrook, Bridgton, Brownfield & Blue Hill. FMI: (207) 329-4346, or email: portland.me@taoist.org.

Individual & Group Reiki Sessions, Reiki Shares & Classes.

Please call Carleen, RMT at (860) 642-7410 for more information.

KIRTAN, on third Saturday of each month

July 14th-August 18th, Wednesdays Speech Therapy with Horses/Ponies

Taoist Tai Chi TM Internal Arts of Health

Join us at the Portland Spiritualist Church, 719 Main Street, Westbrook (UU Church) for an evening of messages from Spirit.

7:00pm $10 event. FMI call (207) 655-6673 or visit our website at www.portlandspiritualistchurch.org.

Ongoing Monthly Group Reiki Sessions

Bring your entire family and receive Reiki I. Enjoy the benefits together! $150/family, FMI: contact Cindy McOsker (207) 329-8273, www.altmd.com/Specialists/CynthiaMcOsker, Registration Gardens of Atlantis (207) 929-5088, www.gardensofatlantis.org.

Etna Spiritualist Association announces it's 135th summer season. A "Creative Awakening Weekend: Where all Roads make a Positive Turn." For Details on this event or the entire "Camp Etna" summer schedule go to www.campetna.com or email us at info@campetna.com or call 207-269-2094 to request a brochure.

Reiki classes offered monthly. Learn this ancient art of hands-on healing for yourself, loved ones, and pets.

FMI Rachel Pelletier, LMT (207) 967-0035 or www.healingwaysonline.com.

at Universalist Chapel, N. Fryeburg, ME. Located junction of Fish St. and Rt. 113. 7:00pm-9:00pm. All are welcome. FMI: Kathleen (207) 925-3133, Suzanne (207) 831-0868 email: indigo.8.yoga@gmail.com. Namaste'

Satsang/Meditation ~ Camden/Lincolnville.

Silent meditation based on works of H.W.L. Poonja & Ramana Maharshi. Tapes, Readings & Films too. Meetings Tuesday evenings at 6:30pm. Info Call: (207) 763-3860.

Meditation and Buddhism: Nagaloka is a spiritual community that provides space for individuals to explore and practice Buddhism. Weekly meditation sessions, retreats and introductory classes on meditation and Buddhism are scheduled regularly. Bookstore, too! www.nagalokabuddhistcenter.org, (207) 774-1545.

The New Moon Rituals with Chief Oscar Mokeme www.museumafricanculture.org and the class "Developing Your Personal Healing Gifts" with teacher, healer and medical intuitive Regina Strongheart at "Forest Circles," Topsham, Maine, africart@museumafricanculture.org.

Tuesday Buddhist Meditation

Does your eating behavior make you or others unhappy?

There is help available in OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS! Check out oamaine.org to learn more, or call 211 for meeting times.

We practice Dzogchen Meditation; Natural Love and Awareness; and Natural Compassion and Awareness. All practices are for beginners and long-time practitioners, 25 Middle Street, Portland. 6:00pm-7:00pm. Jane Burdick, janeburd@maine.rr.com or (207) 773-6809.

Serene Healing Arts Center offers Wellness programs

MOOSE Open Microphone-Spoken Word

at Topsham Medical Building. Qigong, Chair Yoga, Macrobiotics cooking classes and Ayuverdic cooking classes starting March 16, 2010. For more information please call Serene Healing Arts at (207) 721-9919.

The Maine Organization Of Storytelling Enthusiasts serving the Storytelling Community of Maine meets monthly on the second Wednesday from 7:00pm-9:00pm at the North Star Cafe in Portland. http://mooseevent.bravehost.com.

Authentic Movement Dance at Bath Dance Works

Earthrest Discussion Series

First and third Saturdays of the month, 10:00am-1:00pm, April 3rd & 17th May 1st & 15th, suggested donation $10, no experience is necessary. FMI: call Kay Mann (207) 725-9997 or email dancingfewl@pobox.com.

Earthrest is offering a series of weekly discussion groups using workbooks developed by Northwest Earth Institute: Sustainable Living, Deep Ecology, Global Warming. FMI: (207) 625-4179 or earthrest@psouth.net.

Kirtan at Portland Yoga Studio, 1st and 3rd Fridays

Nia With Maggie Bokor

Join us on a vocal journey through the sacred sounds of ancient India with call & response group chanting. Beginners welcomed. $5.00 suggested donation. 7:00pm-8:30pm, 616 Congress St., 3rd floor, Portland, ME. FMI: www.portlandyoga.com.

Find bliss in your body! Nia is barefoot movement blending dance, yoga and martial arts. Check out Maggie's Portland area classes at www.dancenia.com, (207) 899-5939.

