Inner Tapestry "Being Gratitude" December 2006 January 2007

1

A Holistic Journal Celebrating & Supporting LIFE!

Inner

u Yellow Lily, Blue Dragon Fly u An Attitude of Gratitude u Coordinating Mind, Body and Spirit u What Is WATSU? u Best Holiday Gifts u We Create Our Life From The Inside Out u Appreciation of Gratitude ~

Conversation With Sue Grim Langert

Dec/Jan 2006/2007

Tapestry u

BEING GRATITUDE u

F

R

E

E

u Feng Shui ~

Feng Shui Tools

u Destination Healing~ Re-Create Yourself in Conway, NH.

u Loving Earth ~

Finding our Electrical Footprint

u The Way of Life Itself ~ Whatsup?...

u Modern Shamanic Living Making Gratitude a Spiritual Practice

u A Breath of Healing~ The Walker...

Volume 5, No . 4

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Whole Health Holiday Gift Expo ~ Holyoke, MA, December 9th & 10th (For more details see back cover) Women in God's Winter Seasonal Retreat, December 12th ~ 15th (For more details see page 23)

2

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

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

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!

3

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Dec/Jan 2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 3

4

Contents

A Holistic Journal Celebrating & Supporting LIFE!

Being Gratitude

Dec/Jan 2006/2007

Upcoming Themes: Fe b r u a r y / M a r c h 2 0 0 7 : N e w Fa m i l y Va l u e s April/May 2007: Blossoming into Spiritual Adulthood J u n e / J u l y 2 0 0 7 : Tr a n s c e n d e n c e August/September 2007: Living Life

Welcome to Inner Tapestry

Features

Available in more than 400 locations

Yellow Lily, Blue Dragon Fly

Page

7

by Meredith Jordan

Coordinating Body, Mind and Spirit

Pages 8 & 9

by Aaron Hoopes

Appreciation of Gratitude ~ A Conversation

Pages 18 & 19

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

with Sue Grim Langert

by Rita Dixit-Kubiak

An Attitude of Gratitude

Page 19

Best Holiday Gifts

Page 22

by Tracey E. Walls

by Inner Tapestry Staff

We Create Our Life from the Inside Out

Page 35

What Is WATSU?

Page 35

by Rochelle Sparrow

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) 799-7995 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

Subscriptions

by Vicki Mitchell

are available:

$20.00/year, 6 issues

Departments

A H olistic Journal Celebrating & Supporting LIFE!

Joan Emmons, Ron Damico, Betty Close, & Jacqueline Cone

Awareness and the art of Seeing ~ Creating a Grateful Life

Page 7

by Jen Deraspe

Destination Healing ~ Re-Create Yourself in

Page 10

Modern Shamanic Living ~ Making Gratitude a

Page 12

Conway, New Hampshire

by Kevin Pennell

Spiritual Practice

by Evelyn C. Rysdyk

Loving Earth ~ Living Simply So Others May Simply Live

by Pat Foley

Finding Our Electrical Footprint

Page 13

Cooking Consciously & Eating Healthy ~

Page 14

A Breath of Healing ~ The Walker ~ Walk Your Walk

Page 15

by Guest Writer Mary Carrier Hoodack

Foods, Herbs & Vitamins...

by Donna Amrita Davidge

The Way of Life-Itself ~ Whatsup? Which Way?...

Page 16

Herbal Healing ~ Grapes

Page 17

Feng Shui & Geopathology ~ Feng Shui Tools

Page 24

by Skye Hirst, PhD

"Feeling Loving" to Find Our Way

by Gail Faith Edwards

by Werner Brandmaier

4 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

Inner Tapestry can be picked up for free in over 400 locations, but to insure you don’t miss a copy, subscriptions are available.

Publishers

send check or money order to:

All inquiries call:

Inner Tapestry Journal 925 Sawyer Street South Portland, ME 04106

(207) 799-7995 info@innertapestry.org

Exploring The World Religions ~

by James Bean

A Course in Miracles Mysticism

Page 25

Mixed Media ~ Book, Website & Music Reviews Pages 26 & 27

Directories Directory of Resources Pages 29-34 Heart Visions, A listing of events, trainings & trips...

Page 35 Calendar of Events Pages 36-38 Classifieds Page 38 Yoga, T'ai Chi & Meditation Directory Page 39

5 INNER WORKINGS New this Issue: As we journey into the coming winter holiday season, our

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.

We are also looking forward to your comments and suggestions as we all continue to evolve and grow together.

;

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM EVERYONE AT INNER TAPESTRY

In Time II

Inner Tapestry would like to introduce Laura Mottai, our first feature artist from Connecticut, and her piece In Time II. Laura resides in Harwinton, CT In a recent visit to her website www.lauramottai.com, Laura's opening quote is "Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder and Art is in All Souls. To Love Art is to Love Thyself and Life."

This quote so clearly defines Laura's intention within her work. As she expresses, "Communication through creative thoughts and feelings has always been my way. My paintings are inspired by love of nature, wildlife, color and spiritual balance. Together these elements produce compositions reflecting the harmony, balance, passion and a sensual intrigue only love can offer and spiritual balance can open."

"Art is meant to be shared. One of my goals through my paintings is hope that viewers may experience the beautiful calm and healing sense in which the ideas and inspirations were derived from and of course see the beauty."

"I have attended two schools of art, but most of my experience and creative skills have been self-taught, through trial and error: perhaps the best teacher."

Pathways to Consciousness and Inner Tapestry are pleased to join Leapin' Lizards and Meadow Wind Center for Holistic Arts in the creation of Community Spiritual Cinema.

We have chosen to bring CSC into our community to offer people an opportunity to see films which touch the heart of who we truly are.

As we come across films which resonate with the intention of CSC, we will be showing them at Leapin' Lizard's Freeport location and Meadow Wind in Falmouth.

If there are any films that you would like to see please contact Ron from Pathways to Consciousness at: ron@pathways2u.com, 207-799-7998.

Please visit www.pathways2u.com FMI & current schedule. ...Thank you Melissa & Andrea

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) 799-7995 OR EMAIL US AT info@innertapestry.org Dec/Jan 2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 5

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

wish is to welcome you all to this December/January issue of Being Gratitude. This time of year we, like all of nature, draw our energy inward creating a time of quiet reflection. We all know that our typical holiday season does not foster this type of experience for us and it is up to us to consciously take the time to connect and become gratitude in our lives.

This issue is full of wonderful articles to help us take the time to connect to the wonderful world we live in, one that is full of love and gratitude for all things. On page 23, there is an article called Best Holiday Gifts, in which I was fortunate to meet two beautiful women who are following their path of gratitude in life. During this holiday season the best holiday gifts we can give to someone is a gift which not only honors the receiver but also gives to someone else. Please take a moment and share this expression of how we can actualize gratitude in our lives.

We are again growing with the addition of new distribution sites in Concord and Manchester, New Hampshire. Our thanks go out to Asrianna for her help and welcome her as a new columnist for the February/March issue.

Also we would like to welcome our new practitioners and business to the Directory of Resources. There is now a list of centers in the community, supporting the growth and well-being of everyone.

We have finally settled into our new home, both residence and business. In the transition our email address has changed. For anyone having the old Verizon address, our new email is innertapestry@maine.rr.com and as always you can reach us at info@innertapestry.org. The new phone number is 207-799-7995.

The Manchester, NH Whole Health Expo was great as usual and we made new acquaintances and friends. The upcoming Holyoke, Massachusetts Gift Expo will be a great event to help us with gift ideas, which will support and nourish us from that special place within.

Also upcoming is the Yarmouth, Maine Wellness Fair held at the High School on March 24th. There are great practitioners there to meet, local businesses, and a cafeteria staff with delicious lunches to share with the fair goers.

With many new projects in her life, Judy Perry, is taking a sabbatical from her column. We look forward to seeing her column back in the journal.

Everyone at Inner Tapestry wishes you and your loved ones a happy, healthy, loving holiday season and look forward to an expansive New Year!

ON THE COVER

6

The Thirteenth Moon

S ewall H ouse

Susan Bakaley Marshall ATR-BC, LCPC

board certified art therapist, licensed clinical counselor shamanic practitioner

Retreat

ART from the heART

Art Therapy & Shamanism Studio ~ a light filled circular

sacred space surrounded by fields and trees ~

• shamanic journeys and healings • soul retrieval • Individuals • Groups • Classes (207) 589-3063 moonart@midcoast.com

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

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Blessed Maine Herb Farm School of Herbal Medicine

3 year Community Herbalist Program with Gail Faith Edwards

Begins May 1, 2007

www.studyherbalmedicine.com gailea88@gmail.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 6 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

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 123 Main St., Freeport 207-865-0900 LO 449 Forest Ave., Portland 207-221-2363

www.leapinlizards.biz

7

I

Awarenessandtheart of Seeing:

Yellow Lily, Blue Dragon Fly

contemplationsontheenvironmentandinterconnection

by Meredith Jordan

by Jen Deraspe

that could only be described as pure joy. In a flash of recognition, I realized that I, a woman sitting alone in the quiet tea garden, had served as witness to something no one in the theater audience would see: Shen Wei, the choreographer, awaiting the audience response to his creation. Stillness gave me the gift of that moment. The stillness of gridlock on the highway, the stillness of my own peace of mind accepting the inevitable delay and locating pleasure in some other way than what I thought I had come to experience, the stillness of the lovely tea garden, the stillness of the choreographer’s prayer to the gods of beauty and dance. There are some things we miss when preoccupied by what we believe is meant to happen, things we miss by being too busy, things we miss if we are so easily distracted from what is presented to us, packaged as a gift.

Two delicious days of conversation and connectedness later, my friends Joan and Julian were hurriedly packing the car for their return to the city.

Politely excused from an offer to help, I once again retreated to the garden. I no sooner located a place for myself in a comfortable chair facing the hillside of wild and cultivated flowers when a cobalt blue dragonfly perched upon my arm. There he sat undisturbed as I marveled at his delicate splendor. I twitched my arm; he flew away. Minutes later, he returned, flew away and returned again. Hello, little friend, I spoke in silence as my friends banged through the house and called to each other, “Honey, have you got the checkbook? Did you remember to show her how to operate the pool heater? Do we need our Pyrex pans here or there”?

Too distracted to notice, they forged on with their necessary tasks as I delighted in the blue dragonfly who could have landed anywhere in a garden as vast as a small city park, but instead came to rest on my arm. They left blowing hugs and kisses from the car, promising a next visit sooner rather than later. The stillness deepened along with my attention to the minutiae of a day shimmering with magnificence. I turned once: there was my dragonfly, now lit upon the ruffled petal of a striking yellow daylily. Yellow lily, blue dragonfly, healing heart, somewhere in there, a visual haiku: the gift of standing still long enough to honor the beauty of the natural world and lift my arms to the heavens in grateful prayer.

For more than twenty-five years, Meredith Jordan, RN, MA, LCPC has worked with adults and children embarked on a spiritual journey to develop or deepen a personal relationship with the Mystery many people call God. She is co-founder of Rogers McKay, a non- profit, multifaith educational organization, and founder of The Living Spiritual Elders Project. Jordan is also the author of Embracing the Mystery: The Sacred Unfolding in Ordinary People and Everyday Lives (2004) and Standing Still: Hearing the Call to a SpiritCentered Life (2006). Her books are available through Barnes and Noble, Borders, your local independent bookseller or online at www.amazon.com.

Creating a Grateful Life

G

ratitude is a word we kick around a lot.

Whenever we complain in our minds about a life condition – not enough money, a chronic health issue -- we might begrudgingly tell ourselves “you should be grateful for what you have. Count your blessings!” Alternatively, when the Universe has lined up a perfect sequence of events, it’s easy to feel the gratitude.

But what purpose does gratitude serve? To console ourselves about challenging circumstances, or to express thanks when life is going our way?

That’s how it’s made sense to me over the years – until now. I recently saw the documentary film “The Secret”, which spells out, in a compelling, detailed manner how to manifest what you desire in your life. It turns out gratitude is central to creating the life we want. It seems most everything of value comes as a result of developing a practice, and gratitude is no exception. One premise of the movie is that in order to receive what we desire, we must first have gratitude for what we have now – and not just saying or thinking the words, but experiencing the feelings of abundance and blessings in a deep and meaningful way. In other words, habituate the practice of having gratitude – everyday recounting our good fortunes and more will come.

I started doing a daily practice of gratitude about 2 weeks ago, going through a list of all my blessings at the beginning of my day. In 7 more days, it should become a true habit, so the theory goes. I'll know I’m successful when I can find that place of feeling the gratitude, not just rote recitation of the items and blessings I should be grateful for. I have come to look forward to that time in my day.

Quantum physicists and philosophers are converging on the idea that every thought has a vibration, a calibration. Our thoughts, which are energy, manifest into reality in this Universe made of energy. This knowledge might first be quite alarming, especially after surveying our past thoughts, which are often based in fear and lack.

Making the connection between those thoughts and the resultant situations I have created in my life have sometimes brought about trying, stressful and challenging situations. It also has allowed me to see my life through a whole new set of lenses, with many “ah-ha” moments, noticing that I have, in fact, manifested all that I have ever wanted, provided I held that vision with its accompanying feelings on a daily basis.

If every thought has an energetic vibration, then gratitude vibrates quite high. “Gratitude is the attitude” is not just a pleasant maxim, but a powerful, simple tool that can be the basis for building the life we desire.

Jen Deraspe is a licensed Maine Guide, holistic retreat facilitator, certified yoga instructor and adjunct faculty member with the University of Let Us Guide You Home...

Southern Maine's College of Nursing Pleasant Mountain, and Health Professionals. She owns Denmark, ME 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

Dec/Jan 2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 7

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

had come to the Berkshires for the healing of my heart, recently broken with the loss of a long-term love. I came as close as a whisper to refusing the invitation, which arrived in the middle of the single week I managed to carve out for myself during the long summer of grief and might have been put to better use at home, in the work of promoting my new book. However, it came from an old friend whose compassion lifted me above desolation on several occasions much earlier in my life. The intermission in our friendship had been too long, and it was time to be together again. Yearning to part the river of grief, longing to find myself in connection once again, I said yes. My broken heart argued madly for the practical, likely for the purpose of diverting me from what was real and therefore difficult to tolerate for long; yet something deep in my spirit overrode the argument to follow the life-affirming impulse to “yes”! I pushed myself to an exhausted edge in order to finish everything that had to be done so I could throw my bag in the car and head south, then west, from the coast of Maine to the rolling hills of western Massachusetts. Stuck in gridlock on the Massachusetts Turnpike, cars creeping at ten miles an hour, bumper to bumper for miles ahead and behind (as far as my eye could see), I nearly regretted my decision. The plan had been for us to meet at Jacob’s Pillow, the renowned Dance Center in the Berkshires, for the highly anticipated premier performance of a gifted Chinese choreographer. From there, we would return to my friend’s home, spend a brief day together, and then she and her husband would head back to their busy Boston lives while I stayed on for four more days of stillness retreat. None of us bargained for gridlock.

An hour into the creep-along traffic, I knew I’d never make the start of the dance performance; with wind at my back, I might arrive in time for the second half of the show. After another interminable hour of inching along in the heat of the day, the highway abruptly opened up, diverting significantly more than half of the cars in the direction of New York City while the rest of us picked up the pace and pushed on into the mountains. Along with dozens of others stuck in the same traffic nightmare, I reached Jacob’s Pillow ten minutes after the performance had started. Weary travelers all, we were informed we could not enter the theater until intermission. I had forty minutes to fill, not a difficult dilemma on the beautiful grounds of the summer dance camp. I wound my way to the tea garden, where I remained alone for quite some time, admiring the many flowers in bloom. I wondered about my other late-arriving companions, even as I relished the beauty of the gardens and the stillness of being alone. Then, abruptly, I was not alone. A young Asian man stepped into the gardens with me. Never speaking or even nodding in my direction, he paced the perimeter of the garden, stooping once to right the stem of a bent flower. He moved with a fluid grace, restoring the position of the broken stem as if uttering a prayer. He raised his arms to the heavens, entreating the gods of the tea garden for favor in some matter, I knew not -- and longed to know -- what. Precisely at that moment, the audience in the Ted Shawn Theater erupted in applause and cheers. The first performance, I later learned the longer and more complex of two, ended as the cheers and delighted laughter of the audience swelled higher, and higher still. The young man, his arms still pointed toward heaven, brought his hands together, bowed and rolled onto the ground in a series of delicately choreographed movements

8

Coordinating Body, Mind and Spirit

comfortable and happy in our bodies. Becoming aware of our breath is a way to reach that feeling. Expanding our breathing ability is a way of extending that feeling.

The key, however, is not to force it, just slow down, relax and breathe.

by Aaron Hoopes

E

veryone has had moments in life when everything became bright, clear and alive – everything was perfect. There was a glimpse of pure awareness, when past and future no longer existed and total attention was focused on the moment.

At that one point in time you were aware of your spirit. Your aches and pains vanished. Your worries and problems faded away. All of your wants, needs, and desires disappeared. For that moment you weren’t just experiencing life – you were the experience. Your body and mind were in perfect coordination, and you were completely open to your spiritual essence.

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

It is easy to define the body. It is your physical presence. You can see it when you look in the mirror.

The mind is not as tangible but it is also ever present.

It is the conscious essence in your head that defines who you are in the physical world. The spirit, however, is more elusive. It is not easy to put your finger on it because it is much more than the in-the-world entity you define yourself as. Your spirit is connected to the infinite essence of the universe, and trying to restrict it and define it is as futile as trying to grasp water. The harder you try to hold it, the faster it slips through your fingers. When you look for it, it is not there, yet at the same time it is everywhere. It is your true being.

If you try to define it, categorize it, or put it under a microscope to study, it will still remain beyond your reach.

So how do we discuss the spirit without being able to discuss it? We do it by concentrating on the parts of ourselves we are able to discuss and allow the spirit to arise of its own accord. A healthy, happy and energized body and a calm, clear, quiet mind offer fertile ground for the spirit to grow and flourish. By combining body awareness (through conscious or dynamic breathing) with mind awareness through a meditative state of peaceful serenity (I call Quietism), we can cultivate a state of being that is in the highest degree receptive to the spirit and capable of experiencing the ultimate fullness of existence.

QI AND DYNAMIC BREATHING The Chinese word qi or Ch’i (pronounced “chee”) refers to the natural energy of the Universe, which permeates everything. All matter, from the smallest atoms and molecules to the largest planets and stars, is made up of this energy. It is the vital force of life.

Qi within the body is like power in a rechargeable battery. Occasionally it needs to be replenished. The Qi of the universe is inexhaustible, yet the body needs fresh Qi to maintain its vitality. You take in food, water, and air and convert them to energy within your body. During sleep, while your veins are relaxed and open and your brain is calm, you are able to take in a fresh supply of Qi. When you are tense or nervous, you become rigid and Qi circulation is blocked, you have difficulty sleeping, and your reserves of qi dwindle.

When you are exchanging the Qi within you with the qi of the universe, you feel healthy and vigorous. By energizing the body with Qi it is revitalized naturally, enabling it to fight off illness and maintain good health.

The true secret to replenishing qi resides in your breathing.

The body can go for days, even weeks without food.

It fails after two or three days without water. But it is virtually impossible to go without breathing for more than a few minutes. Without fresh oxygen to the brain the bodily systems quickly shut down and we die.

8 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

Breathing is a natural and automatic function. The body works efficiently without us having to pay attention to our breathing. This normal, everyday breathing can be defined as unconscious breathing. It brings just enough oxygen into the body to keep it working. Unconscious breathing, though meager, is adequate as long as the body is healthy and active. But what happens if there is an accident, sickness, or trauma? Without an excess of stored energy, there are no reserves to tap into when needed. It becomes difficult for the body to repair itself.

Conscious breathing, or dynamic breathing as I call it here, is the process of modifying the body’s breathing rhythm to maximize Qi intake. Nearly four thousand years ago in ancient China and India people understood that becoming conscious of the body as it is breathing is the key to a long, healthy life. Just the action of noticing the breath brings our awareness to it and increases its quality. One of the most common themes in the teachings offered by spiritual leaders is the principle of internal cleansing, getting rid of that which is old, worn out, and stale, and exchanging it for what is new, fresh, and energized. That, of course, is the central principle of dynamic breathing as well. During inhalation we are bringing in fresh oxygen, nutrients, and vital energy. During exhalation we are expelling carbon dioxide and other toxins and poisons that we produce or collect in our daily living.

The deep rhythmic respiration of the abdominal cavity during breathing exercises brings another, more hidden benefit. The vigorous expansion and contraction of the diaphragm acts as an internal massage of the stomach, liver, kidneys, spleen, and intestines. This passive massage strengthens and energizes the internal organs, making them less susceptible to disease and degeneration.

