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A Holistic Journal Celebrating & Supporting LIFE! u Integrative Approaches to Healing & Preventing Cancer
Inner
u Living Energy
May The Force be with you!
u Artistic Theory of Psychology
Tapestry
u Creativity u Drumming & Rhythm u The Richness of Summer
F
R
E
E
u Astrology
Chiron, The Maverick
u Exploring the World Religions Sufi Visions of Allah
uModern Shamanic Living Better Living Through Creativity
u Artists & Writers Interviews ~ Arla Patch u Loving Earth
Greening... Finding our Ecological footprint
u The Ancient Healing Art of Reflexology in Today's World
u Destination Healing
Aug/Sept
Volume 5, No . 2
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HEALING THROUGH CREATIVITY u
New England's Guide for Natural Paths
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EarthDance September 16th, Hartford CT (details page 25) The Common Ground Fair September 22nd ~ 24th, Unity Maine (details page 27) Conversations with God Showing in October (details page 25)
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Trager ®
An Approach for Every Body www.trager-us.org Movement Education. Body/Mind Integration. Gentle. Effective. Life-changing.
"Creating peace in the world, one person at a time." Dr. Milton Trager Certified Trager® Practitioners in
Maine & New Hampshire
Marlena O'Hagan-Buzzell Fryeburg, ME 207-212-7721 kbuzzell@megalink.net Lindsley Field Newcastle, ME 207-563-5889 www.pathtotheheart.net Carla Keene Portland & Bath, ME 207-653-8393 cskeene70@hotmail.com
Gail Edgerly Portland, ME 207-761-3765 gailedge@maine.rr.com Liz Berks Cornish, ME 207-625-2347 lizland@pivot.net Jane Biggio Bartlett, NH 603-374-6326 ® bamboomountain@ncia.net
Introductory Workshops to the Trager® Approach Ongoing In Portland, Bridgton and No. Conway, NH.
For more information, please contact Marlena O'Hagan Buzzell Inner Tapes try Jour nal: Enviro nm ent ally f r iendly p r inted wit h Org a nic I nks on Org a nic Pa per!
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Contents
Healing Through Creativity
A Holistic Journal Celebrating & Supporting LIFE!
Upcoming Themes:
Aug/Sept 2006
Features
Oct/Nov 2006: Eco-consciousness
Intergrative Approaches to Healing & by Brenda Nelson Preventing Cancer
Page
Dec/Jan 2006/2007: Being Gratitude
7
Fe b / M a r 2 0 0 7 : N e w Fa m i l y Va l u e s April/May 2007: Blossoming into Spiritual Adulthood
Drumming & Rhythm
Pages 8 & 9
by Rev. Sandy Yates Mathieson
The Ancient Healing Art of Reflexology...
Page 16
by Lynn Marie Danforth
Creativity
Page 17
Available in more than 400 locations
by Ariel & Shya Kane
Developing A Strong Root Chakra
Page 17
Creating Touchstones
Page 21
by Rochelle Sparrow, LCSW, MSW
by Tracey Walls
Mini Meditation Moments
Page 21
Living Energy ~ May The Force be with you!
Page 23
The Richness of Summer
Page 26
The Artistic Theory of Psychology
Page 32
by Jill Leigh
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by Karen Kallie & Margaret M. Donahue by Alison Cheek
by Elliot Benjamin, Ph.D.
Lammas A Time of Sacred Harvest by Clair Wood
Welcome to Inner Tapestry
Page 33
In its fifth year as a free publication, Inner Tapestry provides 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. The journal is supported by its advertisers and distributed to fine shops, offices, bookstores and cafés, health practitioners, education centers, public libraries, health food stores, and healing and wellness centers. If you would like copies placed at your business or location please contact us. This journal is a great resource for your clients and customers.
See y ou r a d ve rti s e m e nt i n Inne r T a p e s try
QUALITY AND VALUE - ME, NH, CT, MA-DISTRIBUTION - CONTINUALLY GROWING! FIVE WAYS TO ADVERTISE: Display ads, Directory of Resources, Yoga & T’ai
Chi Directory, Calendar of Events and the Classifieds. Each section has details on how to become an advertising presence with Inner Tapestry. Email, call or see our Website for ad rates. info@innertapestry.org (207) 781-9885 www.innertapestry.org Inner Tapestry does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the articles and advertisements. Responsibility for the products and services of our advertisers rests solely with them. 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. ® 2006
Departments
www.innertapestry.org
Subscriptions are available:
Destination Healing ~ New England's Guide for
Page 10
Natural Paths
by Kevin Pennell
Page 12
Herbal Healing ~ The Olive Tree
Page 13
by Pat Foley
by Gail Faith Edwards
Astrology ~ As Above, So Below ~ Chiron, The Maverick
Page 14
A Breath of Healing ~ Yoga As A Healing Path
Page 15
by Maya White
by Donna Amrita Davidge
Pages 18 & 19
What is Love To You? ~ Lionel Berbue & David Lapan
Artists & Writers ~ Interviews ~ Arla Patch
Page 20
Publishers
send check or money order to:
All inquiries call:
Inner Tapestry Journal 66 Foreside Road Falmouth, ME 04105
(207) 781-9885 info@innertapestry.org Wisdom from a Pyschic, Intuitive
Page 31
Exploring The World Religions ~
Page 34
The Way of Life-Itself ~ Life Heals by Creativity
Page 35
by Norm Hirst
Awareness and the art of Seeing ~ Lilacs in Bloom
Page 26
Modern Shamanic Living ~ Better Living Through
Page 28
by Jen Deraspe
Creativity
Feng Shui & Geopathology ~ Environmental Health & "Dirty Electricity"
Cooking Consciously & Eating Healthy ~ 4 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2006
Joan Emmons, Ron Damico, Betty Close, & Jacqueline Cone
by James Bean
by Judith Perry
by Guest Writer Amiee Perrin
Celebrating & Supporting LIFE!
by Jason Freidus
Life Rhythms ~ The Edge ~ by Holly Howley
by Werner Brandmaier
Inner Tapestry can be picked up for free in over 400 locations, but to insure you don’t miss a copy, subscriptions are available.
A H olistic Journal
Loving Earth ~ Greening... Finding our Ecological footprint
by Evelyn C. Rysdyk
$20.00/year, 6 issues
Page 29
Pages 30 & 31
What's All the Buzz About Raw Foods?
Sufi Visions of Allah
Within The Laws of Coherence
Mixed Media ~ Book, Website & Music Reviews Pages 36 & 37
Directories
Directory of Resources Pages 38-43 Heart Visions, A listing of events, trainings & trips... Page 33 Calendar of Events Pages 44-46 Classifieds Page 46 Yoga, T'ai Chi & Meditation Directory Page 47
5 INNER WORKINGS
OUR EXPRESSION OF INTENTION is to continue providing a pathway of support for all seeking the awareness of living a conscious life. As we weave from within, we begin the creation of the outward expression and celebration of our own unique tapestry. Through this exploration of holistic health, natural living, spiritual and life consciousness we create and support a network of connection within the holistic community and its practitioners. 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.
On The Cover
She Speaks to Me from My Heart
Art in each expression and form touches each of us. It calls us to feel. To feel the colors, texture and to embrace its magnificence no matter what the expression. This process of connecting to our feelings of what we "see" physically, emotionally, and spiritually when we are called to art is "healing". Inner Tapestry's dear friend Helen Warren is welcomed with love and appreciation for sharing her work this issue with us. The cover titled, "She Speaks to Me from My Heart", is a wonderful gift of sharing that healing experience, as well as is this written sharing from Helen. "The image, She Speaks to Me from My Heart, emerged near the end of the third Descent Series. Through the process I found great comfort in the presence of the Ancient Mother (as I have come to call the energy that is present with me) and felt her truly speaking to me from within my heart, as it began to open. On one of my daily hikes with my dog Holly, we came upon a mother snapping turtle laying her eggs beside the road. She showed me such trust, that she should leave her eggs to the earth to hold and care for. I was deeply moved. As with all my images, the process of painting it was deeply nourishing, healing and affirmative of my growing strength and return to wholeness." "My creative process is meditation, a place for listening to my deepest knowing. At the same time it is a sacred container for self-nourishment, healing and reconnection. Over the past twelve years this beautifully guided process has been a touchstone, as I journeyed beneath clinical depression and PTSD, originating in trauma sustained by my children and myself earlier in our lives, and presently through breast cancer. Following three cycles, which I call 'descents' inspired by the myth of the goddess Inanna, I move through the despair and physical, emotional and psychic pain to reconnection with the denied and unwanted parts of myself and ultimately to an ability to embrace with gratitude a return to wholeness and fuller embodiment of the sacred feminine creative life force. Prevalent in the images are the winged ones especially the grouse, whose medicine of the creative spiral I learned to honor, and the ancient primordial mother in her many forms, whose wisdom guides me throughout. With the continuing escalation of violence in the world I am becoming increasingly aware of the relevance of my own and others' creative consciousness to the return of the much needed feminine values of wisdom, compassion and creativity and to the ultimate survival of the planet. In their many layers... personal, symbolic and sacred... I become one with these images." Helen is a painter, printmaker, teacher, and healer. Through group workshops, retreats and individual sessions, she facilitates the creative process with the intention that others may experience the awareness of healing and integration of the creative in their lives and beings. She presently teaches at her studio in North Yarmouth and at the Maine College of Art and can be reached at: Creative Spiral Studio, 4 Watson Way, North Yarmouth, ME 04097, (207) 829-6876, helen@creativespiral.net, www.creativespiral.net.
INNER TAPESTRY
IS LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO HELP SUPPORT THE GROWTH OF THE JOURNAL BY SELLING AD SPACE. THIS IS NOT SELLING IT IS SHARING WHAT THE JOURNAL IS, WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU AND WHAT YOU FEEL IT CAN OFFER OTHERS. OUR INTENTION IS TO CREATE COMMUNITY THROUGH SHARING WHAT WE LOVE AND BELIEVE IN. IF YOU FEEL THIS IS SOMETHING THAT RESONATES WITH YOU PLEASE CALL RON OR JOAN AT (207) 781-9885 OR EMAIL US AT innertapestry@verizon.net Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 5
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New this Issue: Welcome everyone to our August/September issue of Inner Tapestry, "Healing Through Creativity". We all hope that you are enjoying the summer months and are creatively dealing with our summer heat! We have been going through many changes... again. First, we are welcoming Michael Connelly who will be helping us to expand the locations and areas of distribution for the journal. Thanks Mike. We also have quite a few changes within the journal's family. A new columnist Pat Foley who will be writing Loving Earth, a column on living more of a green life and our ability to walk a little more gently on our Mother Earth. Welcome Pat. Maya White has asked to change the format of her column. She will be continuing to submit her column but the forecast will only be available on her website, www.WhiteStarAstrology.com. We are honoring her request and ask for your comments and feedback. Anne Shelbe is passing her column on and we are currently seeking someone who is interested in writing the Cooking Consciously & Eating Healthy column. Our intention for this column is to feature all aspects of healthy eating and cooking as in raw foods, Ayurvedic, macro-biotic, Asian etc... ways of supporting ourselves in either articles or interviews with people knowledgeable in their life styles. If your are interested in contributing information or becoming a columnist please email us at innertapestry@verizon.net or call (207) 781-9885 and talk to Ron or Joan. We all wish Anne the best as she is expanding her actual hands on cooking and also writing a long awaited book. Best of everything Anne and we look forward to your new book. We have also received some wonderful writings from people and will from time to time post the life rhythms column to share these with you. Please continue to send in your articles and writings, we look forward to receiving them. We have been showing "ONE" The Movie, and have enjoyed meeting so many of you at the showings. There is one more showing on August 4th and 5th at Meadow Wind in Falmouth. We have been in touch with Ward Powers the producer and he has agreed to let us keep the film for showings in the area so if there are any groups that would like to present a showing please let us know. We will be continuing to show this film at the Whole Health Expo's around New England, thank you Jonathan, and we will also be involved with sponsoring the One Conference in New England in November and will keep you up-to-date. The next scheduled film is Conversations with God, Neale Donald Walsch's new film based on his series of books, the weekend of October 20th - 22nd. This is a sneak preview showing before the movie is seen in limited movie theatres across the country and it is for one weekend only. We are excited to have the ability to bring these films to our community and look forward to seeing everyone. We will also be at EarthDance on September 16th in Hartford, CT. This has been a day of celebration across the country and a day of prayer for our earth. Please check out the events at www.earthdance.org. This is a day of community and fun for all of the family, documentary film showings, green market place, community drum circle, global peace prayer, with music and performances representing various traditions around the world. September also brings to Maine our wonderful Common Ground Fair in Unity. For those who have never been it's a must! Definitely a weekend trip worth taking with the most beautiful scenery. For all those who have attended it seems to be a full event this year and we are looking forward to seeing many of you there. It's a special place to connect with old friends and to meet and make new ones. I have never witnessed a "fair" where people seem to effortlessly glide through the grounds in such a peaceful, loving energy. As you can see we are continuing to grow.... I'll keep everyone posted on our progress and our wishes for a happy, joyful summer are with you all.
6 Empowerment Workshops
Create your life the way you want it!
David J. Bonney FMI: Call 207-865-0646 djbonney@suscom-maine.net
The Thirteenth Moon
ATR-BC, LCPC
board certified art therapist, licensed clinical counselor shamanic practitioner
ART from the heART
Art Therapy & Shamanism Studio ~ a light filled circular
sacred space surrounded by fields and trees ~
S ewall H ouse
Susan Bakaley Marshall
• shamanic journeys and healings • soul retrieval • Individuals • Groups • Classes (207) 589-3063 moonart@midcoast.com
Retreat
Experience history of an earlier time. . . Sewall House Retreat offers yoga v meditation v massage and more. . . July 4 thru Columbus Day
Where Theodore Roosevelt learned the healing attributes of nature. . . (207) 463-3428
v
www.sewallhouse.com
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Blessed Maine Herb Farm School of Herbal Medicine Four Week Herbal Medicine Apprenticeships with Gail Faith Edwards 2006
August 7th ~ September 1st September 4th ~ September 29th www.studyherbalmedicine.com (207) 654-2879
Silo Seven
A Holistic & Metaphysical Shop
Books, Music, Crystals, Candles & Herbs
Open 7 Days 10 AM - 6 PM
(207) 942-5590 Toll Free: 1-877-GoSilo7
www.silo7.com 118 Harlow Street, Bangor, ME 04401
6 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2006
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Integrative Approaches to Healing and Preventing Cancer by Brenda H. Nelson
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here is a revolution going on in health care today. Like all revolutions an elite upper class which held power through various means -among them holding the rights to certain esoteric knowledge and demanding a great deal of money from those it created as its dependents -- is being challenged and personal power is being taken back. In the past it has been monarchs and nobility, or repressive controlling governments, but in health care today, individuals are taking back their personal power to heal themselves from an elite class of healers, doctors, hospitals and the pharmaceutical industry.
Integrative Approaches to Healing (IAH) has two faces. One is an outgrowth of allopathic medicine and is called the “New Medicine.” It, like the conventional medicine, is primarily directed at physical level healing or symptom control, with a nod to the mind-body connection. The other IAH comes out of the alternative health care field and focuses primarily on the spiritual, intellectual and emotional levels, with serious, but secondary, attention being given to physical level healing modalities. The primary belief of the New Medicine would still appear to be that problems appearing on the physical level of being have physical causes and physical cures, but some nonphysical treatments can be helpful. The New Medicine still recommends that a person with a cancer diagnosis undergo the usual protocol of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, but combine it with alternative therapies. However, with the Alternative Integrative Approaches to Healing cancer (AIAH), the spirit/mind/emotion levels are seen as containing the roots of the disease and so warrant primary attention, with numerous alternative physical approaches being viewed as valuable supports to the primary nonphysical focus. They support this approach oftentimes by pointing out that we are first of all immortal consciousness concocted of energy, which only sometimes takes on a physical body as a way to see the external manifestation of the spiritual issues it wishes to work on, issues which the soul personality (not the soul, which is a level above the soul personality) carries with it across lifetimes. The AIAH attempts to access and engage the soul for its wisdom and input. Their methods of reaching the soul are most often by putting the person into a right brain state -- or by encouraging activities that are known to put anyone into a right brain mode. They feel that it is from this platform that we have direct access to the soul and higher consciousness, as well as our higher power. They see the extreme emphasis on the left hemisphere
AIAH practitioners tend to agree with the latest “discoveries” in quantum physics that everything is energy and also agree with the “discoveries” of the latest research in psychoneuroimmunology that every thought has a chemical counterpart in our body, and that the chemical has the ability to produce a healthy or unhealthy cell -- positive thoughts producing health and negative producing dis-ease. However, they usually place an emphasis on raising buried emotions, uncovering the limiting beliefs they spring from, and fully processing those feelings in order to clear the psyche of the constricting forces which are shutting down the flow of energy to certain organs and structures of the body. Once having cleared the ground, they then use various techniques for implanting the corrective beliefs and its concomitant positive emotions. They do this through visualizations, affirmations, daydreaming, hypnosis and actions based on the new beliefs. They hold that taking these steps releases the constriction on the energy to the organ or structure and that the new free-flowing energy often quickly dissolves the cancerous tumors or cells.
Like all revolutions an elite upper class which held power through various means... is being challenged and personal power is being taken back. The AIAH practitioners oftentimes encourage their clients to see the cancer as a signpost, messenger or beneficent teacher who has come to point the sufferer away from the spiritual untruths they have inadvertently espoused, and towards Ultimate Spiritual Truth, which is the gold they can take with them upon dying a natural death and transitioning to a higher plane of reality where all becomes clear. The truths that the soul personality has garnered through these efforts are theirs to keep and they are the currency they bring into their next life with which to expand even further. On a physical level, AIAH practitioners often encourage their clients to pay close attention to their diet, eating organic foods, more raw foods, little or no meat, and only high quality organically raised meat, eggs and dairy products. Others encourage a totally vegan or totally raw foods diet. AIAH’s often encourage their clients to try getting off of gluten and dairy products -- as so many people are allergic to them and don’t know it. They offer goat and sheep cheese milk and butter, or rice milks as substitutes. Soymilk and all soy products, however, have become controversial. Some practitioners encourage it’s inclusion because of its high content of cancer-fighting phytohormones and nutrients, and others, pointing to Dr. Kaayla Daniel’s
research, claim some of it has a negative affect on health--at least as it is processed and in the quantities it is eaten in the US. Also on a physical level AIAH practitioners encourage exercise such as yoga, expressive dance, walking and gym exercise if people enjoy it. They also educate their clients about the various forms of massage therapy, energy work, breath work, acupressure, acupuncture, herbs, vitamins, chelation therapy, sound therapy, and many more. Returning to the issue of combining approaches, practitioners of AIAH hold varying views of combining alternative therapies with conventional allopathic protocols. Some encourage the person with a cancer diagnosis to first try the alternative approaches before resorting to the invasive and side-effect-laden measures of the allopathic protocol. Other practitioners strongly warn their clients away from the allopathic methods altogether. Still others leave it entirely up to the client as to the route they wish to take. Still others encourage their clients to consult various forms of divination in order to decide what is the best treatment combination for them; these methods would include pendulum, dowsing, taro, I Ching, prayer, meditation, body wisdom, visualization, intuition, dream incubation etc. The following is a chart of the differences between straight allopathic treatment (conventional medicine), The New Medicine and Alternative Integrative Approaches in the treatment of cancer. LEVEL OF BEING TO WHICH TREATMENT IS FOCUSED: Allopathy: physical The New Medicine: primarily physical with some attention to emotional, mental and spiritual levels Alternative Integrative Approaches: primarily spiritual, mental and emotional levels, but also attention to physical HEALING TOOLS AND APPROACHES: Allopathy: radiation, chemotherapy, surgery New Medicine: primarily radiation, chemotherapy and surgery, but with many physical levels and multiple level approaches such as Healing Touch, Yoga, Mindful meditation, Acupuncture, Massage, Guided imagery, Hypnosis, Biofeedback, Music therapy, Herbal remedies, Diagnostic evaluations Nutritional supplements, and psychological counseling--mainly for coping with the emotions about having the disease. Alternative Integrative Approaches to Healing: primarily directed toward the spiritual, mental and emotional levels, and utilizing; psychotherapy (directed towards uncovering the recent emotional traumas and the childhood traumas that are the roots of the cancer), past life recall, emotional catharsis, shamanic journeying, mental/emotional journeying into the cancer, prayer, meditation, biofeedback, anger work, introspection, journaling, creative expression (in paint, music, dance, sculpture etc.), sand tray therapy, visualizations, affirmations etc. for the discernment and healing of the cancer-causing issues. Secondarily using many alternative physical level approaches as supportive tools for the body’s natural healing powers.
Continued on page 9 Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 7
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Since 1970 an increasing number of people have turned to alternative modalities of healing. Since the rise of the medical degrees from universities and a turning away from the village wise woman as the healer-of-choice, this is the first swing back towards natural healing in many hundreds of years. The most recent statistics show that CAM’s (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) have a $14.5 billion dollar slice of the over-all $1.9 trillion dollar annual health care pie and that slice is growing. However, these statistics do not reflect the actual degree of turning away from allopathic medicine, towards more personally empowering approaches to healing, as allopathic procedures are much more costly than are the CAM’s. So if one were to compare numbers of office visits, “medicines” and treatments, as opposed to dollars spent, the turning away would be even more apparent.
of the brain by our culture, as closing us off from access to those levels of our being. AIAH practitioners often utilize dreams as a method for accessing the problematic spiritual, mental and emotional issues.
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Drumming & Rhythm by Rev. Sandy Yates Mathieson
Drum History Throughout history the drum is an instrument used by every culture known from ancient to present times. It is an instrument that allows us to communicate and express externally the natural rhythms found within us. Indigenous people of the world have, for thousands of years, gathered together to dance and make music. Drums have been used for communication sending messages from one tribe to another. Drums were also used to link the inner beat of the dancers, raising powerful currents of life energy, harmonizing and transmuting primal energy. The drumbeat provided an alternative to communicating through words. There was no need to speak. The drum music provided a way for prayers and wishes to be heard.
Physical Changes
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Our hearts beat; our pulses beat and when we walk or run our strides beat a rhythm on the ground. Our brains produce rhythmic waves similar to the beat of the drum. We wake and sleep in rhythmic cycles. Our hormones cycle and move in rhythm with the moon and Earth. Even the cells, atoms and sub-atomic particles that make up our bodies are pulsing in their own rhythmic waves. All this occurs within the greater natural rhythmic symphony of the Earth, the solar system, and the universe. In modern times in the field of Music Therapy, drumming has been used increasingly in recent years for favorable results. The benefits of drumming have been documented in working with autistic children, in twelve-step recovery programs, with teens at risk, in prisons, and in nursing homes with patients with Alzheimer disease. Alternative and traditional practitioners/teachers/counselors are viewing the interaction between healing and drumming. Drumming can actually change your brainwave patterns and it doesn’t take long for this to happen. After about 30 minutes of sustained drumming, your brain waves can change over to alpha or even theta waves, which are indicative of a meditative state and deep relaxation. This is the same effect as a “runner’s high” where the endorphins are released into the brain, relieving stress and flooding the body with feelings of well-being. Recent scientific research on the healing effects of the drum and drum circles points to amazing possibilities. Specifically it has been proven that participating in drum circles increased the number of beneficial macrophage cells or “killer cells” in the body. These cells are those responsible for seeking out and destroying specific disease organisms.
Research Documentation
Jeffrey Longhofer and Jerry Floersch studied African poly-rhythmic drum ensemble programs at two Kansas City community based support programs and its role in psychiatric rehabilitation. They found that the drum group first provided the participants a meaningful social role and second gave the participants access through their performance to other community institutions. This group activity increased their self-esteem and helped develop important social and work skills. (“African Drumming & Psychiatric Rehabilitation”, 8 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2006
authors: Longhofer, Jeffrey & Floersch, Jerry; PsychoSocial Rehabilitation Journal, 04/93, vol. 16, Issue 4, pg. 3, 8 p) In 1997 the U.S. News & World Report presented a study about the benefits of using drumming to help patients with Alzheimer’s disease reduce stress by staying focused through altering brain-wave patterns. The monotonous rhythm of the drum has been scientifically studied to show that it alters brain waves to the theta state of consciousness, reduces the heart rate, boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, changes electrical activity in the central nervous system (“Drumming to the rhythm of Life”, author: Friedman, Dorian; U.S. News & World Report, 06/09/93, Vol. 122, Issue 22, pg.17, ½ pp, 1c)
The purpose of Reiki Drumming is to create a gentle guided meditation to journey back through each person's consciousness Seven physicians collaborated on a study in 2001 to determine the role of group drumming and how it affected the neuro-endocrine and immune parameters in normal subjects. They studied how the 111 patients who took part in group drumming, or drum circles, experienced increased levels of disease fighting immune system cells called natural killer cells. Participants in all groups experienced a drop in Cortisol, an indicator of stress. Dr. Bittman reported that only the group of active drummers had a significant increase in natural kills (NK) cells, which help the body combat not only cancer but also other viruses, including AIDS. He attributed the change to the stress reducing benefits of self-expression, camaraderie and rhythmic drumming. Remo, a drum manufacturer, sponsored the study. (“Composite Effects of Group Drumming Music Therapy on Modulation of Neuro-endocrine/Immune parameters in Normal Subjects”, authors: Bittman BB, Berk LS, Felten DL, Werlengard J, Alternate Therapies in Health & Medicine; 01/2001, pg. 38, 7p) A pilot program was conducted by Michael Winkelman, who interviewed counselors and an internet mailing list of participants on the effect of drumming as a complementary therapy for seeking alternatives to drugs. His research indicated that drumming enhanced recovery through inducing relaxation and enhancing theta-wave production and brain wave synchronization. Winkelman’s research indicated that drumming produces pleasurable experiences, enhanced awareness of preconscious dynamics, release of emotional trauma, and reintegration of self. It alleviated selfcenteredness, isolation and alienation creating a sense of connectedness with self and others. Drumming provided a secular approach to accessing a higher power and applying spiritual perspective.
(”Complementary therapy for Addiction: Drumming Out Drugs”, author: Winkelman, Michael; American Journal of Public Health, 04/2003, Vol. 83, Issue 4, pg 647, 5 p) In February of 2004, McCook’s study reported that participating in drumming sessions may help people defend themselves from the stress and burnout that can cause them to leave their jobs. All study participants were employees at a nursing home, an industry with an unusually high turnover rate. When staffers at one Pennsylvania facility participated in six drumming sessions with their coworkers,they experienced nearly a 50-percent improvement in mood, including a decrease in feelings of fatigue, anxiety and depression. Moreover, during the year following the drumming sessions, 49 fewer employees resigned than had the previous year, saving the facility nearly $400,000 in costs associated with training new hires. (“Drum Sessions Protect Employees from Burnout”, author: McCook, Alison, Reuters Health,
Reiki Drumming Reiki Drumming was created by Michael Baird in 1999 as a technique to combine Reiki symbols with drumming. “This process becomes a powerful tool for awakening more fully to our life or spiritual purpose and to assist us in co-creating and anchoring heaven on earth.” It is a modality for helping a person create physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. The practice blends the healing traditions from the East and West. This process is a tool for awakening each person to their spiritual purpose while raising the vibratory rate to levels, which may allow the body to accelerate its innate healing abilities. “Reiki Drumming introduces methods to enhance the energy to send Reiki at a distance, as well as to strengthen the vibration of the peace ray on the planet, while assisting in harmonizing our human consciousness with Mother earth.” Drumming has been used successfully with patients with Alzheimer’s disease to focus attention, with war veterans to end trauma, with addicts in recovery from drug and alcohol abuse, and with prison and homeless populations to enhance their self-esteem. Progressive corporations like Motorola, AT&T and Levi-Strauss have drummed with middle management to promote team spirit building. Widely published research also indicates that playing musical instruments increases children’s learning ability. This appears especially true of those instruments which can be played intuitively like the drum. Studies indicate that drumming enhances right brain functions such as intuition and creativity. The purpose of Reiki Drumming is to create a gentle guided meditation to journey back through each person’s consciousness to locate a point in time where they felt silenced, stilled, ashamed or afraid to make a sound. Using a time-link Reiki technique and ºheart beat sound of the drum, Reiki healing energy flows back to that time to transform fear into love and to facilitate the release of hesitation to create sound.
Personal Journey I have been participating in a drumming group for six years. In July 2002 I was diagnosed with nonHodgkin’s Lymphoma, level 4, and told I had an
9 expected life cycle of five more years. I refused to accept this time schedule. In October 2002 I underwent 15 radiation sessions and surgery. One year after radiation all cancer was gone from my throat. I attribute my healing to the numerous prayers, hands-on healing, sound, drumming and laying-on of hands combined with traditional treatment. At present I am on a yearly checkup. I continue to participate in weekly drumming group and monthly hands-on healing sessions. Reference Websites: http://www.drumcircle.com/arthurian/index/htm http://www.infinitelight.com http://www.levity.com/digaland/drumcircle.html http://www.reiki.org http://www.reikiclasses.com http://www.reikidrumming.com Rev. Sandy Yates Mathieson can be reached at (207) 993-2855 or email: spiritwalker@pivot.net to schedule an appointment, check availability of class schedules or to have someone placed on her healing ministry list. Rev. Mathieson’s website www.naturalwisdomsite.com is being developed.