The Ducktrap Writers’ Round Table

Give yourself the gift of Yoga! Ongoing weekly classes morning and evening for all levels. Call (207) 431-8079 or visit www.ShivaShaktiYogaSchool.com.

meets on third Sundays at Camden Public Library from 2:00pm-4:00pm. A venue for writers who wish to share work, receive feedback and be supported in their craft. Call Teresa Piccari, proprietor of The Village Scribe, at (207) 344-7070 for more info. Suggested fee is $15. Next meetings are February 21st and March 21st.

Qigong and Tai Chi Easy classes starting now Qigong is the gentle Chinese art of movement and breath that has profound health and spiritual benefits. Tai Chi Easy is a series of Tai Chi movements that are easy to learn and promote brain health, physical healing, and relief from stress. Both are starting at the end of January and going through the spring semester at The Awake Collective, The Landing Center, and Meadow Wind. Please call Ann Walker, certified IIQTC Qigong and Tai Chi instructor at (207) 699-4299 for more information.

ShivaShakti School of Yoga, Rockland

Kripalu Yoga Class in Windham Mondays 9:15am-10:30am and Wednesdays, 5:30pm-6:45pm at the Masonic Hall on River Road. Contact Rebecca at (207) 749-4150 for more information, www.lawindwellness.com.

Continued on page 44

April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 43

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

First workshop: Meet your core power animals in Totem.

Workshop, $75; Second workshop: What are your Chakra's wanting to tell you? $85. FMI: contact Cindy at (207) 329-8273, www,altmd.com/Specialists/Cynthia-McOsker.

June 5th-6th EOL Visionary Acupressure System

Reiki - Healing Ways of Kennebunk

44 Spiritual Horizons Maine

Doula tea, meet with doulas in person

Meets every other Tuesday at 7:00pm, 75 State Street, Portland. Alternate weeks group on A Course in Miracles.

Contact: Tom Peterson (207) 310-0030 or John Moulton (207) 874-7602, www.spiritualhorizonsmaine.org.

Learn how doulas help families during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. We meet Sundays at the Birth Roots, 101 State St., Portland from 4:00pm-5:00pm. There is no fee, preregistration is required. Call Rebecca Goodwin at (207) 318-8272.

Tarot Readings - Third Thursday each Month

Stretch, Relax and Recharge Through YOGA

Energy balancing sessions for artists, actors, and performers, recover your highest creative self. Post-performance rebalancing. $80 ($70 students) Holistic Pathways, Gorham, (207) 839-9819 www.starlightacting.org.

A gentle way to reduce stress, tension and pain, while increasing vitality, flexibility, strength, a positive mind and balance on all levels. Ongoing Iyengar Yoga Classes (20 years of teaching) Kennebunk: Monday 5:00pm continuing level & 7:00pm beginners, Thursday 5:15pm continuing level 8 weeks at $99, frop in fee $15. In Portland: Saturdays 10am continuing beginners. Yoga Vacation in Virgin Gorda February 14th-21st, $700 plus airfare FMI: call Jeanette Schmid Lakari (207) 282-5528 or email at yogajs@maine.rr.com.

The Womanly Art of Self Defense and Empowerment

USM Center for Continuing Education.

Gallery-style Tarot readings for all those in attendance. South Portland location 6:30pm-9:30pm. $25. Group size limited; register early! FMI/Register Jeanne Fiorini (207) 799-8648.

Energize! A holistic approach to performance

Ongoing course for women, awareness & prevention skills, verbal self-defense & empowerment, basic self-defense techniques.

(207) 266-4902, Trenton Family Karate, Trenton/Ellsworth area.

Hatha Yoga, Meditation, Satsang Classes in Psychological & Spiritual Development & more.

Based in the Tradition of the Himalayan Sages. North Yarmouth.

For full listing, see www.TurningLight.org (207) 829-2700.

The Path of Celtic Buddhism Celtic Buddist meditation in Rockland, ME. Group practice on Sunday mornings at 8:30am. Please call for information (207) 701-5022, heartln@sover.net, www.celticbuddhism.org.

"Yokids" Yoga Ed Tools for Teachers Workshops Yokids instructors Lily Goodale and Lynnette Moore will come to your school and train homeroom teachers to use simple, yoga-based mind/body integration techniques to enhance their teaching and support a harmonious teaching environment.

Please contact Lily Goodale, ngoodale@aol.com, (207) 236-6001.

Thank God It's Grace: Women in God, Women in Good

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Please join Women In God each Thursday, 4:30pm-5:30pm at Meadow Wind 100 Gray Road, Falmouth, for an hour of peace, grace and spiritually-based conversation. Women in God is a non-denominational spiritual support group that welcomes all women on a path of love, hope and inspiration. For more information call (207) 233-7658, or visit www.womeningod.com.