BREATHING EXERCISE The first step is simple: to become more aware of your breathing capacity. To start, imagine your lungs are two balloons inside your chest. All day, every day, as you breathe normally, the top third of your lungs is being used to keep you alive while the bottom two thirds remains unused unless you are doing exercise or something which makes you breathe faster. Dynamic breathing teaches you how to breathe from the bottom of the lungs up, expanding them to their full capacity.

With expanded use of your lungs, the intake of oxygen is increased dramatically and more oxygen-rich blood circulates within the body. Step 1. Exhale completely then close your eyes and breathe in slowly through the nose. Imagine filling the balloons up from the bottom, relaxing the ribcage and stomach muscles. Concentrate on maximizing the expansion of the lungs. Step 2.

When your lungs feel full, stop. Open your mouth and take one last breath in, topping off your lungs. Step 3. Hold your breath in for a moment and then exhale completely, forcing out as much air as possible by contracting the muscles of the ribcage and stomach.

Repeat this three times, observing how the balloons fill and expand in size each time. Take note of any changes in feeling within your body.

The change from unconscious to dynamic breathing is accomplished by becoming more aware of your breathing and your body. Most of our behavior is unconscious. We walk around in our bodies rarely noticing how they feel, unless, there is pain. Seldom do we consciously think of the body as feeling good, but feeling good shouldn’t be an absence of pain. It should be an invigorated, energetic state where we are

MEDITATION AND QUIETISM Rows of skinny, bald monks sit in a cold, empty room and chant hour after hour, stopping just long enough to eat a bowl of dry rice. For many people that is the first image that comes to mind when they hear the word “meditation”. In fact, that is only one example of meditation. At its core, meditation is simply seeking peace within. It is about perfecting the harmony of mind and body, which enables us to sense the essence of our spirit.

Have you ever stood still and calmly watched a sunrise or sunset? Have you ever sat in a peaceful setting by a stream or waterfall, or on a windy hill, or deep in the woods and simply listened intently? Have you ever allowed yourself to become so immersed in something that the outside world disappeared, leaving you existing in that solitary moment? If so, you have already experienced meditation. At its most basic, meditation is the practice of existing in a quiet place, turning the attention inwards, and following a pattern of breathing that helps both still the body and calm the mind. By concentrating on your breathing and letting your thoughts flow of their own accord, you open yourself to finding a deep inner stillness and contentment that can help you deal with the stresses and tensions of life. This kind of meditation is easily accessible to everyone.

Usually the mind is so preoccupied with ordinary day-to-day distractions and the relentless flood of information the world drowns us in, that it flounders and fails to connect with the true reality of existence.

The mind has been swept up in a never-ending stream of consciousness that prevents us from taking a moment to ask ourselves if that is really how we want to think or the way we want to feel.

The stream of thought that rushes through your mind all day is like static that obscures the peace and tranquility of the spirit. The calmer the mind, the longer the spaces between thoughts and the more peaceful you become.

The measured lifestyle and close contact with nature that characterizes more traditional societies is being lost. People today gobble up experiences, swallow them whole, and then stuff more in. As these undigested experiences accumulate, existence becomes more superficial. Watching television has become a substitute for real experience and even that rarely holds our attention for long –we click to the next channel. Vicariously living through the stimulus overload has dulled the senses to the magic of real life. The rapid pace of technological advances creates a sense of urgency while the high-speed transfer of data through the Internet and telephone systems brings immediacy to everything. When we finally do go out and do something, we often feel driven by an ego-based urge to get through it as fast as possible.

In contrast to this, Quietism is a state of pure calmness unfazed by the pace of the world around you and the myriad of unbidden thoughts that vie

9 for attention in your mind. It is a state of peace and tranquility that enables you to relax and enjoy the sense of your inner and outer selves being in tune with each other. The mind is not turned off. Instead, it is slowed down and sufficiently quieted so you can clearly envision and capture the essence of self.

QUIETISM EXERCISE The intent here is not to clear thoughts entirely from your mind. The object is to direct your thoughts down a set path, focusing all your attention on a specific scene or setting so intensely that the usual conscious and unconscious patterns of thinking are overridden. You are not attempting to stifle the mind in this exercise, but simply to cultivate a state of such total concentration that the conscious mind cannot successfully intrude or take control of the quiet domain you are creating. In other words, you are defining the boundaries of the meadow in which your mind may graze.

Watching the Sky/Clouds The sky is vast and encompassing. It contains the qualities of depth and clarity. The clouds moving through the sky embody the qualities of silent movement and change. While you sit and watch the sky, time seems to slow down as the clouds drift quietly above. As you watch, you soon become aware of their subtle movement and change as they drift above you subtly moving and changing shape. If you imagine each cloud as an occasional intruding thought, you see how easy it is to let them pass by. Often the clouds will form familiar or fantastical shapes. This is the mind attempting to make sense out of chance formations.

Observe these shapes and accept them as they change to others. Keep your attention on the clouds, not the thoughts that their shape triggers. If the day is stormy, let yourself be drawn into the tumult, let the thunder reverberate through your own being. If the sky is clear, lose yourself in its vastness. Be aware of where the sun is and of its path across the sky. Notice the colors generated by the sunlight at different times of the day.

If a bird flies over, think about the bird. When it is gone, let the thought go. Release the mind and let it be free within the confines of the sky and all that is there. Let your mind wander to any aspect of the sky or clouds, but no further.

Watching the Stars/Moon In the night sky the stars present the quality of silent eternity. The constellations are symbols of ancient knowledge or beliefs. If you know some of the stars and constellations, identify them as they move through the heavens. Each constellation has its own unique presence. As the seasons change, different stars and constellations appear and disappear, slowly arranging themselves in different patterns. Calmly observe them as they wander across the night sky. Also become aware of the moon and its quality of solitary serenity.

The light from the moon embodies an almost magical strength and beauty. Follow the phases of the moon, from a thin sliver to its full magnificence. Does your life change at all with the different phases – if only in your feelings as you observe them? Become more acutely

Watching the Stream/River/Waterfall Moving water contains the qualities of perpetual motion and unstoppable force. Every body of water has its own pace. The stream may quietly trickle through the woods, the mighty river may drift by − a sleeping giant, or it may rage past − a rampaging elephant. The waterfall may roar over the lip of the cliff to crash on the rocks below. Whatever the water, the continuous movement onward reflects life as time passes. If you try to focus on one spot or object in the water, it soon floats out of sight tugging your mind along with it.

Instead, let the mind flow with the water. Let the mind become water. Extra thoughts that appear in the mind can be imagined as leaves floating on the water. Let them drift along in the current and soon they are gone.

Feel the sound of the water as it passes by. Let it flow over you.

Watching the Trees Trees embody the qualities of life and change.

Observe an individual tree as a living entity with its own unique structure and identity. Its roots sink deep into the ground, connecting it to the Earth and supporting the upper structure. The tree’s life reflects the cycle of all life. From seed to sapling, from mature tree to deadwood, the tree passes through the cycle of life just as we all do, each tree unique. Observe a grove or a forest. Think of how the trees reflect life.

Notice them moving together as the wind blows. They don’t fight against the wind, instead they move with it, swaying back and forth in rhythm with the world. Bring that feeling within yourself. Watch the trees in the wind. Bend with them.

Watching Fire Fire is dynamic. It contains the qualities of warmth and vitality as well as a potential for wild unpredictable strength and destructiveness. It is impossible to focus on a single point of a flame or fire. The irregular quality of movement reflects the mind’s penchant for flitting from one thought to another. Forcing yourself to stare at a certain part of it is an effort in futility. Watch the fire as a whole. Don’t focus the eyes; instead simply let the eyes follow the flame’s movement. Watching the fire this way reflects how consciousness follows the dance of the mind. Let the mind flow with the dance of the fire. Whether a campfire, a fireplace or a candle, the primal, hypnotic beauty of fire has the potential to revitalize you with elemental energy. Feel the fire within you.

There are, of course any number of other targets ideal for Quiet Watching. Virtually anything that you can keep your concentration on is suitable: a mountain (ageless strength), a garden (living beauty), a pond or lake (vibrant stillness), a crystal (complex simplicity), a sword (exquisite power). Try to come up with something that has a special meaning for you which will enhance your ability to concentrate on it. It is not the target that is important. It is your state of mind as you do the watching. Peaceful concentration on the qualities of the object, as well as a gentle firmness in keeping the mind focused, are required. Try to spend at least five minutes a day watching. As you grow accustomed to the exercise, you will notice your skills of observation increase and focusing your mind will become easier.

Once you reach a state of Quietism your mind has been freed of its habitual thought patterns. You can begin to open up to all the possibilities of existence and experience because a simple, quiet calmness pervades your being. And you will begin to understand what meditation means. At its most basic level, meditation involves simply sitting quietly and breathing deeply.

Keep that in mind as you begin the process.

BODY AND MIND AS ONE Concentration is at the heart of all breathing and meditation exercises and is the pathway to putting your

mind in tune with your body. Body and mind reflect each other. As one calms, the other relaxes and vice versa.

There are three essential keys to concentration.

These keys identify qualities of dynamic breathing that provide a framework for improving your breathing skills. They work in two ways. First, by bringing awareness to the breath and making it important, we cause the body to relax and enhance the effectiveness of breathing. Second, focusing on the keys helps calm the mind and brings your thoughts into harmony with your breath.

Deep and Long Deep and long breathing draws the air fully and completely into and within the body - not in the sense of inhaling to the maximum and tensing up the muscles, but in the sense of actually feeling the breath reach all of the deepest recesses within. Keeping the chest and surrounding muscles relaxed allows the breath to fill the lungs to their ideal capacity.

Lengthening your inhaling and exhaling allows your body time to adapt to the deep expansion within. The longer and deeper the breath, the more in tune you become with the natural world around you.

Silent and Slow Silent and slow allows even more relaxation. The silent breath is felt with the whole body instead of being heard. We become aware of the sensation of breathing.

We begin to feel the lungs expanding and contracting and the breath flowing through us. Slowing the breath relaxes the entire breathing process and extends the length of the breath to a point where it reaches a calm and natural state

Soft, Even and Continuous Soft, even and continuous breathing brings completeness to the breath. Soft breath loosens the mind’s control over the breath allowing it to reach a more spiritual level. Keeping the breath even brings the mind into a meditative state where thoughts flow with the breath. Continuous breath is like a circle.

Inhalation creates exhalation which in turn creates inhalation.

CONCLUSION

As we move toward awareness of our spiritual selves, the coordination of body and mind is essential. It may seem impossible at first. The body is tangible.

It has shape. The mind has no shape. How can we bring these two opposites together? The answer is that they are already together. It is our natural state to have body and mind functioning in harmony. But the rigors of daily living fracture our attention and disrupt our awareness. Our mind is scattered and our breathing is shallow. Our spiritual nature is blocked and remains unable to develop because body and mind are not coordinated. Coordination and harmony can be brought about through the principles of dynamic breathing combined with the essence of Quietism and the serenity of mind that results. In doing this we break down the barriers between body and mind and allow them to unite again and form our Spirit.

By coordinating the body and the mind we lay the fertile ground for our spiritual nature to grow and develop. Each of us has the potential for spiritual self realization, but without the connection between body and mind it is very difficult to get a clear sense of our spirit.

In the end your spiritual nature is unique and it is up to you to discover it on your own. Getting the body breathing and the mind calm gives you the opportunity to explore that. I offer you blessings on your journey.

Aaron Hoopes is the founder of Zen Yoga and has taught his holistic programs to both children and adults in Japan, Australia and the US. He is the author of Perfecting Ourselves, and Breathe Smart. He is also the creator of the deep relaxation program, Inner Sunrise, and the Zen Yoga DVD Series. He is available for training and teaching workshops and has developed a Zen Yoga instructor training course.

For more information please visit the Zen Yoga website: www.artofzenyoga.com Dec/Jan 2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 9

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Below are a number of settings in which to practice this exercise. Try a few and choose the ones that make you feel the most at ease and relaxed. Seat yourself comfortably and begin your observation. Observe the setting as a whole as well as running your eyes over each part of it. Listen to it as well − and smell it, touch it, and taste it if you can. Slowly bring all of your attention to focus on it, rejecting extraneous thoughts.

Actually, you can allow yourself any thoughts you want as long as they are connected to the target setting, but herd them back when they stray outside the context.

Each target has its own unique characteristics and qualities that should further your ability to achieve the overall feeling of Quietism. Focus on these characteristics individually, separating them out and studying them while you attempt to identify the essence or essential nature of each and absorb it into your own sense of being.

aware of how the moon and the sun are revolving around the planet in an endless dance. Keep your thoughts contained within the night sky. The mind is loosed to ride the heavens, and all other thoughts are quickly and easily let go.

10

destina tio n he al i n g

Re-Create Your Self in Conway, New Hampshire by Kevin Pennell Bethel, Maine

B

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

eing in a state of gratitude begins within. With diligent effort we can re-create our being from within as we travel toward our goal of wellness.

Achieving any level of accomplishment ushers in a state of personal gratitude both toward ourselves and the facilitators involved in our journey for wellness. Let’s call this journey toward wellness “re-creation”.

Many recreational and tourist destinations include the typical activities of skiing, hiking, canoeing, camping, shopping and family attractions. Now wellness centers and individual holistic practitioners create opportunities in those areas where visitors and residents alike can discover well-rounded opportunities to re-create their bodies, minds and spirits as they take advantage of other vacation amusements and activities. For example, you could re-create your self in or around picturesque Conway, New Hampshire. Conway is one of 27 towns, villages and unincorporated areas that constitute the Mount Washington Valley Region of New Hampshire.

According to the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce, there are at least 23 practitioners and healing centers listed in their Body, Mind, and Spirit category. Talking with some other practitioners indicates even more offer their services in the same area. That being said, there are plenty of opportunities for residents and visitors who wish to continue or begin their journey toward wellness in a truly beautiful setting.

At least seventeen modalities and thirty-two practitioners facilitate wellness to residents and visitors alike in and around Conway. So many opportunities to share and so little writing space, what shall I do? A review of the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce website provides a good start (www.mtwashingtonvalley.org). It identifies most modalities available in the area. By visiting some of the individual website links, you’ll find acupuncture, chiropractic care, counselors, herbalists, hypnotherapy, massage therapists, mind/body integration, a naturopathic doctor, nutritional consultants, osteopathic care, polarity, Reiki therapists, and shamanic practitioners.

I contacted some area practitioners to learn some specifics about their services. Many offer more than one therapy, as many practitioners do today.

For example, Reiki continues to gain more acceptance worldwide and Gary “Quiet Bear” Brooks, an Usui Reiki Master/Teacher, has offered Reiki treatments from Center Conway for about ten years. Receiving his Master/Teacher training about two years ago, he now offers classes too. His unique service includes something that used to be common practice, house calls. Gary calls his unique approach a case of, “have table will travel”.

Gary’s intuitive abilities combined with a working knowledge in herbology, nutrition, sound and physiology helps facilitate healing and well-being in individuals energetically.

The name of this wellness center, Inochi Maru, expresses his heart-felt passion. I asked Gary for a translation of the Japanese words. “It means Circle of Life. My joy, love and appreciation for life coupled with an attitude for living each day reflects the spirit of Inochi Maru.” Gary and his practice are located in Center Conway. Telephone (603) 356-5692 or email him at inochi_maru@yahoo.com for further information.

10 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

Osteopathic medicine offers another avenue for seeking wellness in the area. In general, osteopathic medicine evaluates and treats patients based on viewing the body as a whole. Doctor Patricia “Trish” Murray utilizes that approach... along with other unique opportunities for holistic treatments at the T. Murray Wellness Center. She opened her new office at 24 Pleasant Street in Conway this past summer. Dr. Murray provides several different and complimentary therapies with an overall wellness and wholeness approach. She specializes in Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, while her practice also offers traditional Swedish massage therapy, the Trager Approach, Reiki treatments, readings and Shamanic healing through a full staff of holistic practitioners. T. Murray Wellness Center furnishes educational classes on health issues as well. Dr. Murray treats the body to heal the mind and spirit and views her practice as “a haven for physical, mental and spiritual healing”.

We hear and read about proper nutrition almost daily.

Proper nutrition brings our body into and maintains balance with our spiritual and emotional being. With convenience and fast food abounding in our fast paced world, we may wonder why we don’t feel well or get sick often. When we consume proper foods for our bodies, our reward is revealed on all levels of our being. So, when can you eat the treat and what treats are really good... for me? What diet works best for me, for me personally. Can eating proper foods really help and heal me? A visit with Katrina Coravos at Nature’s Market in North Conway may help you find the answer to these and other questions relating to your nutritional needs.

Katrina reflects on a quote from Hippocrates when she discusses her approach to nutritional wellness, “Let food be thy medicine”. As a Holistic Nutritionist, she tailors her practice to each individual with his or her specific nutritional needs in mind. “Examining the body’s symptoms often locates the root causes of disease.” To heal with food may sound somewhat unconventional, but “many ailments can be healed through nutrition. Every cell in our body is made up of the nutrients we consume.

By addressing the body’s nutritional needs, balance may be restored”.

She uses whole and organic foods to promote healing and well-being. Katrina’s health food store Nature’s Market, in North Conway compliments her practice.

Katrina’s consultations are an exploration into the body without using invasive procedures, but rather listening to the body and it’s ailments. She provides several alternatives for proper nutrition specializing in vegan diet, raw foods, and nutrition in pregnancy, gluten free living, IBS, chronic fatigue, ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, and over-all wellness. Katrina’s customized meal plans outline foods to supplement your diet as well as those you should avoid. She markets several “power foods” like goji berries, hemp, camu-camu, green foods, cacao, maca and agave among others. Katrina seeks to educate clients about their nutrition and emphasizes a simplistic healing through food. Her goal? She would like to see individuals take healing into their own hands through proper nutrition.

Opportunities for yoga present themselves in and around the Mount Washington Valley too. The practice

of yoga enhances well-being on all levels. While yoga is hundreds of years old, many forms are now available, so the student can find the one just right for their personal needs. For example, Kelley Simpson teaches Kundalini Yoga in the Conway area. She uses Kundalini Yoga along with meditation in her personalized yoga sessions.

Kelley explains, “Kundalini Yoga works the entire glandular and nervous systems and prepares the mind for optimal clarity and function. Kundalini is the energy of consciousness and the awareness of the higher self. This energy allows us to experience our full human potential and radiance”.

With her ten years of dedicated yoga practice, Kelley partners with you, as an individual, to identify the yoga practice that fits your needs and lifestyle. This form of yoga helps you on many levels like finding inner peace and happiness and strengthening your mind, body, and spirit. It also increases your creativity and intuition, improves relaxation, changes patterns and habits, and creates an atmosphere of manifestation.

Kelley Simpson also completed extensive training in Kundalini Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training, “the perfect way to delve into the body, mind, and spirit and prepare for birth”. Yoga teaches expectant mothers to listen at a deeper level and trust their bodies’ innate birthing wisdom. Kundalini Yoga’s “energy allows us to experience our full potential and radiance as women and mothers”!

Ask her about the “OM Birthing Prenatal Yoga Series”.

With training as a licensed and nationally certified massage therapist, additional certification in prenatal/ infant massage, and a Reiki Master/Teacher, Kelley offers many related modalities to help you create wellness in your life. As the proud mother of her son Finn, age 3, she already considers him a “yogi extraordinaire”.

She teaches workshops on prosperity and Reiki. Kelley extends services to many locations throughout the Mount Washington Valley region including Madison, North Conway, Wolfeboro, Jackson, “or any community near you”. Telephone Kelley Simpson at (207) 221-3569 for more information.

Remember, being in a state of gratitude begins by a journey within. The journey begins with a desire to create change... change for your highest and greatest good. The journey may include times of fear when facing new challenges or unknown territories, the results outweigh the fear though, those results include becoming a better person, partner, parent, employee, employer, and… a better soul. For that, you will truly find yourself in a state of gratitude. If you seek a destination for healing, to begin your journey, consider Conway and the surrounding communities of New Hampshire’s Mount Washington Valley. If you live in the area, you won’t have to travel far to re-create yourself in Conway, New Hampshire.

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 Spirit Wings, their Compassionate Healing Center and therapeutic Store located in Bethel, Maine.

11

C O NN EC TI CU T A DVE RT I S E R S Essex, Ct.

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

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)) 799-7995 OR E-MAIL US AT info@innertapestry.org

FOR INFORMATION ON CONNECTICUT ADVERTISING CALL LINDA JACQUES 860-228-0870 MARIE KUPER 860-647-8177 OR INNER TAPESTRY 207-799-7995 info@innertapestry.org Dec/Jan 2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 11

12

mod er n s ham an i c l i v i n g

Making Gratitude a Spiritual Practice

by Evelyn C. Rysdyk

G

ratitude is very closely related to the emotions of Love, Compassion and Appreciation. We know this as each of these feelings produce remarkably similar biological effects both inside and around the body. This phenomenon was observed by researchers at the Institute of Heart Math. They determined that during the loving state -- which includes feelings of love, gratitude, appreciation or compassion -- our heart produces coherent energy waves, which can alter the conformation of DNA in solution. That is the DNA samples outside of the test subjects bodies.