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Integrative Approaches... continued from page 7 LOCUS OF CONTROL: Allopathic: exterior New Medicine: exterior and some interior Alternative Integrative Approaches: Interior VIEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS: Allopathy: Likely causal relationship in some cases. The New Medicine: Likely causal relationship in many cases. Alternative Integrative Approaches: The pollution of the external environment is an external symbol of the internal emotional pollution of the collective psyche. By taking responsibility for cleaning up our own emotional toxic waste dumps, we will automatically be prompted to remove ourselves from external toxic environments and will create an external symbol of a cleaner inner emotional/mental environment. This is based on the belief that “all is within” and the external world arises from an internal world -- a view many quantum physicists and spiritually wise people share.
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© Nelson 2006
Brenda Nelson has been doing mind-body counseling for the past 26 years, in the midcoast region of Maine. She has begun her PhD work in Transpersonal Psychology with her dissertation subject being "The Psycho-Spiritual Etiology and Healing of Cancer". Her psychotherapy practice is mainly focused on Integrative Approaches to Healing Cancer. She has written many Metaphysical articles for Maine alternative publications over the years and has also given numerous workshops and lectures in both Maine and New Mexico. Contact Brenda at P. O. Box 66, Woolwich, ME 04579, 207-386-5056.
• Dowsing • Energetic evaluation of a home or property • Space Clearing • Special attention to sleeping problems • Products that neutralize the effects Cyan Magenta Yellow Black
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
SANT MAT RADHASWAMI The Path to enlightenment and freedom called Sant Mat: the Path of the Masters, Inner Light and Sound Mediation (Surat Shabda and Bhakti Yoga). Bangor, Waterville, & Portland areas. For a Satsang schedule, call: James, Sant Mat Society of North America
(207) 368-5866 or email: james@SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com WEBSITE: www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com
INNER TAPESTRY JOURNAL
66 Foreside Road, Falmouth, ME 04105 (207) 781-9885 Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 9
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New England's Guide For Natural Paths by Kevin Pennell Photo courtsey of M. Dirk Macknight, Bethel Landscape.
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n this day of high speed Internet, high definition television, and computers functioning as quickly as the human brain, taking any time away from technology may appear blissful as an unreachable prize. Deep inside, we recognize that even escaping for a half-day would help us flow with life. Walking in a natural setting ushers in relief from stress and a sense of serenity. Walking a natural path transports us on a journey that may touch several parts of our being. Our intention may begin as a simple, delightful, day of birding, a walk on the wild side of nature, or perhaps an insightful walk for wisdom, but where do we go? Your answer may be through someone referred to as the “bird guy” or “seal dude” by many. That would be Scott Cronenweth of The Natural Path in South Portland, Maine. Perhaps within this context, Scott could also be a “spiritual guide” who works with nature to help people learn how to listen to their own guidance from within. As an educator, all around naturalist, and writer, Scott Cronenweth offers various “walks” from the curious to serious birding enthusiast and spirit walks that provide direction for issues and decisions in life. Getting back to nature brings in the sense of relying on life’s basic needs, relying on instincts, watching and observing nature for the answers--- “our” answers to life’s questions. Conducting guided walks in nature along “The Natural Path” began when Scott started thinking about writing a book for people wishing to learn how they could create their own experience with the Divine through nature. A long-time shamanic practitioner and student of Native American lifeways, he wanted to support those people seeking that sort of spiritual experience through the written word, but then recognized he couldn’t share that information in hands off fashion through a book. Scott realized he needed to be a part of it. Now, through T he Natural Path, he enjoys guiding individuals, couples, families, and groups on walks through the natural world with Birding Walks, Walks on the Wild Side, and Wisdom Walks. Each walk is personalized to meet the participants’ needs and interests. Scott offers unique outings year round in many locations throughout New England. Birders, both experienced and new, benefit from Scott’s excursions as a well-informed local guide helping to locate and identify tough-to-locate species with his own personal flair. People will come away from one of his excursions gaining information and enjoying the experience on several levels. For someone just beginning their journey into the world of birding, Scott offers suggestions for when and where to begin, which binoculars to use, and other details that make a birding experience fun and magical while providing a true connection to the natural world in an easy going atmosphere. Experienced birders will appreciate Scott’s well-organized and informed birding excursion. He says, “From marsh to mountaintop, I’ll get you where you need to be”. Taking a “Walk on the Wild Side” could take you on a gentle stroll down a serene path at a relaxed pace or absorbing the quiet majesty of a secluded beach. These walks can enrich an entire family or individuals 10 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2006
through searching for animal signs, listening as birds communicate, each with their own unique call, and then examining fascinating discoveries throughout the day’s trek. You can even explore your own interests at your own pace if you like. Scott considers himself a “generalist” when it comes to his natural science expertise with particular interest in birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles, tree identification, vernal pool and salt marsh ecology, marine mammals, fish, and invertebrates. Then, there are walks of special interest. For example, Scott will conduct Hawks in Flight an opportunity to observe hawks by the hundreds Friday, September 29 through Sunday, October 1, 2006 at Lighthouse Point Park in East Haven, Connecticut. Scott shares that “more hawks fly past Lighthouse Point in the fall, on average, than almost anywhere else in the eastern US”. He has also offered special programs for children, and thoroughly appreciates every opportunity to connect with kids through his walks.
When you think about it, birding and walking on the wild side can be therapeutic endeavors. The activities encourage healing by relieving a stress-filled life and promoting insightful thought for addressing life’s situations. Connecting with the natural world enhances our powers of observation and causes us to pause... seeing ourselves connected to everything around us. Scott’s Wisdom Walks are the embodiment of his own spiritual journey. On these walks he supports others to move mindfully within a natural setting, expanding personal awareness and awakening intuition. The influences of today’s society creates an atmosphere where people now need to make a conscious effort to do what our ancestors of long ago accomplished naturally. Scott helps to awaken that inner ancestral wisdom. Our ancestors partnered with nature, gathering insights from images, literal creatures, or objects often presenting themselves at just the right time and place. For example, we may find ourselves plagued by a pesky yellow-bellied sapsucker as it wakes us with some 4:30 am incessant drumming on our roof. After the second or third morning, our ancestors would have explored the potential of some spiritual insight from the little
messenger instead of plotting various methods of ending its infernal interruptions. Then they’d seek wise counsel from an elder if the message wasn’t clear or needed further clarification in expressing their inner wisdom. According to Scott, “When we know our truth we can commit to living it more fully and with less hesitation. Gentle healing often comes from this inner clarity.” In a Wisdom Walk, Scott helps you identify and work with life issues through walking, sharing, and observing within natural surroundings. Rather than interpret what nature provides, Scott holds the space, shares associations, and asks questions that will help you interpret your own experience as your heart and spirit unfold much sought after truths. Scott guides you on to discover your own truth; identifying and solving life issues while learning techniques as a side benefit, so you can approach further life issues in the same way. As the old saying goes, why give a fish to feed you for a day when you can be taught to fish, so you could feed yourself for a lifetime. Adults and children are invited to join in on these wondrous outings into the natural world. In general though, children under 15 need to be accompanied by a parent or adult known to them, unless special arrangements are made. Scott shares binoculars and field guides for the outings along with information he has gathered through his years of study and observation that seems to “rattle around in his brain”. All you need to bring is a sense of curious wonder, plus snacks, water, sunscreen, along with proper footwear and attire. A visit to www.naturalpathwalks.com provides further details. Taking time to connect with nature nurtures our spirit through Birding Walks, Walking on the Wild Side, or Wisdom Walks. While Scott stays focused on the goals of his guided walks for birding and exploring the natural history of New England, he’ll share spiritual insights if the opportunity presents itself. If it doesn’t, he won’t. While each walk is unique, Scott takes the opportunity to incorporate spirit only when appropriate with a gentle approach. Learning to work with one’s own intuition spontaneously connects us with our own inner strength, our own understanding, and our own power. As we become more familiar with the natural world that surrounds us and we become partners with it, the inner voice of our spirit gains insights from our surroundings naturally, rather than the norm of looking to friends, family, or society for the answers. A Natural Path Walk can help us along this journey we call life. A walk along The Natural Path certainly can be a Destination for Healing. For more Information contact, Scott Cronenweth at The Natural Path in South Portland, Maine, telephone 207-752-0387 or visit his website www.naturalpathwalks.com. Kevin Pennell, an author from Bethel, Maine, wrote Two Feathers - Spiritual Seed Planter and has written for other periodicals and media. Kevin is also an Usui Reiki Master, Certified Hypnotherapist, Shamanic Practitioner, and Psychic Empath. He conducts Reiki workshops and other workshops that assist spiritual and personal development. Kevin, with his wife, Vickie Cummings, operate SpiritWings, their Compassionate Healing Center and therapeutic Store located in Bethel, Maine.
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Greening...
Finding our Ecological footprint by Pat Foley Inner Tapestry would like to introduce our newest column "loving earth" and its writer Pat Foley. Our hope and intention for this Green Column is that we may support everyone on their journey to connect and to heal our earth, our home. The title represents two things, one is that we do live on a wonderfully supportive loving earth and the second is that we deeply care and love her as well, wishing to learn ways to tread lightly on her. We all wish Pat much fun, love and laughter in the issues ahead and would like to encourage everyone to contact us with any topics or ideas that you may like to see covered. If, with open hearts, we bring a clarity and loving attention to each mundane event and action, the larger matters, being composed themselves of many small matters, will also unfold in a sacred way. Eagle-Bear
An outrageously simplistic summary Cyan Magenta Yellow Black
Many of us understand that we of the industrialized nations are living in a way that is out of balance with our planet’s ecological systems. We understand that we are not separate from, but are a part of these systems. We understand that their health and ours are both directly and also indirectly connected. We see developing nations striving to emulate our unbalanced way of life. At the same time we hear indigenous leaders asking us to please consider our actions in light of the health of all people and of our mother the Earth. We can see that some of our problems, resulting from expanding populations and expanding economies on a finite planet, are truly huge and in need of immediate attention. Perhaps some of us are hoping for governments to seriously address these issues. Maybe we wonder how we as individuals can make a difference. Possibly at times we feel a little overwhelmed by the size of this task.
Moving on: All large problems can be broken down into smaller more manageable pieces. When we can focus on these smaller pieces, we can find many ways to act positively within the context of our own lives. Although it does require change, it is at this point individual creativity comes into play, and our challenges can start to get interesting and exciting if we are passionate about what we are hoping to accomplish.
Creating a rough definition: Before we look at ways of playing creatively with sustainable lifestyles, we need a common vocabulary. There are many soft definitions of “greenness” available. My own favorite is “walking in beauty”. More specifically, Mathis Wackernagel and his colleagues have determined the ecological footprint of humanity and compared it to the carrying capacity of the planet. They defined the ecological footprint as the land area that would be required to provide the resources (grain, feed, wood, fish, and urban land, etc.) and absorb the emissions (carbon dioxide, etc.) of global society. Jim Markel discusses this same approach on a personal level in his book Radical Simplicity and offers a number of charts so we can chart our own footprints. Although not perfect, ecological footprinting for both 12 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2006
societies and individuals is a clear and pretty accurate way of measuring our impact on the planet. On the basis of available land, we have already exceeded the carrying capacity of the planet by 20%. In terms of finance, we are living beyond our means. This is life enhancing for only a very few of us and only in the short term at the expense of future generations, not just of our own children, but those of all living things. In light of this, we take a view of ecological responsibility that includes as much of the global picture as possible and in which the action usually starts with our individual choices right here at home. We believe in the importance of breaking set and reducing our collective and individual footprints in whatever creative and innovative ways we can.
What we each do does matter... and because we are all different, our solutions for our problems are going to be different also. It Matters! What we each do does matter. And because we are all different, our solutions for our problems are going to be different also. We would like to celebrate this diversity with you, share specific information, build and improve on what we learn… and see what happens! If we can hold the welfare of all life at the core of our informed choice making, we will be able to move beyond being ecologically responsible into an earthly sort of spirituality. We’ll be living in the world and at the same time coming from a place of heart that acknowledges our kinship with all life. We truly will be able to say as some indigenous people do when explaining their relationship to the greater world, “we are part of it”.
One little recycling story: We have been greening one way and another for a long time. Fourteen years ago, when we first moved to our present location just outside of Cornish, Maine, we wanted to do the renovation of our 1850’s cape in as ecological a way as possible. We would disrupt the existing land as little as possible, use clean and green materials, handle our waste as responsibly as we could and in general, although we didn’t know the term then, we would strive for a small footprint. As we planned and progressed, we hoped to be able to hold the welfare of every living thing here in mind and to generally enhance living conditions for them all. After offering up an initial prayer for help realizing our intentions, we moved into the old house and studied the land from fall through spring before beginning construction of a south facing addition designed for passive solar gain. We learned which way
the winter wind blew and planned windows accordingly. We watched how the water ran during spring meltoff and adjusted the height of our planned addition’s foundation. We located our gardens to take advantage of what we learned. And we considered the garage. Let’s narrow our focus to this small stick frame structure, an over-sized one-car garage.
Reincarnation of a garage: This garage was blocking both the sun to the south and the view. Structurally, to be polite, it had a few serious problems. It shook when we leaned on it in certain places. It needed to go in a planned kind of way before it went on its own. When demolition began however, we determined to save everything we could. All wood over two feet in length was stacked for future use. The short pieces were heaped in a pile to be used as kindling in the stove we didn’t yet have. Cinder block and brick from a structurally questionable chimney were transferred by wheelbarrow to the bottom of a slope we later terraced, using the rubble as a retaining wall. Some of the siding we saved and used between the studs and interior walls of the addition as stabilizing and added insulation from wind. Part of the foundation ultimately went into the hearth of our Russian heater. The rest was moved downhill and used as a garden wall. A few things went to the dump, but not many. We calculate the dump runs we made used in total less than half a gallon of gas as the dump was only a couple of miles distance from the house. Fourteen years later, we are almost at the end of the kindling pile. The longer wood we saved has been used to build a neighbor’s chicken coop, part of a hybrid wolf shelter and has gone into another neighbor’s addition as framing and flooring. It has morphed into our compost bins, flower boxes, mud season boardwalk and a dozen other little things. What is still left is weathering nicely and covering the entrance to one of our resident woodchuck’s burrows while it awaits future use. The rubble used as terracing is covered with growing things. Just yesterday a doe with her fawn stopped on the raised and leveled ground to graze. The garden wall blocks wind from the plants in front of it. It provides cover for that same resident woodchuck, chipmunks and other little fuzzy things. On the back side of the wall, which faces south, the stones warm up quickly in spring and early greening plants offer some of the season’s first munchies for deer and other grazing animal, distracting them from more important (to us) garden areas. And yes, this really does seem to work. For us this low-tech way of dealing with the residue of a questionable garage has turned out well. According to the footprint approach not much happened, and that’s good!
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Pat Foley attempts to live a green life just outside of Cornish, Maine. She is a professional writer, artist, shamanic practitioner and the owner of Earthrest, a retreat center offering space for groups and individuals. You may contact both at earthrest@psouth.net or 207 625-4179.
This planet is not terra firma It is a delicate flower and it must be cared for. It's lonely It's Small It's isolated, and there is no resupply. And we are mistreating it. ....Scott Carpeter, astronaut
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The Olive Tree by Gail Faith Edwards consumed since at least 3000 BC. Olive oil is very high in fat content (15-35%) of which 75% is oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat known to lower blood cholesterol levels, as well as high blood pressure.
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ne of the most beautiful and inspiring sights in all of Italy, aside from the glowing countenances of the elder people, are the gorgeous grey-green olive tree groves. During every car trip my family and I took while there, whether to the Amalfi coast, inland valleys, or south through the mountains to the sea, we saw well-tended olive trees being cultivated in long neat rows, climbing up the hillsides. And often while walking around the edges of our village where all the gardens are planted and our local olive trees grow, we would come upon an old man or woman, up in their olive tree, happily pruning back the thorny branches.
A study in the March 27, 2000 issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine reports that people on high blood pressure medications may be able to reduce the amount of medicine they take if they substitute extra-virgin olive oil for other types of fats in their diet. “The most important finding in this study is that the daily use of olive oil, about 40 grams per day, (equal to four tablespoons) markedly reduces the dosage of blood pressure medication by about 50% in hypertensive patients on a previously stable drug dosage,” says L. Aldo Ferrara, MD, associate professor of internal medicine at the Frederico II University of Naples in Naples, Italy, and the study’s author.
What is in these olives, I wondered, that helps to keeps the old people here, like Angela, so youthful, strong, happy and vibrant? I’d like to share with you what I found.
Olives, a staple food of the Mediterranean diet, are fruits of the tree known as Olea europaea. “Olea” is the Latin word for “oil” and describes the natural juice which is pressed from the fruit and preserves the taste, aroma, vitamins and other nourishing properties of the olive. Olive oil is the only vegetable oil that can be consumed as it is - freshly pressed from the fruit, requiring no further processing. Olives are one of the oldest foods known, they are mentioned often in the Bible, depicted in ancient Egyptian art, and played an important role in Greek mythology. Hippocrates, referred to as the father of medicine, called olives and their oil “the great therapeutic”. Since ancient times, the olive tree has provided food, fuel, timber and medicine for many civilizations. It has also been regarded as a symbol of peace and wisdom. Olive oil has been
Of course, all traditionally lacto-fermented foods including olives, pickles, cheese, wine, yogurt, sauerkraut and sausages, offer wonderful benefits for the digestive system. In fact, these naturally fermented foods and beverages are now considered to be “probiotics,” promoting the growth of friendly intestinal bacteria, aiding digestion and supporting immune function. Furthermore, the nutrients available in these foods are actually increased, such as B vitamins (including Vitamin B12), omega-3 fatty acids, digestive enzymes, lactase and lactic acid, and other nutrients. Studies have clearly shown the benefits of olive oil over safflower and fish oil on pre-cancerous cells and tumor growth. Japanese scientists claim that extra virgin olive oil applied to the skin after sunbathing could protect against skin cancer by slowing tumor growth. And, my mother told me that to improve skin tone, and prevent wrinkles, simply add two or three tablespoons of olive oil to the daily diet. When making herbal infused oils to be applied to the skin, I prefer to use a base of olive oil. It has been the extractor and fixative of choice for herbalists down through the centuries. For centuries, women in the Mediterranean area have been using olive products to enhance their beauty, invigorate their souls and ensure good health. It’s been found that Greek women, who use plenty of olive products in their diets, have a 42% lower rate of breast cancer than women in the U.S.
Olives are not only an excellent source of monounsaturated fats, but also offer an abundance of vitamin E, and so protect our cells from free radicals, lowering the risk of both cellular damage and inflammation. Free radical damage leads to numerous ailments. For example, when free radicals cause the oxidation of cholesterol, the oxidized cholesterol damages blood vessels and builds up in the arteries, which can eventually lead to heart attack or stroke. By preventing the oxidation of cholesterol, the nutrients in olives help protect the heart, preventing heart disease as well as stroke. Other beneficial phytonutrients in olives, including polyphenols and flavonoids, appear to have significant anti-inflammatory properties. The anti-inflammatory actions of the olive may also help reduce the severity of asthma, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. A higher intake of both the vitamin E and the monounsaturated fats available in olives is also associated with lower rates of colon cancer. In fact, a recently published study by researchers at the University of Oxford, adds to the growing body of evidence that shows olive oil is as good as fresh fruit and vegetables in keeping colon cancer at bay. Dr Michael Goldacre and a team of researchers at the Institute of Health Sciences compared cancer rates, diets and olive oil consumption in 28 countries including Europe, Britain, the United States, Brazil, Colombia, Canada and China. Countries with a diet high in meat and low in vegetables had the highest rates of the disease and olive oil was associated with a decreased risk.
Olive oil is also recognized as important in maintaining metabolism and contributes to the development of the brain and bones in children. And, it is recommended as a source of vitamin E for older people. With its rich supply of natural anti-oxidants, olive oil slows down the aging process. So, that's what keeps the old men and women in our beloved Italian village so strong, healthy and beautiful! When buying olive oil look for a high quality EXTRA VIRGIN oil. The oil that comes from the first "pressing" of the olive, is extracted without using heat (a cold press) or chemicals, and has no "off" flavors is awarded "extra virgin" status. Keep olive oil in a cool dark place, tightly sealed. Oxygen promotes rancidity. Olive oil, like other oils, can easily go rancid when exposed to air, light or high temperatures. Pictures courtesy of Gail Edwards.
Gail Faith Edwards is a practicing community herbalist with thirty years experience and the mother of four children born at home and raised on homegrown herbs and vegetables. She and her family run Blessed Maine Herb Farm, now in its fourteenth year, offering medicinal herb products of impeccable quality, safety and effectiveness, made with MOFGA certified organic herbs and flowers grown in their gardens or wild gathered from the pristine wild nearby. www.blessedmaineherbs.com, herblady@blessedmaineherbs.com A response is guaranteed. This article is for information only, for health matters and serious health concerns, please consult your local health care practitioner.
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One glorious bright winter day my daughters and I had the great pleasure of helping our friend Angela harvest some olives. While her five goats grazed nearby, strong and vibrant Angela, in her mid-seventies, easily hauled a ladder to each tree, climbed up into it and shook the branches until a shower of olives rained down onto a plastic sheet we’d placed underneath the tree. Our job was to filter out the leaves and scoop the olives up into clean white pails. When all the pails were full, Angela emptied the olives into a large burlap bag, placed it on her head, waved good-bye to us, and began chasing her goats up the hill, waving her arms up over her head and shouting at them, all the while balancing that huge bag of olives on her head. Then, half-way up the hill, as I watched in utter amazement, Angela bent over to grab a large piece of firewood, slung it over her left shoulder, and without missing a beat, kept running behind the goats, the burlap bag full of olives still poised gracefully on her head…
The researchers suspect olive oil protects against bowel cancer by influencing the metabolism of the gut. “Olive oil seems to reduce the amount of bile acid and increase the levels of the enzyme thought to beneficially regulate cell turnover in the gut”, Goldacre said. With its ability to slow down acid overproduction in the digestive system, olive oil also diminishes the potential for ulcers and other gastrointestinal problems.
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As Above, So Below . . . August/September 2006 by Maya White
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Chiron, the Maverick
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ost people who have heard of Chiron associate it with the words ‘wounded healer,’ but there is much more to his tale. Chiron’s first keyword, as described by its discoverer, astronomer Charles Kowal, was ‘maverick’. Chiron was different from the other stellar bodies, and stood out as a unique scientific discovery. Often labeled an asteroid, Chiron may actually be an orbiting comet caught up by the Sun’s gravitational force. Comets have always been viewed as harbingers of change. Chiron’s orbit stays mostly between Uranus and Saturn, but sometimes moves out beyond even Neptune. The trajectory of Chiron is highly elliptical like that of a comet, and astronomers question if Chiron will even stay bound within orbit of our Sun permanently. Of his 50-year orbit, the maverick spends the most years in Aries and the least in Libra. "Comets throughout history have been viewed as omens. Some believe Chiron’s discovery may point to the balance needed to move humanity into an alternative life-style of holism that will support Earth and all life upon it in abundance." (*1) According to myth, Chiron is the abandoned child of a nymph and a philandering husband. Chiron is the first-born of the race of Centaurs because his father Chronos (or Saturn), shape-shifted into a stallion at the moment of orgasm. His mother, shocked at the half-bestial baby she delivered, left it to die at the top of Mount Pelion. A human child would have succumbed to the forces of nature, but Chiron’s equine and immortal halves allowed him to thrive in the rocky slopes of Mt. Pelion. Thus, Chiron started out life abandoned and alone, forced to become self-reliant as well as face and ultimately heal his own darkness.
The Teacher
Chiron was educated by the twin team of Apollo and Artemis. From Apollo he learned ethics, philosophy, math, music, reason, logic and medicine; all that is redeeming about civilization. From Artemis, the huntress, he learned the way of the forest, the use of herbs, and all that is important about the wilderness and nature. Artemis was also considered a guardian of young children, a task which Chiron took on willingly. He is regarded as a wise philosopher who taught a wide range of topics from astrology and astronomy to mathematics, and notably, healing. Chiron’s healing specialty was through natural methods. His name remains today as a root of the term ‘chiropractic’, which utilizes hands-on adjustment of the body. Chiron was a compassionate instructor, and it would seem that he should also be assigned ruler-ship of surrogate parenting. In his secluded home atop Mt. Pelios, Chiron raised and educated the mighty warrior Achilles, another mythological spirit who suffered from a debilitating vulnerability. Chiron is also remembered as the guardian and mentor of Jason, the warrior whose journey led him to fight a dragon that never slept. Jason’s destiny was to pursue a magical golden fleece which also caused him personal agony.
The Shaman
Being born the result of a shape-shifting event, Chiron is also associated with the shamanic tradition. The shaman in aboriginal cultures is the bridge between humanity and the outer forces, a concept very much akin to that of Chiron. The shaman is really there to serve the community or culture. And, like Chiron, the wounded healer, often in the life of a shaman there is an injury such as early disease, blindness, a near-death experience, a bout with insanity or some other experience that causes him or her to gather their strength and power and drives them to fulfill a destiny. Native American prophecy states that when the planet of healing is discovered in the sky, the ancient sacred warrior teachings will return to the Earth. Soon after Chiron’s discovery in 1977 the Native American Religious Freedom Act was passed, which formally allowed Native American medicine men to practice in their culturally proscribed traditions.
The Key
Many astrologers have pooled their wealth of experience to the body of Chiron learning. One of the most interesting contributions is offered by astrologer Richard Nolle who points out appropriately, "The symbol for 14 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2006
Chiron is a stylized key. Look at it and the meaning becomes clear. A key is a device used to open a passageway from one reality to another. That, in essence, is just what Chiron represents." Another astrologer who has added greatly is Barbara Hand Clow in her invaluable classic first published in 1987, "Chiron- Rainbow Bridge Between the Inner and Outer Planets." (*2) In the introduction she states "Chiron influence is not a thing, it is an energetic force; it is an action verb instead of a noun. The placement of Chiron in the natal chart functions like a hieroglyph. It is a vehicle in the chart to show where and how realities intersect. It is a doorway into feelings about events, …and a revelation of the cosmic influence. It is an occult or seeing tool." This book is a must read for anyone who wishes to understand the wise Centaur and how he functions in any astrological chart. Two other astrologers made early notable contributions. In 1983, Erminie Lantero wrote, "I come to my own position. Chiron means to me the principle of healing or whole making, on any level. It surprised me for awhile that although healing did not go unnoticed by other researchers, they were slow to recognize it as a primary theme despite the fact that illnesses and deaths were found from the beginning to occur fairly frequently under Chiron transits." (*3) Zane B. Stein is also noted for an early contribution to Dell Horoscope magazine in January 1981. "The position of Chiron in the chart of the healer not only indicates the healer’s preferred methods - but also those tools that the healer will find most successful in treating others. Sleep itself is not ruled by Chiron; but Chiron does rule a very specific part of sleep - sleep as a healing tool." Other keywords assigned to Chiron by Stein are: common ground, personal imperative, turning point, pulling the plug or removing the dam, and loopholes.
The Wounded Healer Most dramatic in the legend of Chiron are the circumstances of his death. The great healing master was accidentally wounded by a poisoned arrow fired by his friend Hercules. Being immortal, he did not die, but Chiron suffered on in great pain. Finally, in a bargain struck with Olympus, the healer agreed to trade his gift of immortality and descend through the gates of the Underworld to be relieved of the dreadful physical pain. In return, the rebellious titan Prometheus was freed from his captivity and torture decreed as punishment for the gifts he had given to humans. The titan’s gifts to humankind were numerous; he is most remembered for sharing fire, but Prometheus also relayed brick and wood work, astronomy, numbers and letters, ships and sails, and the mining of metals. For astrologers who are interested in calculating a birth chart for Chiron, astronomer Charles Kowal who is credited with discovery lists it as: November 1, 1977, 10:00 AM, Pasadena, California. The chart is rich in symbolism and there are two outstanding features. First, the ascendant is 26º Sagittarius, a degree which is also considered to be the center of the Milky Way or Galactic Center. Also notable is the Sabian Symbol message for the astrological degree of Chiron at 4º Taurus: "The Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow." In his book Genesis of the Grail Kings, (*4) author and historian Laurence Gardner expounds at length on a theory that the great pyramids of Egypt were built using a superheated white powder known as monatomic gold. This altered form of gold functioned as an anti-gravity lubricant, which helped workers move the giant building blocks. Gardner also suggests that it was fed as a supplement to Egyptian pharaohs to enhance their creativity and self-confidence. Today, monatomic gold is said to be a substance that feeds and strengthens our light bodies and promotes ascension. In addition to mystical arts and healing, I propose that Chiron be assigned ruler-ship of monatomic gold. How appropriate for Chiron, whose function is to ground the pure energy of Uranus into the form and structure of Saturn; the maverick healer who holds the key to travel between the seen and unseen realms. Surely Chiron is both the alchemist who ignites our passions, as well as a shaman who accompanies us on our deepest healing journeys. And, as a shape-shifter, he conveys the transformative light and power of gold to help us all on our healing journeys. (1) Mason and O’Brien in “Chiron” Astrology Encyclopedia. James. R. Lewis, editor (2) Llewellyn Publications 1987 ISBN 0-87542-094-X (3) The Continuing Discovery of Chiron 1983 Samuel Weiser, (4) Barnes & Noble Books 2004, ISBN 0-7607-6197-3 Maya's Monthly Astrological Forecasts can now be found on her website www.WhiteStarAstrology.com Maya White is a full-time professional astrologer who resides in Florida and Maine. Her primary focus in astrology is to identify soul issues and personal growth lessons. She is also certified in Astro*Carto*Graphy, a specialty that helps people identify their most prosperous and meaningful places on Earth. For consultations or classes contact Maya at 954-920-2373, maya@mayawhite,com. See www.WhiteStarAstrology.com.