The Birth House Bridgton's new freestanding birth center hosts monthly tours on the first Thursday, 6:30pm-7:00pm. Stay for free informational sessions. www.birthhouseme.com or (207) 647-5919.

Wavelengths Hypnotherapy ongoing classes: Self-Hypnosis, Weight Management, Smoking Cessation, Relaxation, Guided Imagery Classes. Bonnie Lee Gibson, CH and Ernie VanDenBossche, BCH, CI; www.hypnowave.com (207) 453-6133, (207) 649-9655, Waterville, ME.

Real-ize Your Integral Potentials Real-ize your multidimensional self! Integral Energy Healing ~ Explorations in Consciousness ~ Leadership in Consciousness ~ Life Transformations. We offer sessions, classes, circles and workshops. Elizabeth@IntegralPotentials.com (207) 873-3514.

Kittery, ME: Rawfood Potlucks, 5:00pm Third Saturday of each month, with guest speakers from the rawfood community. Support, learn, share, and build a local rawfood community. Call Aimee, (207) 409-0899.

Inner Light Church of Spiritualism, Rev. Gloria Nye Location: Governor King Lodge 649, U.S. Route 1, Scarborough, ME, Sunday Services: 10:00am Healing Chairs, 10:30am Service, Healing Meditation, Inspirational Talk, Messages from Spirit, 12:00pm Fellowship Hour – Refreshments.

Ayurvedic Massage Experience Abhyanga, Garshana and Shirodhara, the ancient healing bodywork techniques of India. Ruthanne Harrison, LMT. Located in Richmond, ME (207) 737-8593.

Reiki Works offers all levels of Reiki

Ongoing classes in Complementary Therapies, (Traditional Chinese Medicine, Aromatherapy, Reiki, etc.) Visit www.usm.maine.edu/cce for course & registration information or call (207) 780-5900 for catalog.

Planetary Activation Organization in Maine Is actively looking for people to join this group. For info visit www.paoweb.com. If interested, call (207) 743-2613, E-mail bobham@adelphia.net, or write Maria Ham, 51 BumpTown Rd, South Paris, ME 04281.

Children’s Aikido Kokikai Class Josiah Bartlett Elementary School in Bartlett NH, The Ballroom in Harrison Maine, Water and Stone Yoga Studio in Conway, NH, Contact Jane Biggio for more information at (603) 374-6326 or email at bamboomountain@ncia.net.

Holistic Pathways Yoga & Healing Center, Gorham.

Energy Vibrational Healing Therapies including Polarity and Energy Interference Patterning of DNA. Ongoing Reiki & Therapeutic Touch classes. FMI: (207)-839-7192, www.holisticpathways.com.

Artists Support Group, Inner Balance, Belfast, ME On 156 High Street. Third Tuesday of the month from 7:00pm-8:30pm. Call Elliot Benjamin at (207) 338-4576.

Mindful Meditation™ Thursdays, 12:00pm-1:00pm All are welcome, no experience necessary. $15 or 4 classes for $50. Mind/Body Therapy at Cancer Community Center 778 Main Street, South Portland, Maine, (207) 650-3964, FMI www.mbtherapy.org.

The Rose Cottage Teaching Reiki Master, Transformational Breath, Crystal Healing, Hypnotherapy, and Hypnobirthing. Private sessions by appointment. Gift certificates. Ongoing classes. Contact Vicki Kupferman 14 Weed Rd., Knox, Maine. (207) 568-3782.

Kripalu “DansKinetics” The body, mind, spirit workout blending yoga and dance.

No experience necessary. Free trial class. Days Meadow Farm, 889 Alewive Rd. Kennebunk. (207) 985-6896.

Sacred Circle Dance Dances from a multi-cultural folk dance tradition.

Steps taught at all sessions. No experience/partner needed.

Fourth Friday of every month, 7:00pm-8:30pm, Portsmouth, NH. FMI: amyla44@juno.com, (603) 750-7506.

Experience the healing of Love without conditions Ongoing classes. Learn the freedom of healing without limitations. Shamballa 1-4 and 13D Certification. Contact Elizabeth, Center of Momentum, (207) 873-3514, or centerofmomentum@hotmail.com.

Short-term Solutions-oriented Couples & Family Work Guiding Couples & Families from conflict to communication, from disengaged to connected, from hurting to resolution.

Group and private sessions. Call Maureen McCarty-Darling at (207) 975-5200.

Wise Women Daughters of the Moon

Classes, sessions and free clinics. For schedule please contact Andrea Smith, B.S. Rehabilitation at reikiworks@beeline-online.net (207) 474-9962.