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

This study was the first to reveal that emotional states created biological changes not only within an individual who is experiencing these feelings, but outside of the body as well. They also observed a correlation between coherent heart energy and the immune system by measuring changes in salivary IgA. This study showed that the coherent heart energy generated during feelings of love, gratitude, appreciation or compassion, can produce biological effects both inside and outside of the body. This is due to the fact that the feeling energies transmitted by our hearts are non-Hertzian (beyond the range of standard electromagnetic measurement) and quantum in nature.

This non-local capability means that all of our feelings have an impact beyond the limits of our own physical body.

In the study, all individuals capable of generating strong loving feelings could alter the conformation of DNA according to their intention. Intending to unwind or wind the DNA produced increases or decreases in the UV absorption peak at 260 nm. Untrained individuals, who were not able to sustain feelings of love, showed low ratios of ECG coherence and were unable to intentionally alter the conformation of DNA. Conversely, one individual in the study was upset and frustrated -- having little control over his emotions. This individual showed an unusually low ECG coherence ratio. However because of the strong intensity of his emotional experience, his energy caused an increased winding of the DNA and a shift in the absorption peak. This is an unusual effect, which indicates that in addition to changing the conformation of DNA, an alteration in the physical/ chemical structure of one or more of the bases in the DNA molecule has occurred. Although the incoherent energy associated with frustration resulted in a change in DNA, this individual could not intentionally bring about this change. The frustrated test subject was in a state that I’ve come to call a “DNA Cramp”! Importantly, even though this subject could cramp the DNA, he couldn’t relax it -- no matter what his intention -- while experiencing these incoherent feelings. On the other hand, the persons who were experiencing the loving feelings could relax the DNA -- even the DNA that was twisted onto itself by the feelings of the frustrated subject!

The conformational states of DNA are important in DNA replication and repair as well as the creation of proteins and enzymes, which regulate a wide variety of basic cell functions. When the DNA is wound tightly upon itself, the ability for the DNA to accomplish its tasks is hampered. As a result, a body’s cellular functions, immunity and DNA replication/repair are all negatively impacted. In other words, since the feelings 12 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

alter the DNA, our feelings can directly impact basic cell functions.

I'm suggesting, is that there is no more powerful action you can take in the world than to learn to work with your feeling energies.

What we can understand from this research is the following: 1. Our feelings, which are broadcast from our hearts, have the capacity to alter not only our own DNA, but the DNA of other living beings.

2. Not only human beings, but other living creatures such as animals, birds, plants, and trees have DNA. 3. Since these radiating feeling energies are non-local in nature, they can travel over a distance from the body without any time lag -- therefore, these energies exist outside of ordinary time/space.

4. Loving feelings, which include feelings of love, gratitude, appreciation and compassion, have the capacity to bring the DNA into its most harmonious state of being. This state is consistent with improved immune and cellular function -- which is optimum health. In addition, since the immune and related hormonal systems directly impact brain function, these coherent energies improved cognitive function, in other words they provided the ability to think more clearly.

5. Incoherent feelings such as anger, fear and frustration have the opposite effect -- producing a DNA that is tightly wound and restricted in its ability to regulate cellular function, or repair and replicate itself properly, a state that interferes with health. Perhaps more importantly, this interference impacts all other beings! In addition, this state of being reduces the ability to think well or clearly and may explain destructive collective behaviors such as mob reactions/ mentality.

6. Persons generating coherent feelings -- love, gratitude, appreciation, and compassion -- were able to relax the DNA that became twisted by frustration, fear and anger. This effect happened beyond the limits of their own bodies.

7. Therefore, persons choosing to generate coherent feelings of love, gratitude, appreciation or compassion produce healing effects not only within their own bodies but throughout the ecosystem.

Based on this information, I believe we can no longer afford to wallow in negative emotional states. Fear, anger, and frustration negatively impacts our bodies, and the bodies of all other beings. For our own health

and the health of our planet as a whole, we must develop a practice of transforming negative emotional states. I’m suggesting, is that there is no more powerful action you can take in the world than to learn to work with your feeling energies.

One very easy method follows here and is also available in an easy-to-follow guided imagery form on the CD, Becoming the New Human (Spirit Passages, 2002) When feeling frustrated, afraid or angry you do not have to be at the effect of these feelings. First take a moment to notice why you are having these feelings.

Then choose to transform these feelings to heal the “DNA Cramp” and return to a clear thinking and healthy state. From this state, you will be able to take right action to alter the situation causing the negative feelings.

This begins by stopping right where you are in your emotional process -- take a time out -- and beginning to breathe with your focus on your heart. Breathe gently and fully with the idea that your heart is at the center of each breath. Do this at least ten times and while doing so imagine that your heart is being bathed in healing light with every inhalation. Once you have breathed gently and fully for at least ten breaths, remember a time that you felt grateful or appreciative.

This can be a memory from your recent or distant past.

Recall not only the situation, but the feelings that you experienced. This is critically important, you are using the memory to trigger the feelings again. You may start with one memory of a grateful time and may remember another. Go with which ever produces the strongest feelings of gratitude or appreciation.

Allow yourself to remember these feelings even more intensely than you did in the past. Let your body completely fill up with gratitude! Once you feel truly full, imagine that with every heartbeat these feelings are not only flowing throughout your entire body -- but radiating beyond it. These healing energies are bathing every one of your cells and the cells of living beings all around you!! You remain full even as this vibration of gratitude is being broadcast from your body. Allow this to continue for as long as you can sustain the feelings.

When you feel ready, return your attention to the world around you. You may notice that the world around you appears brighter and even more colorful. In fact, you have helped to make it a better place by taking action to transform your “DNA cramping” feelings.

Doing this exercise for at least ten minutes can produce a six-hour increase in your immune response -providing you don’t have another “DNA Cramp” -- and help to counteract the effects your negative emotional state produced in and around your body. Your feelings have the capacity to heal or harm not only yourself but the rest of the world. This is so important since so many people seem to be in a constant state of fear or anger. Remember, the test subjects who were in a "DNA Cramp" couldn’t heal the DNA -- no matter how strong their intention! Only those choosing to be in the state of Love, Gratitude, Appreciation and Compassion can provide the much needed healing the world requires.

I challenge you to become a healing warrior for the planet by cultivating loving feelings. Take time every day to practice filling yourself with gratitude. This kind

Continued on page 28

⇠13

lov ing earth

Living Simply So Others May Simply Live Finding our Electrical Footprint

by Pat Foley

H

ow much power are we using? Maybe we want to determine how much electrical energy we are actually using or perhaps we are preparing to go solar and wish to know what size photovoltaic array we will need. In either case, finding out is relatively easy. Each month, if we are on the grid, our power bill indicates how many kilowatt-hours we used during the past 30-day period. In order to have a better understanding of what this actually means, let's look at some basic electrical concepts:

With this analogy in mind, lets consider 4 components:

Voltage Voltage, measured in volts, is the pressure or electrical potential that moves electrons along a wire.

The greater the voltage, the greater the tendency is for electricity to flow.

Current Current, measured in amperes or amps, is the flow of electrons along a wire.

Resistance Resistance, measured in ohms, is the opposition to the flow of electrons. The higher the resistance of an appliance, the lower its current draw is.

Energy Electrical energy, measured in watt-hours, is the amount of power generated or consumed in a given amount of time. For example, a 5-watt appliance left on for an hour would use 5 watts of energy. The same appliance left on for 3 hours would use 15 watts.

One thousand watt-hours are equal to one-kilowatt hour, the unit on which the power company bases our electric bills.

Typically in the United States, an average family in a contemporary dwelling uses over 600,000 watts or 600 kilowatts of electrical power each month, and some families use considerably more. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Choices, home heating (including electric heat), hot water, air conditioning, household appliances and lighting are five of the seven categories which account for the bulk of environmental harm linked to consumer behavior. In other words, 600 kilowatts may be average, but in this case, being average isn’t being particularly kind to the earth.

In order to determine exactly what our own electrical footprint is, we need to know the wattage each of our appliances draws and then figure out roughly how many hours we use each of these appliances during the course of a month. Next we multiply the wattage by the hours of use to find out our watt-hours. To convert this figure to kilowatts, we divide by 1000. Presto, we have our kilowatt-hours.

Generally an appliance’s wattage is listed on a small metal plate attached to the back or bottom of the item.

The following chart gives typical wattage for some common household appliances:

Kitchen Standard refrigerator/freezer, manual defrost

300 watts

automatic defrost side-by-side Sun Frost refrigerator, 12 cu. ft.

400 watts 600 watts 100 watts

Dishwasher, cool dry hot dry Coffee maker, cooking warming Iron Toaster, two slice Range, small burner large burner

700 watts 1,450 watts 1,200 to 800 watts 600 to 400 watts 1,000 watts 1,200 watts 1,250 watts 2,100 watts

Office Computer, desktop laptop, charging laptop, stand-by Monitor, color 17” LCD flat screen 17” Computer printer, dot matrix inkjet standard laser efficient laser Fax machine, printing mode

55 watts 40 to 30 watts 10 watts 100 watts 45 watts 200 watts 30 watts 1,000 watts 180 watts 50 watts

Shop Table saw, 10” Hand drill, ½” Grinder, ½ hp Belt sander

1,800 watts 600 watts 1,080 watts 600 watts

Entertainment TV, 27” color 12” black and white DVD/CD player Stereo, AC powered DC powered Home theater, AC stereo Guitar amplifier, average volume rock concert volume

170 watts 16 watts 30 watts 55 watts 15 watts 500 watts 40 watts 8,500 watts

Other Clothes dryer, electric, 750 watts gas 500 watts Washing machine, vertical axis 900 watts horizontal axis 250 watts Air conditioner, 10,000 BTU 1,500 to 1,018 watts Electric clock 4 watts Clock radio 5 watts At a glance we can see that creating heat electrically uses a lot of power. We can also see that we do have low wattage choices available. For example, we could choose a Sun Frost refrigerator (about 100 watts) or we could purchase a side-by-side model (typically about

600 watts). We might select an ink jet printer (30 watts) or go with a standard laser printer (1000 watts). The choices are ours.

In addition to our direct use of power, there is another less obvious way we consume energy. Many appliances draw power even when we are not using them. Anything with a rapid start feature, for example a television or radio, is actually drawing power continually. If there is a little red light indicating that our CD player is off, that light is using power. If we touch the adapter of a dust buster, we discover it’s warm. This is because it is using power all the time; as is our answering machine, and more obviously, all those clocks incorporated into various kitchen appliances… the coffee pot, the microwave, the stove and the radio.

None of these phantom loads uses very much, but each load runs all the time. This adds up surprisingly quickly.

Managing Our Consumption The simplest way to deal with phantom loads is to unplug the offending appliances when we are not using them.

Another way we can control our usage is by how we position our appliances. Designing a kitchen with the stove snuggled up to the refrigerator encourages the refrigerator to work harder when the stove gives off heat. Freezers placed in hot areas run more than they might if they were located in a cool basement.

An important consideration is whether everything in our system is working correctly or if something is running that shouldn’t be, perhaps a faulty pump. To check this, turn absolutely everything off, unplugging it if necessary, and then check the electrical meter, generally located on the outside of the house. If the meter is moving, there is something amiss. To locate the problem, turn all circuit breakers off and check the meter again. If it is still moving, something is wrong with the meter, but this is actually extremely unlikely.

If the meter is not moving, go back inside and turn one circuit breaker back on, check the meter again.

Continue to do this, breaker by breaker, until the meter begins to move. At this point we know which circuit the problem is located in and from there can track down the faulty appliance. Central Maine Power suggests those of us with water pumps might start this process with the pump.

A word of warning is called for before we embark on this testing. Sometimes nothing is moving because the problem only occurs intermittently. If we don’t detect a problem, but our bill continues to indicate that something is not as it should be, don’t give up. Try the whole procedure again. We experienced this exact problem with a water pump that occasionally got stuck after we did a load of laundry. Discovering the problem and learning how to work around it actually cut our electrical use in half. It did, however, take several months to figure out what was happening and in the process we received some encouragement to just overlook the issue.

One last way we’ll mention to reduce power consumption is to replace our regular incandescent light bulbs. Energy efficient florescent bulbs that fit

Continued on page 28 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007 13

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

A common way to think about electricity is to compare its flow to that of water. Imagine a bathtub full of water. The water represents potential energy.

When we pull out the stopper, water begins to flow out of the tub. This flow depends on two things: the amount of water in the tub and the size of the drainage hole. The more water and the larger the size of the drainage hole, the greater the flow is. We could think of either our solar batteries or our power company as the tub. The size of the tub is the capacity of the battery bank and the water level is its state of charge.

Fully charged batteries are like a filled bathtub. For the purposes of this discussion, we can think of the power company as a pretty big filled tub. When we flick on an electrical switch or start using an appliance, it is like pulling the tub stopper, only instead of water, electricity begins to flow. The amount of flow depends on the voltage of our battery and the electrical resistance of our appliance. The higher our voltage is and the less resistance our appliance offers, the greater the electrical flow is. A light bulb has high resistance and uses little power; a toaster or blow dryer has very little resistance and uses quite a bit of power.

Figuring Out Our Own Power Use

14

Cooking Consciously & Eating Healthy

by Guest Writer Mary Carrier Hoodack Food is our common ground, a universal experience.

—James A. Beard

Foods, Herbs, and Vitamins to Help Increase Energy and Decrease Stress

S

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

tress. It’s unavoidable, something we all encounter every day. If we can’t change what causes stress in our lives, we can take steps to change how we react to it. On a metabolic (energy) level, what and when we eat can strengthen us and provide an energetic boost, or it can leave us tired, droopy, spaced out, and less able to cope. It’s best to eat a good breakfast, but make time for it. Don’t eat when upset, distracted, or on the run. Basic advice, but valid nonetheless. Behaviors that are so common as to pass unquestioned also affect our moods and energy levels. A reliance on caffeine to wake up, or as a pick-meup, is a double-edged sword. Too much caffeine causes headaches, nervousness, irritability, heart palpitations, and exhausted adrenal glands. If you don’t want to give it up, but do want to avoid health problems caused by caffeine, moderate usage is recommended; moderate is considered one to three cups of coffee a day.

And since commercial coffee is loaded with pesticides and herbicides, buy and use organic. Or, substitute herbal teas; green tea and white tea contain a bioactive form of caffeine that is gentler on the system than coffee. Another common drink that can add to our stress level is soda, including those marked diet or caffeine-free.

They cause an energy drain, due to the body’s struggle to process their excessive amounts of chemicals and sugar. These soft drinks also contain high amounts of phosphorous. Phosphorous is a key mineral present in the bones as the mineral salt calcium phosphate. Proper bone metabolism requires a calcium-phosphorous ratio in the diet of 1:1. Over consumption of soft drinks (and other high phosphate foods) increases phosphorous intake to the point where it has an adverse effect on bone metabolism. It is a factor in calcium being removed from bone and eliminated, setting the stage for diseases such as osteoporosis. All this and no nutritional value!

Yet another common misconception is that eating foods high in calories, sugar, and fat (such as pastries) to receive a quick energy rush is a good thing. Since these foods are primarily refined carbohydrates, and are loaded with chemicals, the body’s biochemical balance is skewed as it attempts to deal with the sugar and chemical overload. Oh yes, that quick energy rush? A major energy drop soon follows it.

The news is not all doom and gloom. What follows are some suggestions for stress beating foods, herbs, and vitamins.

Some vitamins and minerals that support adrenal gland health are vitamin C complex, B-complex, vitamin E, zinc, magnesium, and calcium. Why do we want to support the adrenals? A common cause of stress related disorders is adrenal

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

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

(207) 772-7888 • www.InstituteofFengShui.com

14 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

gland exhaustion. The adrenals are two walnut sized glands that sit on top of the kidneys. These two tiny glands are responsible for producing almost 150 hormones that keep us healthy. Two of these hormones are adrenaline and norepinephrine; they help the body cope with stress. Adrenal dysfunction is mainly caused by high stress and poor diet. (They are also adversely affected by steroid drugs, which are used to treat arthritis, asthma, allergies, and skin problems). A strong tonic for the adrenals is the herb ginseng. Ginseng is an adaptogen, an herb that works to restore homeostasis in the body, and that helps the body adapt to stressful situations. Ginseng also works to increase mental performance, restore vitality, and lower anxiety. To benefit from ginseng’s anti-stress capability, use it (all kinds) for two to three weeks, then rest for one to two weeks. This pattern works well for the adrenal glands.

Herbs that rejuvenate and restore a stress- compromised nervous system are called nervines. Sedative nervines are herbs that reduce anxiety, calm the nerves, and aid sleep: valerian, hops, kava kava, and lavender. Analgesic nervines help to reduce nerve or muscle pain: valerian, chamomile, and St. John’s wort. Soporific nervines encourage deeper, more refreshing, sleep: valerian, catnip, and hops. Tonic nervines nourish the nervous system: wild oats, celery, and passionflower. These herbs are available as tinctures, teas, or capsule formulas.

An exciting addition to the anti-stress arsenal is the supplement alpha lipoic acid (ALA). It is a strong antioxidant, unique in that it is both water and fat-soluble. This trait enables it to move freely into all parts of the cell to neutralize free radicals. It also increases the antioxidant effectiveness of vitamins C and E, and the amino acid glutathione. ALA is an important co-factor in energy metabolism, especially useful for stress conditions.

A good quality food based multivitamin supplement is highly recommended.

Other supplements may be added as needed or to address specific concerns. Please remember, supplements are not a substitute for a good diet. They are a part of the whole picture, along with diet and lifestyle.

Here are some good food choices for vitamins and minerals that promote less stress and more energy. Note: 1. It’s best to use organic foods whenever possible. 2.

This list is not inclusive.

For B vitamins: brown rice, whole grains, nutritional yeast, soy foods, sea vegetables, legumes, eggs, fish, poultry, liver, walnuts, sunflower seeds.

For vitamin C: berries, citrus fruits, kiwi, melons, green leafy vegetables, avocados, broccoli, peas, sea vegetables.

For vitamin E: vegetable oils, soy foods, nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables, wheat germ, wheat germ oil.

For Calcium: green leafy vegetables, almonds, blackstrap molasses, broccoli, cabbage, sea vegetables, sesame seeds, tofu, dandelion greens, carob, yogurt, dairy foods.

For Magnesium: green leafy vegetables, apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, molasses, brown rice, sea vegetables, garlic, nuts, sesame seeds, dandelion greens, whole grains, dairy foods, salmon, legumes.

For Zinc: sea vegetables, seafood, eggs, pumpkin seeds, whole grains, sunflower seeds.

Resources: Linda Page’s Healthy Healing, 12th Edition,By Linda Page Staying Healthy with Nutrition,By Elson Haas, M.D. Mary Carrier Hoodack, CNW, Holistic Nutritionist ©2006

Mary is a graduate of Clayton College of Natural Health with a Master’s degree in Holistic Nutrition, and is Certified in Nutritional Wellness. She offers advice and counseling on diet, health, and nutrition in Tenants Harbor. Mary can be reached at (207) 372-6905 or bhealthy@localnet.com

15

a breath o f he alin g

The Walker - Walk Your Walk

by Donna Amrita Davidge

S

discord? Well, let that attitude carry you through and in the end you will be the better for it. One of the best ways to work on your mind is meditation, whether with a chant, on the breath or even a moving meditation like slow Buddhist walking meditation. It is scientifically proven that meditation lowers the blood pressure and relaxes the mind, giving us clarity of thought needed when we would rather not be feeling grateful!

One word of caution: when you start meditation it will not be all peace and gratitude.

Whatever is in your mind will show up. That’s okay. Accept that and do it anyway.

Like anything, it gets easier and better with practice. Be patient when waiting for the results. I once taught a billionaire who wanted to learn to meditate. He could not sit for one minute without coming out of it, especially when thoughts like his brother’s terminal cancer entered his mind. Understandable, but he was overlooking one of the best tools we have for insight into these painful life situations that are inevitable.

All the money in the world cannot bring you peace of mind unless you practice it.

Whatever your meditation is, keep up your practice. That woman in my neighborhood, I found out had been years before married to an alcoholic, studied with Carl Jung, written a book on Extroverts vs. Introverts and never tired of gratefully listening about YOUR life, even after being bedridden after a botched hip replacement surgery. She had also innocently invested in utilities and become a millionaire! But unlike the other nice man who was chasing his life, she took only interest in YOUR life and reflected true gratitude for hers, even when she spent the end of her life restricted to a bed with her sweet mind intact. Never a complaint, only smiles.. her toilet was definitely not in your living room and you remembered her and were inspired by it. I am sure she had worked on that as she had walked those miles.

\

Below is a meditation which is a great way to bring your mind into the wavelength of appreciation:

Sit up straight, cross-legged or in a chair.