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Yoga As A Healing Path by Donna Amrita Davidge
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n each of us exists a vast creative potential. In Yoga we call this our Kundalini. In all forms of yoga there is an effort to bring our creative aspects into a healing balance. Two creative forces in all of us are the feminine, or moon, and the masculine, or sun, energies. Each of us had a father and a mother who brought their energies together to create us. Our own feminine and masculine energies can often be a reflection of our parents’ patterns, like it or not! Often the very thing that bothers us about them is a trait in ourselves. Their good points can become ours as well. Yoga for many becomes a path of realizing these energies, healing what we can and bringing ourselves into a healthier balance, physically, mentally and spiritually. Many of us are walking wounded, looking for those perfect or approving parents through potential partners, friends or groups we associate ourselves with. In yoga we can nurture and parent ourselves in a way that creates selfreliance and healthy interdependence. It is sometimes said that a yoga teacher is like a mother- training you, guiding you, then sending you out into the world on your own. What has happened today as yoga interest and popularity explodes is that we get the opportunity to study with many teachers, to learn from more than just one person and to keep learning from all our teachers. Through this process the yoga aspirant becomes more in tune with the True Self often mentioned in the Yoga Sutras (scriptures). This experience of relationship to True Self comes through concentrated activity in asana (moving meditation in poses), breath techniques and developing a practice of mindfulness (being aware in the present moment). Yoga is no quick fix. In our culture, so fast-paced and acquisition and consumerism oriented, yoga offers an opportunity, if regularly practiced, to learn to slow down, be patient, not force the results and even to heal addictions that have come from living in this imbalanced culture. Maybe Yoga has become so popular because many of the people doing it have unknowingly chosen something to help counter the effects of this modern society. People are looking for ways to slow down, draw them inward and remind them to breathe and live in the moment because we all feel better when we are more aware and clear. As we become receptive to yoga’s benefits we may be surprised to see old habits slip away. We begin to care less for the flavor of junk food, to reach less for that drink or drug to anesthetize our feelings, to eat less white bread or meat and realize that all these changes are contributing to making us feel more alive and joyful. We begin to feel more peaceful, knowing that our new choices have helped us to really get in touch with our body and mind in a more nurturing, healthy way. Another aspect of yogic healing is that we may realize whose energy elevates us and whose brings us down. We no longer choose those energies that are bringing us down. Perhaps our parents brought us down in some way (you wanted to be an artist but your parents always wanted a lawyer in the family, for example) so we have unconsciously repeated these patterns or relationship stereotypes in our own lives until now. Our attraction to earlier similar experiences may have caused us to choose a mean spouse because our mother was mean, as simple as that, and we are
miserable. There are other ways to realize we are doing this but yoga is certainly one of them. Before the physical poses were taught in yoga, originally self cleansing and self assessment and contemplation had to happen. When we do this, we realize we have the power within ourselves to create a different life, to make different choices. I remember being on a backpacking trip to Belize and discovering a paradise of a little island called Tobacco Quais. Of the two families living there, our hosts were a seventy-year old retired fisherman and his wife. He told me how he had stopped smoking by doing Yoga from a book. Whatever form the teacher takes, yoga gives us an opportunity to heal. Recently a girl in one of my New York City classes asked why she felt tingling (should she freak out?) in her first class and then felt like crying in her second class. I explained to her that both of these experiences were examples of how Kundalini Yoga, which we were practicing, helped to unblock energies, releasing blocks of fear, trauma and anger that had been conditioned into our being. Some students do cry in their first Kundalini Yoga class as their heart and soul open to a deep level of feeling and healing that they have never experienced before. This can also happen in other ways in others forms of yoga. Ashtanga yoga teaches us true meditation in motion, cleansing and realigning us, Iyengar yoga often helps us heal physical hurts and restore ourselves, Anusura yoga opens the heart. All forms offer some form of healing. One of our biggest obstacles to healing through yoga is choosing a yoga that may not be working optimally for our energy type. Type A people often will choose a more forceful approach to yoga while people who need more energy through their practice may chose a calmer approach. Often we think we know what is best for us but if we truly set aside our ego an experienced teacher can steer us in the direction of a practice truly appropriate for our healing, which will be safe and enjoyable for us. Whatever we choose, there are those two aspects of Self in all of us, the feminine (Ida) and the masculine (Pingala). The Ida runs up the left side of the spine, the Pingala up the right side. The feminine is that which creates and nurtures an idea, our feelings and desires and the masculine is that which carries it to completion through action. In our Yoga practice we get to understand these two energies, that of doing and non-doing, that of coolness and warmness, that of strength and flexibility, that of movement and stillness, that of sound and silence, which join to create one unit of life. Somewhere along the way these may have become out of balance to different degrees. Through our yoga practice we work to bring them back together as originally meant to be. We feel more alive, at peace and willing to do (as in our active poses like back bends, which give us courage) and to just be (as in our holding poses like forward bends, which give us patience). It’s not where we get in our yoga pose; it is how that serves to create an atmosphere for healing. Donna Amrita Davidge has been exploring Yoga since 1985 and teaching for over 20 years. She was first drawn to Kundalini Yoga as a form of emotional healing and has gone on to study Ashtanga and with other teachers such as Dharma Mittra. She now runs wwww.sewallhouse.com Retreat in Maine and teaches winters in New York City.
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Uplifting, Unusual and Beautiful Gifts! Classes that Inspire! Angels, Books, Music, Jewelry, Crystals, Pendulums, Crystal Singing Bowls and so much more!
W N Leapin' Lizards N E AT IO C LO 123 Main St., Freeport 207-865-0900 449 Forest Ave., Portland 207-221-2363 www.leapinlizards.biz Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 15
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The Ancient Healing Art of Reflexology in Today's World by Lynn Marie Danforth
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eflexology is a natural healing art, based on the principle that there are reflexes on the feet and hands which correspond to every part of the body. It is the fastest growing holistic therapy in the health and wellness field. Reflexology is safe, non-invasive and drug free. It utilizes sensitive hand techniques for a unique, individualized therapy that benefits the entire body. Reflexology is on the cutting edge of holistic methods offering to assist in health maintenance and support for the body’s own healing process. Reflexology is represented by professional organizations; the Reflexology Association of America, and the American Reflexology Certification Board. Reflexology has been practiced by many cultures for thousands of years. This technique has long been known to promote relaxation and possesses other therapeutic benefits. As a certified reflexologist I apply pressure using thumb, finger, and hand techniques to reflex areas on my clients’ hands and feet. Each reflex area stimulates a related region of the body or organs to promote relaxation, circulation, and reduce stress. Reflexology should not be confused with body massage. For instance, foot massage is designed to benefit the feet, whereas reflexology can benefit the whole body in addition to the feet. Massage therapy is applied to the whole body for total muscle relaxation, to improve circulation and to remove muscle tension. The reflexology that is practiced today is a direct descendant of medical research conducted at the end of the nineteenth century in Europe and additional research conducted in the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century. Reflexologists do not practice medicine, do not diagnose or treat any medical disorders, nor do they prescribe or adjust medications. Reflexology can be, however, an excellent complement to medical treatment or therapy. During a session, the reflexologist will ask you questions pertaining to your current physical condition, medical history, previous injuries, surgeries, stress level, and other related topics. It is important for the client to share as much information as possible, and all of this information is kept strictly confidential.
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A full reflexology session lasts about one hour and includes the following: • Relaxation of the hands and feet • Warm up • Application of hand and finger techniques to reflex points and zones • Feedback throughout the session • Documentation The reaction to a reflexology session varies from person to person. Reflexology should not be painful although the reflexologist applies gentle but firm pressure deep enough to reach the reflexes. If sensitivity is felt, it is an indicator of where the body is holding tension. Sensitivity felt in various reflex points form a pattern that generally corresponds to the medical condition reported by the client. For example, a client who presents with lower back problems usually feels some level of sensitivity along the corresponding spine reflex, the nerves and muscles associated with it and the related organ or gland reflex points in the feet. The reflexologist should work within your comfort level. Reactions, which may occur between sessions, usually last only a day or two and indicate that the body is returning to a balanced state. Such reactions are associated with the release of toxins. In general, clients feel energized with more vitality after a reflexology session. Success of reflexology depends on the reflexologist’s capabilities and techniques; and, equally important, the degree of commitment to better health by the client. WORLD REFLEXOLOGY WEEK SEPTMBER 17th ~ 23rd Lynn Marie Danforth of Hands on Feet is a Certified Reflexologist
through the Omega Institute of Holistic Studies and the Father Josef Method of Reflexology of Taiwan. Lynn has practiced reflexology in South Portland, Maine for six years. (207) 767-5776
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Developing a Strong Root Chakra
Creativity by Ariel & Shya Kane
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LCSW, MSW Psychic Trance Channel,
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n Qui Gong, people learn very large body movements before they can learn to make the precision movement smaller and smaller with repeated practice. Likewise, people’s distrust, doubt and confusion often make the interactions with Spirit large, awkward and inefficient. However, what is wonderful is that with practice in the counterpoint energies of trust, belief and clarity, people can directly connect with Spirit. How do you know you are connected? When you finally recognize that the belief you have in your connection is stronger than the supposed external reality. Your conversation, life direction and openness turn inward rather than outward. It is this inward language with something greater, you call it intuition, knowing, your sense of God, that now becomes the container to hold all of your experience. And through this practiced belief in your container, you can bring your energy out into the world. You can form a relationship with the world that is based from your connection with Spirit, and through following the language of Spirit you can reinforce your belief in the inner reality of oneness in which we all share. Let’s do a little experiment. Each morning you are going to give yourself the assignment of trusting in the security of your abundance and safety. With an air of excitement, expectation, gratitude and joy, look outward into the world just to see what happens from your inward trust in a greater reality. Note small synchronicities, those messages from Spirit that affirm and validate your inward experience. You may have witnessed a similar scene. A small child, a beautiful little girl, was playing on a San Diego beach. She took a dime leftover from the concession stand and said, "I am going to put it right over here on a rock for a little boy or girl to find". She carefully picked out a prominent rock. She was very mindful of how she placed the dime on the rock, examining it this way and that. Satisfied, she let it be. The day ended at the beach. On the way back to the car, we all commented on how the wind was blowing. However, right in the little girl’s path, staying put as though it was weighted, was a twenty-dollar bill! Her joy and grace, being sincerely put out to the universe, was returned many times over. Wouldn’t it be interesting to place your sincere energies of your intent and feelings out into the universe just to see what happens? Rochelle Sparrow, MSW, LCSW is a Psychic Trance Channel who does long distance individual, couples and group sessions, is an author, has online classes, hosts the Rochelle Sparrow Connection Radio Show and is a Producer with Spirit Productions in association with Peter Coyote. Connect with her at (602) 430-6447 or www.rochellesparrow.com for sessions by phone or in person.
Ariel and Shya Kane lead evening and weekend groups in Manhattan dedicated to supporting people in living in the moment and having extraordinary, fulfilling lives. For more information, including dates and location, call 908-479-6034, or visit their website: www.ask-inc.com. The Kanes are internationally acclaimed seminar leaders and business consultants whose revolutionary technology, Instantaneous Transformation, has helped thousands of individuals and companies worldwide. Their books and audios are available at local and online bookstores, via the Kanes’ website or by calling toll-free 800-431-1579. Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 17
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uman beings by nature are creative. We have, however, recorded everything that has happened in our past and linked it to our creative process, leading us to erroneously form the point of view that the creative process itself is a function of our struggling, our painful past or our “neurosis”. And if we were to lose that neurosis, our mind thinks that our artistic abilities would be lost as well. Recently, a woman came to one of our seminars and balked at the idea of letting go of her emotional pain. The sudden loss of her husband had been a major turning point in her life. The time following his death was extremely painful, sad and yet creative, too. Thrust by unfortunate circumstance into a completely different life, the new widow found herself surprisingly capable, increasingly directed and vitally alive. A year later, she was still nurturing the pain and sadness as well as her new-found sense of herself. She was afraid, she explained, that if she let go of the pain, anger and sadness she would lose what she had gained in the past year. The shocking loss and ensuing pain had acted as a catalytic agent, which sparked her creativity. Her mind then stored all aspects of this time period, and compressed them into a single strategy for success. As we coached her to look, she discovered she was now ready and willing to have the creativity without the pain. With awareness, you can melt the aspects of your way of being that do not truly produce the results you want, in effect distilling the creative process. No longer does the word “struggling” have to be linked to "artist". No longer do pain and neurosis have to be the companion to creativity. Our creativity is inhibited by past decisions that we have made about our own ability to create. Let’s say, for instance, while growing up, you were not a very good writer of book reports in school. Perhaps one day you got a report back and written on it was a bright red “D” with the words, “Below Average!" The mind records the physical sensations that accompany the grade and also a statement that goes something like, “I am not very good at writing. I am Below Average”. This statement is available to play back every time you write a new document. The statement may have been true when you were in grammar school, but it may not be true for the adult person that you have become. The problem is that every time you sit down to create something, that recording of, “I am not very good at writing. I am Below Average”, can jump forward between you and the blank page. Another thing that hinders the creative process is our own internal selfgovernor or critic. Looking over something you have written, for instance, and evaluating it for merit, syntax, grammar, spelling, etc. is obviously a useful thing to do, but timing is everything. Many people apply the process of judging and evaluating their work as they go. This blocks the flow, stops continuity and does not allow for ideas to complete themselves because the sentence, paragraph or idea is being amended even as it is coming into being. Webster’s dictionary defines “create” as: to cause to come into existence; bring into being; make; originate. Whether you are an artist, working with your hands, applying paint to canvas, writing music or standing on a stage and bringing a character to life it is important to include one detail. The creative process is like the gestation period for a child, which one hopes will be born in good health. A little bit of poison can go a long way towards altering the health of the child. Our self-judgments act like poison. If you want to expand your ability to be creative, practice the art of being kind to yourself. Contrary to what some believe, being self-critical and hard on yourself does not lead to better quality work. If you are not vigorously chastising mistakes you will not suddenly become complacent and let your work slide. Rather you may find yourself encouraged to take bigger risks and watch as what seems to be a mistake to the judgmental mind turns into something shiny and new that was never even conceived of before. When one truly creates, one stands in the moment and interacts directly with his or her environment. Not through the filter of thought. Not through one’s personal history. It is a direct expression of the being.
by Rochelle Sparrow,
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The Edge by Holly Howley
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t was a Saturday. The day before Mother’s Day. And my husband could tell I was on the verge. On the edge of some sort of crack.
And so, on this particular morning as we headed to our library’s semi-annual book sale, my husband ever so kindly said “Why don’t we take two cars and you can go off and do something on your own after.” My first reaction was to say something like “Oh, you’d like that wouldn’t you!” or “And where exactly do you think I should go?” but instead, in a moment of brief clarity, I simply nodded my head. I think he was picturing an hour at our local Starbucks where I would sip coffee, read the paper and return home a little more me. Because he seemed more than shocked when after our scavenger hunt at the book sale concluded, somewhere around the hour of noon, I kissed my husband and two little guys and said “See you at dinner.” “Where are you going?” he asked with a slightly dejected, inquisitive grin, the look of a man daring not to prod too much. “I have no idea.” And I didn’t, not a one.
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I felt a little guilty for a second, maybe two. And then my thoughts turned to what I should do. I’d better make it good. Immediately a list of errands leapt to mind. Errands are so much easier without two little ones in tow. Nope. I’d fallen into that trap many times. Endless running, running, running. At the end nothing to show except exhaustion and the feeling that life is a big to-do list. I also knew that shopping, real shopping, was out. Of course browsing might be necessary, but I was not going to head off with a retail driven purpose on this day. The unending hunt for the next needed piece of clothing, house tool, birthday gift or seasonal must have would have to wait.
After all the dramatic prayers cleared out, I told God what was really on my mind. “At thirty-three I thought I would have done something really huge by now.” As I struggled to figure out what it was that I thought I should have done, all I could think of was: I thought I was heading somewhere. Somewhere like the top of an immensely important corporation or to a far-off land on some earth-shattering mission or maybe as the host of a nationally syndicated talk show. I smiled to myself and God, knowing how ridiculous I sounded. Kind of kidding and kind of serious as a heart attack. I guess this was the moment I was supposed to come to the conclusion that none of it matters. That life is not about boardrooms or ego-driven pursuits. Live in the moment, that sort of thing. But, I wasn’t really sure I felt that way.
I didn't want it to be picturesque or perfect or story-like. I wanted it to be real and consequential and all important.
First thing I did was get my eyebrows waxed. Not exactly relaxing or rejuvenating, but needed nonetheless. Next, I pointed the car toward the ocean and started driving. I’ve never really understood why, since I don’t boat, fish or even really swim that much, but the ocean soothes me. I hear myself a little more clearly at the water’s edge.
As I began passing exits, trying to recall exactly which one would lead me to the town we had happened on once before, I felt a defiant urge to get off at the next exit and see where it would take me. So I did. Now keep in mind, I live in Connecticut. This ad-lib decision could barely be classified as spontaneous, let alone daring. But still I felt like an explorer. Like I might discover something. A real something. Like Columbus or Thelma and Louise. At first all I saw were a lot of trees. Like most roads in New England it was windy. The mist in the air made it feel more like fall instead of spring. But the hope of warm weather was vivid. Newly cut lawns, freshly appointed window boxes, even the poorly tended homes with Christmas lights still hanging looked quaint. It was an easy day to appreciate the magnitude of the natural beauty all around. But that was not my state of mind. There would be plenty of days for long weekend drives with my guys. Picnic lunches, trips to museums, theme parks or the local fruit orchard. I was looking for something. And I didn’t want it to be picturesque or perfect or story-like. I wanted it to be real and consequential and all-important. Why I thought I’d find anything like that in an antique store I don’t know. Still I couldn’t resist checking out a few on the way. Slowly I made my way to the town in my mind. It wasn’t really that difficult to get there. Sure I had taken the back roads, but there were signs every five miles or so. Big arrows. It would have been almost impossible to get lost and that is saying a lot because as someone who never read maps, I am lost a lot. When I finally arrived at my place, I found the nearest coffee shop and ordered a skim milk latte. Suburban paradise in hand, I made my way to the edge of the water and plopped myself on a bench overlooking the mouth of the Connecticut River. And I sat and cried. Not a big “Oh my life is horrible” cry. But a “What do I do with myself?” cry. The kind that acknowledges how wonderful life really is, 18 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2006
but that it can also feel a little empty sometimes. And I prayed. First, saying a lot of thank yous. Knowing how much I had to be thankful for. And then in an unflattering begging tone, because it was the only one I could find, I prayed prayers like “Show me a sign” and “What it is that you want me to do with my life?”
I thought of all the people who had cheered me on growing up, in school, in college. Jobs that I loved. Titles I fought for. And then doing the impossible. Finding my soul mate and marrying him. It all felt like I was on the wave of a big crescendo. But in this moment I didn’t feel much. Except tired and a little chubby. Mom is the most rewarding position I have held to date. It is also an all-consuming post. Most days there isn’t a lot left over. And yet, many nights as the house quiets, my mind starts revving. Ideas in need of shape. Thoughts in need of company. Insides needing out. I know there must be some way to channel this energy for the good of my family, for the good of me. I just haven’t quite figured it all out yet. Which is why I need the ocean and the one that created it and me.
And so, as I sat, eyes watering, heart mellowing, mind reaching, I hoped... for a large thunderbolt of inspiration, pinnacle moment of creative genius, the something I set out to find. The explorer trying to reach somewhere from here. Instead, I sipped my almost warm latte and stared out into the wind at the waves of water coming my way. And felt stillness, almost peace, wash in too.
Holly Howley is a writer living in Glastonbury, Connecticut with her husband and two young sons. She can be reached at hollyhowley@cox.net.
CHOOSING LOVE!
CHOOSING LOVE! Is a playful, practical program for single women and men of all ages who want to create strong skills for all their relationships in order to prepare the way for happy long-lasting relationships in their lives. CHOOSING LOVE! is co-led by psychotherapist Meredith Jordan and motivational coach Cindy Lupien, both powerful catalysts for positive, uplifting change with other people. The program begins with two, two-day-long retreats on back-to-back weekends, one for women and one for men. Then we meet as a mixed group for six weekly three-hour sessions to develop solid relationship tools and practice with each other. WEEKENDS ARE; SEPTEMBER 16-17 and SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 1. GROUP STARTS OCTOBER 4 -NOVMEBER 8. TOTAL COST OF THE PROGRAM IS $550 FMI: PLEASE CALL (207) 283-0752 Applications must be received by August 30th
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What is Love to you? by Lionel Berbue
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ove is a feeling – it comes from the heart and it feels good. In fact, it feels so good that I and those who have allowed themselves to feel it – never want to be without it.
Love is reciprocal, that is, the object of one’s love and oneself are connected by the same thread. Love and longing are connected; the absence of one creates the other. Often, love is seen as an intellectual construct; this is the mind’s conception. Intellectual, poetic, prosaic and philosophical conceptualizations don’t touch the heart, they touch the mind. This is the place where one says that caring for another more than the self is love, where giving is more significant than receiving, where God loves us, and so on. This is the stuff one’s reads about or hears in sermons and speeches.
When I was a child, I felt something for my mother and father. I’m not at all sure I would have understood the feeling as love. I certainly felt need, enjoyed the comfort, felt the loss when separated from them for any length of time. When I played, when I enjoyed whatever I was doing, I simply enjoyed the feeling. Love at this level was very simple – pure, really. When I was a teenager, lust and lover were essentially interchangeable terms, although I didn’t see it that way at the time. I confused strong feelings for another person with love. The confusion between love and other strong emotions still infects me to this day, even though on clear days, I’ve come to see the difference. In mid-life, while searching for some indefinable experience, I was fortunate to experience a feeling so powerful that I came to call it bliss, bliss that had no words to describe the sweetest feeling I’d ever experienced. There was no way to express what was happening inside; I wandered around with what must have been a loopy grin. The feeling was connected to something extraordinary. After several days, the supreme feeling eventually passed and I returned to ordinary reality. Later, I would describe the intense feeling with a variety of terms: love, enlightenment, cosmic consciousness, at-one with all, and so on. On the one hand lots of historical references to the experience seemed relatable to what I had felt, on the other, none captured the beauty, depth, felt experience. These days, I often recognize the feeling that is within me as life itself. My breath comes and goes; I’m alive! That breath somehow touches me and reminds me that something is keeping me alive. That breath never judges me, never stops coming and going. I have come to see that the breath must love me; it is so pure in its giving, its coming and going. In that sense, this breath, this love may be said to be the unconditional love each of us has always wanted. I also know that one day I will take my last breath; I will die. I don’t know what will happen to the love that has been given to me. My feeling though, is that what has sustained me through all of my life won’t abandon me at the end. In short, I think love will last forever. Lionel Berube Edgewater, FL 386-663-4749 lberube@cfl.rr.com
A thank you for everyone who has submitted writings for our "life rhythms" column. Writing as in art is an extremely healing process, it allows us also to connect to our deepest feelings and to see our selves in a light that we may not "think" about. This column is an expression of that process. We hope that you continue to share these writings with us and we will continue to use this column and share these writings, and stories.
“Love is Krishna” Love is Krishna; Krishna is Love Hare Krishna Pure unalloyed devotion at the Lotus Feet of the Supreme Hare Krishna The great mantra rises, chanting the Holy Names in ecstasy Hare Krishna O’Transcendental sound vibration, Krishna dancing on the tongue! Hare Krishna Sweet internal energy, Radha shines above all others Hare Krishna Flute to His lips, the gopis respond to His song Hare Krishna Radha-Krishna in Their dance of love; pure, spiritual rasa-lila Rama Rama Krishna knows the hearts of His pure devotees; eternal bliss, endless love Hare Hare Love is Krishna; Krishna is Love By Mukunda Shanty Dasa (David Lapan) David C. Lapan Cranston, RI
Seventeenth Annual Council of Men 2006 Friday, September 8th through Sunday September 10th UNION, ME
Wild Warriors' Hearts in Union This year's Wildness is about finding our Creativity in the setting of virgin meadows, timbers, indigenous creatures, earth, wind, fire and water. We sail from the modern world of commerce and take harbor in fostering our strength as warriors, not to be greater than other enemies, but to compete with ourselves, our own most worthy opponent. Making choices to protect our world calls for spirited self mastery to embody integrity and accountability.
This weekend is for FATHERS, SONS, BROTHERS, COUSINS, NEPHEWS, UNCLES, ADULTS & CHILDREN and all MEN who seek to embody more of who they truly are. Adults $50, Young Men (13-17) years old) $30 Children 12 and under FREE FMI Contact Roland Waiter at (207) 785-4730 or Richard Norton at (207) 583-6033 visit birdsongmusic@earthlink.net Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 19
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My understanding of love has been developmental. That is, as I have grown and evolved, so has my understanding of love. I expect this process of growth in understanding to grow for the rest of my life. What I’ve come to see more clearly is that I don’t always see the love I’m being given. Often I feel dense, unclear, unable to sense the subtle reflections of love that always surround me. For example, when I don’t recognize love being showered on me, I get lost in doubt, confusion, and stress. How do I know this to be true? So much of my life, I don’t see well at all. Once the intensity of the drama clears, I see what has been sustaining me, encouraging me to go on. Sometimes, it is the love of another that gave me inspiration, strength; sometimes, taking a moment to chill, to break the momentum for a while, I see that I am okay and will be okay.
by David C. Lapan
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Interviews Arla Patch by J u d it h P e rry
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Arla Patch is a visual artist with over 30 years of teaching experience. She offers private classes, workshops and retreats at her home "Grace Retreat Center" in Bryant Pond, Maine. She studied Art at Tyler School of Art, Temple University where she received her BFA, Ed. In 1974 she earned her MFA in Sculpture from Indiana University. She has taught at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in New York and at numerous colleges and conferences. She has been invited to teach this winter in Taipei, Taiwan and Bangkok, Thailand. Her book, A Body Story, which tells her own powerful story of healing has been nominated as Outstanding Book of the Year, in the category of Most Life-Changing by the Independent Publishers, Jenkins Group, Inc. Using art as a tool for healing and self discovery has been at the core of her life’s work. JP: How did you come to using art as a tool for healing? AP: When I started to work on my own recovery twenty years ago and realized how powerful mask making was as a transformative experience, I was hooked. I love the blend of creativity that also does something as powerful as help people to transform. I now realize that all my art from childhood to art school on up has been healing. My early work for many years was about the earth, which I can now see as a way I was connecting with our source and grounding myself. JP: Why do you think you were drawn to the earth as a subject? AP: I had a mystical experience (although I didn’t know that’s what it was at the time) when I was 10. I was crossing a freshly plowed field in Pennsylvania when I entered another state. It felt as though all time stood still and there was a Presence with me. It was a Consciousness that I was connected to and was a part of it and it was a part of me. I felt planted in the earth and I could feel my head in the cosmos above. This was an extraordinary gift to me that Nature presented Herself as a Divine force. JP: Tell me how your book A Body Story came about. AP: As with my artwork, the events in my life are the source of the book. Two things coincided.... the dramatic presentation of a fibroid tumor, (the size of a baseball), and a vision I woke up with one morning. The vision I saw was of a woman made out of ferns (one of the images depicted in the book.) The fibroid presented itself with hemorrhaging, and intense pain. I went to the ER having no idea what was going on. I bled for a month and my gynecologist’s answer when I asked if there was anything I could do about the fibroid was: “if you don’t stop bleeding we’ll take your uterus out.” That comment led me to Dr. Christiane Northrup’s book, Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom, which said many women have fibroids but they often become problematic when they are “fed up.” That was the key. It hit marrow. I began looking at and dealing with all the ways I was fed up in my life. My primary relationship being number one. At first I felt like I had been invaded by this foreign growth, but over time I began to see the
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tumor as my teacher, a sage. I began visualizing it and asking if it would be willing to shrink as I learned the lessons it came to teach me. Six months later I was seeing it like a walnut with a shell on it. My new nurse midwife suggested we take a look at the fibroid. I had a sonogram that showed that was exactly how big it was! This dynamic relationship between my mind and my body was what I wanted to share with others. The images I was working with, using the projections of nature on my body, seemed to be the perfect medium to carry the story. I was also realizing, as the fibroid was shrinking, that the miraculousness of Nature, as I fused myself with it, was also in me. And this shift in consciousness led to my empowerment to not be treated without the dignity and respect that I deserved. Finally ending a lifelong pattern and emerging through a transformation with more wellness was so joyful, I wanted every woman and man to know about it. I hoped that the story would inspire and support others. The really hard stuff that happens to us is the grit in our soft oyster bodies that we can use and transform into a pearl.