Ceremonial Wisdom Circle honoring our Inner & Outer Seasons & Cycles. Sliding Scale. FMI: www.spiritualrenaissance.com, www.templeoftheheart.com or call Deborah, spiritual guide, priestess: (207) 883-1081.

Dragonfly Taijiquan, Larry Ira Landau

Belfast Yoga Studio. Iyengar style Hatha Yoga

Group & Private Instruction in T’ai Chi Ch’aun (taijiquan) & Chi Kung (qigong) for beginners & experienced students.

Studios in Portland and Kennebunkport. Ongoing classes, workshops & retreats. FMI: (207) 761-2142 or (207) 967-4070.

SpiritWings–Workshops, Reiki Classes in Bethel ME Reiki Share second Tuesday of every month. Well-Being and Healing Classes Regularly. Offering Tibetan/Usui and Karuna® Reiki-Meditation Classes and Ancestral Healing, which examines various methods of healing employed by our ancestors. For further information call (207) 824-2204 or visit website www.spiritwingsbethel.com.

44 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

Ongoing~NewHampshire Sunday Service weekly at 10:00AM for all ages Unity of the Seacoast, both church and spiritual community, honors all paths of God. Affiliated with the publishers of Daily World magazine and the Silent Unity prayer line, we are a positive, practical, New Thought Christian movement that values personal transformation and conscious connection with the loving Presence of God. Everyone is welcome to join us for a celebration of life, love and joy! Unity of the Seacoast, 3 Front St., Salmon Falls Lower Mill Building, Rollinsford, NH 03869, (603) 749-0677 or info@Unityoftheseacoast.com.

Tai Chi for Health Thursday, 5:30pm-6:15pm, $15 pay as you go. Zev Yoga, 16 Market Square, Portsmouth, NH. Age 14 and older.

NESHHA Educational Presentation The New England Seacoast Holistic Health Association (an organization of Healthcare Professionals), has meetings monthly, third Thursday, Potluck 6:30pm, Networking 7:00pm at the Herbal Path, 839 Central Ave., Dover, NH. www.NESHHA.org.

Eaton Satsang An informal gathering to discover and welcome the truth of one's inner nature. Eaton, NH is near the Maine/NH border.

Most Wednesday evenings. www.eatonsatsang.com or (603) 447-5401.

Ongoing~RhodeIsland Bridge Between Two Worlds Radio Show Mediumship, Physical Phenomena and more. Contact Talk Radio Mondays 8:00pm-9:00pm EST, Listen Live www.bridgebetweentwoworlds.net. Host Pamela Marie Edmunds, (508) 273-0022.

Ongoing ~ Vermont Zen Yoga Breathing, movement, stretching and deep guided relaxation meditation. Every Wednesday evening. Beginners 6:00pm7:00pm. All levels 7:00pm-8:30pm. $10 per class. Location: Studio Time and Space in Springfield, VT. Everyone welcome. www.studiotimeandspace.org, phone: (802) 591-0990.

Zen Yoga & Healing Arts Center Ongoing morning and evening classes in Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga and meditation. All levels. www.artofzenyoga.com (802) 685-4448.

Classified Listings HEALING PLACES

Eco-Retreat in a Solar-Powered, wood-fired cabin.

Experience deep quiet and nature's beauty in a solar-powered, wood-heated eco-cabin getaway at Nurture Through Nature Green Retreat Center in Denmark, Maine, only an hour from Portland/Freeport/Lewiston, ME and 2 hours northwest of Portsmouth. Cost 3 days/2 nights stay for $149 for 1 or 2 people. Add $20 each additional person. Two cabins available, both sleep four. www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.

SACRED RENTAL SPACE Green-Certified Eco-Retreat Space available for rent.

Nurture Through Nature offers three solar-powered eco-cabins, private camping, wood-fired sauna, yoga studio, hiking trails, mountain brook, Denmark, Maine ~ Greater Bridgton Lakes Region, www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.

Space Available for Gatherings, Ceremonies, Presentations.

At Earthrest, Cornish, ME. Call (207) 625-4179.

A Place In The Heart Energetically clear, beautiful spaces for classes, workshops, celebrations, and ceremony. Outdoor ceremonial space available. Located in Falmouth. Reasonable rates. FMI call The Vywamus Foundation (207) 797-6106.

All levels including, Beginner, Level I, Level II, Gentle & Private classes & workshops. For more info and schedule see www.belfastyoga.com or call (207) 338-3930/338-4256.

Aaminah School Of Middle Eastern Dance All levels of belly dance classes taught by experienced and caring instructors. Bangor and Waterville classes. Visit our website: www.aaminahdance.com or jeason@pivot.net.