Cup your hands in front of the middle of the chest, elbows in at your waist, chest lifted and shoulders relaxed.

Allow your mind to think ONLY of things in your life, which you are grateful for, large and small (i.e., a pet, friend, the breath, some challenge that you will learn from, etc.).

Do this for a minimum of 3 minutes and up to 11 minutes.

You may just find your heart center unfolding so much that some tears of joy well up.

Good for you! Carry that attitude of gratitude with you wherever you go!

For more information on Kundalini Yoga and meditations: A Woman’s Book of Meditation Discovering the Power of a Peaceful Mind

By Hari Kaur Khalsa Available at Amazon Also www.a-healing.com has lots of info on products as well as www.yogatech.com.

Donna (Amrita) Davidge has been a student of Yogi Bhajan's teachings (she is 3HO and 500 hour Yoga Alliance certified) since 1985 and also currently studies with Dharma Mittra and Eddie Stern in NY City when not teaching in NY or running her Yoga Retreat with her husband Kent Bonham in Northern Maine. Sewall House is open December 22nd - January 3rd and from July 4th thru the fall. \more information or to join their email list through the website visit www.sewallhouse.com.

For

?

Dec/Jan 2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 15

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

he walked and she walked and she walked. When I was a girl there was a woman in our neighborhood who you would always see out walking -- not a short daily walk, but miles and miles around the neighborhood. Later, when she was much older, I got to know her better because my parents looked after her, by paying her bills and attending to other needs when she became bedridden.

My teacher Yogi Bhajan often spoke to us about having an Attitude of Gratitude.

He was the first person, for whatever reason, who, when I was 30 years old, really got through to me on many aspects of living and being. He taught me and thousands of others the tools to live life strongly, consciously, gracefully and with gratitude and caliber no matter what came your way. But you cannot just say this and then it will be.

Oh no!!

We have so many ingrained ways of thinking, speaking and being that they will often come up and rear their ugly heads (better known as our demons) just when we think we are really living a happy, grateful life. That is when the real tests begin and the true application of all we learn in Kundalini Yoga or whatever path we have chosen to help us steady our mind, body, breath and soul.

In life, as in Yoga, there will always be duality. There will also be choices too, thank goodness. We will make certain choices until we see how they are no longer serving us; and then easily or not so easily, we will make the efforts and use the tools to take our lives in the direction that reflects who we really are, our true identity.

Yogi Bhajan was really funny, as well as being smart, helpful and wise. He was not afraid to poke, provoke and elevate any student if it would help them ultimately live a healthier, happier, more holy life. During one lecture he gave, I will always remember his saying “ Do you bring your toilet into your friend’s living room? Think if it! Do you think they really want to see your shit??!!” He made his point! Do any of us really enjoy hearing other people’s junk? Not if they are playing the victim, looking for attention or being a drama king or queen. If someone we care about tells us something challenging that is going on in their lives and how they are meeting the challenge with grace and strength, then we feel inspired by this person and if we can help, we do.

These dualities that present themselves are darkness vs. light, strength vs. flexibility, cold vs. hot, push vs. pull, masculine vs. feminine, action vs. rest. They all have a purpose and can serve us in some way, certainly in our yoga practice but also in our life. We all have a dark side and experience dark, sad, irritating or even enraging situations in our life. If we are wise we make an effort to avoid them, but nevertheless they happen. It is easy to be grateful when everything is going our way, but how to do so when it is not? When illness, financial problems or the loss of a loved one comes along, especially when we didn’t see it coming? Well, this thing called life is ruled by nature and whatever force created us is really in charge, so if we can learn to ride the waves the ride will be a lot more comfortable. Physical, emotional and mental pain is not pleasant.

That is a fact. So why do some people handle it so much better than others? Yogi Bhajan taught us that pain and pleasure are opposite ends of the same spectrum. So what affects how we handles these is… our mind! To be grateful is to be full of your own greatness, he taught us, not in an egotistical sense, but to realize each human being is a precious, wonderful person capable of being great, and not to let anyone else take that greatness from you. “ Have an impact on others, don’t care about impressing,” he said. The way we walk our walk, talk our talk is what inspires others to follow suit, to feel better, stronger and more inspired in themselves despite any obstacles that come to obstruct our happiness or gratefulness. Though actions speak louder than words, our actions actually come from whatever is going on in our mind.

Just recently someone unexpectedly confronted and criticized me in a way they never had before. I had seen them do this with others but always avoided it myself. When the spears and daggers came my way, out of the blue, my mind, of course, wanted to react- “You are wrong! I am right! And let me tell you why!" Well, I did pretty well, better than I would have years ago, before meditation, yoga and awareness became a big part of my life. We can always do better but reacting can often get us into trouble.

So use your mind wisely and choose your words. Then they cannot boomerang back to hurt you more. When these situations arise what can really help is your yoga practice, especially if it includes meditation. First, sort through the anger, hurt or sad feelings.

Then decide to be grateful for yet one more life lesson and to be as compassionate as possible. “The other person is you,” taught Yogi Bhajan, so we can all be aggressive and vindictive if we chose to but rather, see the unhappiness in the other and wish them happiness. Don’t let them take yours away. Be grateful they spoke their piece and walk away. Perhaps later it can be resolved. Or not. Sometimes no resolution is the best.

But, hey, aren’t we working on gratitude here and now we are talking about

16

t h e wa y o f lif e - it s e l f

Whatsup? Which Way? What's Happening?

"Feeling Loving" to Find Our Way

by Skye Hirst, PHD

I

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

just attended a 4 day conference – lots of ideas – thought provoking, questioning, music, respect, controversy, 500 plus people within a small area, food, conversation, possibilities, humor.

Through it all, a thread of hope, however dim, but hopeful because we sense new directions, creativity, novelty, networking across borders, youthful energies, distilled wisdom, trends being set, “leading edge” of what’s happening and what could happen, what has happened and the dangers of our times.

I sense we are in the midst of a revolution, a breaking away from all that has been. If not fully breaking, then at least we are fully questioning all that has constrained us whether institutions, power, or thoughts. There is an experimentation of new pairings, relating un-common things, in unfamiliar ways. Notice the commercials and ads, creative entertainment. Surprise seems to be required right now to get attention. The one who surprises us the most wins.

What is valued is constantly changing and yet emerging as the masses get “word” or “wind” of what’s new. Then they flock to participate and stay a while and then move on either to another event center or they begin to create their own. New ideas of “Free” sharing leading to abundant economy; driven by passions, no controls, bottom up, and “we’ll figure it out as we go”, the fewer the rules, the better. Old institutional ideas of “Scarcity” that thinks everything is forbidden unless permitted, command and control, top down are being challenged by the free sharing ideas.

Everything is being questioned.

Question the boundaries of “faith” between us.

Where’s the evidence for belief in God? Is there any kind of evidence except in facts and evolutionary science?

Is there a guiding rudder for this process of change?

If not religion, psychology, science, power, force, or rules, then what?

As I felt these ideas swim through me like waves undistinguished one from the other, not remembering who had said them, the ideas all seemed to mix together throughout every aspect of me. Out of the mix a new me begins to form, new possibilities must now find their way to integrate throughout all I’ve known. I begin to act and live with new awareness, questions, and senses that give rise to new manifestations in my life; new inner relationships, new connections with individuals, organizations and groups, with mother earth, even new ways of relating.

A curiosity is peaked and onto the “net” I go seeing new blogs and creative bursts occurring around the world.

So what’s guiding the process? Is anything? Is there anything we can turn to with confidence for guidance?

In the middle of all this sea of events and ideas, I found myself turning towards something that anchors me when everything is in question. It seems so simple, but so very sophisticated, leading edge, novel, even rare.

It’s the connection to Feeling Loving (FL)

Remembering some set of circumstances or event in my life that connects me to feeling loving is centering.

16 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

It’s that quiet place in the center of a hurricane, or the equipoise at the center of a seesaw going neither up nor down, just staying in the middle. This FL is a whole body vibration, a “felt sense”, not an emotion or body sensation, but a Meta knowing that just feels good.

“Feeling loving” is a touchstone and acts as an inner rudder to guide me as I change and evolve.

It’s counter-intuitive. By connecting to FL, I feel unified with everything. There is a sense of inclusion.

I experience neither boundary nor separation. I feel anchored through the blasts of changes, openings. By contrast, by not being connected to FL, I feel lost and at times even anxious. I know it’s time to get myself back on course.

Feeling loving is fundamental to life.

Without feeling connected to it, we die or at best we live a life of desperation. . Norm would say feeling loving is connecting to the “intrinsic” realm of values, the highest values because it includes all. Within this realm, we open to new inner relationships. New patterns can be created. Feeling loving is always available to us. It expands us into the world of possibility and makes us feel anything is possible. We can perceive from this mountain top all kinds of ways to view the world inside and out. Our creativity is activated. From this more fully integrated awareness, we grow, evolve, learn and choose what is right action as we are faced with many choices.

Feeling loving is fundamental to life. Without feeling connected to it, we die or at best we live a life of desperation. Then why is it not our common experience?

In a world that has as its highest value “get it right” or be punished through control and force, most of us would want to get it right. However, what is right is constantly changing by someone else’s standards and rules. The belief has been that we have to focus outside ourselves to know how to get it right. And that separates us from our own inner knowing. Following that path, we become like ships without rudders being tossed around in a storm not knowing what’s going to happen. We feel helpless.

Is it any wonder that people seek some form of authority outside themselves to know what is right?

As a result classism, peer group power, and religious fundamentalism are all on the rise each providing some form of external authority for what is right.

To be or not to be connected to FL, that is the question.

FL requires full body/mind awareness. We act, and then know, from within, the results. Do our actions

connect us to feeling loving or not? If they do, I suggest we can trust and value what we’ve learned. It’s direct evidence that our choice of action was the one we needed to make. We come to know what to trust because feeling loving feels good. FL leads us through confusing and eruptive times.

Making the connection

Gratitude connects us, opens the FL door and helps us keep it open. Feeling loving is always an available choice within us. It never goes away. We only lose connection with it by getting hung up on some focus that narrows our attention. . You can choose to connect. Consider, what makes you feel loving? Maybe it’s reflecting on the birth of your daughter, or holding a new puppy in your arms, or watching a sunset or rainbow. Notice that you can consciously choose to recall those moments, events, or experiences. Some might call it a “religious” experience, but whatever you name it, the evidence is that it feels right to every aspect of who you are. It’s a whole organism event.

What disconnects us?

What disconnects us from FL are judgments, or beliefs that narrow our focus to the “I cant’s “ in our life; I can’t get it, have it, do it, be it, feel it, achieve it, own it, fix it, etc.

By recognizing that “I can’t” feeling or belief, you’ve already started integrating it into the whole of you.

If we resist some idea, position or experience, feeling loving changes. Pay attention. Notice what you’re resisting, what you don’t want to see or feel or think.

That resistance has taken habit in your body/mind in some form. To release it requires simply “allowing” it.

Remember then again something that connects you to feeling loving and the resistance subsides. Try not to push away or stop feelings, beliefs you don’t like.

They are there for some reason, saying, “Pay attention to me, I’m here to help you connect to some part that’s become separated within you, and you didn’t know it”. In Jin Shin Jyutsu, an ancient form of energy balancing brought to this country by Mary Burmeister, we learn that when there is an ache or pain, it’s our body/mind’s way of saying something needs to find it’s balance, make corrections.

So What’s Feeling Loving Got to do with it?

So if we notice when we are not feeling loving, we can make corrections. Then gratitude can remind us of feeling loving and connect us back. We can grow our faith in our self-knowing, self-determination, selfcorrection to find our way from inside>out.

So when you hear “whatsup”? Just relax and say, “Bring on the paradigm shifts, let the revolutions erupt, we’re movin' into feeling loving”. It’s what’s happening. The rest is elementary. © Skye Hirst, PhD 2006 Skye Hirst, PhD. Co-Founder with Norm Hirst of Autognomics Institute is a Jin Shin Jyutsu Practitioner and Autognomics Coach/Consultant in Camden, ME. Skye works with individuals and groups who are attempting to bring about progressive social change, making a difference through self-knowing. www.autognomics.blogspot.

Skye & Norm com or (207) 236-6331.Skye Hirst and What's Love Got To Do? February 25th 9~5 pm, Maine Institute for the Healing Arts.

17 ⇠

h erb al he alin g

Grapes

Vitis vinifera V.labrusca and V.rotundifolia

by Gail Faith Edwards

O

ver the many years that I have lived on our farm in Maine I have discovered that grapes are a lot of fun. There is no other way to put it. I’ve always loved gathering baskets full of wild grapes in late summer from the hedgerows, where they thrive with wild abandon all around our farm. Some years these wild vines offer a profusion of bunches of small purple grapes, a bit tart, but perfect for making wine. I often gather and dry grape leaves for mineral rich teas, sometimes pack them in oil, and often wrap the vines, after stripping the leaves, into wreaths and crowns. In recent years we’ve planted several varieties of cultivated grape vines around the gardens. This fall was the first time I pruned these grapes. I found I really enjoyed the task. Grape vines are simply magical.

I have watched the old people around our village in Italy pruning their grape vines. I tried to give my work the love and attention I have seen on their faces and in their hands. I know I could feel it in my heart. The earth was green and soft that day, the sun so nice and warm. Jack hovered around, a welcome companion, wiring up the arbor to make it sturdy, securing the grape vines to the wooden arches and posts as I pruned. My daughters came around, chatted happily with me as I worked, and we shared grapes together, as there were several delicious bunches still to be enjoyed.

It was a wonderful, memorable, and yes, magical day.

Around the village you will often find grape vines climbing up trellises that are built at the entrance to the home, each one a unique and beautifully pruned masterpiece.

And where there is a lack of space you will find vines growing out of big ceramic urns, tumbling off of terraces, and next to our neighbor Carmella’s

The latest scientific research is suggesting that long-lived and nourishing grape vines may also prolong our lives by protecting our cells against aging.

Fermented drinks like natural organic wines and meads are exceedingly health-promoting, and especially nourishing to the brain, heart, circulatory system and liver. Drinking a simple glass of home-made grape wine regularly, as most Mediterranean people do at dinner, helps to keep the heart functioning well into old age, keeps cholesterol as well as blood pressure down, and invigorates the brain and all body systems.

Of course, grapes themselves are a supreme (and delicious) food and medicine. Grapes are strengthening and restorative to the entire body, and all parts of the grape plant, fruits, leaves, tendrils, stem and fruit offer abundant iron, calcium and potassium, as well as a wealth of other health building nutrients.

In fact, the ability of grapes to alleviate fatigue is astonishing. Grape sugars are different than other sugars. They are absorbed into the blood stream much more rapidly, go to work quickly, and bring both strength and tone to the entire body. For this reason, I prefer to use distilled grape alcohol for the tinctures I make. I have found them to be not only superior in taste, but also in effectiveness. Grapes and grape juice, fermented or not, act as a warming tonic to the digestive system, benefit the kidneys and promote a free flow of urine. Grapes not only offer invigoration and vitality, but fertility as well.

A symbol of health and fertility down through the ages, grapes, as well as the leaves and tendrils, are highly regarded as fertility enhancers. I’ve used them for many years in combination with red clover and red raspberry leaves, and have seen many babies born after their mothers consumed this simple formula. Delaware Indians combined the fruits of wild grapes with pearly everlasting, peppermint and sarsaparilla to enhance fertility and strengthen the reproductive organs.

The latest scientific research is suggesting that long-lived and nourishing grape vines may also help prolong our lives by protecting our cells against aging. Resveratrol, a natural compound found in grapes (and also in mulberries, peanuts, blueberries, bilberies,cranberries, some pines, and the roots of Japanese knotweed) appears to protect against cancer,

cardiovascular and other diseases by acting as an antioxidant, antimutagen, antiviral, neuroprotective, and anti-inflammatory agent.

Resveratrol is also under extensive investigation as a cancer preventive agent. Recently published studies have shown that resveratrol interferes with and inhibits all three stages of carcinogenesis - initiation, promotion and progression.

Moderate wine consumption may protect against Alzheimer’s disease. Population studies indicate a link between moderate consumption of red wine and a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. A laboratory study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry helps explain why. Resveratrol greatly reduces the levels of amyloid-beta peptides (Abeta). Plaques containing Abeta are a hallmark finding in the brain tissue of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Grape seeds are good for us also! Vitamin E, flavonoids, linoleic acid, and compounds called procyanidins (also known as pycnogenols, and oligomeric proanthocyanidins or OPCs) are highly concentrated in grape seeds. These healthful compounds can also be found in lower concentrations in the skin of the grape. Proanthocyanidic acid is a powerful antioxidant and anti inflammatory agent that can reduce the damage done by free radicals, strengthen and repair connective tissue, and promote enzyme activity. It also helps moderate allergic and inflammatory responses by reducing histamine production.

There are two main species of grapes: European grapes (Vitis vinifera): These varieties include Thompson (seedless and amber-green in color), Emperor (seeded and purple in color) and Champagne/ Black Corinth (tiny in size and purple in color).

European varieties feature skins that adhere closely to their flesh.

North American grapes (Vitis labrusca and Vitis rotundifolia): Varieties include Concord (blue-black in color and large in size), Delaware (pink-red in color with a tender skin) and Niagara (amber colored and less sweet than other varieties). North American varieties feature skins that more easily slip away from their flesh.

No matter if you have a nice sized garden plot, or just a five gallon pail near a window, I encourage you to try growing a nourishing, magical, healing grape vine. Your health may improve, you’ll have more fun and your life might last longer, if you do.

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 seventeenth 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.

Dec/Jan 2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 17

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

The gardeners among us know that so much about gardening, and tending plants, can be compared with spiritual life. Clippers in hand, I spent what turned out to be an entire day climbing around the grape arbors, rolling around on my knees, stretching up as high as I could reach on my toes, pruning away errant new growth down to the two main leaders. Every branch I trimmed a block, or shortcoming, fell away.

there is a thick ancient grape vine sticking out of a space between the cobblestone and the house! The Mediterranean peoples all love grapes, and have been using the fruits of this vine, and the wine they make from it, for therapeutic value since time immemorial.

I’m thankful that grapes also seem to grow very well in the Northeast, as long as the appropriate varieties are planted. (See Fedco Trees)

18 ⇠

Appreciation of Gratitude ~ A Conversation with Beatifically Obliged Impressionist, Sue Grim Langert

by Rita Dixit-Kubiak “I am in constant awe of the creative hand of God in Nature, as well as in our own spirits. It is so pleasing to me to share the joy I experience as I paint the beauty of God’s creation. It’s a form of grateful praise for me and a celebration of life.”

Sue Grim Langert

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Social science eventually catches up with common sense, and psychologists now report that some of us seem to approach He Lights My Path by Sune Grim Langert the world with a heightened penchant for thankfulness. They don’t tell us whether this grace is a gift of nature or nurture, simply that such blessed souls tend to feel a sense of abundance, appreciate the contributions of others to their well-being, relish simple pleasures, and enjoy experiencing and expressing gratitude. Impressionist painter Sue Grim Langert fully embodies this marvelous trait, which she communicates with such visual and verbal contagiousness that others start to feel it, too.

Sue’s appreciative celebration of nature and divine creation began early, pouring in through her youthful farm-reared senses and amplified by her family’s Christian spirituality. Like Monet and impressionist plein air painters of his time, Sue has enjoyed a life-long fascination with the power and beauty of the natural world; and her gratitude for its bounty overflows into her art. Sue’s rich and varied oeuvre features lively paintings of California vineyards, flower fields, lush floral bouquets, vivid landscapes and enchanting coastal scenes. Her works adorn renowned private and corporate collections throughout the country and, in 2003, the prestigious Academy of Fine Art Foundation honored her as one of their four nominees for “Artist of the Year”.

RDK: Your canvases and descriptions of your art reflect a deep sense of gratitude towards God and a joyful celebration of nature. What were your first conscious experiences of these emotions?

SGL: I was raised in a home filled with gratitude on my grandfather’s 350-acre dairy farm in rural southern Ohio, the breadbasket and Bible Belt of America. We lived off the land and my family gave thanks for every meal we ate.

Giving thanks and gratitude is a way of living that acknowledges the good things that come to us each day. The gift of life is given to us! The very air we breathe is given to us. The ability to breathe and savor that air is given to us. Gratefulness nurtures our faith in the goodness of God. With faith we can aspire to and accomplish anything. We may not know how or where or when, but faith gives us the courage to step out of our comfortable boxes and Glorious Day Giclee, by Sue Grim Langert embrace the unknown.

I was taught to love God first and to love my neighbors as I love myself. I learned good work ethics and discipline. Everyone in our family was very creative.

We did just about everything that needed to be done on our own. We built our own buildings, decorated our homes with handmade curtains and quilts. We even sewed our own clothes and knitted our own sweaters. Each person was gifted with their own special skill or aptitude, and each contributed to the whole.