Healing happens when we use our creativity and connect with that divine knowing within us. JP: So, the masks and body casting were already a subject prior to the tumor, is that right? AP: I started making masks myself in the mid 80’s and soon after, started teaching mask making to others. It was during a mask-making course for the staff at Omega that a woman asked to cast her breasts. This request led to my creating a retreat/workshop called “To Cherish Our Bodies, a Woman’s Breastplate”. Eventually I began offering that to women who had survived breast cancer. Later I had the chance to offer it to a group of formerly incarcerated women in New York City. JP: How do you see the connection between nature and our bodies? AP: By fusing with nature, I reclaim my own divinity. I’m a very concrete person, plus the child in me could understand this simple equation. Nature is our mother and by becoming one with Her I was re-parented with love and acceptance. I reclaimed my own value that had been taken away through the abuse. And most important of all, I now understand that by fully inhabiting my body, it can now be a source of wisdom and communicate with me and I can live a more full and authentic life. JP: I want to ask you about being a Quaker and the notion of a mind/ body partnership. AP: Great, because this is the third track healing, creativity and spirituality. JP: What do you mean by three tracks? AP: They say that mid life is a time for integration and I
just see three tracks that my life has been about: healing, creativity and spirituality, all commingling in this book. Since a young child, art has been a refuge. Going to art school just further developed the “artist” part of me. Given the early wounds of my childhood (that continued into adulthood), healing was an essential experience in my life since my mid 30’s. And my spiritual life, which had its first conscious moment as I mentioned when I was about 10 and then finding The Society of Friends (Quakers) at 12, my spiritual life has been at the core of my life as well. I believe that our creativity is an expression of Spirit manifesting through us. It doesn’t come from me the person; it is something larger that comes through me when the “person” can get out of its way. Healing happens when we use our creativity and connect with that divine knowing within us. We move more toward completing ourselves, more toward our wholeness. JP: How would you describe your own spirituality? AP: I believe in a Presence, a Force that is responsible for all Creation. And as the Quakers say, it is an Inner Light that is present in everyone and everything. In my book, my fusions with Nature are illustrations of that “Light”. They led to owning my own value, which for me meant healing my history, which had nearly stripped that knowing from me. JP: You have said that creativity has been your lifeline through a landscape of challenges, how do you see that now? AP: It still very much is. At fifty-six, what has emerged is a belief based on my experiences. As I open up to my creativity and feel Art come through, I feel more connected to the Divine Source of all things in our universe. I see it as a creative intelligence that I can communicate with. That continues to provide sustenance. Put in the left brain/right brain context: most of our modern world is geared to the left-brain format: words and numbers, logic and sequence. That is also where our judge and critic reside. It’s more about our “thinking”. When we move into our creative realm, we shift into largely right brain function. This is where our emotional body, our intuition, our visual and spatial senses reside. I’m not sure we can access healing without exploring our right brain places. We have to get to the “feeling” level and connect with our intuition to move toward wholeness. My experience is that many people are cut off from their creative side. That is why lately I have come to see my work as “creativity midwifery”. I facilitate bringing people to their creativity. Which is a joy because it makes all parts of your life work better. We’ve all come to earth to learn and grow, to take both the really hard stuff we’re given and the miraculous parts, and use them to create something else: greater peace, more health and ultimately joy. For me, art and healing IS a spiritual path. To be in touch with Arla you can write to her at PO Box 232 Bryant Pond, ME 04219 or visit her website: www.arlapatch.com. Judith Perry is an Artist and Writer living on the coast of Maine. Her landscape derived paintings reflect our connection to nature. To see some of her paintings go to www.judithperry.com.
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Creating Touchstones
Mini Meditation Moments
by Tracey Walls
by Jill Leigh
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Tracey E. Walls is an interior decorator and intuitive guide specializing in creating beautiful spaces that nurture and heal. She gives workshops on interior design throughout Maine. As an intuitive guide, she assists those who have lost their way or who just need to refine their path a bit. Tracey can be reached at wild_melodia2@yahoo.com or (207) 327-2042.
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any of my clients who play with exploring their energy field drop their heads down, lower their voices, confess… that they’re not meditating every day. They even go so far as to say, “I know I should, but…..” I’m here to reassure them. Here’s the thing... Spirituality and physicality are one and the same. By living your life, showing up for things, noticing, observing and clearing along the way, you integrate the spiritual and the physical. It’s a fun and effective way to play the game. Metaphorically speaking, that is. What’s the trick to noticing, observing and clearing along the way? Simply recognizing that at one level an incident that is pregnant with meaning (pick any event in your life), is nothing more than an experience at the energetic level. So when an incident activates your triggers, notice the emotional patterns or the impulsive behaviors that emerge, or your temper igniting or… whatever. Use the experience to clear energy and unhook from the pattern, impulse or behavior. Unhooking leads to liberation. How about this for an idea? Mini Meditative Moments. Do you love it? Here’s how it works. Let’s use “powerlessness” as an example. It’s an issue, you’ve decided to clear it and move on. Have you noticed that choosing to clear a behavior, pattern, etc., creates opportunities to do just that? So, you find yourself in another situation where something someone said rendered you powerless. It’s on your agenda, so you notice how you feel. Take a moment or two to be quiet and still, go within and invite the “powerless energy” to show up in your space. Observe. Your attention may be drawn to a chakra where the energy is particularly prevalent. Conversely, you may feel as though you’re at a laser light show - your aura is illuminated with streaks or slashes of energy. Smile. Have some levity. It’s just energy, and you’re going to clear it. Chakra clearing – place a drain at the bottom of the chakra (imagine a basketball, put the drain at the spot where the basketball meets the gymnasium floor). Lift the lever, open the drain. Let the bound up energy swirl down the drain. Notice how you feel, what you see, hear, smell, taste. Observe how your field and body shift as the chakra clears. After a minute or two, imagine closing and removing the drain. Invite gold, sparkling cosmic energy to come into your crown, down your back and into the cleared chakra. Auric clearing - play with what you experience metaphorically. If you’re seeing streaks or slashes of energy, turn them into bubbles and use a fan to blow them out of your field. If you’re kinesthetically experiencing thickness or heaviness, turn it into bowling balls and bowl it down an imaginary alley to the center of the Earth. Get creative. Have a little fun. After a minute or two, invite any bright, clear color to permeate your auric field. With either scenario, integrate the energetic and the physical by noticing and validating your self and your body. Elapsed time? 1-2 minutes. Noticing your experiences, observing the energetics and clearing what’s ready to release brings you in to the moment, unloads baggage, evolves perception and integrates the spiritual with the physical. In just a minute or two. So, no more apologies, please. It’s all good. Picture courtesy of www.wikipedia.com, Shiva meditating in Bangalore
Jill Leigh uses her clairvoyant skills to observe the energy field and teach clients to cultivate and actualize their desires, dreams and knowings. Her workshops and private sessions are clear and insightful; her humor evokes a playful container for learning and exploration. For more information and to contact Jill visit www.transformativeeneregetics.com or call (207) 247-2442.
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. ...Buddha Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 21
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reativity is one of the ways that the higher self speaks to us. People have become so wrapped up in all the “busy-ness” of each day that there is little or no time left for creative expression. The act of creating something artistic or functional can heal on many levels. When we take the time to do what we enjoy and allow for free self-expression the time spent making something re-introduces us to our true nature, it allows us to hear our higher self, and the finished product can be a source of beauty that nourishes the spirit. Touchstones are a great way to use creative energy to nurture and heal. The conventional definition of a touchstone is a black stone used to determine the quality of silver and gold, but for our purposes, it is a symbolic, physical or audio representation of a quality or message that one needs to acquire to further personal or spiritual growth. Simply put, a touchstone is any form of meaning filled art or craft created by an individual that guides or supports their journey. As an example, let’s say a person who enjoys making collages is in the process of working on low self-esteem issues. The first step would be to create a list of all her successes; she could enlist the help of loved ones to be sure she lists them all. The collage she creates would depict all of her proudest moments and greatest achievements. Now, she has a work of art that constantly reminds her of all the challenges she has overcome. It’s like her own personal cheer leading squad! In this example, the touchstone has helped this individual in a number ways. Making the collage has brought her into the present, allowing her to quiet the inner “chatter” so that she can create something that is her expression of not only her accomplishments, but by the simple, pure act of creation, of her divinity as well. Now, when she faces a daunting task or situation and the inner voices of negativity warn of the multitude of ways she could fail, she has her touchstone created by her own hands to bolster her confidence for what lies ahead. Touchstones can be made of anything and can symbolize whatever is needed. A seamstress might make a colorful cloak covered in badges of courage so she can get past her fears. A collector who wants to remind himself to find the joy in daily living might display a collection of precious-but-simple things beautifully arranged to remind him that there is treasure everywhere and he has, but to look for it. It can be an inspirational story that helps us to find our reserves when we thought we had nothing left. It can be a recording of the laughter of children to remind us to smile. Anything we create that resonates with what we wish to tell ourselves in a positive way is a touchstone. The important thing is to place it where it will be seen so that it can provide constant positive reinforcement. Touchstones are a wonderful way of using creative expression to create something beautiful that will serve to constantly nurture and provide support while helping to heal.
22 ⇠ HYPNOTIC SUGGESTION IS POWERFUL! Choose the CD that’s right for you… Hypnosis for: Overcoming Anger, Stress Reduction, Self-Confidence Psychic Development, Memory, Cultivating Intuition, Spirit Contact, Sleep, Becoming the Goddess
Listen to sound clips, learn about hypnosis, read testimonials, explore case studies, and purchase CD’s by visiting: www.Hypnotherapyservices.com
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Frederica Marshall Artist/Teacher classes/workshops Sumi-e Oriental Brush Painting Watercolor Painting Cold Spring, Nikko, Japan, ©2001 (watercolor batik on rice paper)
81 N. Deer Isle Road Deer Isle, ME 04627
Mandalas
207-348-2782
Young Cherry Blossom – Yokusuka, Japan, ©2001
www.fredericamarshall.com fredericamarshal@aol.com
Inner Tapestry
For ColorAdvertising Call (207)781-9885 22 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2006
www.Hypnotherapyservices.com Or call: 207-722-4241 Toll Free: 800-260-3677 jd@hypnotherapyservices.com Also available through Amazon.com All CD’s are unconditionally guaranteed when purchased directly from Hypnotherapy Services. Visit our website or call for details. DISCOVER THE MAGIC! Experience hypnosis now in the comfort and privacy of your home…
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Living Energy May The Force be with you! by Karen Kallie and Margaret M. Donahue
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s it turns out, the reality of a force that you would be fortunate to have with you may be more literal than most of us realized when those words were first uttered on the big screen! Science fiction writers, poets and mystics often seem to articulate concepts that are later proven valid by science. It is interesting to wonder if the success of books and movies containing these "messages from the future" speaks to our intuitive awareness that these ideas may be true! Case in point: revolutionary discoveries in quantum physics, chaos theory and biology are overturning centuries old models and providing us with evidence to support the concept of the universe as a vast network of energy, of which we are an integral and participating part.
No longer can we view ourselves as biochemical units powered by nerves, muscles and organ systems. Cutting edge physicists tell us that the physical nature of matter is lost at the subatomic level. According to these scientists, all life is comprised of pulsating waves and particles that coalesce into form. This fluctuating field of energy has intelligence, seems to participate in the recording of our experience AND is responsive to attention and intention. The statement, “change your energy, change your life”, appears to be true!
Implications of Energy Awareness These ideas may challenge much of what we have believed about the world and how it works, but it is all good news! There are enormous positive ramifications for our capabilities to influence every area of our lives. For example in healthcare: (1) Two forms of energy healing, Reiki and Therapeutic Touch, have been integrated into hospital settings with excellent results. (2) Techniques from Energy Psychology are being integrated into traditional mental health practice. The results have been remarkably successful in many cases. Perhaps the most exciting prospect of all is that the world of energy provides highly effective ways to tap into and develop our vast human potential. This path is not an unknown one, although it may be new to us in the west. Eastern medicine and spiritual disciplines have taught the principles and practices of energy management for centuries. A great deal of this information was kept secret and only made available to those in positions of power and affluence. Now we all have the opportunity to learn and benefit from what was once the privilege of the elite, mystics and their initiates. Feng Shui is a good example. In the past Feng Shui principles and practices were tightly held "secrets." Knowledge from this ancient oral tradition that typically took years of
As the "new science" continues to evolve, it is also bringing the concept of a collective, unified field of consciousness into reality. This is the realm of healing, intuition, creativity and spiritual enfoldment. We each have access to this field and thus more power than we realize. Logically, if we innately possess these abilities then it is important to learn to use them effectively and responsibly. As each of us grows, learns, heals and raises our consciousness, we can bring new possibilities into reality for ourselves and the world.
You are already experiencing energy This shift in awareness may seem awesome to consider, but it need not be difficult. In fact, we are already managing our energy. However, because we do not have adequate information or understanding of the process, we are not necessarily getting the maximum benefit or desired results.
No longer can we view ourselves as biochemical units powered by nerves, muscles and organ systems Each of us can expand our awareness, access energy and learn to use it well. It is a matter of tuning into ourselves, our bodies, minds, spirits and environment, in a subtler way. This helps us to identify the clues and patterns that allow for change with ease and for the development of strong, positive energies to impact our health and lives. You do not have to become a Qi Gong Master or a trained Energy Healer to integrate energetic principles into your life. Our use of the phrase Living Energy is meant to indicate a simple, easy process that can be joyfully embraced as part of your everyday life. It is about shifting your perspective, your awareness and understanding. It is about attuning to a quiet inner sense that allows you to inhabit your life differently… with more ease, pleasure and capacity for happiness from the inside out! You can begin simply by looking around you and truly noticing life. Just observe the beauty, love and kindness that are present in your days. This helps shift your energy toward the positive. This is not denial of the negative but simply a choice to focus on the positive as a way of strengthening your energy and making a commitment to participate in your life in a new way. What we focus on grows! Another level of noticing brings up the following questions: What happens in your daily life? Is it the same pattern day after day? Do you love it? Do you want to change it? If so, what would you like to be different? Begin to focus on the images and feelings of your ideal life. Spend time visualizing the positive
things that come with this new life. We all too easily focus on the negative. There needs to be at least an equal amount of attention given to the things you DO want in order to help bring them into reality! Bringing attention and intention to your goals enlivens them and infuses them with energy, helping to move waves of possibility into the particles of probability. We are fortunate today to have so much information and many methods available to us to be able to understand and engage the power of consciousness and energy. We all have the choice to grow, change and develop with ease into healthier and more satisfying lives. There are challenges, but we can learn to eliminate the self-made or unnecessary ones. For those that are unavoidable, we can learn how to tap into our higher potential and learn to new ways that will bring us from surviving to thriving. “A miracle worker is not geared toward fighting the world that is but toward creating the world that could be.” Marianne Williamson © 2005 Karen Kallie and Margaret M.Donahue
Karen Kallie, MACP, RN operates Ninth Wave Wellness Center in Nashua, NH. and can be reached at (603) 595-9000. Margaret M. Donahue is the founder of Feng Shui Connections and a co-founder of the New England Center for Feng Shui and Intuitive Arts based in Windham, NH, and can be reached at (603) 537-9954.
Calendar 2006 Golden Raven Storytelling Circle
715 Sennebec Rd. Union, Maine 04862 207-785-4730 www.watier.org/roland@watier.org The Golden Raven Storytelling Circle of Maine: live storytelling in a druid-like stone circle around a sculpted fire chamber at twilight every Friday and Saturday night June 16 - September 16. ( Except for the weekend of September 8-10, as the Circle hosts the 17th Council of Men. This event honors men in the natural world and is Earth honoring. Weekly programs feature world stories, French Canadian tales, myths, folk & fairy tales, as well as Maine Humor. Storytellers include Roland Watier and guest storytellers. Adults $10, children $5, family $25. Storytelling starts at twilight August 4 – Friday – World stories August 5 - Saturday – World stories August 11 - Friday – International stories about children, some dark August 12 - Saturday – International stories about children, some dark August 18 – Friday – World stories August 19 - Saturday – World stories ~ Gathering of the Maine Organization of Story Tellers, various story tellers are gathering for a wonderful nights' event! August 25 – Friday – Earth Healing Stories August 26 – Saturday – Earth Healing Stories September 1 - Friday - Stories of labor and toil September 2 - Saturday - Stories of labor and toil September 8 - 10 - Closed to the public. 17th annual Men’s Council September 15 – Friday – Healing stories of closure. North Winter Wisdom. September 16 – Saturday – Roland’s favorite stories, requests & closing ceremony. Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 23
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Although this energy is difficult to detect without instrumentation, it does flow through and around us, connecting us all to each other. It is the "stuff" of consciousness. Our bodies, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, hopes, dreams and goals are all varying frequencies of energy. To understand this force, this energy, and how it operates, is a means of understanding ourselves in the most profound way. It may be the single most powerful way of knowing ourselves, as well as providing very positive and effective ways to proceed on our journey through evolution.
apprenticeship to learn has now been disseminated for widespread use.
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26 ⇠
Awareness and the art of Seeing: contemplations on the environment and interconnection
by Jen Deraspe
Lilacs in Bloom
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can almost taste the lilac’s sweet smell wafting into my cells, bringing deep, long memories from my youth. I am mesmerized by lavender petals made of soft purple mixed with fair-weather clouds. I can see Dad hunched over his humble perennial garden, pressing marbles into the surrounding soil. With apple trees in bloom in the back yard, summer’s promise fills the air with the gifts of water, sun, growth, new adventure, and hardened bare feet running fearlessly over trails, across beaches, springing off docks. Wild hair, sun-tanned skin clad in bathing suits from School’s Out to Labor Day, I was cleansed daily from the cool, velvet waters of Garland Pond and the crisp, deep Swift River spinning and turning through western Maine’s mountains, the place where I came of age. Layers of lessons were learned while leaping off the rope swing hung high up the old white birch that leans far over the water’s edge. She carried me graciously and honestly through fear and great risk as I practiced, held on too tightly, bruised and cut my way to the "letting go" place, at just the perfect moment suspended, free-falling. Piercing through water’s resistance toward a young girl’s freedom, I slipped through water to the sandy bottom, pressed firmly off and powerfully up, up, quickly to breath, deeply inhaling the clear blue summer sky. The smell, sight and feeling of lilacs in bloom bring me home, as I recall floating and smiling in the surrender. : Jen Deraspe is a licensed Maine Guide, holistic retreat facilitator, certified yoga instructor and adjunct faculty member with the University of Southern Maine's College of Nursing and Health Professionals. She owns Nurture Through nature, providing holistic nature retreats for women. She lives off the grid on Pleasant Mountain in Denmark. www.ntnretreats.com (207) 452-2929.
Nurture Through Nature
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Let Us Guide You Home... Pleasant Mountain, Denmark
The Richness of Summer by Alison Cheek When summer comes to Maine, everything changes. Not only are the days longer and some of them even downright hot, but the very energy in the air is transformed. People are seen strolling in the streets. Men in short sleeved shirts and shorts lean an elbow on the car and have leisurely conversations with each other outside the post office. It is time for tourists and houseguests. The beauty of the coast intensifies. It is a truly spiritual time for me. All of my senses are familiar avenues for knowing the Divine Presence, the Source and Substance of all my good and never so much as in the summer. When guests come and I relax with them on my deck and view the landscape and seascape through their eyes, comments and delight, the scene before me takes on richer and more detailed hues. I pause to ponder the glory and wonder of it all. Unhurried conversations take deeper turns. Life at this time of year becomes richer, fuller, despite the demands and stimulation of hospitality. It is then that I love the very early sunrise, which wakes me in time to have my own quiet period before breakfast. There is time to sit alone quietly under the apple tree drinking in the sounds, sights and smells. Such contemplation of the summer world opens the heart with gratitude. : Greenfire Women’s Retreat is a nonprofit organization founded in 1990 for all women who seek contemplation, community and spiritual growth. From staff meetings to consultations, every aspect of Greenfire’s organization is run using the circle model. Greenfire offers circle conversations, workshops, individual/group retreats, weekly community meditation groups and Sunday service. Set on a tranquil woodland farm in Tenants Harbor, Greenfire provides sanctuary amidst a fast paced world. Guests can spend the day or week, enjoying delicious meals, comfortable accommodations and quiet. For more information contact 207-372-6442 or go to www.greenfireretreat.org.
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Washington Village Massage & Wellness Center Helen G. Caddie-Larcenia Licensed Massage Therapist
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
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(207) 845-2155
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moder n s ham an i c l i v i n g
Better Living Through Creativity by Evelyn C. Rysdyk
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s I have shared in other columns, heartfelt positive emotions, such as appreciation, gratitude, love, and compassion, have been linked to a state of being that promotes an inner harmony or psychophysiological coherence. This state has been associated with a range of positive health-related outcomes. In addition, this way of being promotes more emotional stability, an improved capacity to think clearly and an internal environment, which both supports and stimulates spiritual experiences. This spiritual experience is perhaps linked to the fact that we are not only in harmony within. When we intentionally bring ourselves into psychophysiological coherence, we naturally experience a sense of greater connectedness because we step into harmony/coherence with the very matrix in which all Life exists. Interestingly, while in this state of experiencing feelings of appreciation, gratitude, love, and compassion it has also been found that creativity flows much more freely and our intuitive insights become stronger. (1) This collation between our innate creativity and a state of being that promotes wellness and healing is useful to reflect upon, as creativity is an energy of manifestation. In other words, when we are allowing the flow of our inherent creativity, we are exercising our abilities as Co-Creators. In our culture, we often mistake the by-products of creativity for the energy itself. Creativity is an inborn ability that is responsible for, but different from, artistic endeavors. It is a process not an outcome. Paintings, inventions, dances, musical pieces and poems are just the traces that the energy of creativity may leave in its wake. They are like the streak of light a meteor paints across the sky as it makes its entry into our world. Just as that light isn’t the actual meteor, so too the byproducts of our creative process aren’t the “real thing”. Creativity is an aspect of our life force that drives manifestation in all its forms. As such, it must be nurtured to support the healthy continuance of our existence. Benjamin Disraeli said, “We are not creatures of circumstance; we are creators of circumstance.” In other words, as a direct result of our inborn creativity, we have the capacity to participate in the creation of our reality. Pablo Picasso, arguably one of the twentieth century’s most famous and prolific artists, once said, “Everything you can imagine is real”. In other words, our creative imagination serves an indispensable role in this process, in that it is that which allows us to dream all that is possible! Truly understanding this means that we absolutely can have a rich life with deep fulfillment. In his honoring rituals, my Ulchi shaman teacher, Grandfather Misha would pray for what in English translates as “happiness”. What he meant by this idea is having a healthy life that not only meets one’s needs in terms of survival but also includes joy, love, excitement and stimulating challenge. So if you aren’t experiencing “happiness”, that is, if your life circumstances aren’t fulfilling--it is a symptom that you are not living creatively! No matter how much we may long for it, as we consider stepping into the unknown territory of changing how our life looks and feels, we usually begin to feel fear. What is interesting about this stage is 28 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2006
-- if our fears are unconscious -- we may not be able to identify that we are indeed fearful! So, how do you recognize a demon, you can’t see? A wonderful method is compassionately observing our own behaviors. When we do so, we have opportunities to notice the signs when we are being run by an unconscious fear or motivation. Simply put, it is in those times we fall into the behavior patterns we use to deaden or push away “uncomfortable” feelings. These behavior patterns may include compulsively busying ourselves at work or at home, eating, drinking, taking drugs, exhaustively exercising, mindlessly watching television, surfing the web or even recreational shopping! While they temporarily make us “feel better”, these pain/fear avoidance strategies directly interfere with manifesting a more satisfying existence. They do this by deflecting or distracting us from the real work that needs to be done. That work is the sometimes embarrassing, inconvenient, and sometimes downright painful process of identifying and confronting our unconscious fears. In desiring a different life, we must have the courage and willingness to be “uncomfortable!”
In desiring a different life we must have the courage and willingness to be "uncomfortable!" The psychologist and humanistic philosopher Erich Fromm said, “Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” Under these circumstances, looking to nature can be very supportive. For instance, there is nothing in the caterpillar that gives any clue to the butterfly it will eventually become. It can’t rely on a previous experience for reassurance. It is a leaf-eating, soft-bodied creature that will become a nectar drinker with a rigid exoskeleton who can fly!! To accomplish this remarkable feat, the caterpillar has to be willing to completely surrender its old way of being and previous understandings about its world. In the shelter of the chrysalis the caterpillar becomes a “mush” of undifferentiated cells -- nothing of the old way of being remains. To be able to enter our own “chrysalis phase”, deep self-examination is essential. If necessary, we may even need to enter into a period of psychotherapy for the purpose of uncovering unconscious impediments to our desired life. In other words, we need to sort out how and why we unconsciously desire to hold on to our caterpillar form! You can’t skip this step. There isn’t any short cut to this part of the becoming. However, once you have identified any unconscious impediments -- once you really know your inner demons and how they operate -- you can use generating feelings of gratitude or appreciation to loosen
the grip they have on your spirit! With these feelings, we realign ourselves once again with what is perfect and divine both inside and around us. We also open ourselves to even more inspiration. In essence, we consciously step into a renewable and sustainable cycle of creativity! (2) There is one more critical component of creating the healthy, happy life that you desire. It is actually putting in the hard work of following through with what your imagination offers. Believe completely in what you imagine and then use all your talents and efforts in striving to manifest it. In this way, we are using creativity as an engine for action. American humorist Arnold Glascow holds an opinion that I have found to be true in my life -- that is “when an idea is not coupled with action it will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied.” I would also add, based on my own experience that, your efforts need to be ongoing as the reality you are creating will continue to evolve in the process of it’s manifestation! In other words, a big idea can become an even bigger reality as we fuel it with our focused actions. Dare to live as the life you can dream! 1. Doc Childre with Rollin McCraty, PhD “Psychophysiological Correlates of Spiritual Experience” Biofeedback, winter 2001, pp.13-17 2. Support for this process may be found in using the CD, Becoming the New Human that is available through Amazon.com or from www.spiritpassages.com © 2006 Evelyn C. Rysdyk Evelyn C. Rysdyk, author of the book, Modern Shamanic Living, is a Teacher of Shamanism, healer & artist in joint practice with C. Allie Knowlton, LCSW, DCSW as Spirit Passages. Since 1991, they have offered workshops across the US and Canada. They also offer a private shamanic healing practice at True North in Falmouth, Maine. Featured in the book, Traveling Between the Worlds, interviews with 24 of the world’s most influential writers and teachers of shamanism, they may be contacted at: www.spiritpassages.com
WE HOPE THAT YOU ENJOY READING THIS ISSUE OF INNER TAPESTRY
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Feng Shui & Geopathology by Werner Brandmaier
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Environmental Health and “Dirty Electricity”:
An example of an oscilloscope reading of typical high frequency micro surges on top of a 60-Hertz standard waveform as with electrical power lines. (Source: Havas/ Stetzer) Uncontrolled electrical currents injected into the earth, commonly called “stray voltage” have been the subject of controversy between dairy farmers and electric utility companies since the 1970’s, particularly in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. In the state of Washington electrical currents were found on domestic water systems from primary neutral down-grounds. In New Jersey cows decreased milk production because of reduced water consumption due to similar voltages in watering troughs. Participants at the dowsers’ convention told how years ago they built rubber shoes for cows out of old tires in order to improve health, behavior, reproduction and milk production of their herds. There are quite a number of studies issued in the mid 1990’s covering this phenomenon. USDA-ARS Publication 696, Effects of Voltage/Current on Farm Animals, became a standard for cow-contact-strayvoltage levels accepted in several states. Another more recent study sited, “Across Wisconsin and in other states, hundreds of dairy farmers struggle with stray voltage,
temperature in a bowl of water so a frog doesn’t feel he’s being cooked... International standards for ambient radiofrequency radiation are significantly lower all over the world than here in the US: � Salzburg/Austria 0.1 uW/cm2 !! � Switzerland 4.2 uW/cm2 � China 6.6 uW/cm2 � Russia 10.0 uW/cm2 � Italy 10.0 uW/cm2 � US & Canada 580 uW/cm2 !!! Countries with lower thresholds take into account scientific studies, which not only consider thermal effects but also non-thermal bio-effects, caused by low intensity radio frequencies. In other words, Russia and many other countries consider low thresholds at which adverse health effects are first noticed, whereas the US defines the threshold at (much higher) levels, where detrimental health effects can be proven beyond doubt. The WHO (World Health Organization) is now, unfortunately, trying to unify world standards closer to the US levels. Just as we protect our computers from spikes and micro surges on power lines we must protect ourselves. I recommend that we educate ourselves. Check out some of the websites at the end of this article. In case you have concern for yourself or your family’s wellbeing, find someone knowledgeable to take electrical measurements in your home and/or office and get advice about possibilities to lower your exposure. Until we are able to prove electromagnetic fields truly harmless, I recommend erring on the side of caution. : Websites: www.electropollution.com www.emrpolicy.org www.lessemf.com for EMF-meters and shielding materials. References: Dirty Electricity and Electrical Hypersensitivity: Five Case Studies - Magda Havas and David Stetzer, presentation at WHO conference in Prague Oct. 2004 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 (207) 772-7888, or werner@ InstituteofFengShui.com. Visit his Website at: www.InstituteofFengShui.com.