“SANT MAT RADHASWAMI SATSANG” Inner Light & Sound Meditation. Surat Shabd Yoga. For a Bangor, Waterville, & Portland meeting schedule, call James at: (207) 368-5866 or James@SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com.

ALL EVENTS ARE LISTED ONLINE AT www.innertapestry.org

45 Calendar of Events

~ Ongoing Event Listings ~

Classified Ads

Inner Tapestry 's ~ calendar of Events and Classified Guidelines ~ Date Sensitive Listings ~ $12 per issue for 30 words, additional words are 50 cents each.

Please follow the format found in the journal and online, (Date information, title, description, location and contact information.)

A six-month (3 issue) listing is $25 for 30 words, additional words are 50 cents each.

Classified ads are $20 for 30 words, additional words are 50 cents each.

Please follow the format of our Ongoing Listings found in the journal and online, (Title, frequency, description, location and contact information.)

Please send formatted listings.

We do not publish press releases.

All Calendar and Classified Listings are listed on the Inner Tapestry Website!

w w w .in n e rt ape st ry.o rg

Continued from page 21 ~ Follow Your Pet's Lead and Live Without Definition!

• •

52% are better at remembering the names of neighbors' pets than human neighbors (2001 AAHA survey) A scientifically established link exists between how people treat animals and how they treat each other

Alan Beck wrote: It is the “loving devotion, the soft touch, the constant companionship and the attentive eye, and the uncritical ear of the pet” that is so attractive to many of us. Pets are uncritically accepting, give love completely and openly, and are loyal at all times under all circumstances. The affection provided by an animal is simple, unconditional, and uncomplicated. Pets are playmates for persons of any age group, provide the security of companionship and are frequently a

confidant. These comforting and healing qualities enable animals to be facilitators in therapy (Cornell Companions).** *http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/definition **http://www.usaha.org/committees/aem/presentations2005/ StephanieOstrowski_TheHuman-AnimalBond.ppt

Donald and Sara Hassler are co-authors of the award-winning children’s book, Loving Marley, and reside in Connecticut with Marley and Belle the real-life inspiration for the PugTale Adventures storybooks www.lovingmarley.com. The Hasslers are active members of the press and write exclusive feature articles for several publications. Their columns are also published in Pug Talk Magazine.

Visit them online at www.responsiblepetowner.com.

out how to get along together than for 70 trillion sub-human ones… but that is obviously not the case… yet. But clearly that is where we need to go, even if it takes us another billion years to get there.

Now I can’t shake that notion as a fundamental insight. When I am in a room full of very diverse people, I no longer look at the ones least like me and think, “Wow, I’m glad I’m not them.” Instead, I look at them and think “Gee, here we are, a bunch of different, seemingly individual cells, living in proximity to each other, and trying to figure out how we can get it together so it works for all of us.”

If you think that doesn’t lead to a change in attitude, and a change in your life, just try it.

Don’t forget the billion years part… it helps to keep from being too hard on yourself or others.

Now I’m not claiming that Norm and Skye have led me to the same understanding that they have… but they’ve led me someplace different from

where I was, and I like living in the new place better. Thanks Norm and Skye.

Maybe in another billion years I’ll really get it together.

But I, (Skye) think it won’t take another billion years. I think it’s happening as we speak. Let’s hear your experience of living without definition. Visit us on the Autognomics Forum. www.autognomics.org.

Skye Hirst, PhD is researcher, executive/personal coach, presentation facilitator and co-founder with Norm Hirst of Transcendental Autognomics (TA); New Field of Life-Energy and Transcendental Science/ Philosophy going beyond scientific materialism to discover the emergent epi-principles within life-itself.

The mystery/the miraculous/the wisdom of life-itself is revealing herself and Skye is doing presentation/ discussions on latest revelations impacting us all during this time of transition. Her 30 years of experience as communication consultant, her love of the arts and nature inform her work as does her 30 years as energy medicine practitioner of Jin Shin Jyutsu. To receive Transcendental Autognomics email newsletter on how latest revelations are impacting us all, visit us www.autognomics.org or join us on Twitter @ autognomics for frequent tips and insights, plus see who we are following.

Continued from page 31 ~ exploring the world religions ~ God's Whisper, Creation's Thunder... of us recognize the need to attend classes and have a teacher. But, coming from a very anti-traditional culture, we approach spirituality with a do-it-yourself attitude, saying “Why do I need a teacher?” “Why do I need to chant these particular five names, why not three, or seven others I can think of ?” “I have this old book published in 1939, isn’t that good enough?” “Can’t I download everything I need to know off the Internet?” “Why do I need to meditate anyway?!” According to Brian Hines, in order to get complete and accurate instruction we must tap into the ancient, tried-and-true wisdom of a spiritual tradition that has a living teacher, faithfully duplicate the experiment of contemplative meditation, and then analyze our results. Hines is a follower of the Radhaswami Masters of India who say a charge of spiritual energy needs to be transmitted from master to student.