I have always loved nature and have spent a lot of time alone in it. There were many chores to complete on our farm both outside and indoors. Regardless of the season, I would always opt for the outdoor work. I enjoyed the aromas that fill the air with each season. I loved the fragrance of alfalfa, wheat grasses, flowers, fruit blossoms and the herbs I picked. The smell of fresh rain on sun-scorched farm land was always a remarkable experience.

I would leave the house early in the morning and often not return till sundown and sometimes not even then, because I would spend the night in the barn with my beloved horse, Royal. I was really into horses and I still love their smell! When not working I would explore the farm with Royal and out alone on horseback my imagination would allow me to be anything I fancied. Sometimes I would be an Indian chief; sometimes a steeplechase racer, sometimes a warrior, and sometimes a cattle rancher (which we really were). At other times I would sit for hours sketching rather than playing with dolls. Sitting and studying movement and light, shapes and patterns always intrigued me.

18 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

I guess you could say I was very observant. I was raised in a religious environment and enjoyed the reality of God not only in nature but also through the word of God and prayers, which I was taught from the time I could listen and read. The faith in God that came into my heart at age 9 or 10 when I confessed my belief in Jesus took its own journey in my life and continues to this day.

RDK: You have enjoyed an adventurous and successful professional life with several career changes. What compelled the shifts and what do you attribute your success to?

SGL: Most people who wish to progress will find themselves seeking further education and change. I have always been motivated to grow and learn, and I initially opted for an education and career in business.

The world I discovered off the farm was equally exciting and adventurous to me.

However when I moved to California in 1980, my life changed considerably. Here I was exposed to so many cultures, a fast Greatest Love, by Sue Grim Langert paced life and numerous professional choices. It spurred me to do some serious soul searching. I tried working in the corporate world for some time, but suddenly noticed I was dissatisfied with it. My time was divided between working in an office building in downtown San Francisco, commuting on trains, and resting for the next day’s work. I felt I was racing around in an exercise wheel and not doing anything meaningful. I wanted to feel I was contributing to people’s lives in a more positive way, and it led me into studying holistic health.

I emerged as a massage therapist and a teacher in the field. I believe my experience as a holistic health therapist helped me return to my childhood passion for art. My heart compelled me to make the changes and my faith allowed me to face the risks. Besides, I had great support from my family. That’s so important.

There is a saying that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. That has certainly been true in my life. I’ve been blessed in that I have always had good role models placed in front of me that foreshadowed my next step. We are given many opportunities in life. It is what we do with them that bring us success and that requires determination, hard work and discipline.

I chose paths that touched my heart or passions. I find that when I do this, even though it may seem “impossible”, the love or passion that I have for the endeavor gives me the endurance to bear out the tough times along the way.

We must “trust” what God places in our heart. The word of God tells us that He made each of us wonderful and fearless in our mother’s womb. Each of us is made for a special purpose. When we invite Him into our heart we can trust that following what He brings and offers will lead to our highest and best. Even though we cannot see into the future, the seed of love in our heart will lead us.

We have our part to do, of course, but each new phase in my life has led to a higher experience of growth and awareness and joy.

RDK: What made you choose the impressionist style of art?

SGL: I would say my heart led me to impressionism, and a teacher showed up to whom I shall always be grateful. The impressionist strokes seem alive to me. I see movement in this style that gives each painting life.

RDK: Who among the classical impressionists do you feel the most affinity with?

SGL: I enjoy many of the classical impressionists, but I must say I feel closest to Monet. His brush work is so lively and his color palette is beautiful, especially in the Normandy beach scenes and, of course, in his lily ponds. I love gardening so I also relate to his creation of a vast garden to give him subjects to paint. The impressionist movement is one of the great

Hidden Treasures, by Sue Grim Langert

⇠ 19 stories in art history. It gave us important new ways to perceive and describe things.

RDK: How has plein air work deepened your ability as a painter?

SGL: Painting onsite is a great adventure and has its own challenges. Working with the weather and natural surround can be tricky, but being present with the elements enriches the expression. One’s experience cannot help but pervade the painting. All the senses get involved. The aromas, the sounds of the area, and even the temperature influences my work. Painting from a photo that you took of an area is fine if you can vividly remember the experience at the time, but there is nothing like the present moment. Color, light, brushwork, shapes, etc, all express feelings and emotions within a work of art. I enjoy exploring them all.

RDK: You depict a wide range of emotions on canvas: inner gaiety, playfulness, passion, peace and timelessness. Unlike many artists you also seem comfortable with a great variety of color schemes. How do you explain the striking diversity in your work?

SGL: I simply try to express the beauty that I see and enjoy everyday in creation. Painting is a form of praise and thanksgiving to the Creator. It is worthy of my time and energy to attempt to render the exact colors, shapes, and light of a scene and how they affect the subject matter and bring forth pure beauty.

Every painting is a journey. Sometimes I like to start with a color and allow the painting to develop as each color and shape evokes an emotion. The first stroke on a blank canvas is always the most challenging. I may have an outcome in mind, but I have learned to listen to the inspiration arising from the painting process as well. One stroke leads to the next. A new color or shape in a composition may change the entire work. Just as in life there are decisions, adjustments, choices to make all along the way. The day a painting is finished is like the birth or externalization of some inner expression. After completing a work I usually have to walk away for a few days before I can come back and objectively see it. I suppose this is time needed for emotional detachment. Sometimes I am surprised by what has emerged and how it reflects experiences that I am having in my life at the time.

RDK: How has your spirituality and art enhanced your life and deepened your gratitude?

Rita Dixit-Kubiak is a writer/researcher on human health and well-being topics. In the past she has organized health and environment workshops and seminars in her native country India and in Japan.

She currently resides in Half Moon Bay California. She can be contacted at: metamed@nancho.net; (650) 712-0701.

by Tracey E. Walls

T

his past year I put out my shingle as an intuitive guide and pathfinder.

Admittedly, this was not something I had considered since I was already doing interior design, but I was guided into including it in my repertoire. Everywhere I turned someone was asking me to read his or her cards or give some form of guidance. Since my nature precludes me from not helping those who ask for help, I’d do a reading and the response was always positive, as well as rewarding. The problem was that being an intuitive guide didn’t seem like a “real job” to me. Consequently, I ignored my gifts and tried the 9 to 5 route, but the Universe put up “road closed” signs at every turn. Finally, I stopped resisting. I’m so grateful for those signs now because helping people find their way is exactly what I’m meant to do, I can feel the truth of that throughout my being and I love doing it!

Actually, I’ve been cultivating an attitude of gratitude for a few years now and the better I get at being gratitude the happier I am. A friend and I were talking about this issue’s theme of being gratitude while walking through the woods one day. As the conversation flowed throughout our jaunt, I came to realize that I was genuinely grateful for all the things that have happened to me in this life - the joys and the sorrows. I finally got it that each and every one of those moments contributed to where I am now - I love it here! As a storyteller, at least in my own mind, I had to create a scenario to dramatize my new perspective: Planning Committee Transcripts for the Distribution of Life Lessons on Earth: Chair: OK, who’s up next?

Member 1: The soul who will be Tracey Walls for this life.

Chair: Whoa, she’s certainly got a lot to learn! OK, let’s get started.

Member 2: We’ve got a tight time schedule for this one. She needs to be doing that intuitive guide thing by midlife so that she can help the group of students we just sent down. Another issue is that we really need her to empathize and understand on a deep level all the different painful experiences of the people she sees.

Member 1: Well, it looks like she’s going to need to go through a majority of those painful experiences herself.

Member 4: What! In one lifetime? That seems like a bit much for one lifetime! What would she do in her last life, kick the Buddha’s puppy?

Chair: Get a hold of yourself, 4! I know it’s a great deal to go through, but we’ll give her enough strength to take it and add a dose of feisty for good measure.

Member 4: -Well, could we Member 3: - My analysis indicates that it will take approximately 27 years for her to have all these experiences with a reasonable amount of joy mixed in.

Member 2: And how long will it take her to process all this and be able to use those experiences in a good way?

Member 3: Um, 18 years. Actually, in order to achieve our goals for this one we’re going to need to make her a “trouble magnet”.

Member 4: What?

Member 2: Splendid idea! By the time she’s 40 years old she’ll have gotten herself out of so many sticky situations that she’ll be able to help others find their way out as well. Brilliant!

Member 4: - OK, butMember 1: Oh, I forgot to mention she’s going to need to feel unlovable and totally without value (as so many people who grow up in the U.S. do) until at least 39 years of age.

Member 4: HELLO! Can we throw this student a few crumbs here?

Chair: Like what?

Member 4: Well… we could make her really good at hissy-fits!!!

Member 2: Why am I not surprised that you came up with making her good at hissy-fits?

Member 4: These would be big tantrums!!! I’m talking ‘Force of Nature’ here!

Actually, it would work out really well for some of those students she encounters who are learning the dangers of closed-mindedness.

Chair: Good point. OK, if there’s nothing else Member 4: Wait! Wait! Let’s give her a great sense of humor and the capacity not to take life too seriously! Let’s make her an optimist and give her the ability to create fun in almost any situation! And…. can we make her spirit guides, angels and guardians really rowdy so she can feel and hear them even before her gift blossoms?

Chair: Done. OK, who’s next?

That’s how I see it played out, in my wild imagination, anyway. The moment I saw my life in this light, the attitude of gratitude started snowballing and has now worked it’s way into most aspects of my life. Now, I treat all that I encounter with reverence…

OK, I’m still working on that one, among many others, but at least I remember to be grateful BEFORE I unleash my world-class hissy-fit!

:

Tracey E. Walls is an interior decorator and intuitive guide specializing in creating beautiful spaces that nurture and heal. She also creates welcoming business environments that work for you. 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.

Dec/Jan 2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 19

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

SGL: My relationship with Jesus has had a huge impact on all aspects of my life.

The more I learn about the character of God the more enriched I am. Art is expression, and when my art expresses a bit of God’s beauty and love, I too am blessed by it.

Gratitude or thankfulness must be cultivated. It is easy to have a heart overflowing with gratefulness when things are going well. It is tough to be grateful when unfortunate things happen in our lives or when things do not go as we think they should. This is where faith comes in. Faith is the substance of things not seen and evidence of things hoped for. Faith means that regardless of how things look or feel to our natural senses, God is real and good and He loves us and will bring us through.

Thankfulness emerges from recognizing the character of God’s love for us and then accepting that love with the appropriate gratitude. There are of course difficult times when we must consciously choose to have faith in that love for us, and trust in His timing, rather than in our own. I believe that painting is an expression that helps me to move through the hard times. It takes my mind off myself and focuses it on His goodness. My art in both good and difficult times seeks to praise and thank Him. When someone chooses gratefulness in times of trouble, they are deciding to have faith. It is an action, not necessarily a feeling. If we decide to be grateful in the midst of small everyday aggravations or setbacks in life, our faith grows and we are then strengthened to choose gratefulness when “big trouble” strikes. What a wonderful capacity to cultivate and have ready for moments of darkness or real need.

Many of Sue’s art works can be viewed on her Galleria Luna’s website: http://www.gallerialuna.com/. :

An Attitude of Gratitude

20 â‡

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black 20 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

⇠21

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

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

(207) 845-2707

H A P P Y H O L I D A Y S Dec/Jan 2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 21

⇠ 22

Best Holiday Gifts

by the Inner Tapestry Staff

I was recently gifted, in attending the annual Women In God conference, "Spirit In Action", in Freeport Maine meeting some of the most committed people to what someone would probably call their path. It was a wonderful reminder that we can feel gratitude in our lives everywhere, but as Barbara Max Hubbard expressed in One the Movie, the meaning of life is... "To experience the divine potential with you, say yes to it totally and actualize it on behalf of all life." This is one of my favorite quotes as it reminds me to take that wonderful feeling of gratitude and actualize it on the behalf of all humanity, manifesting it in my life and the lives of others that maybe not as fortunate as myself especially this holiday season.

There were two women who spoke at this conference, Karen Packhem, co-founder of Scarborough's Project G.R.A.C.E. (Granting Resources and Assistance through Community Effort) and Shqipe Malushi working on Project Chairs, both of whom I would love to share with you, their paths.

“PROJECT CHAIRS” CAMPAIGN This is a story to be shared with schoolteachers and students. It’s about inviting students, teachers and anyone interested to donate a chair for a child in Afghanistan schools.

In my empowerment training here in Afghanistan, among all adults’ men and women, I had one 11 year old boy who came to accompany his mother. I invited him to take the training and act as my co-trainer. He was very happy to assist me.

When we did the exercise of “building the future vision” everyone had to write about their visions. He wrote that his vision was to bring chairs to his school because all the kids sit on the floor during their classes. This was his dream. He said he had to wait to grow up, but at least some other kids would benefit and sit in the chairs. Since the Taliban has burned a lot of schools there is not much left in these schools. Some of them don’t even have a roof.

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

I was deeply touched by his vision. So while talking with people I started a campaign called “Project Chairs” to help this boy make his dream come true. I came in contact with a U.S. based non-for profit organization called …a little help. Their role will be to help us with the chair distribution to the schools in Afghanistan.

Since I work often in Afghanistan I found an organization that will make chairs for the schools. One chair plus the desk will cost $25 and it will be made from good wood that will last a long time.

I began thinking if I write student leaders at US schools asking them to begin a campaign to raise money, we could make this child’s vision a reality. If each student could donate $35 for one desk & chair for a student here in Afghanistan it would be awesome. I have already raised $3,500 here in Afghanistan, but that will only bring 100 chairs. A school in Connecticut and Ohio were very excited to join this campaign and have begun their own efforts to support this vision. So let’s see how many desks and chairs we can bring Afghanistan schools. I will be

visiting schools that have received some chairs and desks and taking pictures with students and these chairs and to send back to the schools that have contributed, giving people the opportunity to see what they have done and who is benefiting from their kind and generous offerings.

Donations must be in money because if we buy chairs in the U.S. transportation would be very costly. If you are interested in donating a chair and desk all money should go to a little help Organization. A little help is a charitable organization (IRS 501c3) working to improve the lives of women and girls around the world. All donations are tax deductible. …a little help c/o Rosemary Stasek, 241 W. Blaine St.,McAdoo, PA 18237 Tel: 011-93-0799-4554-11 http://stasek.com/alittlehelp/, email:rosemary@stasek.com I hope you and your school will join us? Please share this story with whom ever you think would like to donate a chair? I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

With Love Shqipe Malushi- my Email: rosemary@stasek.com Tel: (201) 313-0366

Shqipe originally from Kosovo, came to the United States 25 years ago with $50 and 50 words of English. In her remarkable journey of transformation, she became a poet, writer, leader, teacher, producer, life coach, consultant and humanitarian helping people between war and peace. She is currently working with women and children in Afghanistan through Women's Campaign International.

PROJECT G.R.A.C.E. Karen Packhem, is a community advocate and co-founder of Scarborough's Project GRACE (Granting Resources and Assistance through Community Effort). Her many years volunteering have enriched her life and nourished her spiritual growth. Karen is the recipient of the 2002 Bishop Amadee Prouix Award for Volunteerism. She and the volunteers of Project GRACE are committed to this project and helping others in different areas to create their own Project GRACE. Project GRACE started in Scarborough at St. Maximilian Kolbe church by helping to reach out to families with Thanksgiving baskets and adopting families for the Christmas holidays. As the next three years unfolded it seemed that families needed support year round so twelve volunteers expanded this to an all year, town wide program. Currently Project Grace serves Scarborough, Portland, South Portland, Cape Elizabeth and Gorham. Project GRACE is a short term solution for families in need of funds to help pay for rent, utilities, food and fuel. There are currently 60 agencies which work with Project GRACE to aid these families. The Book a Mother's Dream, written by David Packhem, Jr. has been created to help this support this cause by donating all of the proceeds to help these families in need. (To help support this project see the book review of A Mother's Dream on page 27).

Pathways to Consciousness ~ Inner Tapestry & Leapin' Lizards

Presents Community Spiritual Cinema Night at Leapin' Lizards, Freeport 123 Main Street, Freeport, For Tickets call Leapin' Lizards at (207) 865-0900,

January 6th ~ The Secret, plus How to Clearly Manifest Our Lives, 6:00 pm,No charge January 26th & 27th Celestine Prophecy, 7:00 pm, $10 each night.

For more information on CSC: Please visit www.pathways2u.com for call 207-799-7998

22 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

23⇠

Frederica Marshall Artist/Teacher classes/workshops Sumi-e Oriental Brush Painting Watercolor Painting 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

Dec/Jan 2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 23

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Cold Spring, Nikko, Japan, ©2001 (watercolor batik on rice paper)

24 ⇠

Feng Shui & Geopathology

by Werner Brandmaier

A

Feng Shui Tools

house has a very specific energetic pattern determined by the land, the shape of the house, its position on the property, the direction and orientation of the house, the nearby street and numerous other parameters in and around a building. The main goal in Feng Shui is to balance the Qi/Chi of the house and match our own energy with the energy of our living space. In order to do so we utilize a number of measures and tools.

Traditional Feng Shui tools include devices to balance the five elemental qualities (water, wood, fire, earth and metal) or items for protection such as statues of benevolent gods, animals representing good luck and prosperity, written blessings, etc. As you can see, there is a fine line separating true energetic influence and superstition when dealing with such subtle energetic worlds.

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Traditional Chinese coins for good fortune.

Typical

traditional Feng Shui tools are:

* Bagua mirrors for protection (always installed outside the house, often above the front door). * Statues of dragons, lions etc. to guard a space. * Mirror balls to dissipate negative incoming energy from neighbors (recommended color is cobalt blue) * Statues of gods to enhance specific areas in a house, such as meditation/contemplation or prosperity, or just as a representation of good luck. * The three-legged toad to bring good fortune, often seen with a coin in its mouth.

Old Chinese coins, bound together in groups of 3, * 6 or 9 as symbols of abundance or specifically to utilize metal quality.

Wind chimes to lead the Qi/Chi. However, wind * chimes slow down the flow of energy, so we want to position them at the back window of a house to help us keep the energy in the house, but never on the front steps of the porch where they would stop Qi/Chi from entering the house in the first place.

Bamboo flutes to lift ceiling beams and helps * counteract the drain of sloped ceilings above beds.

Water fountains to enhance prosperity, often * combined with plants. Water and wood quality together is the ideal combination to stimulate wealth & prosperity in the Bagua.

Please be aware of the practical potential in each of these measures corresponding to size, color and form. A tiny desk fountain will not make a big difference in terms of stimulating the energy for a large business.

24 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

* Fish tanks are used for boosting prosperity, too. For serious Feng Shui followers even the specific type and numbers of fish matter (e.g. 6 red and 3 black fish).

Plants such as bamboo or money trees help to * stimulate money aspects. Never use cactus or other spiky leaves for this purpose.

Hanging crystals to pull energy into a room * through a window as they rotate slowly in the sunlight.

Dolphins or other figures in pairs to enhance the * relationship area.

The list can be endless, and as previously mentioned, often crosses the line between real energetic impact and superstition, which opens it up to easy criticism. In all fairness, I tried out many of the above tools myself; however, I did not always get the desired results.

Nevertheless, the search for more effective devices opened up new realms beyond traditional Feng Shui: ancient Western Geomancy and Bio-Geometry aligned with modern Quantum Physics. These Western energy tools are often developed with the help of dowsing, intuition and clairvoyant guidance combined with new age science.

They provide neutralization of detrimental earth energies and boost the beneficial parts of a space for the people living there. Uneven shapes of buildings are balanced, missing areas energetically filled, sloped ceilings in upper floors counteracted and threats from neighbor buildings deflected.

The new Feng Shui Power Plus discs for houses and a protective pendant against other people’s energetic drains.

To address personal drains caused by other people, co-workers, clients, patients or students, there are energetic shields available in form of pendants to sustain one’s own energy against “energy vampires.”

Our six year old asks for his pendant before he leaves for school as he senses the difference over the day.

Examples for modern western energy tools are:

* Geopathic stress shields and space harmonizers for entire buildings (such as the Feng Shui Power disc series).

Qi/Chi boosters for homes and businesses such as * the Cosmic Heart Spiral or the new Business Power Plus disc. * Mobile shields in the form of pendants for protection against geopathic stress, drains of other people and imbalances caused by EMF’s. * Items for electronic equipment such as the E-Smog Server for protection from stress created by cellphones, computers, I-pods, TVs and most electrical appliances. * Electronic filters for power circuits to suppress harmful spikes (“dirty electricity”).

* Latest developments feature protective devices for pets, which include strengthening a pet’s bioenergetic field to make them less receptive to ticks and fleas. Many people feel uncomfortable using chemicals on their pet, especially when they have small children at the same time cuddling with their beloved animal.

The methods we use for testing new devices are general observation of health and wellness, dowsing, AK-testing (Applied Kinesiology – muscle testing), the use of electronic equipment and increasingly new scientific methods such as thermography, live blood microscopy and skin response biofeedback.

