Inner Tapestry “Complementary Medicine” February March 2006 by HeartGlow

A Holistic Journal Celebrating & Supporting Life's Exploration u

MYSTICAL GRACES

WHAT IS SOULCIRCLING? LIVING TO BE 100

YOUR MYTHIC JOURNEY

WHAT IS SHIATSU?

DIETING FOR HEALTH

BACK TO THE BASICS PREVENTING & TREATING THE FLU WITH HOME REMEDIES

Feb/Mar 2006

u ASTROLOGY ~ THE SCOOP FOR 2006

Inner

u FENG SHUI ~ MING TANG - THE CENTER OF QI

Tapestry COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE u

u LIFE RHYTHMS ~ BHOPAL, INDIA... u MODERN SHAMANIC LIVING ~ MEDICINE'S ANCIENT HEART u EXPLORING WORLD RELIGIONS ~ Finding Your Spiritual Path, Part Four

Volume 4, No . 5 Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

JOIN INNER TAPESTRY AND IT'S SUPPORTERS AT THE WHOLE HEALTH EXPO ~ PORTLAND SM

MORE INFORMATION INSIDE

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aisie MMaisie Children’s Photography 207 626 0652 Photographing children in their world is my passion— whether it be in their home, in their backyard, or at their favorite park. I specialize in black & white and sepia tone images that celebrate the precious, fleeting

moments of childhood.

MaisieWormser Maisieworm@gwi.net

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: 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 207-761-3765 cskeene70@hotmail.com

Gail Edgerly Portland, ME 207-761-3765 gailedge@maine.rr.com Liz Berks Cornish, ME 207-625-2347 lizland@pivot.net Jane Biggio Bartlett, NH ® 603-374-6326 bamboomountain@ncia.net

Introductory Workshops to the Trager® Approach Ongoing In Portland, Bridgton and No. Conway, NH.

For more information, please contact Marlena O'Hagan Buzzell at 207-212-7721 or Email: kbuzzell@megalink.net

Inner Tapes try Jour nal: Enviro nm ent ally f r iendly p r inted wit h Org a nic I nks on Org a nic Pa per!

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Open 7 Days • 10 AM – 6 PM NEW & USED BOOKS MUSIC MEDITATION & RHYTHM INSTRUMENTS TAROT DECKS JEWELRY CRYSTALS & GEMSTONES AROMATHERAPY FENG SHUI INCENSE & HERBS CANDLES PENDULUMS EVENTS

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Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 3

Contents

COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

A Holistic Journal Celebrating & Supporting Life's Exploration

Upcoming Themes:

Feb/Mar 2006

April/May 2006: Friendships & Relationships June/July 2006: Organic Lifestyles Aug/Sept 2006: Healing Through Creativity Oct/Nov 2006: Eco-consciousness

Mystical Graces

Features

Page 7

by Megan Don

Your Mythic Journey

Page 12-13

by David Lee

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Back to the Basics Preventing & Treating by Sasha Rose, ND the flu with Home Remedies

Page 18

Dieting for Health

Page 19

by Shannen L Wagner

Welcome to Inner Tapestry Available in more than 300 locations In its fourth year as a free publication, Inner Tapestry is supported by its advertisers and locally distributed to fine shops, offices, bookstores and cafés, health practitioners, education centers, public libraries, health food stores, and healing and wellness centers. We believe you will find the information in Inner Tapestry timely, refreshing and relevant. 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-DISTRIBUTION - CONTINUALLY GROWING! FIVEPERSONA WAYS TO ADVERTISE: Display ads. Directory of Resources, Yoga

Living to Be 100

Page 23

What is Shiatsu?

Page 24

& T’ai Chi Directory, Calendar of Events and the Classifieds. Each section has details on how to become an advertising presence with Inner Tapestry. Call or see Website for ad rates. CALL INNER TAPESTRY: (207) 781-9885 info@innertapestry.org www.innertapestry.org

Page 29

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

by Amy Kustra, MD by Antje Roitzsch

What is SoulCircling? by Ken Hamilton, MD

Departments

Astrology ~ As Above, So Below ~ The Scoop for 2006

www.innertapestry.org

Subscriptions are available:

Pages 8-9

$18.00/year, 6 issues

Column & Monthly Forecasts by Maya White

A H olistic Journal Celebrating & Supporting Life's Exploration

Herbal Healing ~ The Sambhavna Herb Gardens...

Page 10

by Gail Faith Edwards

Life Rhythms ~ My visit to Bhopal India...

Page 11

by Gail Faith Edwards

Cooking Consciously & Eating Healthy ~ Change your tempo Page 14 with Tempeh....

by Anne Sheble

Feng Shui & Geopathology ~ Ming Tang

Page 15

Artists & Writers ~ Interviews ~ Jill Betz, DC

Page 16

by Werner Brandmaier

-the center of Qi

by Gail Faith Edwards

Joan Emmons, Ron Damico Betty Close, & Jacqueline Cone

Inner Tapestry can be picked up for free in over 300 Maine 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 66 Foreside Road Falmouth, ME 04105

(207) 781-9885 info@innertapestry.org

The Way of Life Itself ~ No Single System...