A shift in consciousness takes place during contemplative meditation. Through meditation techniques imparted by a living master or shaikh, a student learns to temporarily transcend his or her awareness of the objective outer world.

Contemplation begins by studying the nature of human consciousness itself, independent of the content of consciousness. If we can tune out the never-ending stream of impressions: emotions, fantasies, images, concepts, sensory perceptions,

observations, thoughts, dreams – the whole kit and caboodle that we are aware of either when our eyes are open or closed, awake, or asleep—we can discover another level of consciousness. Hines uses an analogy of TV channels. “Before a new channel can be received, or more accurately, a whole new bandwidth, like going from analog to digital on a television, the old channels must be tuned out.”

Like Galileo discovering new worlds through the lens of his telescope, mystics have been trying to tell humanity for eons of something quite similar. The reason why the contemplative state of being is still hidden from most of us is that, unlike Galileo’s telescope, in order to look through this particular lens, the third eye or inner vision, we mustn’t focus on the outward sensory impressions, but go in the opposite direction: into inner space. As Rumi says, the workshop and treasure of God is in nonexistence [another kind of reality that’s spiritual, neither physical or of the mind]. You are deceived by existence, so how could you know about nonexistence.”

James Bean interviews guests, reviews books and music for HealthyLife.Net Positive Talk Radio and other stations via a syndicated radio program called Spiritual Awakening, and teaches Sant Mat Meditation and Surat Shabd Yoga in the Bangor, Waterville, & Portland areas. Address questions or comments to James@SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com.

April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 45

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Continued from page 30 ~ the way of life-itself ~ Living Without Definition ~ A Work In Process

46

m ix ed m e dia

Book Review

by Teresa Picarri

Live Your BLiss: Practices that Produce Happiness and Prosperity By: Terry Cole-Whittaker ISBN: 978-1-57731-685-5 New World Library The Reverend Dr. Terry Cole-Whittaker is enthusiastic, generous, funny and at times, raucous. She was, it seems, born for the stage, which is precisely what made her Emmy-wining television ministry a huge success.

MIXED M E D IA Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

S K O O B WE B SITES M US I C

DV D s S I E O V M AND F OO D

REVIEWS and more

46 Inner Tapestry April/May 2010

It is easy to get swept up by her high-voltage energy as it courses through the telephone from her California base. One understands how she, as minister at the United Church of Religious Science in San Diego beginning in 1977, making the leap to the small screen in 1979, became godmother to a whole new generation of spiritual offspring including Marianne Williamson, Neale Donald Walsch and Michael Beckwith.

If I were casting a movie of her life, Bette Midler would be the obvious choice to play the lead role, because just like the sassy comedienne/singer/actress who has evolved into the godmother transforming New York’s parks, ColeWhittaker has changed in the more than three decades she has been a visible figure at the forefront this country’s spiritual movement.

With such a long history, I was curious what this spiritual teacher had changed her mind about along the way. “I had left my ministry in 1985 because I knew something was missing because I was still not happy and still stressed and fearful, having attained everything that was an American Dream even being on the front of The Star and The (National) Enquirer. I said ‘What’s wrong? Something’s wrong here 'cause I was taught when you have this, this, this and this, you’ll be happy.”

So she was in the tabloids? Yes, she explains, because another of her famous students at the time was (Gavin MacLeod) the Captain of the Love Boat and the press just ate that up.

“It immediately got on the front of the magazines and all that kind of stuff and I didn’t like it. I always thought being famous would be wonderful – but after that started happening, I didn’t like it,” she says and we both laugh at her emphatic recollection.

“So what happened was, I began to know that God is a person, not an impersonal floating consciousness. It’s hard to explain. It was a huge transformation that took place in me.

And I had to go to the Dark Night of the Soul for a few years.”

Four-times married and extremely candid with nary a visible boundary, Cole-Whittaker has been there and done that. Most recently she has been to India where she did eight years of spiritual study.

Her latest book, Live Your Bliss, is the brainchild of that sojourn. Cole-Whittaker is a best-selling author of several works including What You Think of Me Is None of My Business and How to Have More in a Have-Not World.

As spiritual beings, the author explained bliss is our true nature. “We’re made of eternity, consciousness and bliss.”

Like Sat Chit Ananda, she offers, a Sanskrit term for the state of triple consciousness.

But trying to get a handle on exactly what Cole-Whittaker is saying is like trying to hold air in the palm of one’s hand.