Jason Freidus 5th Generation Intuitive = Psychic = Teacher = Healer 20 years experience
Lectures & Tarot Readings
Inquiries: 207.934.2180 jfreidus@maine.rr.com
Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 29
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ust coming back from the American Society of Dowsers Convention in Lyndonville, VT, I’d like to reflect on one of the topics there. On the last day, I attended an excellent workshop about different forms of high and low frequency electromagnetic pollution, which has become increasingly problematic across the country. Dr. Magda Havas, Ph.D, a researcher from the Canadian University of Trentu, presented several studies in the field of “Dirty Electricity and Electric Hypersensitivity” sighting substantial physiological effects to humans and domestic animals alike. These studies also sited how the effects were mitigated when simple electric capacitor filters were applied. There are 3 standard ways electricity is sent: � Through the air in the form of high frequency waves � Along cables used for electrical power � Through the ground “Dirty electricity” refers to transient or stray high frequency electrical pulses or surges that are not meant to be there. They ride on electrical wiring, they pulse through the ground and run along grounded water pipes. They can be generated inside a home or building by electronic equipment or from outside sources such as nearby cellphone towers. Our electrical power is much more polluted with high frequency distortion than we are aware of.
electrical current flowing through the earth. Scientific research suggests that stray voltage has extreme physiological effects on cows and other animals when it reaches certain levels.” New technologies like the rapidly growing number of cellphone towers seem to exacerbate the problem. If this pollution is bad for farm animals, it cannot be healthy for humans either. Recent studies in Canada show possible effects in schools, compromising both teachers and students significantly. One study, for example, was set up with only the principal and the head custodian knowing of its contents and procedure. Detailed questionnaires and daily checklists were distributed among teachers and pupils. For 3 weeks the existing situation was observed, then for another 3 weeks filters were installed to improve the situation. The response of 40 teachers as well as that of the students was analyzed. The results were as follows: 46% of teachers experienced less fatigue, 42% were less frustrated, 35% had a greater sense of well-being, 23% felt more energy and 19% had less head aches. Remember, nobody knew about the kind of study or when the changes were done. Students improved more during the afternoon than in the mornings. At the elementary level, general students' interruptions were reduced by an average of several minutes a day. Interestingly enough, high school students showed fewer differences than their smaller colleagues. Personally, I attribute this to the multiple other sources of EMF’s (electro-magnetic fields) like cellphones, Ipods, computers, video games, etc. teenagers are exposed to these days. Causes of dirty electricity, besides the poor quality of electrical power itself, are often home-based factors such as, computers, televisions, dimmer switches, energy efficient lighting and appliances. We have learned to protect sensitive electronic equipment with surge suppressors and have assumed, until recently, that this form of energy is not biologically active, however evidence suggests otherwise. Getting back to health, electro-hypersensitivity is the term used to describe symptoms from an exposure to electromagnetic fields. Symptoms include headaches, sleep disturbances, lack of concentration, depression, memory loss, cardiovascular issues, fibromyalgia, skin irritations, etc. Nausea is often experienced when entering areas with high concentrations of electrical equipment such as, offices, large department stores and shopping malls. Fluorescent lighting usually intensifies the negative effects. Electricity is by no means negative by nature. In fact, it plays an essential role in our body’s cell metabolism, the exchange of nutrients, the regulation of hormones, brain functioning, etc. It is no wonder that major glands like the pineal and pituitary glands are affected by strong electrical fields. Medical science is just now acknowledging these subtle mechanisms regulating our glands, organs and body systems. Science distinguishes between thermal and non-thermal effects of high frequency radiation. “Thermal” means heating up as in a microwave oven. “Non-thermal” effects are usually slow mechanisms, e.g. breaking-up of DNA strands or passing through the blood brain barrier. Non-thermal effects are often questioned as they are more difficult to follow-up and prove. I’m sure you have heard of the example of how to slowly raise the
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Cooking Consciously & Eating Healthy by Guest Writer Amiee Perrin Food is our common ground, a universal experience. —James A. Beard
What’s All the Buzz About Raw Foods? What is Raw, Living Food?
We all know what raw food means — uncooked, right? Well, yes, but the question usually is “what do you eat, salads all the time?” — or “Oh, then you eat sushi, right?” “Not!”
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Raw/Living food is much more than salad and most raw foodists don’t eat raw fish (or cooked rice). The raw food lifestyle is enjoying a surge in popularity with actors and other celebrities touting the virtues of eating raw. Couple that with baby boomers’ search for health, a way out of the seemingly inevitable middle-age spread and lifestyle illnesses that are becoming epidemic (like diabetes, fibromyalgia, cancer, heart disease), and raw food represents a potential destination for those searching for answers to their burning health questions. The raw food lifestyle has been around since the beginning of the 20th century and has seen a tremendous upsurge in popularity over the last several decades for the above reasons. There are hundreds of books on eating raw, with thousands of delicious recipes ranging from smoothies, health promoting soups, juices, salads, tacos, burgers, lasagna, pates, crackers, breads, pies, cakes, cookies — all made with sprouted grains, seeds, nuts, vegetables, fruit and raw, virgin oils. So a raw/living food diet consists of foods made from raw sprouted grains, and raw seeds, nuts, vegetables, fruits and raw virgin oils. There are many variations on this theme. Also, and very importantly, I consider the “living” part of the diet —which usually refers to the condition of a sprout — also refers to the idea that the lifestyle is always “living”, growing and changing as the individual becomes aware of what changes in direction within the raw diet will work better for her or him. These can be changes such as more or fewer nuts and seeds, more or less oil, tweaking one’s water intake, adding or subtracting supplements, juicing or fasting for increased health. I am constantly experimenting and educating myself, as I would hope you would if you join the fascinating world of the raw foodist.
Why go raw?
I personally have 31 books about raw foods and have read on many different websites about the raw/living foods lifestyle. Every author has a little different twist on his or her persuasive argument of WHY EAT ONLY RAW FOODS?
sprout; different herbs and spices: cilantro, cumin, curry; different seeds or nuts. For the mayonnaise - almonds, pine nuts and/or sunflower seeds 2. At one dish, supper meals — on the side have something interesting like baby radishes, cut celery, sliced apple, soaked Brazil nuts, dehydrated spiced nuts, a few crackers, something to keep it interesting and varied. 3. Pick up a new and different vegetable or fruit from the farmers market, or organic market and try it out. 1. Learn from the messages in water:
Be Happy!
www.life-enthusiast.com/twilight/research_emoto.htm 2. Keep learning, do research, experiment and change! 3. Positive speech— use positive language; exclude all negative words from your speech. 4. Trust your intuition! 5. Surround yourself with supportive friends and activities. 6. Allow others to be on their own road to wellness and fulfillment. This can be the root of your own happiness. 7. Remember, it’s a process; perfection is ongoing.
Styles of Raw Foodism:
1. Some raw foodists are complete vegans, eating only plant food, no animals, animal products or parts. 2. Some raw foodists eat meat, fish, eggs, cheese, milk, all raw and unheated. (I’ve only heard of a few of these.) 3. Some raw foodists eat mono-meals, one food at a meal, like 5 apples for breakfast, 4 avocados for lunch and 3 grapefruits for supper and maybe 6 bananas for a snack. 4. Some raw foodists make food that looks like “regular” food, burgers and fries, cake, cookies all out of raw food, usually with lots of nuts and dehydrated foods. 5. Some raw foodists are trying to cure diseases, improve their health, recover from illnesses, (cancer, diabetes, candida, chronic fatigue etc.), and usually incorporate juicing, simple meals, raw soups, and other healing therapies like colonics, massage, naturopathy, etc. 6. Some raw foodists take large amounts of whole food supplements like blue green algae, green powders, vitamins or herbs, etc. 7. Some raw foodists believe in using only food as their medicine. 8. Some raw foodists are into fitness and exercise as part of their healing program. 9. Some raw foodists incorporate fasting on water or juice as a way of cleansing and healing. 10. Some raw foodists, most raw foodists use a combination of the above. I think I am a 1, 5, 8 and sometimes a 4. As you can see there is a lot of information out there and it can be very confusing.
Raw/Living Diet is truly a Lifestyle
1. The raw/living diet consists of raw fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts kept below 110—115°F.
My favorite reasons and the ones that keep me convinced day after day, week after week and year after year are:
2. All nuts, seeds and grains need to be soaked in water 6—12 hours and if possible, sprouted. Some recipes call for unsoaked nuts or seeds in order to achieve a certain culinary effect, this can be done occasionally.
1. If you plant a raw almond and a roasted almond, which would be more likely to grow an almond tree? Which would you rather eat to grow new cells in your body?
3. It’s best to eat as much sprouted, germinated and green food as you can.
2. What would you naturally want to eat/drink if left out in nature with no tools or weapons: berries, wild lettuce, fruit, insects, raw fish, raw bunny rabbit, drink milk from a wild goat’s udder? 3. Which animals get sick — wild animals in nature, not exposed to man-made chemicals, or domesticated animals eating cooked food? 4. Many people on a raw food diet report cases of dramatic improvement in health conditions; as well as my own and my family’s improvement in health on a raw food diet.
Important Principles
1. You learn to embrace the belief that the body will heal, if given what it needs. 2. Your body you have been given is your job, as is your consciousness, to do the best you can with — to bring as close to perfection as possible. It is part of the truth seeking modality. 3. Everyone is different. What works for you, works for you, and you find this out by experimenting and paying attention. 4. What worked for you at one time in your life may stop working; be flexible and willing to change. 5. Healing may come gradually and is facilitated by attitude, speech, thoughts and willingness.
Tips for enjoying the Raw/Living Lifestyle
1. Try different recipes and find some favorites. Use basic recipes in which small changes could really provide variety. Example: Slaw- use different vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower even Brussels 30 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2006
4. Living means breathing, exercise facilitates breathing. Ideally you want to do at least 30 min — 1 hr of exercise every single day. 5. The responsibility for your health is in your hands. Your doctor or healthcare professionals who you employ are there to offer advice but ultimately YOU are in charge of your health. Here are a few favorite recipes you might like to try. For more, visit my website at livingandhealingraw.com
Broccoli Slaw
Broccoli, chopped in food processor Celery, sliced thinly Red pepper, chopped Shallots, green onion, red onion, or white onion, finely chopped Seed or nut mayonnaise
Mayonnaise:
1 cup Almonds, sunflower seeds, cashews (not recommended), or pine nuts, soaked overnight and drained 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice or raw apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt 1 tablespoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (optional) Filtered water Blend ingredients with water, starting with 1/3 cup, add more as needed to make creamy. Stir all ingredients; use what you have on hand or what you like together.
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WISDOM FROM a Psychic, Intuitive
Avocado and Tomato Salad
1 avocado 1 tomato 1/4 red onion 1 cucumber (optional) 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil Celtic sea salt to taste Chop avocado, tomato, red onion, cucumber slices and place in a bowl with apple cider vinegar and olive oil with Celtic sea salt.
Simple Soup:
In the blender: 1 avocado 1 garlic clove 1 lemon, juiced Several handfuls spinach Celtic sea salt, Nama shoyu, or Bragg’s Aminos to taste Water, enough to blend Yummy and nourishing!
Other noted websites: www.beautifulonraw.com www.rawnewenglandcommunity.com www.thegardendiet.com www.creativehealthinstitute.com Aimee Perrin is a raw food consultant. She enjoys sharing her knowledge of healing with raw foods and teaching the raw food lifestyle. She can be reached at aimeefields@aol.com or www.livingandhealingraw.com
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ately I have come across many people focused on healing which centers around the relief of pain. I believe this is a result of the transitions that we as a collective are experiencing. At this point in time the collective is going through a major birthing process, similar to that of child birthing, and what we are experiencing are all the feelings that accompany it… including the pain. I would like to offer some support in transitioning the pain whether it is physical, emotional, mental or spiritual. Before I begin to address the healing of pain I would like to share more on the origin of pain. To manifest anything it must first come from the ethereal or spiritual plane. By the time something manifests on the physical plane it has passed through psychic filters and like anything in life the cleanliness of the filters will influence the results of the output. If there is conflict, or a dirty filter, the experience can manifest as discomfort or even pain. For example, if you are looking for a job you could manifest a wonderful opportunity or a great deal of frustration. This could then lead to not only emotional distress and turmoil, but physical symptoms, thus a headache, stomachache or even illness. If you can creatively and openly harness some supportive steps to heal, or clean your filters, life’s outcomes could be so much different. Utilizing the elements of earth, air, fire and water and openly applying them to healing, or cleaning self, one can do a great deal of work in the spiritual, emotional, mental and spiritual planes. If the focus is to heal without attachment to what healing is there will always be success. With healing, as with birthing, there is always intense feeling, or as we often see it, pain. On the other side of pain there is a greater level of openness, love, peace and acceptance. I would like to offer a simple way to creatively promote healing on all levels of ones being. There are many approaches to healing which can be taken and one I would like to explore is visualization. Visualization can be done in many ways, but I would like to take a more hands on approach. This will require poster board, markers, magazines, glue and patience. In the middle of the poster board draw a picture of a person and put your name there. Then divide the posterboard into five equal sections. Next label each with one of the following headings: earth, fire, water, air and self. From the magazines you have acquired cut out words or pictures that are representative of each of the section headings. For example you may place a picture of a house or a tranquil scene of gardens and stones for earth. For air you may find some inspirational words, symbols or spiritual sayings. Within the fire area you may place things that are negative for you on one side and right next to them place their opposites. This will symbolize the disintegration of the old and a rising of the new from the ashes. Water would symbolize emotions and fluidity, so you may want to choose pictures of the ocean, rivers and rain to support movement and cleansing of these emotions. The final area is for self. Choose words or pictures that relate to areas of your body, that you would like to heal: arms, legs, heart, organs and so on. This will become a beautiful collage that could take months to complete. Do not rush this process. It’s not about finishing it quickly or doing it right. This is a process of consciously choosing to take time for you, going deeply inward to develop an intimate relationship with yourself. This will begin the process of listening to your inner voice and following that guidance. From this you can emerge more whole, more complete and more connected to the inner voice that is you. This is a work in process and should be placed were you will see it regularly and often. It will help shift your subconscious mind and help you to visualize a whole, more healthy you. This will unleash the subconscious and help you to realize that you can change your reality and life. This is also a wonderful exercise for kids to help them find their true interest and begin manifesting in their lives as well. So take some time for yourself and open to the voice within. Because within has always been the beginning and ending point of every journey. Peace, light, balance and happy manifesting. "I am happy to announce the opening of Touchstonebookstore and More located at 1832 Forest Ave. in Portland where I will be teaching and offering readings and I look forward to the opportunity to meet and connect with many more of you!" Jason Freidus lives in Southern Maine. His psychic, intuitive gift has been handed down in his family through many generations. He has been working for the public for more than 19 years, relying on many divinational tools, Tarot divination to name one, but most importantly with his inherited psychic gift. Jason takes appointments for classes, readings, and healings. jfreidus@maine.rr.com
HEART FELT THANKS TO OUR ADVERTISERS WHO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AND BRING INNER TAPESTRY TO YOU ! ENJOY READING THIS ISSUE OF THE JOURNAL ! Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 31
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RESOURCES These are some of the books and websites I recommend: * Living on Live Food, by Allisa Cohen www.alissacohen.com *The Complete Book of Raw Food, edited by Lori Baird * Hooked on Raw, by Rhio, www.rawfoodinfo.com * Vital Creations, by Chad Sarno, www.rawchef.com * Raw Food, Real World, by Sarma Melngaillis and Matthew Kenny, ww.oneluckyduck.com * Sunfood Cuisine, by Frederic Patenaude, www.fredericpatenaude.com * Raw Kids, by Cheryl Stoycoff * The Raw Family, by Victoria Boutenko and family, Eating without Heating, by Valya and Sergei Boutenko, Green for Like, by Victoria Boutenko, www.rawfamily.com * Conscious Eating and The Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine, by Gabriel Cousens, M.D. www.treeoflife.nu * Sunfood Diet Success System by David Wolfe www.naturesfirstlaw.com
By Jason FREIDUS
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The Artistic Theory of Psychology by Elliot Benjamin, PhD.
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here has been much historical speculation regarding the relationship of art to mental illness, and in recent years there has been a number of research studies that give support to such a relationship existing [1]. But in order to truly compare the artist with the mentally ill person, we need to first fully understand the psychology of the artistic person. In this article we will explore the psychology of the artistic person and relate our understanding to what in our society is described as the “mentally ill,” through considering the psychological and philosophical ideas based upon the work of some of the foremost thinkers of the past century, including Carl Jung, Abraham Maslow, Ayn Rand, Ernest Schachtel, Carl Rogers, Ken Wilber, Howard Gardner, Jean Houston, Eric Fromm, R.D. Laing, Otto Rank, Thomas Szasz, and Lawrence Kubie. Ayn Rand describes art with exceptional clarity and beauty in her novels [2]. She talks about a human being’s “sense of life”, and describes art as the reproduction in the universe of one’s innermost being. To Ayn Rand, art is nothing less than the rejuvenation of one’s very soul. This description of art is not very different from the meaning that many people find in authentic spirituality, serving a similar function to that of God and religion. In my own experience, when I play the piano and various melodies and songs play through my fingers without my conscious awareness of what I am doing, this is a communication from a deeper part of me about what is going on within the depths of my being. And my experience of engaging in my mathematical world in the early mornings is my way of experiencing one of life’s true but little understood art forms. How similarly must the authentic musician, painter, poet, and scientist feel when they are immersed in their own creative endeavors? One can say that an artistic nature represents the qualities in a person that prioritizes the quest for truth and creative expression over the more earthly material decrees of comfort and security, and we shall include idealistic beneficial social and ethical innovations here as well. Working musicians, successful painters, celebrated poets, famous writers, popular scientists, and pure mathematicians with mathematics professor jobs -- these are the artistic natures that are renowned and respected in our society and are admired for their glorious achievements. But what about those artistic natures who seem to be fated to non-existence in terms of public approval and respect? Is it because they are not as talented as their happier fellows? Perhaps it is because they are not as lucky or do not work as hard as their happier fellows; perhaps it is a combination of factors. But whatever the reason, their artistic natures are no less real to them than they are to their more successful counterparts -- and yet they end up experiencing the harsh consequences of a seemingly unfeeling society towards their predicament. Could it not be that some of these artistic natures give up the struggle to allow their real selves to emerge, and consequently wind up in mental hospitals, being classified as “mentally ill?” There is a popular myth that all artists are a bit "crazy" -- given weight to by a number of unfortunate cases of alcoholism, severe depression, abusive behavior, mental hospitalization, suicide, etc., by some of our most well known creative geniuses: such as Van Gogh, Nietzche, Piccasso, Richard Wagner, Jackson Pollock, Virginia Woolf, etc. But my interest is as much with the unsuccessful creative artist as it is with the successful creative artist. It is only the focus upon the psychology of experience, as one finds in existential psychology, humanistic psychology, transpersonal psychology, and integral psychology that is
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capable of truly understanding the deeper experience of a human being. And how often would we be amazed at the depth of human feeling and creative potential that could emerge out of our “schizophrenic” mental patient. I am not suggesting that our society should reward lesser ability in an art form for the sake of a person’s mental health. This would not be fair to the successful creative artist nor to our more ordinary citizen. But along the lines of Thomas Szasz and R.D. Laing [3], I am strongly advocating that our society stop labeling our mental patients superficially, and begin to develop an appreciation of the artistic creative potential that many of our mental patients may possess in the depths of their being.
The creative artist knows his/her mission in life; it is to be who he/she truly is in the depths of his/her deepest being... Thus I am proposing a new theory of psychology, not one to replace what we already have, but one to add to our storehouse of psychological knowledge. I am proposing the establishment of “The Artistic Theory of Psychology”. The Artistic Theory of Psychology stresses a different focal point of comparison for our criteria of mental health and normality. We shall define the “successful creative artist” to be a person who has received the respect and acknowledgement for his/her work by a community of his/her peers or society-atlarge, and who is considered both psychologically and ethically to be a “well adjusted“ member of his/her society and the greater world. For a reasonable method of determining a criteria for being psychologically and ethically “well adjusted”, we may utilize some of the writings of philosopher Ken Wilber [4]. We shall take our definition of the successful creative artist as an ideal of what is “natural” (as opposed to “normal”) and healthy in our society. We shall use the term “creative artist” to include various creative disciplines such as music, writing, painting, dance, mathematics, science, etc. as well as socially creative innovations that are beneficial to mankind, such as represented by the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Mother Teresa. We will follow in the footsteps of Abraham Maslow in his study of “self-actualized” successful people and his reliance upon mental health rather than mental illness [5]. It is easy to think of quite a few well known creative artists who have been widely acclaimed in terms of public respect and acknowledgement for their work, including: Einstein, Beethoven, Hermann Hesse, Jung, Freud, Picasso, Rand, Nietzche, Dostoevsky, Bach, Mozart, Goethe, Rubens, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Rumi, Shakespeare, Newton, Gauss, Wilber, Van Gogh, Gershwin, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, etc. In all these cases, a human life was lived and a creative process unfolded. However, it is a more difficult question to determine the “well adjusted” part of our definition of “successful creative artist”, although this criteria seems to me to be of the utmost importance if we want to formulate artistic creation as a model of human excellence. If our educational system were more humanistically oriented rather than thing oriented [6], I believe there would be tremendously more creative artists practicing their
art successfully in our full definition of “successful creative artist.” But for our present purposes, we will concentrate on the “possible” psychology of the human, the God-like epitome of what a human being is capable of achieving in life. For in our more extended definition of art, we consider the religious personages of Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tsu, etc. to also be creative artists, as in all likelihood they lived their lives in the experience of their innermost beings, and they all were highly creative and productive in their own lifetimes. The creative artist knows his/her mission in life; it is to be who he/she truly is in the depths of his/her deepest being and to express his/her natural creativity through his/her chosen artistic mediums. Hopefully the creative artist will have enough nurturing support from people to get him/her through his/her necessary battle with society and “reality” -- the forces of our mundane everyday life, and to emerge with a creative product valued by others and a relatively healthy and balanced personality that satisfies the “well adjusted” part of our definition of the successful creative artist. Thus I usher in a new “normal” human being, more accurately a new “natural” human being. For looking at psychology from a philosophical perspective, I see a need for a new dimension being added to our present storehouse of psychological perspectives -- and this is what I call “The Artistic Theory of Psychology.” There appears to be an enticing relationship between art and “mental illness”. Focusing upon the possibility that there are a number of people designated as “mentally ill” who have significant artistic creative potential within them, I believe that incorporating an artistic theory of psychology into our present framework of psychological theory and therapy could be a tremendously effective means of humanistically encouraging constructive and therapeutic creative artistic potential to emerge from a number of people who have mental disturbances [7]. Notes & References 1) See for example Nancy Andreasen, The Creative Brain (New York: Dana Press, 2005) and Mark Runco & Ruth Richards, Eminent Creativity, Everyday Creativity, And Health (London: Ablex Publishing Corporation, 1997). 2) See Ayn Rand’s novels The Fountainhead (New York: The New American Library, 1943) and Atlas Shrugged (New York: The New American Library, 1957). 3) See Thomas Szasz, The Myth Of Mental Illness (San Francisco: Harper Collins Publishers, 1974: revised edition) and R.D. Laing, The Politics Of Experience (New York: Ballantine Books, 1967). 4) See Ken Wilber, Integral Psychology (Boston: Shambhala, 2000) and Integral Spirituality (Boston, Shambhala, 2006). 5) See Abraham Maslow, Toward A Psychology Of Being (Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand, 1962) and The Farther Reaches Of Human Nature (New York: Penguin Books, 1971). 6) See Carl Rogers, Freedom To Learn (Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merril Publishing Co., 1969). 7) For a complete list of references see Elliot Benjamin‘s article, Art And Mental Disturbances, which is an extended version of the current article that will appear in The Journal Of Humanistic Psychology, and is currently available by contacting the author at ben496@prexar.com Elliot Benjamin, Ph.D. is a mathematician, philosopher, musician, counselor, writer, and the author of several self-published books, including Numberama: Recreational Number Theory In The School System, Modern Religions: An Experiential Analysis And Expose, and Art And Mental Disturbances. He can be contacted at ben496@prexar.com.
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Heart Visions
Future Events requiring commitment to time or finance. Summer 2006
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August 13th-20th Healing Retreats for Women with Cancer F Holland Day Foundation for Creativity and Healing, on the Coast of Maine. The program was developed to assist people in their quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. Visit www.fhollanddaycenter.org.
Fall 2006 September 2006 New England Center for Feng Shui and Intuitive Arts Professional Certification Program. Basic and Advanced workshops. Call (888) 211-2206 or visit www.necfs.com.
September 10th-17th Healing Retreats for Women with Cancer F Holland Day Foundation for Creativity and Healing, on the Coast of Maine. The program was developed to assist people in their quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. Visit www.fhollanddaycenter.org.
September 16th & 17th, September 30th & October 1st Choosing Love! With psychotherapist Meredith Jordan and motivational coach Cindy Lupien. A program for single, divorced, widowed women and men of all ages who want to create strong skills in all their relationships. Followed by six weekly three-hour sessions to develop relationship tools and to practice with each other. $550 for the entire program. Program is limited to 20 people. FMI: Please call (207) 283-0752. Applications must be received by August 30th.
Join us in Biot, France for touring, reflection and gourmet delights. $2450 includes lodging, retreat program, meals, excludes flight to Nice. More info: www.barbarababkirk.com
October 8th-15th Healing Retreats for Women with Cancer F Holland Day Foundation for Creativity and Healing, on the Coast of Maine. The program was developed to assist people in their quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. Visit www.fhollanddaycenter.org.
October 30th-November 3rd, November 4th-11th Sikkim, India, Master Usui-Tibetan Reiki Training (Karuna® or ART/Master) with Gianna Settin, PhD of Avanti Healing Arts, licensed teacher, International center for Reiki Trainings on October 30th-November 3rd then join us on a trek to the majestic Himalayan sacred mountain sites on November 4th-11th for an additional eight wonderful days! (207) 989-9009 Contact www.avantihealingarts.com.
November 5th-12th Healing Retreats for Women with Cancer F Holland Day Foundation for Creativity and Healing, on the Coast of Maine. The program was developed to assist people in their quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. Visit www.fhollanddaycenter.org.
Now accepting applications: Spirit Passages’ THIRD Graduate Program in Shamanism Evelyn Rysdyk (author: Modern Shamanic Living) & C. Allie Knowlton, MSW, DCSW for graduates of the Spirit Passages 2-year Apprenticeship Program, FSS Three-Year and Sandra Ingerman’s Teachers of Shamanism Training. This is the only training of this kind available to advanced students of core shamanism. Brochure and application form: (207) 8466829 passages@maine.rr.com www.spiritpassages.com
Registrations taken for Spirit Passages' Seventh Two-year Shamanic Apprenticeship Program Participants in this program experience advanced shamanic methods from around the globe and opportunities to work toward developing a deep relationship with Spirit. In addition, there is a focus on integrating these practices into everyday life. The training will include many classic healing methods such as extraction, power animal retrieval, soul retrieval, word/sound doctoring, deposession, psychopomp and absentee healing. There will be a strong emphasis on ethical responsibility, clear diagnostic work and following the guidance of Spirit. Also included are initiatory experiences, group ritual, working with nature spirits, manifesting Spirit and many other chances to work directly with the Sacred Teachers. Facilitated by shamanic teachers and healers Evelyn C. Rysdyk, author of the book, Modern Shamanic Living, and C. Allie Knowlton, LCSW, DCSW who were featured in the book, Traveling Between the Worlds, interviews with 24 of the world’s most influential writers and teachers of shamanism. Contact Spirit Passages for more information and registration details: 207-846-6829 or passages@maine.rr.com
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by Clair Wood We associate the end of summer and the beginning of fall with the autumnal equinox, which falls on September 23 rd in 2006. This was not true of the ancients who saw the shortening daylight hours and gathering in of the crops as signaling the end of summer. Thus the cross-quarter day of Lammas, marking the mid-point between the summer solstice and autumnal equinox and falling on August 1st this year was of special significance to them. Lammas, meaning, “loaf mass” had its origins in the ancient Celtic festival of Lughnasadh. Lugh, the Celtic god of the sun and harvest observed the passing of his mother Taillte, the Mother Earth goddess, on this day. The Celts had an informal marriage, called a Tailltean marriage that was entered into at one Lughnasadh and lasted for one year and a day until the next festival. At that time either party could walk away without penalty. In medieval times Lammas was celebrated by baking loaves of bread from the first harvest and it was also the time when tenants paid their annual rent to the nobles in grain. Many ancient sites mark the solstices, equinoxes, and cross-quarter days with the most well known being Stonehenge. However 20 miles to the north of Stonehenge in Wiltshire lies a far more massive structure known as Avebury. The outer ring of Avebury is a circular mound 1140 feet in diameter encompassing an area of 28 acres. The ditch about the mound from which its material was taken originally was 30 feet deep and required the removal of 200,000 tons of chalk with stone tools. Inside the mound was a large circle of stones, thought to have been the largest stone ring in the world, with four entrances set exactly to the cardinal points of the compass. The interior had two smaller stone circles at the northern and southern entrances to the larger structure. Each smaller circle had a huge sentinel stone in the center. In England it also marked the time when tenants had to pay their land rent to the nobles in grain, bringing them to the church for a blessing on the crop. Today little remains of Avebury but in the early 1720s a Dr. William Stukeley studied the site and deduced its original structure. He determined it had a total of 154 stones of which only 36 remain. These stood between 9 feet to 20 feet in height and weighed up to 40 tons. They were quarried and hauled by hand from a site over two miles away. The site has since been dated to around 2600 B.C. The Avebury site has been associated with other seasonal dates of significance but to appreciate the ancients marking of Lammas two other local features play a prominent role. About a mile from Avebury stands Silbury Hill, a contemporary human-made mound that rises 120 feet, is 500 feet at the base, and covers about 5-acres. The top is flattened and it has a terrace about 17 feet below the summit. Less than a quarter of a mile from Silbury Hill is a natural hill, Waden Hill that is of almost equal height. What could have been the purpose of constructing a mound next to a nearly identical hill? It is not a burial mound for sonar probing has shown it to contain no burial chambers. So what was the purpose? From the Obelisk, the center stone of the southern circle within Avebury, the contours to Waden Hill match those of Silbury Hill and nearly obscure it being just a bit lower. When the grain planted on Waden Hill reaches its full maturity, around Lammas, it does block the view of Silbury Hill entirely. Can this be the purpose of so much work or is it simply a coincidence? A second observation is likely not a coincidence. At Lammas, if an observer stands on the top of Silbury Hill and observes the sunrise over the distant horizon of Marlborough Down and then moves down to the terrace or plateau some 17 feet below, in a few minutes the sun rises over Waden Hill in exactly the same position as before. This unique “double sunrise” was likely used by the ancients to unite Silbury Hill or “Mother Earth” with the sky at the sacred time of harvest. Photo courtesy of www.schooloftheseason.com. Clair G. Wood, Ed.D., taught chemistry, physics and introductory astronomy at the community college and university levels for many years. He has written a monthly astronomy column, Maine Skies, for the Bangor Daily News since 1976 and over this time has developed a fascination with, and deep respect for, the astronomical observations of the ancients, Sacred Monuments.
Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 33
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September 23rd-30th Women’s Annual Provence Retreat
Lammas a time of Sacred Harvest
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e x p lori n g the wo r l d r el i g i o n s
Sufi Visions of Allah by James Bean
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he mystical utterances of Rumi and other great Sufi Masters speak directly to the heart. They encourage us to see the Unseen Light, to discover Divine Secrets, to perceive the Way that lovers can find their Beloved. The Sufis, through their poems and ecstatic revelations are attempting to share their Secrets with the world, or at least with those discerning souls who find their words to be not only nice poetry, but something much more: soul-expressions coming from lovers caught up in the bliss of their divine Beloved, the Lord of Love. The poet-mystics speak of a spiritual reality that exists just beyond the perception of the five senses. Though the physical body is a kind of “veil” that eclipses the Light of the inner Sun from our vision, nevertheless we can, even now during this life, have access to this other existence. The Persian classic, “Divine Flashes,” by Fakhruddin ‘Iraqi says: “The lover seeks the Vision in order that he might pass away from existence; he knocks on the Door of Nonexistence, for there he was once at peace. There he was both seer and seen, both viewer and viewed. Coming to be, he became the veil of his own sight and was deprived of the Vision. His existence is merely a screen to hide this sight.” In order for humans to “knock on the Door of Nonexistence” (regain the spiritual Vision we once enjoyed as souls before time began) ‘Iraqi encourages us to understand ourselves in a new way and begin to contemplate the Other World with another kind of sight, a type of seeing that is unveiled when we temporarily abstain from the five senses: “Know yourselves: a cloud drifting before your Sun. Cut yourselves off from your senses and behold your Sun of Intimacy.” ‘Iraqi is describing here the process of meditation practiced in numerous mystical traditions of the East and West. In order to obtain the Vision, the seeker 1 closes their eyes and stops paying attention to the outer world for a while, and 2 discovers inner spiritual seeing and hearing, the inner senses of the soul, which are able to contemplate heavenly realities. ‘Iraqi: “If this screen - which is you - is struck from before your eyes, the Beloved will find the Beloved, and you will be entirely lost. Then you will hear with the Ear of your Heart. That Mystery, so long concealed is at last opened, the darkness of your night at last bathed in dawn!” Rumi put it this way: “Listen, open a window to God and begin to delight yourself by gazing upon Him through the opening. The business of love is to make the window of the heart, for the breast is illumined by the beauty of the Beloved. Gaze incessantly on the face of your Beloved! Listen, this is in your power my friend!” Within our grasp is the ability to regain the Vision of our soul and the Communion with our Beloved Allah; both reside together in the mystical garden, the paradise of the spiritual world. Though the material sphere acts as a dense layer of overcast skies obscuring our vision of what lies beyond, Masters have revealed the Secrets of obtaining paradise to anyone who yearns to discover them saying to their students very much like Rumi did: “This is in your power my friend!” The process of gaining a vision of paradise and mystictransport has been described as “stripping off old garments” and replacing them with a new heavenly robe made of Light. Fakhruddin ‘Iraqi describes the process: 34 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2006
“When the Beloved would exalt the lover, He strips from him the garments collected from all the worlds, and clothes him in the robe of His own attributes. Then the Beloved calls him by all his own attributes. Then the Beloved calls him by all his own names, and seats him in his own place. When the lover studies his new clothes he finds himself arrayed in different colors, and will wonder ‘what is this beautiful tint, this garment so unique?’” This quote from Divine Flashes reminds me of Saying 37 in the Gospel of Thomas: His disciples said, “When will you appear to us, and when will we see you?” Jesus said, “When you strip without being ashamed, and you will take your cloths and put them under your feet like little children and trample them, then you will see the Son of the Living One and you will not be afraid”. (The complete Gospels, Polebridge Press)
The role of a genuine Master is to summon souls to awakening again, enabling them to remember their true identity... to find themselves and to begin their great journey back home... Sufism is a form of Islamic Gnosticism, which really does have many affinities with earlier Gnostic mystical traditions of the Middle East. Like other movements of the past that embrace spiritual experience and mystic transport through the Seven Heavens, Sufis have found it useful to compare out-of-body or ascension journeys to the stripping or shedding of garments. The above quote illustrates their view that each soul on the earth-plane is wearing several garments. We are souls wearing subtle bodies or coverings; our physical body is made out of the material substance of the physical universe. We are, as the late Dr. Carl Sagan put it, “star stuff pondering star stuff ”. Our bodies are made out of atoms that once came from stars and other objects in the cosmos. When we enter into contemplation and mystical states, our awareness is elsewhere; we become “dead to the world”. We have risen above body-consciousness. In that sense, we have, for the duration of our meditation period, “stripped” ourselves of the garment of the body for the purpose of exploring other levels of our existence. The mystic traveler enters into what has been called “the fourth state of consciousness”. In addition to the waking state, the dream state, the unconsciousness state of deep sleep, the truly holistic explorer can also integrate into his or her experience the spiritual worlds. Mysticism teaches that there are many layers of reality, that there are other garments that will eventually be shed during journeys of ascension. These garments or subtle bodies have been given names in Hebrew, Greek, Coptic, Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Hindi, and other languages. In addition to the “garment” of the physical body, each
soul is wearing several other garments or bodies, other sheaths that surround the soul, allowing the soul to connect to the various regions of creation. Counting the physical plane as Level One, Level Two is called by many “the astral plane,” made of astral stuff -- astral substance, existing at a slightly higher vibration in the astral region. Level Three is the causal body, made of causal or akashic substance, inhabiting the causal plane. Level Four is the mental body made of mind substance, and is part of the mental plane. The etheric body (Level Five) allows the soul to access that region. Above these worlds of mind and matter, the soul resides in the Timeless Spiritual Realm of Truth (Haq). Metaphysically speaking we’re already in heaven we just don’t know it! ‘Iraqi says: “By day I praised you but never knew it; by night slept with you without realizing; fancying myself to be myself; but no, I was you and never knew it!” Luckily for us slumbering souls, there are always a few Moses-types in the world freeing those yearning for a real promised land, an occasional Rumi or Shams, here or there, sharing their Secrets about the soul. “With every breath the Sound of Love surrounds us, and we are bound for the depths of space, without distraction. Out beyond duality, we have a Home, and it is Majesty. That pure substance is different from this dusty world. We once came down; soon we’ll return.” (Rumi) The role of a genuine Master is to summon souls to awakening again, enabling them to remember their true identity... to find themselves, and to begin their great journey back home to the original abode of all souls. ‘Iraqi, desperate for awakening, said that he prayed the lover’s prayer: “O Allah, give me Light. Bring me to the station of Vision, that I may know myself as You.” Sanai advised his disciples to meditate in order to discover the spiritual highway that leads to the True Realm: “Collect your mind’s fragments that you may fill yourself bit by bit with meaning. The one disciple who meditates the mysteries of creation for sixty minutes gains more merit than from sixty years of fasting and prayer. Meditation: high-soaring hawk of the intellect’s wrist resting at last on the flowering branch of the heart: this world and the next are hidden beneath its folded wing.” An exercise of awakening practiced by the Sufis is called Zikhr -- chanting names of God like HU (pronounced “HOOOOOOOOOOO”). The name of God takes possession of the lover who invokes it. Union with the name becomes union with Allah Himself. As the lover calls for his Beloved, the magnetic force of love draws them both together. ‘Iraqi: “I could see you a thousand times a day and still desire to see you once again.” This yearning of the lover spurs even those who have attained union to aspire to reach higher and higher still. As Rumi says: “Bring the sky beneath your feet and listen to Celestial Music everywhere”. James Bean reviews books and music for the Wisdom Radio Network and other stations via a syndicated radio program called Spiritual Awakening, and teaches Sant Mat Meditation and Surat Shabda Yoga in the Bangor, Waterville, & Portland areas. Address questions or comments to PO Box 7, Newport, Maine 04953, or email: james@spiritualawakeningradio.com
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Life Heals by Creativity Within the Laws of Coherence by Norm Hirst
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uman knowledge advances slowly day by day. There may be some practical advances but generally life goes on as it always has. But sometimes knowledge comes together in a way to change everything. I call it clumping. The first clumping to change everything occurred in the 1860’s when Maxwell united all that was known about electricity and magnetism into four differential equations. With that clumping, Maxwell made possible the practical application of electricity and magnetism, changing our lives forever. What had been invisible became known and accessible.
transform the world by making visible what has been invisible just as Maxwell did. These current discoveries will change consciousness enabling us to understand life as we’ve never been able to know it. Thanks to electronics we can make observations that have never before been possible. For example:
I believe we are now going through the second clumping. Just as with the Maxwell clumping, the second clumping about to occur will make the invisible dynamics of values accessible and practical, opening new possibilities for living meaningfully and well.
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The First Clumping
Before magnetism was discovered, there was something called “philosopher’s stones,” stones that appeared to have magical properties. (At the time scientists were called philosophers.) Experiments were done with these stones in an attempt to understand why they worked as they did. In working with these stones, they discovered magnetism and later found that electricity and magnetism were functionally related. Varying magnetic fields produced electricity while electricity produced magnetism. James Clerk Maxwell expressed these functional relations in four differential equations. At the time of his work, nothing was known about the possibility of electromagnetic waves. In my opinion Maxwell’s discovery was the most revolutionary and world changing discovery in human history. He was the first to realize these equations produced electromagnetic waves. Until his discovery so much that we take for granted today could not have occurred, such as power distribution, the various waves and all electronics. Think about everything based on electronics and thank Maxwell. It would be wonderful to know how he felt when he realized for the first time this new world of possibility, a world that could not even have been imagined without this discovery. Maxwell’s equations made us consciously aware of natural processes that occur but we had not known. Knowing them made possible all of the ways we use electricity and magnetism. We should make lists of what would be missing in our lives without such basic knowledge. As cell phones and iPods leap to mind don’t forget simpler things such as the thermostat controlling the temperature in your house. Also your automobile needs an ignition system.
The Second Clumping I believe we are at a moment in history where very powerful processes are being discovered that will
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Transfer of brain wave patterns from one person to another even though the receiver is in an isolation chamber Remote viewing Watching the processes in bodies through ultrasound as they live Discovering the liquid crystalline nature of living tissue Discovering that living organisms emit biophotons Discovering the zero point energy source that physicists refer to as the Dirac Sea.
There has been 30 years of testing in the first two categories showing that people are connected in ways that make no sense whatsoever, given our current foundations of thinking. Being able to watch processes in organisms as they live has brought into question much of conventional biology. The remaining three are discoveries of the last decade that begin to reveal what has been hidden ways of life. I believe we are seeing pointers to hidden processes that we now need to understand. I will call them processes of life itself. In view of current research I conclude that current views of reality are tragically limiting. Humans have been committing debilitating errors destructive of life. A most serious error is the belief that inert matter is fundamental and that life is an incidental accident grown out of the nonliving world as is believed in the Big Bang Theory. We send technology into space looking for life in the universe believing that if we find certain properties of matter, life could follow. Research is now revealing that life does the creating. Life is fundamental. Our common notion that inert matter is fundamental is an error. Defining life in terms of material properties, such as carbon based, will not hold up in the light of recent discoveries. Life is transforming processes and must be defined as such. What are the characteristics of a life process? Life processes are self-acting. Cause and effect does not apply. It is not required. In and of themselves they are not material processes. They are processes of energy and fields, fields in the sense of gravity, electricity and magnetism, nuclear forces, biophotons and probably much yet to be discovered. These processes are creative acts. They create new realities. They are also habit-forming. Sufficiently strong habits can create and manifest what we would consider inert material or less alive matter; i.e., table and chairs. Thus living processes will be both conservative and creative. Living processes exhibit both poles of categorical contrasts. For example, Yin-Yang or light and dark. There would appear to be contradictions between the two poles, however that is resolved by ongoing oscillation between the poles. To find life look for self-creation. Trees become without anyone making them. Buildings have to be built. But what about planet Earth? Yes, I believe Earth is produced by life. I believe the entire cosmos is created by life. We are living in a life just as do the cells in our bodies. Does the point that we live in another life have consequences? Yes, beyond our wildest imagining.
We are living in the life of the living cosmos. I have no objection to calling this cosmic life God. I find many people have difficulty with the idea of God. I too have difficulty with the God taught in my Sunday school. I heard God called an angry and jealous God. To my mind man created this God as a cosmological superman with a sadistic personality, as a strict parent demanding obedience, standing ready to judge us and punish us in an eternity of Hell for the slightest transgression. I could not believe in such a creature, let alone worship him. I flunked Sunday school. But I have thought a lot about God, and every time I do, I feel a loving presence, not a punishing or cruel one. Now I believe this loving cosmic life imposes coherence conditions on us just as our bodies do on our cells. I believe these cosmic coherence conditions are what we call values. Most work today on values tries to define what we will all agree is good. With values as coherence conditions, the fundamental focus is finding the conditions under which we can all, in our differences, have the greatest freedom. In freedom we can all become and express our unique nature, which we are meant to be and thus experience on-going fulfillment of the infinite creative possibilities within our life’s meaning. Nothing could be more healing. Years ago I studied with a world famous value philosopher, Robert Hartman. He discovered three types of value that he called intrinsic, extrinsic and systemic. Due to their logical properties he said that intrinsic takes precedence over extrinsic and extrinsic takes precedence over systemic. It is my belief that these rules are perfect organizing unity coherence conditions. They maximize freedom while preventing destructive interference. Consider human life to be of intrinsic value. Consider ideology to be of systemic value. When ideology results in taking human life, we violate the unifying coherence conditions. Violating these coherence conditions result in death and destruction. Choosing the higher values as much as possible we get closer to living in relationship to life’s coherence and knowing this magical oneness in which we all dance. In that ongoing creation process, healing occurs and life thrives.
Skye
&
Norm
© 2006 Norm Hirst Norm and Skye Hirst are co-founders of Life-itself Institute, a research and education non profit organization discovering the ways of Life-itself, its self-creating forces and functions revealing wholistic intelligence. For more information See the Directory of Resources page 32, skyeh@midcoast.com or (207) 236-6331. Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 35
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Until the 1860’s there was no awareness of electromagnetic waves, That is, radio waves, x-rays, light waves and cell phone waves. Come to think of it, there wasn’t even awareness of telephones. There was some awareness of electricity. Ben Franklin is credited with the first practical application. His house was on the corner of a main street and a dark alley. Drunks walking home at night relieved themselves against the foundation of Ben’s house. Ben was experimenting with Leyden jars, a primitive form of batteries. He hooked up some primitive form of wires to the jars and ran the wires along the foundation. The problem was solved!
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It is now known that our bodies consist of 75 trillion cells all living in a pure democracy. There are no bosses. The cells enjoy maximum freedom provided they conform to the body’s coherence conditions, the organizing unity to which all the cells relate. Coherence makes freedom possible. Without coherence conditions, our liver cells might make war on our kidney cells. That would not only prevent the cells from doing their jobs, it would kill their life support, us. Coherence basically means adhering to the organizing conditions without destructive interference. In contrast, cancer cells are non-communicating. Thus they lose touch with the coherence conditions and cause death.
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m ix ed m e dia
Book Review
b y Jame s Be an
The Gospel of Judas By Marvin Meyer, Kasser and Wurst ISBN: 1-4262-0042-2 Publisher: National Geographic http://tinyurl.com/e783c Book on line as PDF File: http://www.9.nationalgeographic.com/
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The Gospel of Judas is the latest in a series of amazing discoveries of ancient scriptures in the Middle East. It is a Second Century Gnostic gospel used by a sect known as the Sethians, and perhaps by other groups as well, including the so-called Cainites. Found in a cave in Egypt along with a few other documents, the Gospel of Judas is related to a number of Egyptian Gnostic texts collectively known as the Nag Hammadi Library, a large treasuretrove of Sethian, Valintinian Christian, and Hermetic scriptures studied in Egypt by Pachomian monks and Gnostic mystics during the first few centuries AD. The book of Judas contains a very charming, beautiful story, as well as a dialogue between Judas and Christ about the Mysteries of the universe. There is a sadness, a heaviness, a tale of censorship and oppression that comes with this story of ancient Egyptian holy books, as you realize that the publication in Egypt of collections such as the Nag Hammadi and the Gospel of Judas came to an abrupt end sometime during the Fourth Century AD. These old Coptic parchments reveal the end of a era, when Gnostic scriptures and the spirituality therein fell out of favor with the new, stricter, more conformist
and centralized form of Christianity that took over the monasteries of Egypt during those days. The copying and study of such teachings ceased. Eloquent teachings about the souls mysticascension through the seven heavens, contemplative communion with Divine Light and angels, was covered over with dust and the sands of time, buried in clay jars sometimes near cemeteries where the last of the Egyptian gnostics were laid to rest, hidden in caves or in the walls of monasteries. At a rubbish dump near Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, the following saying written in Greek and attributed to Christ was unearthed: “Know what is in front of your face, and what is hidden from you will be disclosed to you. For there is nothing hidden that won’t become exposed, and there is nothing buried that won’t be raised.” Fortunate are we, in this Twenty First Century, to be able to recover these lost teachings of the West that we were never meant to know about, much less see with our own eyes. My favorite verse from the Gospel of Judas, which sounds a little bit like a Rumi poem: “Come, that I may teach you about secrets no person has ever seen. For
there exists a Great and Boundless Realm, whose extent no generation of angels has seen, in which there is a Great Invisible Spirit, which no eye of
an angel has ever seen, no thought of the heart has ever comprehended, and it was never called by any name.” (Yeshua, quoted in, The Gospel of Judas)
Book Review
by James Bean The Jesus Sutras ~ Rediscovering the Lost Scrolls of Taoist Christianity By Martin Palmer ISBN: 0-345-434242-2 Publisher :Ballantine/Wellspring Martin Palmer on the discovery: “In 1907, explorers discovered a vast treasure-trove of ancient scrolls, silk paintings, and artifacts dating from the fifth to eleventh centuries A.D. in a long-sealed cave in a remote region of China. Among them, written in Chinese, were scrolls that recounted a history of Jesus’ life and teachings in beautiful Taoist concepts and imagery that were unknown in the West.”
thinking about things which disturb you. Then you can enter into the source of pure empty being.
What are the Jesus Sutras? Some monks affiliated with the Assyrian Church of the East left Persia, traveled to China in the year 635, and established a small community inside China. Eventually this group evolved into what was known as “Da Qin”, “the Luminous Religion” or “Church of the Light”. The phrase “Church of the Light” was also used by the Manichaean Gnostics of the East, but the contents of these scrolls known as the Jesus Sutras reveal a form of Christianity influenced by Taoism and Buddhism, not Manichaeanism.
Supreme King, Will of Ages, Compassionate Joyous Lamb Loving all who suffer Fearless as You strive for us Free us of the karma of our lives, Bring us back to our original nature Delivered from all danger.
Meditation in the Jesus Sutras I find these verses to be absolutely delightful. They eloquently speak of stillness and mental tranquility as being the gateway to inner wisdom and enlightenment: To be pure and still means to be open to purity and stillness -- as a result you can intuit the truth. “Doing creates movement which results in anxiety: Then it is impossible to find Rest and Contentment. This is why I teach no wanting and doing without doing. It stops you from
Detach yourself from what disturbs and distracts you, and be as pure as one who breathes in purity and emptiness. This state is the gateway to enlightenment -- It is the Way to Peace and Happiness.” Original Nature, Not Original Sin In the Jesus Sutras are many verses mentioning “original nature”:
Martin Palmer writes: “The Stone then begins its extraordinary journey into the distinctive theology of the Church in China, where original sin had become original goodness -- original nature - and where karma and reincarnation were the context of theological exploration...” The Jesus Sutras: “Their minds were empty; they were content; and their hearts were simple and innocent. Originally they had no desire.” Palmer: “This is a classic Taoist description of human nature at its purest, most faithful to the Tao. It is the original or innate nature of all living things that Chuang Tzu, the fourth-century B.C. Taoist philosopher, describes. Although innate goodness can become overlaid by negative emotions, it is always there to be recovered.”
James Bean reviews books and music for the Wisdom Radio Network and other stations via a syndicated radio program called Spiritual Awakening. Address questions or comments to: P O Box 7, Newport, ME 04953, or Email:james@spiritualawakeningradio.com 36 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2006
37 Book Review
Book Review
b y Genevieve Benjamin
by Frederick Noronha
Your Heart Knows the Answer: How to Trust Yourself and Make the Choices That Are Right for You ~ Ceremonies, Prayers and Affirmations By Gail Harris ISBN: 193072246X http://www.innerocean.com
The Joy is in the Journey : A Woman's Guide through Crisis and Change By Betty Hill Crowson ISBN:1-4208-2297-7 http://www.authorhouse.com
As a woman who has experienced the whole gamut of pain, confusion, and anxiety that can accompany any change and has taken all the nonproductive actions above, I can only say that I was delighted to get my hands on The Joy is in the Journey: A Woman’s Guide Through Crisis and Change. Written by Betty Hill Crowson, who is also an holistic life coach, retreat director, and motivational speaker, this book was chock-full of the “transitional knowhow” that I have long been looking for. Finally, directions for not only coping with the curve balls that life can throw, but also a blueprint for choosing and making positive changes in every area of my life. Of the numerous self-help books I
Instead, the book provides a stepby-step, easy to understand (no psycho-babble) “process” for handling the changes that women constantly face. It outlines Eight Solutions that help the reader navigate through the ups and downs, the challenges and complexities, of life’s changes. The chapters gave me detailed instruction on how to do things like accept myself in any and all conditions, create more balance in my life, learn to let go, determine what action to take and when, break the cycle of doing the same old thing over and over again while expecting different results, and much, much more. Each chapter was followed by specific suggestions which gave me the tools for putting my newfound awareness into action. This action, in turn, allowed me to make necessary and positive changes in my own behaviors, attitudes, and outlook on life, as the title implies, find the joy in my journey. This “how to” book is, indeed a treasure. Betty Hill Crowson’s wisdom and personal writing style make you feel as if you have your own personal coach rooting for you and understanding how you feel. If you’re like me, you’ll keep referring to various chapters over and over. Each time I do, I find something I missed the time before. So even though your friends will want to borrow The Joy is in the Journey: A Woman’s Guide Through Crisis and Change, tell them to get their own copy! I love this book and I can guarantee that you will, too!
Betty Hill Crowson will be conducting a Women's Symposium, September 30th at the New England Center, University of New Hampsire, Durham. (See page 3 for more details on this event.)
Gail Harris has lived and worked at a Yoga and meditation centre in Lenox, Massachusetts. And, it shows. Her writing is suffused with Oriental philosophy, even if repackaged for the early 21st century, as a balm for an increasingly materialistic world where happiness doesn’t come with having more -- whether it's more in terms of affluence, food or sex. Her introduction explains things aptly: “As I’ve learned to live according to what my heart knows, the quality of my life has improved dramatically.” Elsewhere, she talks of being able to “distinguish between the voices of your heart and your head”. In a preface titled ‘From My Heart to Yours’, the writer warns against mistrusting your heart. She divides her book into two parts -- the first to “distinguish the voice of your heart from the negative voice of your head”. In part two, you’re invited to “perform ceremonies and guided meditations that honor and celebrate the best part of you”. Is such a book meant only for women? The author, perhaps subconsciously perhaps not, talks of claiming “the voice of your heart as the voice of the *woman* you truly are”. But that’s a small matter. If you feel you could gain from Harris’ advice, go for it. It does seem to make some sense, and offer new approaches to the more-is-better mind set that currently dominate our planet. Along its pages, you’re encouraged to take ‘self-marriage vows’ (no crank ideas here, the goal is simply to encourage you to “love, honor and respect” yourself, to be devoted to your own growth, and hold your life as sacred). There are also other suggestions on how to cope with life, in stressful if challenging times. Harris writes (p 129): “I’m not saying that you should *want* something painful to happen to you. I’m saying that if it does happen and you choose to accept it, you won’t be resisting life. And resisting life is what causes you to suffer.” Shades of the craving-causes-sorrow philosophy of Buddhism here? Why not? One of her ideas is keeping a journal of sacred pages. She suggests: “Filling your sacred pages is a simple process and can be deeply gratifying, especially if you hold an attitude of wonder and awe when working with the components.” Her tips on how to do this are interesting. All in all, an interesting book. Especially if you have an open enough mind. As we get our finger, more likely than not, burnt with the unworkable lure of material things, Harris’ voice is like balm for the soul. Gail Harris is an award-winning copywriter, she has developed advertising materials for a wide range of companies, including Avon, Yoga Journal, the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, and Sounds True Publishing. For two years she lived and worked at the Kirpalu Center for Yoga and Health, in Lenox MA, where she studied yoga and meditation. Gail currently resides near Boston.
Antje Roitzsch Duality
Dancing Cranes
www.AntjeRoitzsch.com antroi@yahoo.com (207) 594-7372
Return
Growth Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 37
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How do you deal with the many changes happening in your life? You know, those things, big and small, desired and not, that continually shift the status quo. Lovers come and go. Jobs appear and disappear. We move, get sick, get married/divorced, and have children who grow up and leave home. When change happens in your life, what do you do? Do you immediately become immobile and overwhelmed, wondering what to do next? Or do you move directly into frenzied action, often making poor or self- destructive decisions? Perhaps you play the blame game, thinking “When am I ever going to learn? Or “How could they have done this to me?” And what about those life changes that bring you face to face with your biggest fears, or the ones that catapult you into such grief and despair that you think you’ll never see the light of day again? How do you cope?
have read, this is by far the best. For one thing, it doesn’t spend its pages reiterating the problem ad nauseam.
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Inner Tapestry DIRECTORY OF RESOURCES (pages 38–43) Holistic practitioners, products & resources at your fingertips! Reaching over 40,000 readers ( TAKE A LOOK AND SEE WHAT’S NEW! ( (New listings added each issue) For information on how to add your listing, see page 43
: Astrology .................................................................page 38 : Body Essences .......................................................page 38 ; Counseling & Therapy ............................................page 38 ; Creative Art Therapies ............................................page 38 ; Dance/Movement ....................................................page 39 ; Herbs, Gardens & Herbal Products ........................page 39 : Hypnotherapy ..........................................................page 39 ; Integrative Healing ...........................................pages 39-40 ; Life Mastery ............................................................page 40 : Living Spaces .........................................................page 41 : Meditation ...............................................................page 41 ; Psychic & Spiritual Mediumship .............................page 41 ; Reflexology & Healing Massage ............................page 41 ; Retreats .............................................................page 41-42 ; Sacred Space .........................................................page 42 ; Salons, Spas ..........................................................page 42 ; Shamanic Healing ..................................................page 43 :Spiritual Centers ............................................ .........page 43
astrology White Star Astrology
Maya White is a professional astrologer who divides her time between Maine and Florida. She offers personal and professional
astrological counseling for individuals as well as businesses, and brings her knowledge of spirituality and metaphysics to every consultation. Maya is one of a select group of astrologers world wide who are certified in Astro*Carto*Graphy, an astrological technique which helps people identify places on the earth to promote their own personal growth and prosperity. Her monthly horoscope, which is read around the world, is also published by the India Times online newspaper in New Delhi as well as the Korat Post in Thailand. For ongoing educational articles and/or more information visit her website: www.WhiteStarAstrology.com or call her at (954) 920-2373.
Maya White
Body Essences Are you looking for a home-based business that could change your life? Arbonne International has the answer!