Protective devices against EMF stress caused by cellphones, computers, I-pods, etc.

A frequently asked question is how do those tools work? How do they neutralize a whole building from geopathic stress and at the same time balance numerous Feng Shui problems such as irregular shapes (L-shaped or U-shaped structures), split levels, stairs running directly out the front door or sloped ceilings or beams?

The energetic worlds are structured similar to our physical world, just not limited to form. In order to change the resonances of detrimental forces and to enhance positive vibrational patterns, very specific energetic programs are installed on “anchor tools”.

Try to compare this to the application of a program for a computer: a CD or a similar storage medium is necessary to utilize a program in the hard drive of the computer and to make it accessible. In a similar way energetic programs are anchored in devices such as the Feng Shui Power discs, which activate carefully defined information as soon as they are placed in the inner etheric layer of a building.

We see proof of the effect of those tools when insects move out of a house, when babies sleep through the night for the first time, or when AK muscle-testing shows us from one minute to the next a significant increase in a person’s Qi/Chi. As always, we hope to have stirred up your interest to learn more about the fascinating world of Feng Shui. Feel free to call or email me with any questions.

I wish everyone a happy Christmas and a very successful new year 2007!

More information - on classical Feng Shui tools Lillian Too’s numerous books and website www.lillian-too.com. On modern energy devices for protection from Geopathic stress, personal low energies and EMF’s: www.InstituteofFengShui.com.

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.

25⇠

e xploring the wo r l d r el i g i o n s

A Course In Miracles Mysticism by James Bean

T

Mystic-souls can find a vast amount of inspiration and wisdom in the Hebrew scriptures, Quran, New Testament, Jainist Sutras, Gathas of Zoroaster, and countless other world scriptures or spiritual classics, and this can also include, A Course In Miracles.

Meditation in the Silence as a Way to Reach the Other Side of Silence (God) Meditation in the Bible: “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46: 10) For centuries that has been a favorite passage of mystics, Quietists, Quakers, Gnostics, Beguines, Brethren of the Free Spirit, Cathars, and other lovers of the Beloved. An anonymous mystic of the Rhineland once described the process of contemplative meditation this way: “There is a speaking of God in the center of the soul where no creature can enter or speak, for only God lives there and only He speaks. God speaks there when the soul puts aside all thoughts and images of this creation, when she silences her powers and gains a vision into the foundation of her pure essence. In this pure and silent soul God the Father speaks and she hears His Voice.” (Book of Spiritual Poverty) Or, as it says in that series of volumes known as, A Course In Miracles: “Listen in deep silence. Be very still and open your mind. Go past all the raucous shrieks and the sick imagining that covers your real thoughts and obscure your eternal link with God. Sink deep into the peace that waits for you beyond the frantic, riotous thoughts and sights and sounds of this insane world.

You do not live here. We are trying to reach your real home. We are trying to reach the place where you are truly welcome. We are trying to reach God.” (ACIM, Workbook For Students, from Lesson 49) Master Kirpal Singh described meditation in the silence as a literal Doorway or Portal to the Divine Realm of Spirit and Truth: “In silence the heart illumines; veil after veil is removed... The human body is the temple of God. He is waiting there for you. That is why I ask you to look within, with a longing in your heart and silence in

your soul. God will reveal himself to you. You will find him -- no, see him... God is the Ocean of utmost and restful silence. So long as we cannot have this restful silence within us, the soul cannot listen to the Voice of silence arising out of the greatest depths of Silence.

By following that Voice we can reach the Source and Fountainhead of the Great Silence called God and be blessed forever.” (The Way of the Saints, Sant Bani Ashram, Sanbornton, New Hampshire)

Mystics, past and present, have often described visions of divine Light beyond the darkness, visible to one who concentrates deeply reaching "the Single Eye," the eye of the soul Meditation is not a new concept in the Western world. It’s been with us the entire time. Take this rather Hindu-sounding passage in an extra-canonical scripture composed 2,000 years ago known as the Acts of Peter, for example: “Give ear; withdraw your souls from all that appears but is not truly real; close these eyes if yours, close your ears, withdraw from actions that are outwardly seen; and you shall know the reality of Christ and the whole secret of your salvation.”

(The Other Bible, Willis Barnstone, Harper Collins) In recent times the same inwardly-focused message was reintroduced to many through the volumes of, A Course In Miracles.

A Modern-day Gnostic Gospel A Course in Miracles was “scribed” through a process of inner dictation, says Dr. Helen Schucman.

According to ACIM.org: “A clinical and research psychologist and tenured Associate Professor of Medical Psychology, Schucman was assisted by Dr. William Thetford, her department head, who was also a tenured Professor of Medical Psychology at the Medical Center where they both worked. A Course in Miracles was first published in 1975”. This Course consists of three volumes: the Text, Workbook for Students, and the Manuel For Teachers. There is a book I think of as a kind of “fourth volume” of the Course called, The Gifts of God, a book of devotional poetry authored by Helen Schucman, and, like the Course, published by the Foundation For Inner Peace. I think of “the Course” as a kind of modern-day Gnostic gospel, a mystical text that serves to renew the contemplative message for many people, playing the same role of spiritual catalyst or inspiration as revelations from earlier centuries did, such as the Gospel of Mary Magdalene or the Book of Pistis Sophia (Faith-Wisdom). Note: A great book

comparing the Course with Gnostic spirituality is, Love Does Not Condemn, by Kenneth Wapnick, Foundation For A Course In Miracles.

Seeing the Light Within -- Union With God by Contemplating His Light George Fox, founder of the Quakers, once said, “The Light of God is within everyone.” Mystics, past and present, have often described visions of divine Light beyond the darkness, visible to one who concentrates deeply, reaching “the Single Eye,” the eye of the soul.

Sometimes mystics describe the Light of the soul as like a brilliant, radiant sun. “There is Light within a person of Light, and it illuminates the entire cosmos.”

(Gospel of Thomas, in the Nag Hammadi Library found in Egypt) “The Light of one soul is equal to that of sixteen suns!” (Guru Kabir) Some have marveled how such a treasury of Light, a galaxy of souls, can remain so veiled by the human condition in realms of dark matter and overcast skies.

Yet, with another kind of sight we have the potential to discover: “There is a Light that this world cannot give... This Light will attract you as nothing in this world can do. In shining peace within you is the perfect purity in which you were created. Fear not to look upon the lovely truth in you. Look past darkness to the holy place where you will see the Light.” (Text, A Course In Miracles) “Do not cease seeking day or night until you find the mysteries of the Kingdom of Light, which will purify you, make you into pure Light and lead you into the Kingdom of the Light.”

(Gnostic Book of Pistis Sophia) Union With God by Contemplating His Sound -- A Melody from Far Beyond the World “Listen, and see if you remember an Ancient Song you knew so long ago and held more dear than any melody you taught yourself to cherish since.” (A Course In Miracles) “Your Voice reminds me of an Ancient Song It was forgotten. Now I hear it again A Word I thought had been forever dead."

(The Gifts of God) “Homeless are they Who would abide alone, apart from Me. Yet would I call them home. My Voice I send To sing in soundless places. Hear from Me The Song a Father sings to you, His child; A Melody from far beyond the world.

Step back and listen, for He comes to bless And tell you that you are not comfortless “I walk in stillness. Where my rest is set Is Heaven. And the silence of the stars Sings in a soundless circle. For the Song Of Heaven is past hearing, and ascends Beyond the tiny range the ear can catch, And soars into a spaceless magnitude Where Sound and silence meet in unity.”

(The Gifts of God, Helen Schucman.)

Continued on page 28 Dec/Jan 2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 25

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

he Sufi poet-mystic Rumi once said: “Rise above thy mental horizon, 0 brave soul and listen to the call of Music coming from above.” Often the difficulty spiritual seekers face is the very real danger of becoming stuck at one of the lower stages, or getting detoured somewhere along the way. One seemingly becomes unable to break free from the mental prison of one’s own making, at the level of theoretical knowledge or belief, even though the original intent of the authors of countless sacred texts has been to guide us from doubt to faith, and from theoretical knowledge to our own direct, personal spiritual experience of the Divine, far beyond the realms of mind and matter. Living Schools of Spirituality, complete with living teachers and students, can be of great assistance to spiritual seekers as they are able to communicate spiritual guidance to their students about all the steps and stages necessary for the inward voyage of the soul on its way back to God. As one such living Master said to his students so very long ago: “What your own eyes cannot see, your human ears do not hear, your physical hands cannot feel, and what is inconceivable to the human mind -- that I will give you!” (The Gospel of Thomas -- Wisdom of the Twin, Lynn Bauman, White Cloud Press)

⇠ 26

m ix ed m e dia

Book Review

by J a me s Be an The Harmony of All Religions By: Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj Publisher: The Way of Sages http://www.TheWayOfSages.com

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Veena Howard translated the English edition of this book from India. In the Editor’s Note at the beginning she writes: “From this day onward our whole world has changed.

The "shock and awe" witnessed by the destruction of the towers has sent shock waves through all the established value systems. The feelings of fear and distrust have numbed the hearts of people worldwide and have paralyzed the sense of clear vision. But time sof despair must be taken as an opportunity, an opening to search for new horizons, to re-assess our values, and to understand other cultures and religions. This is exactly what the great Sant, Maharishi Shri Santsevi Ji, has sought to accomplish by his book, The Harmony of All Religions. Shri Santsevi Ji Maharaj has been teaching the path of mysticism for many decades and believes in the underlying principles of all prominent world religions.”

One of the most impressive books I’ve ever read on comparative religion and comparative mysticism is The Harmony of All Religions, taking this study to a whole new level. This newly translated book contains chapters on the Vedic Tradition (Krishna, Gita, Hinduism, bhakti, yoga), Jainism, Buddhism, Judaism/Essenes/Christianity, Islam/ Sufism, Sikhism, and the Way of Sages, also known as The Path of the Masters. There is also a biography of the author, as well as an editor’s note, which affirms the need for a greater, more in-depth understanding of the great world religions and mysticism in an age of increased global travel and communication.

"Depth" is a word I find myself often using to describe the writings of Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj, who resides at the Maharishi Mehi Ashram in Bhagalpur, Bihar District, India. His spiritual discourses on each of the world religions are very scholarly, accurately 26 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

and eloquently communicating all these “gospels:” beautiful and charming accounts of the childhood of Jesus, the enlightenment of Guru Nanak hearing the voice of the One God (Ek Ong Kaar Saat Naam) as he was bathing in the river Bein, Siddhartha leaving the palace, Muhammad’s experiences with Allah in the cave of Ghar-e Hira, etc... providing an in-depth analysis of the sacred texts of these above-mentioned faith-communities, brimming with quotes and footnotes, from not only the well-known world scriptures but lesser-known sacred texts and spiritual classics of the mystics and saints at the heart of these traditions. The chapter on Lord Mahavira and Jainism, for instance, breaks new ground in the study of a major world religion that has received very little attention in the West.

The same can really be said for each of the chapters of this new book on inter-faith studies. The author displays an intimate knowledge of the history, terminology, esoteric writings, and meditation practices used by the various schools of mystics within each of the world religions, often pointing out the shared vision, the common goals and common threads along the way, such as similar ethical principals of ahimsa or non- violence in thought, word, and deed (like the Golden Rule), Dharma, the Eight Limbs of Yoga, Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path, chakras, subtle bodies, meditation techniques including the use of mantras, mystical stages of transcendence, Soundmysticism (Nada Yoga or Yoga of Sound), Light-mysticism (Dristi Yoga or Yoga of Light), the inward journey or ascension to other realms/heavens, jivan mukti or moksha (salvation, liberation of the soul), self (atma) and God (Paramatma) realisation.

The final paragraph of the book summarizes the universalist spirit of peace and harmony (as in the harmony of all religions) in the following way: “In different times and different places Saints appear and their followers name their religion according to the

Sage or Saint who propounded that tradition. The appearance of differences can be attributed to time, place, and language. This gives rise to various labels for the common views held by all religions. Likewise, due to excessively zealous followers, these seeming differences are often amplified. When all sectarianism and the temporal and linguistic aspects are removed, the basic principles of all the Saints are in accord and the voices of the Saints are in harmony.”

On the Passing of Guru Nanak (1469-1539), The Harmony of All Religions, Chapter Six: Sikhism

By Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj By practice of the Word, one rises into universal consciousness and develops right understanding; By practice of the Word, one develops clairvoyance and transvision of the whole creation; By practice of the Word, one is freed from sorrow and suffering; By practice of the Word, one shall not go to Yama(1) after his death.

0, great is the Power of the Word, But few there be that know it.

-- Guru Nanak, from his Jap Ji (Morning Prayer) (1)On the 22nd of September in the year 1539 Guru Nanak was sitting

under a tree in Kartarpur in his ashram. His face was radiant and peaceful and all his disciples were chanting spiritual hymns in devotion and great ecstasy. The sound of a special Sikh hymn called Japaji infused the whole ashram. At that time Guru Nanak drew a sheet over his body and began chanting. He left this body and merged into the Divine forever.

After the shock of realizing what had transpired his followers began to consider the funeral arrangements.

There was a considerable and heated debate between his disciples as to whether the rites should be Hindu or Muslim because all considered him to be their guru and master. It is said that after some time spent in this heated debate, the sheet covering Guru Nanak’s body was lifted. To everyone’s amazement Guru Nanak’s material body had disappeared. The disciples were humbled, and they divided the sheet, giving one piece to the Muslim followers and one piece to the Hindu followers. The funeral rites were duly performed for the respective traditions using the sheet in place of the missing body of the great sage.

According to one legend, flowers were found under the sheet instead of his

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

The gift of sharing the words of a book or the music of a CD can be a doorway to experiencing oneself through the eyes and ears of another

27 Music Review b y J a m e s Be an Beyond This Plane of Existence & Automatic Music Artist: Deosil Label: Other Realm Music http://www.myspace.com/deosilmusic http:www.soundclick.com/pro/view/01/ default.cfm?BandID=394766

In the sonic ambient or space music category one of my favorite artists is Deosil. His compositions are mellow, trancing, and meditative, with an ever-shifting complexity, which is quite satisfying to the attentive ear, the connoisseur of astral melodies.

From beginning to end are captivating electronic and acoustic variations. You will encounter sampled instruments, nature sounds, Spanish guitars, piano, Buddhist chant as well as Gregorian Plainchant, which, along with soaring keyboards, will transport you into a sacred soundscape “Beyond This Plane of Existence,” with compositions

such as “The Ethereal Plane,” “True Self,” “Transfiguration,” and “Gazing Out From The Start Of Possibility.”

There are also computer-aided synth sounds and mystical dimensions explored on the newest release from Deosil: “Automatic Music.” According to Deosil’s page at Soundclick.com the title of the new album: “is based on the concept of automatic writing, which means to write or create based on divine intervention -- channeling, if you will.” This too is music for the Inward Journey, reflection, healing and transformation, very spiritual with themes like “Discovery,” “Star’s Journey,” “Drifting Inward,” and “Solar Rebirth.”

Music Review

Lilac Fawn ~ Healing Power of the Native American Flute

By Michael Redsky www.redskymedicine.com can feel the wonderful love connection with those who have found that connection with creator.

On my recent travels I have meet someone very dear to all of us at Inner Tapestry, Michael Redsky. Michael is a 10th generation Cherokee Medicine Man, Seer and Visionary. He is someone who truly loves life and has made this his personal path in life to follow and spread that love for life where ever he goes.

This song "Lilac Fawn" is the first song to be released on Michaels upcoming debut album due out in January 2007.

You can sample Michael's healing music on his website www.redskymedicine.com.

Michael has also created Red Sky Healing, to promote wellness by helping people obtain the highest form of self harmony. Through sharing of Native American heritage, ceremonies and insight, Red Sky Healing will support healing self in line with someone's highest good. Michael believes in Tolerance, Compassion and Insight in the Way of the Creator. We will keep you posted when Michael's new release is available.

Michael uses his gift of Native American flute playing to heal and relax the spirit within. In Native American culture the flute and it's magical sounds are strong medicine to anyone who hears the music with their heart.

When you listen to this wonderful song "Lilac Fawn", which is dedicated to his son Matthew Michael Little Bear Red Sky and his god-daughter Brooke Kicking Bird Lilac Fawn Walker, you

Book Review

by S co t t Cro n e n w e t h

A quaint children's story about life’s twists and turns, In iambic pentameter from stem to stern. The prose is quite touching; illustrations first-rate. And from sales, all the proceeds benefit Project G.R.A.C.E. A daughter is born to a small-town Maine couple. Her mom has a dream that presages her future. Their lives don’t turn out as was foretold that day. But life unfolds dreams in a different way.

The mission of Project G.R.A.C.E. (Granting Resources and Assistance through Community Efforts) is “to improve the lives of our neighbors by identifying those in need, and with those willing to share their gifts, coordinating an interchange in a compassionate, confidential way."

This sweet little book, suitable for adults or children ten and up, will make a perfect holiday gift not only for someone you know, but also for someone you don’t know who will receive assistance with food, clothing, shelter, and other necessities through the efforts of Project GRACE.

For more information and to purchase this book online, please visit www.projectgracemaine.org.

Or send $15.00 plus $3.00 shipping and handling to Project G.R.A.C.E, P.O. Box #6846, Scarborough, ME 04070.

(For books shipping to Maine addresses please add 5% sales tax.)

by Joanne McC all The Grief Club: The Secret to Getting Through All Kinds of Change By: Melody Beattie ISBN: 1-59285-349-8 Published by: Hazelden, www.hazelden.org After Melody's twelve-year-old son, Shane, died, she found herself cast into a new "club". A circle of people who had somehow survived the heartrendering loss of a child. But this wasn't the only "club" that she had found herself unwillingly part of over the years.

As she explains in her new book, The Grief Club: The secret to Getting Through All Kinds of Change, "Most of us find ourselves joining clubs whether we want to our not. Someone dies and we join the You Weren't Supposed to Go Away and My Heart is Broken Club, or the phone rings and we're thrust into the Why Do I Have Cancer? Club... There's the I'm a Financially Broken Man (or Women) and the Empty-Nester Clubs. We wait for life to be like it was, then one day we get it. Life as we know it is gone.

It's never going to be the same again.

Welcome to The Grief Club

Throughout The Grief Club, the reader is introduced to real people and real stories. People who have experienced loss of all kinds Alzheimer's, divorce, bankruptcy, unemployment, even welcome changes such as marriage and having children - and learned to let life transform them by surrendering moment-bymoment and staying present for the experiences they're going through.

A range of activities is included, as well as helpful and often free resources, at the end of each chapter.

Beattie's goal is to help people find comfort and answers in their own lives - not only in this book, a group or therapy.

Perhaps one of the greatest secrets shared in The Grief Club lies in the fact that in "joining the club" and sharing our story with people who listen and care, you will one day be there to listen, understand and welcome others to The Grief Club.

Inner Tapestry's new address: 925 Sawyer Street, South Portland, ME 04106 (207) 799-7995 Send emails to info@innertapestry.org Dec/Jan

2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 27

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Book Review

A Mother's Dream

By David Packhem, Jr. Illustrated by Iona Desmond ISBN: 0-9745905-0-1 Publisher: Worzalla Publishing Stevens Point., WI

by Joan Emmons

28

loving earth... continued from page 13 into regular sockets are now available in many hardware stores as a standard item. Another option, particularly good for task lighting, is LED (light emitting diode) lighting. LEDs give a bright, focused light using extremely low wattage.

Life expectancy is terrific, sometimes exceeding 50,000 hours. We have one rated at a meager three watts. It is far too bright to look at directly, but if it is turned downward onto a book or reflected off a white wall, it gives excellent light.

The foregoing gives a brief overview, just scratching the surface, of powering down. We’ll give some specific examples of what different people have done in future columns.

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

modern shamanic living... continued from page 12 of “feeling meditation” can alter your experience of life, improve your health and the health of others and begin to create the kinds of positive change in the culture that we desire. Besides practicing this on your own, start a gratitude "group break time" with friends or at work. Teach your children to take a time-out when they are angry and teach them the method I’ve outlined above. Refuse to be driven by fear and refuse to let others’ anger or fear to linger in and around -- polluting your body. Instead, generate waves of healing gratitude all around you every day as many times in the day as you can. In that healing energy we can think the big ideas and create the changes that will bring the world back from the brink of destruction.

exploring world religions... continued from page 25 Divine Grace compassionately comes to the rescue of souls, busting into worlds of law, time and space. The Divine Light and Sound of the Spirit guides souls safely through the “wilderness” of various planes of creation, so that we may return to this Promised Land or Paradise, the Forgotten Eternal State that is our True Home.

The Soul Wrapped in Garments of Sleep We are soul wearing a mind, wearing a body. Our true identity is not the body we happen to be wearing; our true identity is soul. We are the Observer, the one who sees the Light and hears the Sound. We are the Life emanating from the Place of Life that powers body and mind.