It is, at times, like the high-wire act of being a spiritual being taking an earth walk. Negotiating the seen and unseen worlds.

It requires a leap of faith.

In the book's Acknowledgement, the author thanks her publisher and editors for “making my teaching understandable to the reader, as I am right-brained person for whom organization of ideas in a logical order is challenging.”

That’s the charm of Cole-Whittaker; what you see or hear, is what you get.

One can imagine a spiritual novice being overwhelmed by the expansive content in this book, which often lacks explanation and depth. Mixing quotations by historical figures with Bible citations throughout with a hearty dose of personal experiences thrown in to make her points, Cole-Whittaker swipes across the page with mighty broad strokes.

She serves up her spiritual teaching in a language that readers will recognize from other offerings popular in the genre, but her philosophy is peppered with Sanskrit phrases from Eastern wisdom that could throw many Westerners for a loop and could topple devotees in the East right off their meditation cushions.

Luckily, the book includes some very accessible, practical information. Following each of the seven chapters are Happiness and Prosperity Practices, which ask the reader to observe their emotions in certain scenarios, to contemplate thoughts of what is possible in relation to love, prosperity and bliss, and suggested actions on how to incorporate the teachings into daily life.

Prospering mantras are also found at the chapter ends, along with instructions on how often to say them and how they take effect and help to elevate consciousness.

As I stated earlier, Cole-Whittaker is generous and her stories do provide the reader with a context for understanding.

During our interview as we spoke about the ego she recalled a car accident she had.

“I was driving out of a supermarket parking lot and there was a lady going to cross the sidewalk in front of the driveway so I backed up but I didn’t look at where I was backing up. So I bumped into this lady’s car behind me. So she gets out I got out and I said, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry.’ She says, ‘Why did you do this? How could you do this?’ “She’s going on and on and on.

I was trying to understand and pretty soon she said, “My car – I have such pride in my car I never had a scratch on it.”

“Well maybe you’re too attached to your car," I said. "It’s just a thing,” the spiritual teacher recalled. “And she stared at me but she got what I was saying.”

And what Cole-Whittaker is saying in this book is, “What I want people to do is figure out who they really are and start creating from that.” © 2010 by Teresa Piccari Teresa Piccari is a writer and teacher living in coastal Maine. She is the proprietor of The Village Scribe, a professional writing and editing business located at The Wellness Center, 71 Elm St. in Camden. Contact her at The21stCenturyBohemian@hotmail.com

Our thanks, to everyone who has shared themselves with the journal and our community over the past eight years, our gratitude, love and appreciation for the loving spirits that you all are.

47

Internet Review

by J o a n E mmo n s

In Search Of Self Love By: Rita Loyd Produced By: Jody Loyd www.cultureunplugged.com

Hi Everyone, – I am excited to reconnect with Rita Loyd who was featured as our cover artist for the August/ September 2007 issue, Living Life. Rita's work has continued and with her husband Jody they have created a CD, "In Search of Self Love."

The Culture Unplugged.com is featuring an online film festival: Spirit Enlightened. What a great opportunity to watch these short films from health to globalization, to spiritual awareness. Within the category of documentary you'll find Rita's film story of "In Search of Self Love." http://cultureunplugged.com/play/2401/In-Search-of-Self-Love This is a short but yet healing feature video in which Rita tells how her creative process taught her what loving herself would feel like and what that might look like. She speaks about her true meaning of self-love and what she has learned to integrate self-love into all areas of her life.

As most of us have found in our journeys self-love comes from our unique spirits and not our thoughts, personality traits, or who we "think" we are—but from a deep knowing that we are more than we perceive ourselves to be.

by D o n n a Da v i d g e

Ashtanga Yoga The Intermediate Series By: Gregor Maehle ISBN: 978-1-57731-669-5 Publisher: New World Library

I have often told people that when shifting through things in life, doing something that you can actually shift, whether it is breaking boxes, or dishes, or doing art you will respond to your own sight of things changing.

This is the perfect, gentle example of this in action. As the words of self-love are spoken you see it manifest before your eyes to encompass all that you are and allow that integration through sound and sight to blend into a message received by both senses.

Take a look at this video and journey through yourself, your feelings of self-love to allow your self-healing and to create a greater level of integration of self-love to your life. Be inspired by Rita's simple message. Take the risk to enter your journey more fully to a place of self-love and respect.

It is always a joy to watch a gifted artist, though many of us not often get the chance to see one create such meaningful art. I appreciate Rita's willingness to share her creative process and her life process. She definitely will touch the hearts of many who will see and hopefully participate in the watching of it.