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Arbonne was developed in Switzerland more than 25 years ago and our product line has since grown to include both inner and outer health and beauty products that are unparalleled in quality and results. Do you know what you are putting in and on your body every day? Our Siiri Gott, products are pure, safe and beneficial to your body. Our best product of all, The Business Opportunity! The Arbonne family is made up of Independent many independent consultants working to make their dreams come true. Feel free to contact me anytime to learn more. District Mgr. siiri@maine.rr.com, (207) 839-3596. Arbonne website: www.arbonne.com.
counseling & therapy Health problems, relationships dilemmas and dreams can be your connections to nature, the spirit of the future, and new unknown aspects of yourself and community. Process Work, also known as Dreambody Work, gives you innovative but simple ways to unfold and
Carol Zahner Process Work
understand what your body, relationships and life are communicating. Individual sessions, ongoing groups, classes and phone sessions. Introduction session free. Carol Zahner MS, Dipl. Process Work Center of Portland in Oregon. In Maine: Portland and Walpole (near Damariscotta). Call (207) 522-3600, cz@processworkne.com.
The Couples Center
Supporting the heart’s desire for intimacy, meaning, and connection. Conscious relationship is the art and science of using the
inevitable challenges of relationship to evolve into more present, loving, and compassionate beings. Ron, Deb, and Michele bring a unique blend of expertise, support, and challenge to couples who are ready to open their hearts, transform shadow into light, and heal ancient wounds in the context of relationship. We offer a variety of formats for this work: Husband/wife co-therapy team, couples’ intensives, Integrated Marital and Sexual Therapy, weekend workshops, and shamanic healing. Call for information: (207) 878-3141. Ron Feintech, Ph.D, Licensed Psychologist, Sex Therapy Diplomate, AASECT; rfeintech@conversent.net; Deb Feintech, RC, Certified Shamanic Practitioner; Michele Keef, LMFT. 222 Auburn St. Portland, ME 04103.
creative art therapies Art Therapy & Shamanism 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 our 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. moonart@midcoast.com
Susan Bakaley Marshall ATR-BC, LCP
Dance/Movement Therapy Dance/Movement Therapy is a body-centered psychotherapy that promotes emotional, spiritual and mental health. Caroline uses a
therapeutic process which combines words and movement, integrating the usual flow of words with expressions of the body and it's wealth of information and wisdom. Caroline offers individual therapy sessions as well as consultation for professionals. She also teaches groups in Contemplative Dance and T'ai Chi Ch'uan at her studio in New Gloucester. For more information: Call (207) 831-7600 or e-mail cmloupe@maine.rr.com.
Caroline Loupe ADTR, LCPC 38 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2006
Inner Tapestry Directory of Resources Ad Listings can also be advertised Online, see: www.innertapestry.org
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dance/movement Movement as Healer Free movement is directly related to our health physically, emotionally and spiritually. When we experience the possibilities of our own movement, no matter how restricted we are, release happens, and our movement becomes more free. I offer two approaches using
Gail Edgerly, RN, CTP
movement to assist you on your healing journey. I work directly on the body as a Certified Trager® Practitioner, using touch and rhythmic movement to communicate the feeling of freer movement. In the 5Rhythms™ Movement Practice, based on the work of Gabrielle Roth, I coach and witness your improvisational, self-expressive movement journey through a rhythm wave. I offer private sessions and classes in Portland and Kennebunk. FMI: call (207) 761-3765, or Email gailedge@maine.rr.com
herbs, gardens & herbal products B less e d M ain e H erb Fa rm
Blessed Maine Herb Farm offers Medicinal Herb Products of Impeccable Quality, made with Certified Organic and Wildgathered Herbs,
hand cultivated on our farm or gathered respectfully from the blessed earth around us. A Family owned and run business since 1989, we at Blessed Maine Herb Farm are dedicated to offering the very best of what is offered to us all by our Bountiful Mother Earth. Our product line includes nourishing and delicious Herb Tea Blends, Tinctures in Organic Alcohol, Compound Formulas, including our world famous 13 Sisters Restorative Elixir, Syrups, Infused Oils, Salves, Beauty Care, Incense and Smudge Sticks. Opening Our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs and Traversing the Wild Terrain of Menopause; Herbal Allies for Men and Women, by Gail Faith Edwards. Visit us online where you can peruse our offerings, read about the many uses of medicinal herbs, ask a question of the Herblady, or place an order. www.blessedmaineherbs.com
hypnotherapy Harness the power of the mind-body connection. As a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, I have the tools and skills you need.
Hypno-Health As a practicing certified Hypnotherapist since 1991 in Blue Hill and Portland, I have helped hundreds of people improve their lives.
Together we have resolved over 120 different issues, ranging from abuse, anxiety, dejection and insomnia to smoking, sports performance, sexual dysfunction, weight concerns – and much more. As I guide people, they bring forward from their subconscious mind an awareness and understanding of “the roots of their problem”. They are then empowered to disconnect those roots and create a new, positive thought pattern, which becomes their permanent reality through repetition. I feel Hypnotherapy is a comfortable, gentle, genuine, and powerful way to learn the techniques to heal one’s self. Hypnotherapy could be the answer for you. Call (207) 374-2344 (Blue Hill) or 773-5200 (Portland), sadlier@hypno-health.net, www.hypno-health.net. Hugh Sadlier, M.Ed., C.H.
integrative h e a l i n g Empathic Healing Channel Anju Myodo, first opened healing abilities through intensive Zen meditation. Her work is non-denominational
and serves people of all faiths. Healing Sessions begin with Anju listening to the client’s concerns. During this, Anju tunes in, using clairsentient abilities, to determine where blocks are in the client’s energy. She then channels healing energy wherever needed. Clients often enter an altered state, as their energy is boosted and begins to return to balance. Because of Anju’s religious vows, sessions are offered on a donation basis. These are held at a lovely country setting in Livermore Falls. (207) 897-4378. www.ibinn.net/ohs
“Everyone is born with the right to be healthy and live with happiness, and the path of Reiki helps to fulfill that right” – Roberta Barnes, Gendai Reikiho and Komyo Reiki Shihan (master/teacher), & Herbalist. Nestled in the trees you are encased
in harmonizing relaxation while the universal vibrations of love and harmony named Reiki restores balance where needed. Reiki promotes and speeds healing at all levels and enhances all areas of life. Among the Reiki teachers Roberta Barnes studied under are renowned Japanese Reiki Shihans Hiroshi Doi and Rev. Hyakuten Inamoto. She offers Reiki healing sessions and personalized herb reports. She teaches six levels of Japanese Reiki, courses in Peace through Meditation, and raising awareness through Connecting with Nature. Call (207) 445-5671 today or visit www.naturalhealinglearning.com. Roberta Barnes Reiki Shihan & Herbalist To place your listing in the Directory of Resources, please call: (207) 781-9885. For rates see page 43, or www.innertapestry.org.
Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 39
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ELISSA GARDE-JOIA
Hypnotherapy eliminates fear and stress and creates a blueprint for health and healing that your mind can read and follow. Medical experts acknowledge that Hypnotherapy compliments all medical procedures, maximizing their effectiveness and minimizing negative side effects. Pre/post surgical patients experience reduced anxiety, blood loss, anesthesia need and rapid healing. Hypnotherapy is extremely effective in treating many physical challenges such as chronic pain and disorders of the stomach and digestive system. Hypnosis for Childbirth removes the fear and pain of childbirth. Hypnotherapy played a major role in my own successful battle with breast cancer. After 16 years of private practice in New York, I am now privileged to serve my neighbors here in Mid-coast Maine. Please take advantage of a FREE phone consultation to discuss your questions and concerns. Contact: Elissa Garde-Joia at 207-338-1669. Home visits available.
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integrative healing continued Restore wholeness to your body, mind and spirit with Dr. Gianna Settin, Usui-Tibetan and Karuna Reiki® Master-Teacher. Director
of Maine-based Avanti Healing Arts, Gianna draws on her experience as a professional dancer, clinical psychologist, and licensed ICRT* teacher to bring an eclectic blend of spiritual energy and a distinctive combination of holistic services to her clients. Through all levels of Reiki training as well as Reiki Healing Dance© and Reiki Treatment, pathways to higher levels of consciousness are opened with light, balancing our energy field -- and this self-healing helps us heal others. As the power of Reiki releases blockages and heals the shadow self, we become compassionate, loving and one with all creation. Experience the healing power of Reiki training with Gianna at her beautiful lake-view retreat in Downeast Maine or on one of her unique Reiki-around-the-world excursions. Discover the sacred nature of inner healing. You’ll be transformed by the experience. (207) 989.9009 Avantihealingarts.com.
Path to the Heart
"Housekeeping for your body, mind and spirit." Drawing from a broad range of healing methods, as well as my gift as an intuitive and
channel, each client receives an individually tailored session appropriate to their needs and symptoms in the moment. People feel easier and more comfortable in their bodies, relaxed, balanced and revitalized, often expressing how “light” they feel. Treatment provides support during life changes and challenges, as well as relief with chronic pain, stress, depression and anxiety. Clients often choose to receive regularly as part of their self-care, to maintain their health and sense of well-being. It is truly an honor and my joy to act as a facilitator and teacher for others. www.pathtotheheart.net (207) 563-5889, Newcastle, Maine. Lindsley Field, RMT, CTP
SpiritWings
CompassionateHealing Kevin Laughing Hawk Vickie Little Bird
Kevin Laughing Hawk Pennell, Usui Reiki Master Teacher/Shamanic Practitioner and Vickie Little Bird Cummings, Massage Therapist/Usui & Karuna® Reiki Practitioner: Massage Therapy, Hypnotherapy, Reiki, Past Life Regression, Shamanic Healing and Readings.
We consult with each client to identify the appropriate modalities to achieve self-healing and overall well-being. We also offer Reiki classes and other workshops. Visit SpiritWings for a cross cultural variety of enchanting gifts, supplies and accessories to aid your spiritual journey including an exquisite selection of healing crystals. SpiritWings is conveniently located at 57 Main Street in Bethel, Maine. Sessions by appointment. Store hours Tuesday through Saturday 10 - 5. Telephone (207) 824-2204 or visit their website www.SpiritWingsBethel.com
EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is one of the most powerful tools for regaining emotional and physical health. Simply
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JanetGleeson Energy Therapy
stated, EFT is psychological acupressure. By tapping key acupressure points located on the face and torso while tuning into the problem, unresolved negative emotions, traumas and beliefs are gently and easily released causing the mind and body to relax into a natural healing state of well-being. Research now proves that our unresolved negative emotions are major contributors to most physical pain and disease. EFT is a simple, inexpensive and clinically-proven, healing technique that usually works, often when nothing else does. Even if you have doubts, EFT can still change your life. I work on all issues, but specialize in releasing anger, fear, stress, anxiety, PTSD, phobias, grief, guilt and traumatic memories. Call Janet at 207-236-0269, Camden, ME.
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 then 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
Belanger Physical Therapy,
Connecticut
life mastery Norm & Skye Hirst, Ph.D. Co-founders of The Center for Life-Itself (CLII); revealing new insights about what life is and how it functions.
Mainstream science from Western Culture foundations has produced a machine-like view of life and what is living. In the past decade, new knowledge from biophysics reveals revolutionary insights that invalidate that view and almost everything that has been believed about life. 21st century understanding of life will be as different from 20th century thinking as quantum physics is different from Newton’s physics. To find our way, CLII provides an environment of research/inquiry/discovery, inspiration and personal development. For Classes, 2006 Summer Conference Program, Lecture/Discourses, Individual Sessions, Consulting, Monthly Helpful Hints, Inquiry Circle Projects (ICP now forming), Wholistic Health and Healing, and inviting health care providers to explore emerging knowledge 2006 Summer Conference: Discovering Stage 6 contact: The Center for Life- itself, Camden, Me (207) 236-6331 or skyeh@midcoast.com.
The Center for Life-Itself PATHWAYS TO CONSCIOUSNESS Pathways to Consciousness began as an opportunity for us to create a life being and doing something we love and wholly believe in.
Ron & Joan
Through individual, couple and family sessions, weekend and mini playshops and gatherings of conscious exploration we create an environment to support those choosing to live a life of the heart... A life of self-acceptance, openness, gratitude and appreciation for all life and all that we are. Through an eclectic process of intuitive heart-based guidance, energetic and physical harmonizing and the body's own innate wisdom, all are gently guided to embody their own unique healing process. This is an opportunity to become a conscious participant in your life. As we change so does our world. Please feel free to contact us with any questions. Falmouth, ME. (207) 781-9887, website www.pathways2u.com, e-mail info@pathways2u.com.
40 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2006
(New listings added each issue) For information on how to Advertise your Directory listing, see page 43
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l iving spaces
Healing for Buildings, People and Businesses. Quantum Physics and Mysticism agree that ‘everything is energy’. Buildings, like people, are
affected by emotional drama and trauma. And, like people can be cleared and healed of their past. Clients tell us that often, after this work, homes for sale sell quickly, neighbor or tenant problems clear, businesses flourish and homes feel more cozy and safe. David clears the energetic structure of buildings using a proprietary technique called Quantum Grid Restructuring, as well as Shamanic skills and Angelic intervention. His basic approach is Everything is Energy, Everything is Connected and Everything is interactive. David Franklin Farkas, M.S.Ed. is an Intuitive, Spiritual Healer and Technician of the Sacred (that which is 'secret' or normally hidden from view). He works remotely on buildings, people and businesses. Call: Remote Realty Services from Rubicon Partnerships at (888) 5RUBICON (888-578-2425) Or on the web: www.HouseHealing.com
David Franklin Farkas Come home to beauty that feeds the soul. A home should be a retreat from the stresses of everyday life - a sanctuary for body, mind,
and spirit; a place of beauty that nurtures and supports all who dwell within; a place that welcomes friends and family with comfort and style; a place that reflects and celebrates your unique essence. A home should have functional spaces that are delightful places to love, grow, work, dine, play and live! I approach interior design from a holistic, intuitive perspective, working with you to create a home that is the highest expression of you, at an affordable rate. I also create business spaces that advertise for you while making your clients feel at ease, comfortable and valued. Call Tracey Walls at (207) 327-2042 or email wild_melodia2@yahoo.com
meditation SANT MAT RADHASWAMI The focus of the Maine Satsang is on Inner Light and Sound Meditation (Surat Shabd Yoga) and the Wisdom of the Masters.
psychic & spiritual mediumship PsychicMediumship, Hypnotherapy
Bonnie Lee is a professional Psychic Medium, Hypnotherapist, Registered Counselor, Reiki Master, healer, teacher and lecturer with thirty years 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
BonnieLeeGibson
www.hypno.us
reflexology & healing massage Treat Your Feet
School of Reflexology
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 $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 info, call Board Certified Foot & Hand Reflexologist Myra Achorn, Augusta (207) 626-FEET classes start in Feb. May & Sept. www.treatyourfeet.com Licensed by the State of Maine Department of Education.
retreats Greenfire is... a women’s retreat house dedicated to reflection, renewal, exploration, and quiet. Set in a two hundred-year old farmhouse
Greenfire Retreat
in the midst of meadows and woods on the St. George’s peninsula, Greenfire offers space to all women who want to rest and explore their spirituality, regardless of their tradition, age, or race. Women throughout history have gathered in circles and found wisdom in their own stories; in this tradition, guests may schedule conversations with staff to explore their own questions. Greenfire offers sanctuary, healthy and delicious food, and calm in the midst of a fast-paced culture. For more information, call 207-372-6442, email us at: greenfir@midcoast.com, or visit us on the web at www.greenfireretreat.org Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 41
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These are founded on the rich heritage of the classic Sant tradition of India. Receive guidance for the spiritual journey from a Living School of Spirituality. Develop your own spiritual practice. All events are free. All seekers are welcome. Bangor, Waterville & Portland areas. To learn more and join the mailing list, call James at: (207) 368-5866, or email: James@SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com
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retreats continued Nurture Through N at ure
Women’s Holistic Canoe Trips, Wellness Retreats and Customized Circles~ We create a safe and enriching haven and layers of
opportunities to find deep peace and growth. Our circles provide a balance of depth and lightness, group and solo space, movement and stillness. Connect with the contemplative and healing power found in nature. Find camaraderie with other women on an artfully led retreat through guided meditation, gentle yoga, Reiki, and mindfulness practices. Fill your cup on a canoe~kayak wilderness retreat, in nature's rhythm and beauty in Maine's back country. Gather your own circle of friends, family and colleagues, for a custom retreat.
Let Us Guide You Home...
Located on Pleasant Mountain, Denmark, Maine, just 40 miles west of Portland. FMI: (207) 452-2929, or www.ntnretreats.com
Pleasant Mountain, Denmark
Rolling Meadows Farm Retreat provides a rural sanctuary for yoga meditation and silence. A daily schedule of yoga asana, restorative
poses, pranayama, meditation and unstructured time in the natural world create an environment for personal renewal and spiritual reflection. An 1840 farmhouse on 100 acres has been restored into a small retreat center with woodland paths, fields, a spring-fed swimming pond and a wood-fired sauna. Vegetarian meals are based on ayurvedic principles. Retreats from weekend to week-long thru the year. For more information contact Patricia Brown or Surya Chandra Das at (888) 666-6412, e-mail at: info@rollingmeadowsfarmretreat.org or see www.rollingmeadowsfarmretreat.org.
sacred space Earthrest provides indoor and outside gathering space for retreats, workshops, spiritual questing, ceremony and celebration.
Come, surround yourself with beauty! Immerse yourself in a country setting of open fields, woods, rocks 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 beautiful acres of land, nestled in the foothills of the white mountains. Large (1500 square feet) and more intimate (545 square feet) indoor gathering spaces, both with fireplaces. Outside walk the land, the labyrinth and hiking trails. Many options available. Cyan Magenta Yellow Black
FMI call Pat at (207) 625-4179 or email earthrest@psouth.net
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.
salons & spas Raven’s Crossing Appleton, Maine
Ravens’ Crossing — Come find some rural comfort and relaxation in our wood-fired sauna and/or therapeutic hot tub. Deep tissue, swedish, and
myofascial-release massage available by licensed massage therapist. Rustic retreat cabin can sleep four. Available by appointment in private setting. Trails to walk, ride horses, or X-country ski. Space for small gatherings. Please call Lori Cressler at (207) 845-2304 or visit www.ravens-crossing.com
Offering holistic facials using the organic and biodynamic botanical products of Dr. Hauschka Skin Care. These earth-friendly, holistic
preparations restore and maintain the skin's vitality. Also offering Swedish massage, full body exfoliation, expert eyebrow shaping, and thereapeutic hair and scalp treatments. Retailers of fine holistic grooming supplies for the whole family. nordstrom skin care studio, 389 Main Street, Rockland, Maine 04841. (207) 594-5077. www.nordstromskincare.com
Flourish
holistic face, body & nail
Flourish is a place of quiet and relaxation. Charlotte Van Joolen offers a unique type of facial treatment — Facial Rejuvenation,
a hands-on sculpting of the face combined with the ageless healing arts of head reflexology and nerve regeneration that awakens your beauty and renews your inner self. You enter a deep state of relaxation uniting body and spirit — renewing physical vitality and inner beauty. Combined with the use of Jurlique organic skin care products you meet the world with a radiant face, a refreshed body and a relaxed sense of self. Charlotte also offers basic facial care and manicures and pedicures for natural nails. Gift Certificates available. By Appointment Monday through Saturday. (207) 774-0585. 260 Western Avenue South Portland, ME 04106. www.flourishfacials.com Charlotte Van Joolen 42 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2006
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shamanic healing D O R Y C OTE
Shamanic Healer
…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. Soul retrieval, divination, extractions, shamanic energy healing, and communication with those who have passed on, can all help us fulfill this potential. My training with the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, including completion of the Three Year Program in Advanced Shamanism and Shamanic Healing with Sandra Ingerman, author of Soul Retrieval, provide a solid footing for my work with adults, children and animals. Call me for information about workshops or appointments for shamanic healing sessions at (207) 841-1215 or Email me at dory@dorycote.com. www.dorycote.com
Transform your body, heal your soul and change the way you live and die with the ancient healing techniques of the South American Medicine people. The core of healing occurs in the energetic or Luminous Energy Field; this is the blueprint for the physical body, and an
archive of our physical and emotional strengths and wounding. Illuminating this field transforms these wounds into sources of knowledge and power. The loss, pain and sorrow may remain as a memory but it no longer defines who we are; we realize that we are not our stories. The Illumination Process is powerful, efficient, effective transformation. In training with Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D. Appointments in Brunswick (207) 729-7270, deb@midgette.org
Spirit Passages 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. Allie & Evelyn
spiritual centers
Adv e r t i s e in t h e In n e r Tape st ry ~ Dire c t o ry of Resources ~ $250 for 1 year (6 issues) or $300 to include the Online version: www.innertapestry.org 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. Logo included. Limit 115 words, ($1 per word thereafter.) For more info call: (207) 781-9885. Place your Events in Inner Tapestry’s Calendar The first 30 words submitted per issue are free! Email: events@innertapestry.org • Please follow the format of the Calendar— please do not send unformatted Listings such as press releases. •Email typed text indicating under which heading you want your event to appear: (Month, Upcoming or Ongoing). •If your first Event is longer than 30 words, please send .75¢ per word thereafter — (Email & Website addresses count as 2 words.) Ongoing Calendar Events under 30 words may be posted up to six months, or until requested to be removed.
Events & Classified ads are also posted on the Inner Tapestry Website! www.innertapestry.org
How to advertise in Inner Tapestry’s Classifieds Keeping with the themes of natural living, alternative health & well-being, Classified ads are $20 for 30 words, $1 per word thereafter. Times, dates and telephone numbers count as one word (like “August 6”. Email and Web addresses count as 2 words. Payments must be sent with the listing.
The deadline for the October/November 2006 issue is September 10th. Email your listings: events@innertapestry.org. Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 43
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THE MAINE BEACON CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL LIVING embraces all people providing a safe harbor of healing love and joy. Through teaching and living the Science of Mind principles, we support all people in their own spiritual evolution. The Maine Beacon is a Teaching Center for The Science of Mind. Sunday Morning Celebration Services are held at 10:30 AM Camp Ketcha, 336 Black Point Road, Scarborough, ME Children's Program now available. For more information, call Rev. Linda E. Holmes at (207) 767-3515 or (207) 409-2515 www.themainebeacon.org
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Au gust 2006 M aine
August 1st-31st, 12:00pm-4:00pm Paintings and altarpieces by Ruthanne Hamill Harrison, Stadler Gallery, 225 Main St. Kingfield, ME daily or by appointment. Artists reception, August 12th, 2:00pm-4:00pm. (207) 265-5025.
August 4th & 5th "ONE" The Movie At Meadow Wind, Showings at 7:00pm Friday & Saturday. FMI: www.onethemovie.org (207) 781-9885, www.pathways2u.com
August 4th-6th Beyond Creative Writing Lake Side Retreat
4th Annual co-creative weekends at author Alice Arlen’s Maine home. Enjoy movement, writing, song, the lake. Open to six people per retreat. FMI: (207) 775-2738.
August 6th (Bangor) & August 20th (Falmouth) Spiritual Wisdom on Conquering Fear “Love always conquers fear.” –Harold Klemp, booklet “Spiritual Wisdom on Conquering Fear.” Bangor ECK Center, (across from the Maine Discovery Museum), Coe Building, 15 Cross St., Room 61, (207) 947-7083, Southern Maine services held at Falmouth Memorial Library, 5 Lunt St., (off Depot Rd.), (207) 771-0281. All visitors to our ECK Worship Services will receive a free copy of our new "HU - A Love Song To God" audio CD.
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August 7th-12th 3-D DANCE: BELLY-MODERN COLLABORATIVE PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP with Heléna Melone, Shana Bloomstein and Katina Keller All levels; ages 11 and up. Belfast ME Contact the Arts Centers at Kingdom Falls (207) 589-3025 www.kingdomfallsarts.org
August 9th, Meditation classes begin August 12th & Sept 16th Connecting with Nature
August 20th-26th Silent Yoga and Meditation Retreat-
September 8th-10th Creating a Village, 2nd Annual Gathering at Earthrest
Rolling Meadows Farm Retreat, a 100-acre sanctuary for yoga, meditation and silence. With Surya Chandra Das. Brooks, Maine. www.rollingmeadowsfarmretreat.org (888) 666-6412.
Old souls and new souls, we invite you to join us as we explore creative, joy-filled and inclusive ways of being together for the weekend. We will use story, sound, ceremony, meditation and more, all in a setting of natural beauty. FMI: contact The Envisioners at (207) 625-4179 or earthrest@psouth.net
August 20th-27th New Moon Wilderness Living Canoe Retreat ~ West Branch Penobscot River & Lobster Lake, with Nurture Through Nature (207) 452-2929, www.ntnretreats.com
August 23rd, 9:30am-4:00pm Herbs for the Auto-Immune System with Anne McIntyre and Dr. John Woytowicz, $95, Avena Institute (207) 594-2403.
August 26th, 9:30am-5:30pm Be-ing with Guides Gardens of Atlantis, Dayton. Learn, practice and apply conscious channeling techniques and effective channeling "hygiene" with lots of time for coaching and feedback from Jill Leigh. $100. FMI: www.transformativeenergetics.com/offerings.htm or call Jill Leigh at (207) 247-2442.
August 9th FREE lectures
Connecticut
about our Human Relations Training Program, Hartford Family Institute. To reserve a space call (860) 236-6009 or e-mail www.hartfordfamilyinstitute.com
September 2006 Maine
2nd Saturdays September 2006 – April 2007, Beans, Leaves & Deities: Pagan Coffee Chats 2:00pm–5:00pm,
Workshops Homeostasis with Reiki and Nature variety of times Japanese style Reiki private and semi-private training. Contact Roberta R. Barnes, Reiki Shihan (master teacher) Herbalist. (207) 445-5671 http://www.naturalhealinglearning.com.
New Portland Church, Portland, ME. Join us for coffee, tea and meet other pagans in Southern, Maine. All pagan paths are welcome. One-hour topical discussion followed by social time. FMI: (207) 671-4292, jgrandbois@gwi.net or visit www.beansleavesdeities.blogspot.com
August 12th Reiki Level-1 Class
September 1st-4th Yoga and Meditation Retreat -
Southern Maine Reiki Center, 69 Foss Street, Biddeford, ME Marie Laverriere-Boucher (207) 282-9722. Fee 130.00. Time 9:00am-4:00pm. To register, mail payment to above address. www.marielb.net
Rolling Meadows Retreat - a 100 acre sanctuary for yoga, meditation and silence. With Patricia Brown.Brooks, Maine. www.rollingmeadowsfarmretreat.org (888) 666-6412
August 18th, 7:00pm-10:30pm Introduction to Himalayan Singing Bowls with Mitch Nur, PhD. $35, Avena Institute (207) 594 2403.
August 18th-20th Weekend of Self Exploration A Residential Playshop which supports a process of wholebeing harmonizing through conscious awakening & energetic support. Friday 6:00pm to Sunday noon in Falmouth. For more information, questions & to register (207) 781-9887, www.pathways2u.com. Self assessed sliding scale $325 - $425.
August 19th-20th, 10:00am-5:00pm Simpler Life/Compassionate Living Workshop ($250 early registration) Leapin’ Lizards, Freeport. Phone (207) 865-0900
August 19th-20th, 10:00am-8:30pm Level 2 Master Class with Himalayan Singing Bowls with Mitch Nur, PhD. $275, Avena Institute, (207) 594-2403
August 19th 10:00am-4:00pm Psychic Fair , The Maine Center for Spiritual Enrichment
328 Main Street, Bridgton, Maine Spiritual Readings, Light Workers & Artisans $2.00 donation. Readings individually priced. www.mainespiritualcenter.org
August 20th-26th Yoga and Meditation Retreat Rolling Meadows Retreat - a 100 acre sanctuary for yoga, meditation and silence. With Surya-Chandra Das.Brooks, Maine. www.rollingmeadowsfarmretreat.org (888)666-6412
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September 1st-29th Art Exhibit, The Face of the Farmer Oil paintings celebrating the Portland Farmer’s Market, by Mary Cupp (www.marycupp.com) Portland Public Library, Monument Square Lewis Gallery (downstairs)
September 3rd (Bangor) & September 17th (Falmouth) Discover God’s Most Ancient Prayer “In ECK, we have HU, which I call the most beautiful prayer."-Harold Klemp, "The Slow Burning Love of God" Bangor ECK Center, (across from the Maine Discovery Museum), Coe Building, 15 Cross St., Room 61, (207) 947-7083, Southern Maine services held at Falmouth Memorial Library, 5 Lunt St., (off Depot Rd.), (207) 771-0281. All visitors to our ECK Worship Services will receive a free copy of our new "HU - A Love Song To God" audio CD.
September 8th, 7:00pm Reader’s Theatre of Awakening A musical play about recovery from trauma by Kathy Amsden and Norm Fedder. Discussion to follow. Contact Kathy at (207) 777-1508 or kathy@kathyamsden.com for details. Limited seating is available. Donations welcome.
September 8th-10th Weekend of Self Exploration A Residential Playshop which supports a process of whole-being harmonizing through conscious awakening & energetic support. Friday 6:00pm to Sunday noon in Falmouth. For more information, questions & to register (207) 781-9887, www.pathways2u.com. Self assessed sliding scale $325 - $425.
PLEASE SUPPORT THE ADVERTISERS WHO BRING THIS JOURNAL TO YOU!
September 8th-10th Embodied Woman, Embodied Earth: a Women's Workshop Celebrate being fully present in our bodies, fully present on our Earth. Through dance, dialogue, drawing, writing, visualization and sensory experience of Nature, we embrace an intimate relationship with being incarnate on the Mother. Montville, ME, $175-$250. www.daturanightbloom.com (207) 589-3129.