Repeating an affirmation that “I am free” is a noble beginning, perhaps, but we must come to know the reality of this freedom. The goal of mysticism is for us to transcend all these “veils” of creation, bodies and subtle bodies, five senses, mind and matter, and know our Self as soul experientially via a daily spiritual practice (meditation). In our awareness we come to know the foundation of our pure essence. We discover that during our perceived exile in the labyrinth of separateness lost somewhere in time, Truth be told, we are soul and are already in heaven -- we never left! Where else would the soul, the child of the Father, be other than the soul-realm, the Place of Life? This is the Secret of Secrets.

Kabir says, “You have slept for millions of years. This morning, will you not

Wattage sources: The Energy Guide, Central Maine Power (a very basic guide available free to CMP customers) Solar Living Source Book, Real Goods Independent Energy Guide, Kevin Jeffrey Copyright 2006 Pat Foley

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 Pat at earthrest@psouth.net or 207-625-4179.

Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi once said: “We must become the change that we want to see in the world.” It’s time to become Gratitude and Love!

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.

wake?” Give birth to yourself in the womb of silence. Close your eyes, see and hear within, “rise above thy mental horizon,” examine yourself, discover who you really are, know, come to be.

“Gone is the dream. Awake, My child, in love.” (The Gifts of God) “The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you; Don’t go back to sleep.

You must ask for what you really want; Don’t go back to sleep.

People are going back and forth across the doorsill Where the two worlds touch.

The door is round and open.

Don’t go back to sleep.” (Rumi, Sufi Master) “Within a Radiance prepared for you Before time was and far beyond its reach, Be still and know." (The Gifts of God)

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.

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 ~ 1 1 5 w o r ds $250, $ 1 pe r w o rd t h e re aft e r, for 1 year (6 issues) or $300 to include the Online version, initial set-up fee $20 www.innertapestry.org 28 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

29

Inner Tapestry DIRECTORY OF RESOURCES (pages 29 ~ 34)

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 28

; Counseling & Therapy ..............................................page 29 ; Creative Healing Arts ................................................page 29 ; Dance/Movement ......................................................page 29 ; Herbs, Gardens & Herbal Products ..........................page 30 : Holistic Healing Centers ...........................................page 30 : Honoring A Life's Transition ......................................page 30 : Hypnotherapy ...........................................................page 30 ; Integrative Healing .............................................pages 31-32 ; Life Mastery ..............................................................page 32 : Living Spaces ...........................................................page 32 : Meditation .................................................................page 32 : Nurturing Foods ........................................................page 33 ; Psychic & Spiritual Mediumship ...............................page 33 ; Reflexology & Healing Massage ..............................page 33 ; Retreats ....................................................................page 33 ; Sacred Space ...........................................................page 34 ; Salons, Spas ............................................................page 34 ; Shamanic Healing ....................................................page 34

counseling & therapy Health problems, relationship 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

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.

Carol Zahner Process Work

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@choiceonemail.com; Deb Feintech, RC, Certified Shamanic Practitioner; Michele Keef, LMFT. 222 Auburn St. Portland, ME 04103.

creative healing arts 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 its 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 Workshops, retreats and individual journeys facilitated by visionary artist and healer Helen Warren, MSed, MFA, providing sacred

space in which to reconnect with our eternal aspect which remembers our oneness with the creative source. Immersing in visual artmaking as process (Touch Drawing* and other media) our unique wisdom, knowing and creativity are activated. The circle gathered, co-created ritual, connection with earth, and labyrinth work grounds and supports our process of remembering. As trust replaces fear energy flows, the emerging images reflecting the healing and integration taking place within. All levels of experience welcome. FMI: Call Helen at (207) 829-6876; email: helen@creativespiral.net; or www.creativespiral.net. See www.touchdrawing.com.

North Yarmouth, Maine 04097

Energy Psychotherapy Energy Psychotherapy is very effective with issues such as fear, anxiety, panic attacks, traumatic stress, ADHD, self-esteem, anger management, grief, negative beliefs and many other issues. These interventions address the human vibrational matrix, which consists of

major interacting systems that include the meridians and related accupoints and the chakras. Techniques utilized are TAT, Reiki and guided imagery. These methods show promise in assisting clients unresponsive to traditional treatment. Marie has offices in Portland and Biddeford, Maine and can be reached at (207) 590-3884 or marielb@gwi.net.

Marie Laverriere-Boucher, Licensed Clinical Social Worker

dance/movement Movement as Healer

Gail Edgerly, RN, CTP

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

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.

Dec/Jan 2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 29

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Art Therapy & Shamanism

30

herbs, gardens & herbal products Bles s e d M ain e He rb Farm

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.

holistic healing centers Gardens of Atlantis Just a short drive from where you are, you'll find a special place to relax and find yourself. We invite you in for a soothing therapeutic

massage or detoxifying spa treatment. Visit Meg Davison, our Homeopathy Consultant for a remedy to balance and heal naturally. We have many workshops, Yoga, T'ai Chi, Energetic Consultations with Jill Leigh. Awaken your soul with Anurag. Connect to the wealth of universal wisdom with Pat O'Connor, our Master Shaman. We offer Hypnotherapy, VibroAcoustic Therapy, and Life Coaching. Find answers with our experienced Psychics. Join us for a walk in the Garden! Route 35, Dayton, ME. Call (207) 929-5088 or visit our website www.gardensofatlantis.org.

Healing Arts Center The area’s premiere environment for creating health & well-being, Sanctuary Holistic Health & Yoga Center offers a comprehensive selection of healthcare & lifestyle services. The community of certified professional practitioners at Sanctuary Center work independently &

collaboratively to serve client needs. Select from a spectrum of therapies & treatments, including acupuncture, homeopathy, polarity, facial rejuvenation, hot stone massage, reiki, Ayurveda, holistic psychotherapy, nutritional counseling, detoxification, coaching & more. Certified & skilled teachers offer daily classes in yoga, Pilates, meditation & Qi Gong to students of all ages & experience levels in the bright, spacious Studio. For more information, to enroll or schedule an appointment: (207) 846-1162, email: info@sanctuaryhhyc.com, www.sanctuaryhhyc.com, 50 Forest Falls Drive, Yarmouth.

Far Eastern tradition, Native American custom, new age spiritual, holistic natural or any other healing path is welcome.

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

The Universal Healing Center is an eclectic mix of people and practices. You can find massage therapists and psychics, spiritual counselors and shamans, energy therapists and dancers all under one roof. Our many classes cover a wide range of interests whether you are here to learn a new path or just enlighten yourself to some different methods. Classes are priced in order to encourage people to try something new and experience another perspective. Visit us at 13 River Street, Sanford, Maine or online at www.universalhealingcenter.net for a complete list, calendar and personal biographies. (207) 608-1755.

Meadow Wind Center for Holistic Arts is a beautiful place for people to gather, to learn, to teach and to be a part of a community interested in conscious living. We offer the individual services of a holistic center through our community of practitioners as well as a

wide spectrum of wonderful workshops and classes. The practitioners at Meadow Wind offer services from massage, polarity, spiritual healing and life coaching to art, yoga, hair, skin & beauty. To contact any of our practitioners call Meadow Wind or go to www.meadowwind.org for a list of practitioners and their personal contact information. We have two beautiful workshop/class spaces available to teachers who want to share what they have with others. To explore teaching at Meadow Wind contact Andrea Ferrante at (207) 878-3899. Our workshops and classes are also listed on our website, www.meadowwind.org. We are conveniently located at 100 Gray Rd., Falmouth, ME.

honoring a life's transition Change is a natural product of growth and evolution, honoring death is honoring that change. In the process of honoring death and

Ashes N Urns

change, we nourish ourselves and those we love. The goal of ashesnurns.com is to help you honor the life you so cherished. Ashesnurns.com offers adult, child, infant and companion pet urns. Our keepsake urns can hold a prayer or mantra, lock of hair, a small amount of cremated remains, crushed flowers, bit of earth or something symbolic to hold close to your heart. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like help planning a nondenominational memorial service that honors your traditions, culture and special relationship to your loved one.

Visit us at www.ashesnurns.com, email us at support@ashesnurns.com, or call (603) 874-1684.

hypnotherapy Harness the power of the mind-body connection. As a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, I have the tools and skills you need.

ELISSA GARDE-JOIA Hypno-Health

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.

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.

30 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

Inner Tapestry Directory of Resources Ad Listings can also be advertised online. Visit: www.innertapestry.org.

31

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 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.

"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

Kevin Pennell, Usui and Karuna® Reiki Master Teacher/Certified Hypnotherapist/Shamanic Practitioner, Vickie Cummings, Licensed and Nationally Certified Massage Therapist/Cranio Sacral Therapist/Usui & Karuna® Reiki Practitioner and Wendi Griswold, Licensed Massage Therapist with Advanced Training in Sports Massage/Usui Reiki Practitioner: Massage - Including Therapeutic Massage -

SpiritWings CompassionateHealing

Sports Massage - European Neuromusclar Massage - Sports Massage - New England Hot Stone Therapy - Soothing herbal Body Wrap - Seated Massage - Couples Massage and Outcalls available, Cranio Sacral 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. Karuna® Reiki classes will be offered beginning Spring 2007. 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 and quartz crystal singing bowls. 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 us on the web at www.SpiritWingsBethel.com.

Kevin Pennell, RMT, CHt Vickie Cummings, LMT, RMT Wendi Griswold, LMT

EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is one of the most powerful tools for regaining emotional and physical health. Simply

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, or e-mail janetgleeson@verizon.net 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

To place your listing in the Directory of Resources, please call: (207) 799-7995. For rates see page 28, or www.innertapestry.org.

Dec/Jan 2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 31

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Path to the Heart

32 ⇠

integrative healing... continued Cosmic Spiral Balance

Pathways for Women

Christa Colby, is an Architect, Urban Planner, with six years as a mental health worker and as many years as a homeless health worker. I am a Psychic and Tarot, reiki, crystal healer and teacher since I was two when my only friend was a talking crow. I met spirit at

the age of five when I left my body for the first time. I dowsed for water the first time at seventeen, now I dowse for spirits. I also teach self-hypnosis for pain, anxiety, and stress. I do past life regressions, psychometry and clairvoyance. Gift certificates will be offered with a 15% discount for the buyer. Sliding scales are also available. I work with women ages 13 and up, please feel the warmth of my “soft” medicine. Call Christa at (207) 239-0591 or Email: cosmic.spiral.balance.@yahoo.com.

life mastery The Autognomics Institute (TAI), through self-knowing we experience the new reality and nature of life-itself. Founded by Norm and Skye Hirst, PhD in 1992. TAI synthesizes emerging insights from the new philosophies, physics and biophysics, and shares findings

with individuals and groups who are attempting to bring about progressive social change. TAI believes that through self-knowing, a primary attribute of living beings and life-itself, we can make a difference to realize health, fulfillment, meaning and peaceful community for all life. To learn more, join our blog at www.autognomics.blogspot.com or take advantage of private coaching, consulting on future implications, full circle open space discussions and we're now receiving applications for in-depth learning group beginning in January 2007 or call (207) 236-6331 for an appointment.

The Autognomics Institute 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.

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

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. South Portland, ME. (207) 799-7998, website www.pathways2u.com, e-mail info@pathways2u.com.

Ron & Joan

living 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.

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.

32 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

(New listings added each issue.) For information on how to Advertise your Directory listing, see page 28.

⇠ 33

nurturing foods FOR THE HEALTH & WELL-BEING OF YOU & OUR PLANET: EAT ORGANIC

We are an organic stone mill, and producer of quality organic cereals & baking mixes. We aren’t a subsidiary of any corporate conglomerate.

We are a family business, combining the energy & hard work of two Maine families. We believe deeply in providing fresh, organic, delicious products, in protecting the quality & health of our food supply and our environment.

Quality Organic Stone Ground Cereals & Baking Mixes; Organic Coffees & Teas; Nuts, Dried Fruit; Nutritious Delicious Organic Gift Baskets FIDDLERS GREEN FARM, Belfast, Maine (800) 729-7935 ~ Order Online: www.fiddlersgreenfarm.com or catalog available.

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

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.

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

and builds until it becomes a lifestyle. Lynn Marie Danforth has been practicing Reflexology for over 5 years. Lynn specializes in therapeutic Reflexology. Her greatest success is with tendonitis, plantar fasciitis and relief of tension. Lynn’s Reflexology sessions are quick, effective and could be the answer to your body’s cry for relief. Lynn has been able to show clients that change for the better is possible, that improved health is truly in your hands and feet. To contact Lynn call 207-767-5776 or 207-318-0129, or visit www.handsonfeet.net.

Lynn Danforth, Certified Reflexologist

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 Nurture Through Nature

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.

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.

Dec/Jan 2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 33

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

School of Reflexology

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

34 ⇠

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.

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 therapeutic hair and scalp treatments. Retailers of fine holistic grooming supplies for the whole family. Nordstrom Skin Care Studio,

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

389 Main Street, Rockland, Maine 04841, (207) 594-5077, www.nordstromskincare.com.

Flourish In a place of quiet and relaxation Charlotte Van Joolen offers restorative facial therapy. Burnham System Facial Rejuvenation is

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. Sessions are offered at Sanctuary Center in Yarmouth and Alfred. By appointment (207) 846-1162 x 7 or (207) 838-3936.

Gift Certificates available. www.flourishfacials.com, email: info@flourishfacials.com.

Charlotte Van Joolen

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 they no longer define 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

Allie & Evelyn

34

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.

Directory of Resources listings are easy to compose.

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

For more info call: (207) 799-7995.

Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

⇠ 35

We Create Our Lives from the Inside Out

by Rochelle Sparrow

T

he universal law, we create our lives from the inside out, is a paradoxical statement, simple yet profound. If we choose to believe in this universal law, it requires us to constantly strive to become aware of how we are manifesting our existence. It requires us to continually ask ourselves about our emotions, our beliefs and our intents. It requires us to become honest evaluators of the truth that exists inside of us.

This same law provides us with a context to know more about our emotions, intents and beliefs. It is like an ocean that gives us life force to experience ourselves as people.

Manifesting our world from inside of our selves, already presents us with a presumption that our energy manifests. Our energy is made up of our emotions, beliefs and intents and helps us define our everyday choices. Perhaps someone has an unhealed, painful relationship with his or her mother and they choose an unhealthy friendship with a woman who is not loving toward her. From this law’s perspective, we can say her energy helped her choose this unhealthy

Z

What Is WATSU?

Heart Visions

Future Events requiring commitment to time or finance

Winter 2007 January 26th-28th Healing With The Elements

February 16th-18th ART/MASTER Usui-Tibetan Reiki Training Avanti Healing Arts, Brewer, ME.,www.avantihealingarts.com (207) 989-9009.

February 17th-24th Yoga Vacation, Virgin Gorda, VI. FMI; Jeanette Schmid Lakari, (207) 282-5528

Spring 2007 May 7th-8th Reiki Healing Dance© Certification Course, Lake Geneva France FMI: www.avantihealingarts.com, (207) 989-9009

May 11th-15th ART/MASTER Usui-Tibetan Reiki Training Puglia, Itlay. www.avantihealingarts.com, (207) 989-9009.

Summer 2007 June 22nd-24th Healing With The Elements Let Earth, Air, Fire & Water share their wisdom with you in these intimate personalized all-inclusive retreats, presented with Skye Institute, in amazing natural settings in NH and MA: $395 includes workshop/lodging/ meals $150 deposit. Reiki experience welcome but not necessary. www.avantihealingarts.com, (207) 989-9009

Z

by Vicki Mitchell

July The First New England Reiki Retreat is coming at beautiful western MA TENEMOS. All inclusive pricing for camping up through cabins/meals/firelight workshops/native dance and drumming/ Reiki shares held throughout the weekend/ special Reiki events and workshops. FMI: (207) 989 9009.

July 21st-28th Yoga Vacation: Swiss Alps. (207) 282-5528 July 29th-August4th Karuna Reiki® Master Retreat: Enjoy learning this transcendant form of Reiki from two compassionate, light-hearted, creative teachers on magical Monhegan Island, Maine ~co-presented with Eric Skye Lindemer~Class size limited to 12, $1,495 includes training/lodging/breakfast/lunch, $395 deposit. www.avantihealingarts.com, (207) 989-9009

Fall 2007 October 19th-21st Healing With The Elements Let Earth, Air, Fire & Water share their wisdom with you in these intimate personalized all-inclusive retreats, presented with Skye Institute, in amazing natural settings in NH and MA: $395 includes workshop/lodging/meals $150 deposit. Reiki experience welcome but not necessary. www.avantihealingarts.com, (207) 989-9009

To Advertise Your Heart Vision Contact Inner Tapestry at: 207-799-7995 email: info@innertapestry.org

Z

FOR THE ADVERTISERS WHO BRING THIS JOURNAL TO YOU PLEASE SUPPORT THEM & LET THEM KNOW YOU SAW THEM HERE!

Photo courtesy of Vicki Mitchell

WATSU, or Water Shiatsu, is a gentle yet profound form of aquatic bodywork developed over 25 years ago by Zen Shiatsu practitioner Harold Dull at Harbin Hot Springs in California. Dull began combining Zen Shiatsu with floating people in the warm springs. Today, WATSU is practiced on 6 continents in settings ranging from hospitals, physical therapy clinics, leading wellness and beauty spas to back yard pools.

What is it like to receive a session?

Imagine being floated in a pool of warm, pristine water, heated to your body temperature. Surrounded by silence, your body has a sense of freedom as you are gently stretched, massaged, moved in graceful, ribbonlike movement with the rhythm of your breath. Time and place temporarily recede as alpha states are entered providing the body with the deep rest it requires to rejuvenate and heal. WATSU is an opportunity to move beyond the physical, to a place of three-dimensional weightless surrender.

“Instant mediation,” “ transcendence,” “a slice of heaven," “physical freedom” are only a few of the many comments about how much this therapy has to offer. WATSU is used around the world for treating tired aching muscles, arthritis, fibromyalgia, sciatica, cancer, orthopedic and neurological issues, range of motion problems, neck,

hip and low back pain, along with a host other conditions. It also opens the heart, allowing for deep peace, and relief from stress, anxiety and grief. WATSU can even relieve symptoms of PTSD, ADHD and insomnia. It has the ability to gently bring us back to our true selves.

In a WATSU session, your muscles are effortlessly stretched using the inertia of the water. The joints are mobilized leaving a feeling of space between them. Being in warm water softens the tissues and allows the body to effortlessly release long held patterns of holding, which can be the cause of chronic pain, even if an injury seems to have healed. The weightless environment of the water allows for graceful, fluid, dance-like movements. Because there are no constraints of a massage table, the neck, spine and pelvis are able to release tension and chronically held pain easily.

All these aspects put together equal a holistic and therapeutic bodywork experience literally like no other, supporting the constellation of body/ mind/spirit. To learn more about the therapeutic effects of aquatic bodywork, visit the web site of the Worldwide Aquatic Body workers Association, WABA at www.WABA.org

Vicki Mitchell is a Certified WATSU and WaterDance Therapist and Shiatsu Practitioner. Vicki practices in a beautiful, private therapy pool located in Blue Hill, Maine. She can be reached at 207-374-2520 Dec/Jan 2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 35

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Let Earth, Air, Fire & Water share their wisdom with you in these intimate personalized all-inclusive retreats, presented with Skye Institute, in amazing natural settings in NH and MA: $395 includes workshop/lodging/meals $150 deposit. Reiki experience welcome but not necessary. www. avantihealingarts.com, (207) 989-9009

relationship. What is the purpose? Inherit within the law is also the precept that there is constant creation, moment by moment. By the nature of the very law that incurs change at each moment, she recreated her mother energy not to create more pain for herself, but to help her consciously become aware of the energy that is within her. Once a person becomes enlightened of the energy within them, there is always a shift into change.

We live on a learning planet, where we encounter painful experiences to help us heal or to transform our lives into a more expansive awareness of who we are as people. People often wonder why we have to encounter the suffering that occurs on this planet and what true purpose can suffering possibly serve.

Perhaps within us we have yet to become consciously aware that we, as whole, can manifest something different.

Rochelle Sparrow, Psychic Trance Channel, Provides individual and group healing sessions. Author, lecturer and Producer with Spirit Productions www.rochellesparrow.com, info@rochellesparrow.com, (602) 430.6447

⇠ 36

December 2006 M aine

December 1st, 6:30pm-9:30pm Prayer for Peace State St. Chapel, Portland, Suggested donation $15-$25 Facilitated by Gail Edgerly, Oscar Mokeme, drumming by Alfred Lund. We will gather as a community and enter into a state of deep inner prayer using chanting, drumming, dancing and more… to offer our prayer for peace in this world. FMI: call Gail (207) 761-3765, gailedge@maine.rr.com

December 1st-3rd Women's Yoga and Meditation Retreat Rolling Meadows Farm Retreat - a 100-acre sanctuary for yoga, meditation and silence. With Patricia Brown. Brooks, Maine. www.rollingmeadowsfarmretreat.org (888) 666-6412.