If you would like a copy of Rita's CD that is featured on the Spirit Enlightened Film Festival you can obtain a copy from www.nurturingart.com, where you will find many of Rita's prints for sale as well.

Thank you again, Rita, for being a part of the journal and our community and your continued success.

Joan Emmons is one of the publishers of Inner Tapestry, a founding officer of the non-profit organization NESHA, partnered with Ron Damico in their healing practice, Ron and Joan and a partner in a newly formed group of gong players in Maine and CT. You can contact Joan through the journal at joan@ innertapestry.org. I invite all to submit their reviews of books, music, websites and more, just send them to me at the journal. Namaste.

a proper understanding and practice with the breath should not proceed with this series.

I read an article awhile ago in LA Yoga magazine that spoke about a young woman who rushed through Series One so easily attaining the postures that she did not heed the advice of an experienced teacher who told her that she was rushing her practice. She went to another studio that did not monitor her, went on to Series Two and woke up one night to excruciating pain down her arm. Despite medical attention and time she has not been able to return to the simplest of backbends without inflicting pain on herself. The paradox of yoga is that people who are inherently flexible needs to strengthen muscles and visa versa. Being someone who is not flexible by nature, I can vouch for the fact that yoga is a lifelong practice and study and that books like Maehle’s can help with that learning process.

Just because Ashtanga Yoga is strong does not mean it should be fast.

Having studied Ashtanga since 1999, the first book I had glimpsed by this same author drew my attention and was on my “to purchase” list. Just viewing a few pages of it online I knew his information about yoga poses and specific anatomical tips would be invaluable. In this, his second book, he explains the Mythology, Anatomy and Practice as it says in the title. Maehle has obviously studied all aspects of yoga in depth, and though this is a book on Ashtanga yoga it is helpful he has studied Iyengar Yoga as well.

While this book does not encourage the reader to rush the practice, again, I would only recommend it to someone who has a firm foundation in Series One if they were intending to use it for practice; or, more likely, for someone already doing Series Two who would like a more full understanding of the poses than just simply performing them.

He has sections on things such as shoulder injuries which I found to be extremely useful. Since practicing Ashtanga I have had issues arise with my back and knees that have remedied themselves, but a recurring shoulder injury has of late reversed certain aspects of my practice. Since Maehle has a background in Iyengar Yoga his explanation and diagrams of anatomy are most helpful and useful – as are the photographs of the actual poses. It is my experience that you do not always get this type of specificity in Ashtanga Yoga so his books can definitely be an amazing supplement for any Ashtanga practitioner and a valuable book for information on yoga even if you are not able to do the poses in this advanced series. (Though there are actually six series in Ashtanga Yoga, few get to two, three or four.)

Maehle also talks about Sanskrit, the language of yoga, and the Mythology around the names of the poses or asanas, which many people are interested in within the ever-growing family of yoga practitioners in the United States today.

While he warns that anyone reading this book should not attempt this series without a strong foundation in Series One of Ashtanga Yoga, there are many students out there who are rushing their practices either due to their own ego or because they are under the tutelage of a teacher who does not truly understand the intricacies of yoga practice or Ashtanga Yoga, which is physically an extremely demanding form of yoga that requires intelligence and patience in the progression of the practice.

Series Two is primarily a back bending sequence and so anyone, even if they can do Series One, that has issues with back bending or has not attained

For people immersed in the world of Ashtanga Yoga this is an amazing book to have, and for others studying other advanced types of practice the explanations can also be most useful.

As an Ashtanga practitioner myself I am not sure if my injury is from overuse, an old injury from before the practice (i.e., being hit by a cab on my bike in NYC some years ago) or, as one article I saw recently online said, because Ashtanga does cathuranga in a way that uses the triceps more than the biceps it leads to inevitable shoulder injury even if properly aligned.

The truth is, that we are individuals and that yoga was originally taught that way. Maehle's book is an extensively useful tool to make sure your practice is as well-informed as possible. He definitely wants you to practice with ahimsa, non-injury (or nonviolence) to the self, and shares fully the information he knows to help you have as complete a practice as possible. With so much information out there on yoga it can be confusing as to who really knows their stuff. Maehle obviously does.

Donna Amrita Davidge www.sewallhouse.com Island Falls Maine, Sewall House Yoga Retreat (and also NYC). info@sewallhouse.com (888) 235-2395. Offering retreats in Maine year round and teacher trainings, 200 Hour Level.

April/May 2010 Inner Tapestry 47

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Book Review

As she tells her story she is guided to the drawing that you see at the top of this review. It is titled "Embrace All That You Are With Self-Love." You can hear her words reaching into your heart, reminding you of who you are, and of the struggle to obtain what we have forgotten and watch as the canvas takes form.

48

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black