September 9th, 10:00am-5:00pm Creation Dances Retreat at Williston West Church lead by the Sussmans of Cambridge, MA. Registration: ElaineBeatrice@maine.rr.com or (207) 797-2151.
September 9th & 10th Playwriting For Rewriting Your Story An Arts In Healing Retreat using psychodrama, drama therapy, music and the art of play writing with Kathy Amsden, LCSW, CP and Norm Fedder, PhD., BCT/RDT. Contact Kathy at (207) 777-1508 or kathy@kathyamsden.com to register. Tuition $325.
September 11th, 7:30pm-8:45pm TELECLASS ~ Living Energy: 12 Keys for Life and Self Mastery 12-Week Program with Instructors Peg Donahue and Karen Kallie FMI: call Karen at (603) 321-6763 or Peg at (603) 537-9954 Cost $285.
September 15th, 6:00pm-9:00pm, September 16th 9:00am-5:00pm Feng Shui Overview and Basic Concepts At the New England Center for Feng Shui and Intuitive Arts, with Peg Donahue and Barbara Madding, FMI: visit www.necfs.com or call (888) 211-2206 Cost $296, lunch included.
September 15th-17th Women In God's Fall Meditation and Arts Retreat: "Gratitude" Our retreat weekend includes discussion, guided meditations, silent reflection, and creative processes designed to explore and affirm the gifts, blessings, and holy challenges growing wild through our daily life in Winslow, ME. (207) 233-7658 www.womeningod.com.
September 16th-17th Qigong on Peak's Island Two One-Day Workshops. Cultivate energy for health and well-being. With Kathleen Dubay, Qigong Instructor. $85/day or $150 for both.www.riverofchi.com or (303) 809-1558
September 16th &17th, Saturday & Sunday, 9:30am-5:00pm Simpler Life/Compassionate Living Workshop with Tony Shuttleworth ($250 early registration) Avena Institute, West Rockport, ME. Ph (207) 594-2403
September 22nd, Friday, 7:00pm–9:30pm A Quiet Evening with Judith Duerk Counseling Services, Inc. and The Center for Life Enrichment presents a special evening event for women with Judith Duerk, renowned psychotherapist and best selling author of Circle of Stones: Woman’s Journey to Herself. Duerk’s books offer a unique glimpse into the essence of being a woman and are well known in the mental health healing community and women’s circles throughout the country. An important theme of Duerk’s work is the cycle of nature and helping women learn and discover how to nurture those cycles within themselves, by asking the provoking question, “How might your life have been different if, through every stage of your life … birth, puberty, adulthood, old age … you had been received, affirmed and sustained by a ‘circle’ of older, wiser women?” During this evening, Duerk will offer brief readings from her best selling books and invite women to reflect and respond to the central theme by speaking and being witnessed by the women who are present. This event is a rare opportunity to spend an inspiring evening with a pioneer in women’s wellness. St. Martha’s Church, Route 1, Kennebunk. FMI or to reserve tickets contact: Janet Bright at (207) 294-7185 or email janet.bright@csimaine.com. Tickets $10 advance; $15 at the door. Counseling Services, Inc. provides community mental health services throughout southern Maine with locations in Biddeford, Saco, Sanford, Springvale, Kittery and Westbrook. www.counselingservices.org.
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September 29th-October 1st Zen and the Art of Carpentry for Woman ~
October 17th, Tuesday Dream Group Forming
With Nurture Through Nature (207) 452-2929, ntnretreats.com
Ongoing group to share, explore, and deepen our understanding of the dream life. Facilitated by Jeanne Fiorini, Tarot teacher and counselor with 15 years experience in archetypal symbolism. FMI: (207) 799-8648.
September 30th, Saturday 2:00-5:00pm Breathwork Introductory Workshop World Arts Co-Op, Portland, $35. Breathwork session, teaching and sharing circle, and valuable breath exercises. Contact Tania Neuschafer (207) 272-2847 or breathwork2@yahoo.com.
September 30th Take Charge of Your Healing
Using the techniques of hypnosis, guided imagery, chanting and affirmations, this class will teach you how to take charge of your physical emotional and spiritual healing. People Plus Center, Brunswick, ME FMI: Call Doris Bell, RN, CHT (207) 883-4570 or Eddita Felt (207) 353-8648
September 30th Pathways to Greater Well-Being: A Women's Symposium The New England Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham This day long event guarantees to jumpstart the changes you have wanted and need to make. FMI please call Joanne (207) 490-605 or visit www.thejoyisinthejourney.com (see ad on page 3 for details).
September 30th, 9:30am-5:30pm Contributing to World Healing Gardens of Atlantis, Dayton. Explore your individual and collective contribution to world healing through engagement with the energy centers that link us all together. Develop a simple daily practice to release and reinvigorate energy that contributes to our global consciousness. $100. FMI: www. transformativeenergetics.com or call Jill Leigh at (207) 247-2442.
Upcoming Maine
October 3rd & 4th RCT Treatment Groups and Free Introductory Talk
October 6th, 6:00pm-9:00pm, October 7th, 9:00am-5:00pm The Bagua, Five Elements and Intention At the New England Center for Feng Shui and Intuitive Arts, with Peg Donahue and Barbara Madding, FMI: visit www.necfs.com or call (888) 211-2206 Cost $296, lunch included.
October 6-9 Yoga and Meditation Retreat Rolling Meadows Retreat - a 100 acre sanctuary for yoga, meditation and silence. With Surya-Chandra Das. Brooks, Maine. www.rollingmeadowsfarmretreat.org (888)666-6412
October 13th-15th Weekend of Self Exploration A Residential Playshop which supports a process of wholebeing harmonizing through conscious awakening & energetic support. Friday 6:00pm to Sunday noon in Falmouth. For more information, questions & to register (207) 781-9887, www.pathways2u.com. Self assessed sliding scale $325 - $425.
October 14th Take Charge of Your Healing
Using the techniques of hypnosis, guided imagery, chanting and affirmations, this class will teach you how to take charge of your physical emotional and spiritual healing. Feminist Spiritual Community at Friends Meeting House Portland ME FMI: Call Doris Bell, RN, CHT (207) 883-4570 or Eddita Felt (207) 353-8648
October 14th-15th, 9:30am-5:30pm Exploring & Evolving Your Energy Field. Part 1 Gardens of Atlantis, Dayton. Learn easy, effective energy field self-care practices. Includes: chakra & aura clearing, activating and energizing your clairvoyance system, connecting with your essence self. $195. FMI: www.transformativeenergetics.com/ offerings.htm or call Jill Leigh at (207) 247-2442.
October 14th-15th Weekend retreat with Ray Reitze: teacher, naturalist, Master Maine guide at Mahoosuc Guide Service in Newry in the beautiful Mahoosuc mountains. Teachings will center around his book "And We Shall Cast Rainbows Upon the Land". Weekend will include guided meditations and visualizations, mindful walking on the land. $235 includes meals, camping. For info (207) 824-2073 or info@mahoosuc.com.
Women’s restorative weekend through yoga, meditation, nature and nutrition, with Nurture Through Nature (207) 452-2929, www.ntnretreats.com.
October 21st, 9:00am-5:00pm Five Elements and Health At the New England Center for Feng Shui and Intuitive Arts, with guest speaker Jon Sandifer, FMI: visit www.necfs.com or call (888) 211-2206 Cost $195. This workshop is advanced studies.
October 28th-29th, Saturday, 9:00am-12:00pm, 2:00pm-4:00pm Sunday 9:00am-12:00pm Ken Cohen: Honoring the Medicine Indigenous Healing and Spiritual Traditions Workshop Cost: $250 Saturday, 5:00pm-7:00pm, Public Healing Ceremony Maine Audubon, Falmouth. Thursday, October 26th, Free Slide Lecture 7:00pm, Maine Audubon Falmouth. More information: www.pachaworks.com, or (207) 756-0488
October 30th-November 3rd, November 4th-11th Sikkim, India, Master Usui-Tibetan Reiki Training
(Karuna® or ART/Master) with Gianna Settin, PhD of Avanti Healing Arts, licensed teacher, International center for Reiki Trainings on October 30th-November 3rd then join us on a trek to the majestic Himalayan sacred mountain sites on November 4th-11th for an additional eight wonderful days! (207) 989-9009. Contact: www.avantihealingarts.com.
November 11th Take Charge of Your Healing
Using the techniques of hypnosis, guided imagery, chanting and affirmations, this class will teach you how to take charge of your physical emotional and spiritual healing. U. U. Church Westbrook, ME FMI: Call Doris Bell, RN CHT (207) 883-4570 or Eddita Felt (207) 353-8648
November 17th-9th Weekend of Self Exploration A Residential Playshop which supports a process of wholebeing harmonizing through conscious awakening & energetic support. Friday 6:00pm to Sunday noon in Falmouth. For more information, questions & to register (207) 781-9887, www.pathways2u.com. Self assessed sliding scale $325 - $425.
Ongo i ng M aine
Thank God It's Grace
Please join Women In God each Thursday, 4:30pm-5:30pm for a moment of peace, grace and fellowship. Meadow Wind 100 Gray Road, Falmouth, ME. www.womeningod.com (207) 2337658
First Sunday of the Month FREE introductory book discussion on "ECKANKAR - Ancient Wisdom for Today", held on the first Sunday of each month, from 12noon–1pm at Community Chiropractic of Maine, Suite 216, 222 St. John St., Portland. Contact (207) 771-0281 or www.eckinme.org
First Tuesday of the Month FREE ECKANKAR introductory book discussion on "How to Survive Spiritually in Our Times", by Harold Klemp, held on the first Tuesday of each month, from 7:00pm–8:30pm at Mobius, 319 Main Street, Damariscotta. Check www.eckinme.org
Birthwise Midwifery Potlucks Interested in Homebirth? Meet the midwives of Birthwise Midwifery Service and local homebirth families. Bi-monthly, 3rd Sunday of September, November... 5:00pm-7:00pm at Birthwise, Bridgton. (207) 647-5968 www.birthwisemidwifery.org/bmservice.html
Reiki: Healing Hands Offers classes, Reiki Therapy sessions, and Monthly Clinic every 2nd Sunday of the month at United Methodist Church, West Kennebunk. FMI call Pauline Wilson, BA, CRM (207) 985-3575.
Learn the vocabulary of this ancient, sensuous and inwardly strengthening art: focus on essential technique and varied styles. Belfast & Montville, ME locations. www.daturanightbloom.com or (207) 589-3129.
Flamenco Classes: Learn technique: brazeo (hand, arm, and body movement) and zapateo (footwork) of flamenco's movement vocabulary within its traditional structure. Belfast & Montville, ME locations. www.daturanightbloom.com or (207) 589-3129.
Breathwork/intuitive Healing Dynamic facilitated group sessions monthly in Auburn, Falmouth, Harrison and Oxford. The ultimate tune up. Workshops, classes, private and all levels of Reiki training. FMI call Breathe In & Beyond Christopher and Paula Easton (207) 583-6603.
Thirteen Moons, Millinocket, FREE Wednesdays, 6:00pm: Live & Learn introductory discussions, topics change weekly. Thursdays, 6:00pm, Coffeehouse: local talent Penobscot Avenue, (207) 723-5313, thirteen.moons@verizon.net
Wavelengths Hypnotherapy ongoing classes: HypnoBirthing® Parents, Self-Hypnosis, Weight Managment, Smoking Cessation, Relaxation Guided Imagery, Bonnie Lee Gibson, CH and Ernie VanDenBossche, CH; 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 Last Thursday 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 Spiritualist Church, 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 classes, sessions and free clinics. For schedule please contact Andrea Smith, B.S. Rehabilitation at reikiworks@midmaine.com (207) 474-9962.
Dragonfly Taijiquan, Larry Ira Landau 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.
Holistic Pathways Yoga & Healing Center, Gorham. Ongoing classes offered in Kripalu Yoga, Pilates, Pregnancy and Mommy & Me Yoga. All ages and abilities. Call (207) 839-7192 or visit www.holisticpathways.com for more information on upcoming sessions.
SpiritWings-Workshops, Reiki Classes & Events in Bethel Maine. Social Drumming Circle first Friday of every month. Reiki Shares second Tuesday of every month. Reiki Classes and other Workshops scheduled every month. Call for schedule (207) 824-2204 or visit website www.spiritwingsbethel.com for details.
A Gathering of People Exploring Conscious Living Join us Wednesdays. 6:30pm-8:30pm at 66 Foreside Rd. (Rt. 88) Falmouth. Fee $5 - $15. For more info call (207) 781-9887, or visit www.pathways2u.com.
Student Massage Therapy Clinics at Namaste' Institute for Holistic Studies Ongoing Student Massage Therapy Clinics at Namaste' Institute in Rockport Maine. Please call for more information on how to become a recipient of Student Massage Therapy Clinics & Student Massage Therapy Session Studies! Call (207) 236-2744 or visit www.namasteinstitute.com
Science Of Spirituality is sponsoring a satsang. Meets last Sunday of every month, 1:00pm at Hartland Library, under direction of Sant Rajinder Singh. Shabd Meditation. www.sos.org (207) 876-2954 dhyan@tds.net
Calendar Events & Classified ads are also posted on the Inner Tapestry Website! www.innertapestry.org
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Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 45
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Reconnective Therapy is a healing art that facilitates reconnection between the energy body and the physical body. Tuesday Free Introductory Talk 7:00pm Treatment Group 8:00pm Wednesday Treatment Group 7:00pm Location: Riley School, Rockport Talk is Free, Treatment Group is $70.00 Contact: Margaret Rauenhorst, (207) 236-8139 FMI: www. reconnectivetherapy.com
October 20th-22nd Self-Care for the Caregiver
Belly Dance Classes:
⇠ 46 Doula tea, meet with doulas in person.
Yoga For Kids:
Energize! and RYSE® sessions
Learn how doulas help families during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. We meet Sundays at the Ballard House, 131 Spring St. Portland from 10:30am-11:30am. There is no fee, pre-registration is required. Call Rebecca Goodwin at (207) 318-8272.
A way for children to strengthen emotional stability through self exploration. Seven Week sessions following school calendar. Ages 5-9 Belfast The Belfast Dance Studio Wednesdays 4:00pm-5:30pm Camden Open Door Yoga Thursdays 3:45pm-5:00pm For more information call Lily at (207) 236-6001
(Realizing Your Spiritual Energies) Sessions for artists, actors and performers. Expand your creative potential, rejuvenate, rebalance after performance. $65/$55 Holistic Pathways. Gorham. (207) 839-9819. www.starlightacting.org
Holistic Pathways Yoga & Healing Center, Gorham.
Ceremonial Wisdom Circle honoring our Inner & Outer Seasons & Cycles. Sliding Scale, FMI: www.spiritualrenaissance.com, www.templeoftheheart.com or call Deborah, spiritual guide, healer & ordained priestess: (207) 883-1081.
Aikido of Maine Portland Aikido for Women classes, Wednesday and Friday am classes. Daily beginner’s classes and youth programs. www.aikidoofmaine.com (207) 879-9207
WholeHeart Yoga Center, Portland Full schedule of weekly classes for all levels with experienced, Kripalu-certified instructors. Workshops and Kirtans (chanting) offered regularly. Call (207) 871-8274 or visit www.wholeheartyoga.com for more details.
Ongoing Yoga Classes Yoga classes and individual instruction that start from where you are and expand your life. Experience the Journey. Rising Moon Healing Arts, Kimberly Allen. (207) 590-0082, www.rising-moon.org
Soundings - Energy Therapy Woven In Sound An intuitive blend of Reiki, IET, Quantum-Touch, crystals and sound. Usui Tibetan Reiki, IET and Crystal Bowl Meditation classes. Brenda (207) 557-2664, soundsqwazi2@verizon.net, www.gentlerhythms.com
Yoga Classes starting August 28th in Kennebunk Monday evenings, Saco Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and Dayton Wednesday mornings First Yoga class free for newcomers! Dance, Chant & Meditate in Portland, Fridays, 6:30pm-9:00pm, September 15th, October 13th, November 10th & December 8th. Yoga Retreat October 13th-15th at Earthrest in Cornish Yoga Vacation February 17th-24th at Virgin Gorda, VI FMI: call Jeanette Schmid Lakari (207) 282-5528.
Healing Drum Ceremony
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Second Mondays, 7:00pm-9:00pm Yvonne Treeslimb Raphael Dancing Trees Lodge 17 Cotton Lane, Oxford ME. $10 donation to benefit Dancing Trees nonprofit retreat center. You need do nothing during the ceremony, but relax and receive. After the ceremony we do shamanic journeying. (207) 743-8467.
Sample & Full length Shamanic and Reiki Sessions Thursdays, Healing Sessions with Yvonne Treeslimb Raphael, Touchstone Bookstore, 1832 Forest Ave, Portland ME (207) 878-3866, Sessions are $1 a minute.
USM Center for Continuing Education. Ongoing classes in Complementary Therapies, (Traditional Chinese Medicine, Aromatherapy, Reiki, etc.) Visit www.usm.maine.edu/cce for course and registration information or call (207) 780-5900 for catalog.
Planetary Activation Organization in Maine
Energy Vibrational Healing Therapies including Polarity and Energy Interference Patterning of DNA. Ongoing Reiki & Therapeutic Touch classes. FMI: (207)-839-7192, www.holisticpathways.com.
Free Reiki Exchange, Hosted by Gianna Settin 3rd Tuesday of month, 6:00pm-8:30pm Avanti Healing Arts Reiki Center in Brewer. All levels of practitioners and teachers welcome. (207) 989-9009. www.avantihealingarts.com.
Ongoing Master Reiki Training Retreats Avanti Healing Arts Reiki Center in Brewer. Please check webite for upcoming trips and retreats for experienced practitioners and teaches to hone their skills and explore their creativity. (207) 989-9099 www.avantihealingarts.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
Crescent Moon Herbals
Wise Women Daughters of the Moon
Belfast Yoga Studio. Iyengar style Hatha Yoga 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.
Creative Spiral Studio Gallery exhibits Original Visionary Art by Helen Warren, MSed.,MFA Open by appointment or chance. Co-Creating with Your Soul retreats and individual journeys. FMI: (207) 829-6876 or helen@creativespiral.net; www.creativespiral.net
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.
NDE Support/Discussion Group
Ongoing classes and events, psychic readings and energy workers. 76 Center Road, Lebanon, Maine. (207) 457-1114, e-mail: crescentmoonherbals@excite.com Web site: www.crescentmoonherbals.com
FOI (Friends of the International Association for Near-Death Studies), meetings - held by teleconference once a month. FMI, please go to http://neardeathexp.meetup.com/1/about/ or contact Rev. Juliet Nightingale at (615) 292-2217. You may also visit www.TowardTheLight.org.
Mindful Meditation™ Mondays 5:30pm-7:00pm
The New England School of Feng Shui
All are welcome, no experience necessary. $15 or 4 classes for $50. Mind/Body Therapy at Meadow Wind, 100 Gray Road, West Falmouth, Maine (207) 650-3964 FMI www.mbtherapy.org.
Basic through advanced workshops. World-renown faculty. Professional certification program available. For complete brochure: (203) 268-9483 or visit www.neschoolfengshui.com.
The Awakening Process
Inner Light & Sound Meditation. Surat Shabd Yoga. For a Bangor, Waterville, & Portland meeting schedule, call James at: (207) 368-5866 or James@SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com
Learn about a simple path that will eliminate depression and anxiety, leading eventually to peace and enlightenment. First and third Tuesday 7:00pm-9:00pm. Call (207) 286-8060 for directions.
Oriental Brush Painting Classes and Workshops Frederica Marshall, an artist who lived 28 years in Japan, teaches sumi-e in her Deer Isle Studio. Basic to advanced levels. (207) 348-2782. www.fredericamarshall.com.
“SANT MAT RADHASWAMI SATSANG”
Connecticut
Have you experienced sexual assault or incest? We are Survivors of Incest Anonymous. We meet every Monday evening in Hartford, CT. Call Mae at (860) 236-1770 or email HartfordCT@sianyc.org
Classifieds
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”
Maine
SACRED SPACES
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
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 or: daysmeadowfarm@prexar.com.
Space Available for Gatherings, Ceremonies, Presentations.
Free one-hour Holistic Health Counseling consultations-
Sacred Circle Dance
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.
Focusing on your personal health concerns, health history, diet, relationship with food, and other issues that influence your life and food choices. FMI contact Shannen, (207) 837-4878 at The Healing Path, Holistic Health Counseling, Reiki, 615 Congress St., Suite 313, Portland. www.pathofhealing.com
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.
Inner Light Spiritualist Church
private sessions and free clinics,Gift certificates available. Please contact Judy Fisher, Reiki Master Teacher in Camden, Maine at (207) 236-0359.
Invites You to Weekly Services, Sundays 10:00am-12:00pm, with Reverend Gloria Nye. Healing, Songs, Sermon, Mediumship, Governor King Masonic Lodge, Route 1, Dunstan Corner, Scarborough, Me.
Women’s Workshops Designed exclusively for you to address your unique problems online & in-person. Henderson, NV. $75 per workshop Fridays 6:00pm-10:00pm, FMI: (702) 408-1783 email: workshops_for_women@yahoo.co.uk
Children’s Aikido Kokikai Class Schedules: Josiah Bartlett Elementary School in Bartlett NH Wednesdays 3:30pm-4:30pm grades 2-5 ($35/month) Wednesdays 4:45pm-5:45pm grades 6-8 ($35/month) Fridays 3:30pm-4:30pm grades K-1 ($30/month) The Ballroom in Harrison Maine Sundays 5:00pm-6:00pm grades K-6 ($30/month) Water and Stone Yoga Studio in Conway, NH Mondays 4:00pm-5:00pm grades 2-5 ($40/month) Mondays 5:15pm-6:15pm grades 6-8 ($40/month) Mondays 6:30pm-7:30pm adults and teens ($40/month) Contact Jane Biggio for more information at (603) 374-6326 or email at bamboomountain@ncia.net
46 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2006
Ongoing Usui Reiki Classes in all levels,
Dancing Xigong: Twelve movements to music Every Thursday mornings, 8:30am-9:00am Summer at Merryspring Park, Winter at Quarry Hill, in Camden. FMI call (207) 236-8732.
Experience the healing of Love without condtions. 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.
At Earthrest, Cornish, ME. Call (207) 625-4179.
SACRED RENTAL SPACE
A Place In The Heart
Professional Office Space in Health Clinic in Freeport Village, 2 rooms newly finished, ½ or full time, includes all utilities, easy parking, excellent opportunity to network, seeking DO, massage therapist, ND, energy or body workers. Rent: $250-$600/month. Call Mary Beth: (207) 865-1203
HELP WANTED Inner Tapestry Is looking for people to help support the growth of the journal by selling ad space. This is not selling it is sharing what the journal is, what it means to you and what you feel it can offer others. Our intention is to create community through sharing what we love and believe in. If you feel this is something that resonates with you please call Ron or Joan at (207) 781-9885 or email us at innertapestry@verizon.net.
Short-term Solution-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 McCarthy-Darling at (207) 691-0023.
Email your listings to events@innertapestry.org
Deadline for calendar of events and classified submissions for the October/November Issue is September 10th
Calendar of Events & Classified Ad Information Can be found on Page 43 & at www.innertapestry.org
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\ YOGA, T’AI CHI AIKIDO & MEDITATION Practitioners Directory BELFAST, ME Diamond Light Yoga Studio Offering Kundalini Yoga and Meditation classes. Taught by Devbir Kaur (Lisa Whiting) CKYI, RMT, ATP®. Private sessions and Reiki appointments also available. Call for class times or appointments. (207) 322-5633. 108 Main Street, 2nd floor, Belfast. Belfast Yoga Studio Iyengar Yoga, Relax&Renew® (restorative) Yoga, Yamuna Body Rolling®; classes, workshops, individual sessions. Marianna Moll (Iyengar, Relax&Renew®, Yamuna® certified) and Belinda Pendleton (Iyengar style, Gentle Yoga). (207) 338-3930. www.belfastyoga.com info@belfastyoga.com
BOOTHBAY HARBOR, ME
CAMDEN, ME Open Door Yoga Center Offering a wide variety of Yoga classes, 5 Rhythm Ecstatic Dance, Feldenkrais Movement, Mindfulness Meditation, Shamanic drumming, T'ai Chi and Tantra Workshops. Morning, evening and weekend classes for all ages and levels. Conveniently located less than 3 miles from the center of Camden. Call for brochure or info: (207) 236-8971.
FALMOUTH, ME Meadow Wind Center for Holistic Arts Kripalu Yoga Classes for people of all ages and abilities taught by Rebecca LaWind, LMT, KYT. We offer beginner/continuing classes focusing on meditation, postures, breathing, relaxation. 100 Gray Road, (207) 749-4150
GARDINER, ME Gentle Rhythms Yoga & Therapy Yoga Spirits Certified, Iyengar based (proper alignment). Chakra Balancing Yoga. Yoga for focus, flex-ability balance & relaxation. Yoga for MS, Parkinsons, Fibromyalgia, Autism, etc. Carleen Bevans, (207) 588-2023 ext 1, 17 Brunswick Avenue, Gardiner, ME, 04345. www.gentlerhythms.com
GORHAM, ME Holistic Pathways Yoga & Healing Center Kripalu Yoga: all abilities/ages. Beginner, Continuing, Intermediate, Toning & Sculpting, Pregnancy Yoga, Mommy & Me, Pilates. Private Sessions available. Classes include postures, breathwork, guided imagery, meditation, relaxation. (207) 839-7192. www.holisticpathways.com.
PORTLAND, ME
Full Circle Synergy School of T'ai Chi Ch'uan We offer classes morning, noon and night. Cultivating stress reduction, balance, internal energy, and meditation while celebrating the joy of movement spectrum from self-healing through athletic efficiency and power to self-defense. All abilities welcome! (207) 780-9581. www.fullcirclesynergy.com
Kundalini Community Yoga Full class schedule including beginners and children. Workshops. Groups. Private sessions. Certified Instructors. Class includes Kriya (set of specified exercises), breath, mantra, meditation, relaxation. Try Kundalini Yoga-the yoga of Awareness. 52 Pine St., (207) 615-5405, www.kcyoga.net. Portland Yoga Studio Highly trained instructors, Iyengar certified, Anusara influenced. Prenatal, Teen, LifeLong, Restorative, Ashtanga (flow), & Yin Yoga classes! Weekend workshops! Belly Dance! Beautiful studio! 616 Congress Street, (207) 799-0054, www.PortlandYoga.com, email info@portlandyoga.com Aikido of Maine Aikido: "The Art of Peace"' a martial art for self-defense and spiritual development. Connecting movement, breath and energy through partner practice. Seeking harmony from conflict. Creating an Alert mind, calm body and enhance health and awareness. Daily classes: beginners, adults & children, Flexible schedules, (207) 879-9207, 226 Anderson St., Portland, www.aikidoofmaine.com WholeHeart Yoga Center Portland's Kripalu affiliated studio offers classes for all levels which include postures, relaxation, breathwork and meditation. Our teachers are highly trained & Kripalu-certified. We also offer private classes, workshops, Partner Yoga and regular Kirtans (chanting). 150 St. John St., Portland. (207) 871-8274, www.wholeheartyoga.com Touchstone Bookstore and More Offering guided and open meditation. During open meditation times, we will light a candle and set the intention for peace. Just come in, grab a seat and breathe! Weekly morning and evening Kripalu yoga classes. Call or visit us at 1832 Forest Ave., Portland, ME, (207) 878-3866, www.touchstonebookstore.com The Yoga Center Quality instruction for 25 years. 30 weekly classes-all levels, restorative, therapeutic, power, pre-natal. Master teacher workshops and Yoga vacations in Mexico & Maine. Two lovely studios & supply store. Directors Vickie Labbe and Jennifer Cooper, (207) 774-YOGA (774-9642) .
SCARBOROUGH, ME Rising Moon Healing Arts and Maine Massage and Yoga Yoga classes and private instruction designed for all levels. Awareness through movement, breath, and meditation. Reiki, Massage, and Mindful Living. Consults available. Kimberly Allen, (207) 590-0082, www.rising-moon.org and Emily Eastbrook, (207) 415-3123, 153 US Route 1, Scarborough.
YARMOUTH, ME Sanctuary Holistic Health & Yoga Center Professional instruction in Kripalu & Hatha Yoga and guided meditation located in a peaceful and beautiful newly built studio. Gentle, moderate and vigorous classes for all ages & levels of experience. Private classes available. Certified directors Marilee Marrinan & Erinn Cayehal. (207) 846-1162, www.sanctuaryhhyc.com
Calling all Maine-wide Yoga, T’ai Chi, Qi Gong and Meditation Practitioners. Place your listing here! An excellent resource for getting the word out for your classes and workshops! \ If you and your group or school hold classes and workshops and would like to be listed in this Directory, please call: (207) 781-9885 or Email: info@innertapestry.org. Please include in listings Yoga, Meditation, T’ai Chi and Qi Gong related classes Aug/Sept 2006 Inner Tapestry 47
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The Yoga Firm Studio Join our ongoing movement inspired Beginning and Flow Yoga Classes to restore the supple nature of your body and mind. Also offering Shiatsu/ Acupressure bodywork. For schedule and info please contact Romee May, (207) 380-6975; 115 Townsend Ave. www.yogafirmstudio.com
PORTLAND, ME CONTINUED
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See what’s new in this issue! Articles, New Calendar Events, New Directory of Resources Listings and much more... Thanks for reading!