December 2nd, Saturday, 11:00am-4:00pm Open House at Meadow Wind, Center for Holistic Arts.

Food, fun, drawings, Lots of gift ideas... meet the practitioners... sample massage, polarity yoga. Join us at 100 Gray Rd Falmouth

December 2nd 10:30am-12:30pm Didgeridoo Meditation, Journey & Self-healing Workshop

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Pre-register at Touchstone Books (207) 878-3866, www.touchstonebookstore.com. Info on workshop: info@didgetherapy.com, (603) 433-7465, www.didgetherapy.com,

December 5th 7:00pm Wellness Workshop Best Western Hotel, 595 North Ave., Wakefield, MA (781) 258-6597.

December 6th, Wednesday & December 7th, Thursday Mosiac Mirror WorkshopCome create your own beautiful mosiac mirror. Great gift idea and lots of fun. 6:00pm-9:00pm. Meadow Wind 100 gray Rd Falmouth. Call (207) 878-3899 to register

December 9th Leah Wolfsong's Solstice Celebration Concert & Ceremony First Universalist Church, Auburn, Maine 7:00pm (doors open 6:00pm) Honoring the dark/celebrating the light. Music, dance and ceremony (877) 833-1372.

December 2006 Connecticut December 2nd & 3rd THE NEW ENGLAND SCHOOL OF FENG SHUI Presents highly acclaimed speaker and author: Pamela Laurence. For complete brochure: (203) 266-4211 www.newenglandfenshui.com

A Breakfast discussion incorporating the importance of spirituality in business and how innovative companies recognize the value of happy, healthy and productive employees. Contact (860) 521-2300 or www.whchamber.com for more information.

January 2007 January 2007 Ongoing Dream Group

Maine

Monday January 22nd, January 29th, February 5th, February 12th, 6:30pm-8:45pm Opening Four-week session for anyone interested in witnessing the wisdom of the Dream. One dream to be submitted by each participant prior to first class. South Portland location. $100 Facilitated by Jeanne Fiorini, practitioner/counselor with 15 years experience working with the symbolic language of the archetype.FMI/register (207) 799-8648.

Classes Beginning January 2007 Beginning Shamanism: Building a Luminous Field 4 Weekend trainings over 16 months with Eva Rose Goetz. Call (207) 756-0488 or visit www.pachaworks.com for more information.

January 6th & 7th Give Yourself the Gift of Reiki: Usui-Tibetan Reiki Level 1 & 2, Contact Gianna Settin, (270) 989-9009 or www.avantihealingarts.com, Brewer, Me.

January 10th Divorce Decisions

Join us at Meadow Wind 100 Gray Rd Falmouth. Call Barbara Fudella at (207) 865-6201 to register.

December 15th-17th Weekend of Self Exploration

January 19th-21st 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 Bartlett, NH. For more information, questions & to register (207) 799-7998, www.pathways2u.com. Self assessed sliding scale $325 - $425.

December 15th-17th, Friday Evening – Sunday Lunch Women in God’s Winter Seasonal Retreat ~ The Long Dark Night, Living Water Spiritual Center, Winslow, Maine. Our retreat weekend includes dream-work, journaling, creative projects and a candle-lit labyrinth walk, along with time for much needed naps. FMI: www.womeningod.com, email jane@womeningod.com or call (207) 233-7658.

DECEMBER 16th, Saturday, 1:00-4:30 PM ‘Lighting the Dark Season’: Winter Solstice Celebration Retreat. Embrace the winter months with reflections of inner light. Featuring yoga, mediation, candle-light labyrinth walk, sacred dancing with Holy Fire Dance Troupe, and more! Led by Marilee Marrinan. Located at Sanctuary Center, Yarmouth. FMI call (207) 846-1162 x1 or email info@sanctuaryhhyc.com.

A Residential Playshop which supports a process of wholebeing harmonizing through conscious awakening & energetic support. Friday 6:00pm to Sunday noon in South Portland. For more information, questions & to register (207) 779-7998, www.pathways2u.com. Self assessed sliding scale $325 - $425.

January 19th-21st Greenfire Women's Retreat House, Tenants Harbor Are you interested in convening a circle of friends where you discuss your spiritual issues and questions? The women of the Greenfire are offering a workshop to share their experiences using circle models for women's spiritual groups. Register (207) 372-6442 or www.greenfireretreat.org.

JANUARY 27th, Saturday, 1:00pm-4:00pm Sanctuary Center Annual Open House: Join in celebration of the New Year and Sanctuary’s first anniversary. Come enjoy an afternoon of music, guest speakers, healing therapies, yoga, Qi Gong, a labyrinth walk, art for kids, whole foods refreshments, and more! Healthy fun for individuals and the whole family. Hosted by the community of practitioners at Sanctuary Center. FMI: (207) 846-3394 or www.sanctuaryhhyc.com.

December 29th-January 1st New Year's Yoga and Meditation Retreat Rolling Meadows Farm Retreat - a 100-acre sanctuary for yoga, meditation and silence. With Patricia Brown & Surya Chandra Das. Brooks, ME. www.rollingmeadowsfarmretreat.org (888) 666-6412.

Calendar of Events & Classified Ad Information can be found on Page 38

36 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

Learn Mexihka practices from 5000 year tradition for recovery and maintenance of optimal health. - Portland. Contact: Makuiltekpatl (Heidi) (207) 712-3988 or hmichls@aol.com (www.aztec-healer.org)

January 31, 2007 5 Day Jin Shin Jyutsu Training Class in Camden, Me Call Sid LeFavour for details (207) 236-8777

January 2007 Connecticut

December 20th, 8:00am-9:00am Spirit in Work and Business

Sydney McDowell, Collaborative Mediation will share her experience and knowledge about finding a peaceful dynamic toward resolution of your divorce. 5:30-6:30pm. 120 Exchange St., Suite 208. $25pp or $40/couple. www.collaborate-mediate.com Reservation required. (207) 773-7557

December 10th, Sunday, 1:00pm-4pm Make Your Own Prayer Beads-

January 27th & 28th Tetzkatlipoka Workshop With Tzenwaxolokwauhtli

PLEASE SUPPORT THE ADVERTISERS WHO BRING THIS JOURNAL TO YOU!

January 27th & 28th THE NEW ENGLAND SCHOOL OF FENG SHUI Presents highly acclaimed speakers and author: William Spear.

For complete brochure: (203) 266-4211 www.newenglandfenshui.com

Upcoming Maine February

February 2nd, 3rd & 4th.

NURTURING THE SEEDS WITHIN, A Retreat for Women Embracing the feminine soul through Touch Drawing, labyrinth work, and co-created ritual. Facilitated

by Helen Warren, MS, MFA. at Creative Spiral Studio, North Yarmouth, Maine. FMI (207) 829-6876; helen@creativespiral.net or www.creativespiral.net.

February 11th–16th Winter Stillness Retreat Yoga & Meditation Retreat with Surya Chandra Das. Rolling Meadows Farm Retreat - a 100-acre sanctuary for yoga, meditation and silence. Brooks, Maine (888) 666-6412 www.rollingmeadowsfarmretreat.org

February 16th-18th 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 South Portland. For more information, questions & to register (207) 779-7998, www.pathways2u.com. Self assessed sliding scale $325 - $425.

February 25th, 9:00am-5:00pm Maine Institute for the Healing Arts, Rockport, Maine Presents Skye Hirst, Ph.D. and What’s Love Got To Do With?

Bring your concerns about love and loving, what confuses you about it? Explore the magic of love and experience love and feeling loving. (207) 594-2403 to register or for information.

March March/April Dates TBA Finding Home On Earth Award Winning New Zealand Author, Megan Don, will lead this workshop in Portland, based on the mystic perspective. See www.mysticpeace.com

March 16th-17th 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 South Portland. For more information, questions & to register (207) 779-7998, www.pathways2u.com. Self assessed sliding scale $325 - $425.

March 31st 1:00pm-4:00pm Ted Andrews comes to Maine!

Tickets on sale now for incredible event - "Animal-Speak Workshop" Learn four lessons every animal can teach you to make life more successful. Includes shamanic-type exercise to discover your most important spirit animal. $75 Leapin' Lizards, Freeport (207) 865-0900, www.leapinlizards.biz.

⇠ 37

O n going M aine

Yoga, Pilates, Qi Gong, and meditation in a bright and serene studio. Drop ins are welcome. Classes for beginners & experienced students; private classes available.

View schedule on the web at www.sanctuaryhhyc.com or call (207) 846.3394

YOUTH YOGIS! Yoga classes for children ages 7-10. Playful, gentle, and creative expressions of yoga, breathing, and relaxation that children can relate to and enjoy!

Thursdays, 3:30pm-4:30pm. Led by Erinn Cayehal, CYT. Sanctuary Center, Yarmouth. Call (207) 846-3394 or email info@sanctuaryhhyc.com

Free Lectures. “Alternative Realities”.

Psychotherapist/channel Brenda Nelson will speak about how to receive guidance from higher sources. Patten Library, Bath ME. 4th Weds. of each month. Starting September 27, 5:00pm-8:00pm FMI: bhnelson@midmaine.com.

(207) 386-5056 or www.otherrealities.net

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

Based in the Tradition of the Himalayan Sages. N. Yarmouth, ME. For full listing, see website. www.TurningLight.org (207) 829-2700

Science Of Spirituality is sponsoring a satsang.

Birthwise Midwifery Potlucks

WholeHeart Yoga Center, Portland

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

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.

Reiki: Healing Hands

Ongoing Yoga Classes

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.

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.

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.

Soundings - Energy Therapy Woven In Sound

Thirteen Moons, Millinocket, FREE

Yoga Classes starting September 25th

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 ~

Meets the last Sunday of every month 1:00pm at Hartland Library, under direction of Sant Rajinder Singh Jyoti meditation. www.sos.org (207) 876-2954 www.newengsos.org

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.

Ongoing Psychotherapy Groups, Yarmouth, ME.

Kittery, ME: Rawfood Potlucks

Openings available in weekly men's & mixed psychotherapy groups. Intentionally build your relationship skills, communication, personal and spiritual growth. David Ward, LCSW, LADC, (207) 846-3422, www.davidwardlcsw.com/group.html

“Authentic Movement” with “The Wave”

Classes in Yoga, Pilates, Qi Gong, and meditation in a bright and serene studio. Fall session starts now. Drop ins are welcome. Gentle, moderate, & vigorous classes for all ages & levels of experience; private classes available. View schedule on the web at www.sanctuaryhhyc.com or call (207) 846-1162.

NEW MOON FESTIVAL, Facilitated by Oscar Mokeme, Nigerian priest and chief, held monthly @ FOREST CIRCLES, Topsham, Me. for info call (207) 776-3152 or email rstrongheart@gmail.com

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

a four part class offered by professional teacher and healer Regina Strongheart, (207) 776-3152, rstrongheart@gmail.com

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.

Healing Touch sessions with Gail Meyer,

SpiritWings-Workshops, Reiki Classes & Events

Certified Healing Touch Practitioner Thursdays from 11:00am2:00pm at Touchstone Bookstore, 1832 Forest Ave. Portland.

Call (207) 878-3866 to schedule your appointment.

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.

"Developing Your Personal Healing Gifts",

Tools For Teachers This workshop is designed for schoolteachers to enable them to use simple Yoga based mind body integration techniques in their classrooms, as a means of classroom management.

These tools will allow teachers to help children with relaxation, breathing, and stress reduction which will complement their over all learning and create a harmonious learning environment.

Workshops can be scheduled as in-house workdays for teachers in public and private schools. These workshops are individually tailored, and price varies according to the length. Please contact Lily Goodale at ngoodale@aol.com or (207) 236-6001. Workshops can be given from Portland to Bar Harbor and are certified and part of the YogaEd foundation of yoga for children. www.yogaed.com.

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

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

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

Email your listings to events@innertapestry.org

A Gathering of People Exploring Conscious Living Join us Thursdays. 6:00pm-8:00pm at 925 Sawyer Street, South Portland. Sliding scale $5 - $15. FMI: (207) 799-7998, 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

Doula tea, meet with doulas in person.

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.

Aikido of Maine Portland Aikido for Women classes, Wednesday and Friday a.m. classes.

Daily beginner’s classes and youth programs. www.aikidoofmaine.com (207) 879-9207.

Calendar of Events & Classified Ad Information can be found at www.innertapestry.org

Kennebunk Monday evenings Saco Tuesday and Thursday evenings Dayton Wednesday mornings. First Yoga class free for newcomers!

Dance, Chant & Meditate in Portland, Friday, December 8th, January 13th, 6:30pm-9:00pm, Yoga Vacation February 17th-24th at Virgin Gorda, VI. Yoga Vacation July 21st-28th in the Swiss Alps.

FMI: call Jeanette Schmid Lakari (207) 282-5528.

Healing Drum Ceremony Second Mondays, 7:00pm-9:00pm.

Yvonne Treeslimb Raphael, Dancing Trees Lodge, 17 Cotton Lane, Oxford ME. $10 donation to benefit Dancing Trees non-profit 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

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.

Free one-hour Holistic Health Counseling consultations 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.

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.

Yoga For Kids: 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.

Holistic Pathways Yoga & Healing Center, Gorham.

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

CONTINUED ON PAGE 38 Dec/Jan 2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 37

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Two Saturdays per month at Bath Dance Works Classes October 7th and 21st, November 4th & 18th, December 2nd & 16th 72 Front Street, Bath, 10:00am-1:00pm $10 per session.

Kay Mann (207) 725-9997.

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.

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.

⇠ 38

Classifieds Maine

Free Reiki Exchange, Hosted by Gianna Settin

Short-term Solution-oriented Couples & Family Work.

3rd Tuesday of month, 6:00pm-8:30pm Avanti Healing Arts Reiki Center in Brewer. All levels of practitioners and teachers welcome. We will be changing this to Friday evening starting in January. Please call in advance to confirm meeting dates.

(207) 989-9009. www.avantihealingarts.com.

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.

FOR SALE

Energize! and RYSE® sessions

Artists Support Group, Inner Balance, Belfast, ME

(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.

$45,000. Rent paid until 2007. (207) 967-4321 visit www.portbistro.com.

On 156 High Street. Third Tuesday of the month from 7:00pm-8:30pm. Call Elliot Benjamin at (207) 338-4576.

Crescent Moon Herbals 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.

Mindful Meditation™ Mondays 5:30pm-7:00pm 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.

The Awakening Process

Wise Women Daughters of the Moon 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.

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.

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.

Aaminah School Of Middle Eastern Dance

Oriental Brush Painting Classes and Workshops

NDE Support/Discussion Group

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.

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.

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”

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

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.

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

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

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

Ongoing Usui Reiki Classes in all levels, private sessions and free clinics, Gift certificates available.

Please contact Judy Fisher, Reiki Master Teacher in Camden, Maine at (207) 236-0359.

Dancing Xigong: Twelve movements to music Every Thursday morning, 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.

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.

The New England School of Feng Shui Basic through advanced workshops. World-renowned faculty.

Professional certification program available. For complete brochure: (203) 268-9483 or visit www.neschoolfengshui.com.

“SANT MAT RADHASWAMI SATSANG” Inner Light & Sound Meditation. Surat Shabd Yoga. For a Bangor, Waterville, & Portland meeting schedule, call James at: (207) 368-5866 or James@SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com.

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.

Blessings for a Happy Joyous Holiday Season WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING THIS ISSUE OF INNER TAPESTRY~

Kennebunk Restaurant for sale

SACRED SPACES Space Available for Gatherings, Ceremonies, Presentations.

At Earthrest, Cornish, ME. Call (207) 625-4179.

SACRED RENTAL SPACE

Sanctuary Holistic Health & Yoga Center Spectacularly situated on the Royal River in Yarmouth. Newly constructed and beautifully appointed offices and studio. Energetically cleared & balanced with feng shui and geomancy. Full and part time office availabilities. Studio available for workshops or events. Contact Erinn at (207) 846-3394.

Gardens of Atlantis Healing Arts Center has space to rent by day, month or event. We can accommodate your practice, business meetings, or celebrations.

(207) 929-5088, www.gardensofatlantis.org.

Meadow Wind Center for Holistic Arts Shared practitioner space for rent as well as rooms for yoga classes, workshops and office space. Great location, 100 Gray Rd., Falmouth. Easy access to Routes 95 and 295. For more information contact Andrea at Meadow Wind (207) 878-3899 or (207) 939-1124, or visit www.meadowwind.org.

A Place In The Heart Energetically clear beautiful spaces for classes, workshops, celebrations, and ceremony. Outdoor ceremonial space available. Located in Falmouth. Reasonable rates. FMI call The Vywamus Foundation (207) 797-6106.

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 Osteopaths, massage therapist, Naturopaths, energy or body workers. See clinic at www.freeportacupuncture.com.

Rent: $450-$550/mo. Call Mary Beth: (207) 865-1203.

SACRED SPACE FOR SALE

Southern Maine Home with River Frontage Ceremonial Circle with fire pit, hot tub, extensive stone work.

Private & quiet. 3 Bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, screened porch, sun-room and stone patios, Currently owned by spiritual healer and shamanic practitioner. $325,000. Contact Amy Cartmell and Leanne Barschdorf Nichols of Keller Williams Realty, 49 Dartmouth St., Suite 1, Portland, ME 04101 (207) 553-2608.

Maine Renaissance Faire for sale 78 acres of beautiful, magickal woods, buildings and drilled well on site make for a perfect spiritual retreat or campground.

FMI: contact Valerie Davis (207) 926-5693.

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) 799-7995 or email us at info@innertapestry.org.

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 which heading you want your event to appear under: (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 (like August 6th), and telephone numbers count as one word.

Email and Web addresses count as 2 words. Payments must be sent with the listing.

The deadline for the February/March 2007 issue is January 5th.

Email your listings: events@innertapestry.org.

38 Inner Tapestry Dec/Jan 2006/2007

⇠ 39

\ YOGA, T’AI CHI AIKIDO & MEDITATION Practitioners Directory BELFAST, ME 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, Yoga for Cardiac Wellness). (207) 338-3930. www.belfastyoga.com info@belfastyoga.com.

BOOTHBAY HARBOR, ME 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.

CAMDEN, ME

FALMOUTH, ME Meadow Wind Center for Holistic Arts Offering several styles and levels of yoga from beginner to power yoga. Call (207) 878-3899 for class schedule or go to www.meadowwind.org for more information. 100 Gray Road, Falmouth, Me.

GORHAM, ME Holistic Pathways Yoga & Healing Center All abilities/ages. Beginner, Continuing, Intermediate, Toning & Sculpting, Pregnancy Yoga, Couples Pregnancy Yoga, Mommy & Me (infants), Yoga for Tots, & Pilates. Private Sessions available. Postures, breathwork, meditation, relaxation.

(207) 839-7192. www.holisticpathways.com.

NEW GLOUCESTER, ME ®

Life Breath Institute Offers classes, workshops and private sessions to meet your schedule. ChiKung, deep meditation, Reiki and breathing techniques combined to achieve ultimate well-being in our Physical, Emotional, Mental and Spiritual life.

Rev. Valerie Davis B. Msc. 31 Rowe Station Rd., New Gloucester, ME (207) 926-5693.

NORTH YARMOUTH, ME Turning Light Yoga & Meditation Center Classes in Hatha Yoga, Meditation and Psychological & Spiritual Development.

Free Monthly Satsang. Personal, group and corporate programs available.

Director Darcy Cunningham certified by Institute of the Himalayan Tradition and Yoga Alliance. (207) 829-2700, www.TurningLight.org,

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 enhanced 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).

Portland T'ai Chi School Traditional Yang Style T'ai Chi classes at the Portland New Church Wednesdays 5:30pm-6:30pm. White Crane QiGong is taught to develop internal energy. The focus is on developing a healthy body and emotional being. (207) 272-8286, www.portlandtaichi.org.

YARMOUTH, ME Sanctuary Holistic Health & Yoga Center Spacious & beautiful newly built studio. Professional instruction in KRIPALU & HATHA YOGA and MEDITATION. Now also PILATES and QI GONG! Group & private classes, all levels; youth, teens, adults. See website for schedule. (207) 846-1162, www.sanctuaryhhyc.com.

Calling all Yoga, T'ai Chi, QiGong and Meditation Practitioners. Place your listing here! An excellent resource for getting the word out for your classes & workshops!

If you and your group or school hold classes and workshops and would like to be listed in this Directory, please call: (207) 799-7995 or Email: info@innertapestry.org.

Please include in listings Yoga, Meditation, T’ai Chi and Qi Gong related classes Dec/Jan 2006/2007 Inner Tapestry 39

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

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.

PORTLAND, ME (Con't)

40 â‡

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

See what’s new in this issue!

Articles, New Calendar Events, New Directory of Resources Listings and much more... Thanks for reading!