Page 27

by Norm Hirst

Exploring The World Religions ~ Finding your Page 28-29 by James Bean

Spiritual Path, Part Four

Awareness and the Art of Seeing ~ A day in the life

Page 17

Mixed Media ~ Book, Music and Website Reviews Page 38 & 39

Wisdom from a Pyschic, Intuitive

Page 17

Directories

A Breath of Healing ~ Yoga, Ayurveda & more...

Page 25

Modern Shamanic Living ~ Medicine's Ancient Heart

Page 26

by Jen Deraspe

of an old cat.

by Jason Freidus

by Donna Amrita Davidge

by Evelyn C. Rysdyk 4 Inner Tapestry Feb/Mar 2006

Directory of Resources Pages 30-34 Heart Visions for our future life's journey Page 35 Calendar of Events Pages 36-38 Classifieds Page 38 Yoga, T'ai Chi & Meditation Directory Page 40

5 INNER WORKINGS

;

OUR CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES TO INNER TAPESTRY'S CREATOR NITASIA TIMMS AND HER HUSBAND ALLISTER TIMMS ON THE ARRIVAL OF THEIR DAUGHTER

Glass Box by Oana Lauric

For Inner Tapestry's Complementary Medicine Issue we would like to welcome again Oana Lauric and her work Glass Box. Born in Romania Oana shares her heart and time between three adoptive countries: France, where she studied art, architecture and found a fountain of inspiration, Italy where she rediscovered her roots and the US, (Scarborough) where her home is and where her art blooms. Oana's quote regarding her art reflects this painting eloquently. "Life is made of concentric cages... We break a cage after a struggle, breath deep and feel free, only to discover a larger cage around. A box in a box in a box. I choose to rather break the cages inside myself. My weapons are love and creativity, and my paintings speak about those battles. My art is my step toward freedom. With every new canvas, a cage is broken!" When first I saw Glass Box it resonated deeply for me. Within this wonderful painting is seen the struggle for us all in finding and remembering ways to love, care and nurture ourselves in our daily lives. To break free of old beliefs and patterns that hold us in place, that keep us holding back from the world. This issue focuses on ways that each of us can explore and remember that we can break free from that glass box which contains our true spirit. I connected to the struggle for each of us to find ways to complement our lives, not only in finding ways to care for ourselves, and be cared for, but the struggle we have to come out into the world with our wonderful unique gifts. Breaking through our glass boxes to be the support system that will assist all in changing the world as we have known it. Uniting all our systems of care and ourselves. Oana's paintings abound of secrets, allusions, illusions and message. In her work media and tools are mixed and blended, reality and imaginary visions get playfully tangled, and nourish each other. She continues to explore and study volumes, forms, space and new technologies. You can see her work online at various web sites and she will be exhibiting her newest paintings in the upcoming 2006 Art Expo in New York City at the Jacob K. Javits Center, Booth 214, March 2nd-6th. My thanks to Oana for encouraging and allowing me to express my impression and feelings around her wonderful work.

Pathways to Consciousness

explore with us: energetic & physical harmonizing spiritual guidance weekly gatherings consciousness playshops ron damico &

joan emmons www.pathways2u.com 207-781-9887 Falmouth, ME

VIENNA ROWAN TIMMS MAY LIFE'S JOURNEY BE AS SWEET AND LOVELY AS YOU ARE DEAR ONE. Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 5

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New this issue: Welcome everyone to our February/March issue, Complementary Medicine. Our title bar on the front cover has changed as well as the original title for this issue. In speaking with many of the writers, distributors and readers we have experienced many of you sharing the excitement of the journal expanding into New Hampshire and Connecticut. You have shared with us your thoughts and your desire to expand with the journal in supporting people outside of our Maine area. Though Maine will always remain Inner Tapestry's birth place and home, we feel that the title bar should be a reflection of Inner Tapestry's growth, our communities growth and willingness to open to the connection of all. Our issue's title was originally Alternative Medicine and has been changed to Complementary Medicine to reflect more fully our intention and what we feel Inner Tapestry represents. We all in our own expressions of holistic health and natural living choose to complement all in life, not only medicine. Our thanks and appreciation to all who have shared written expressions of these aspects of their lives, sharing these opportunities with everyone, some of which are new and some already known. We all have access to these gifts, not only to complement the healing of our physical health issues but the healing of our whole self, and in time our planet. Some of these writings will continue to be printed in Inner Tapestry's April/May issue as we explore Friendships and Relationships. We would like to correct and apologize to all, for an error in our December/January issue. In our a breath of healing column's bio, the contact information for Sewallhouse was misspelled. For those of you wishing to make that connection instead of www.seawallhouse.com it should have been www.sewallhouse.com. Sorry Donna. We would also like to invite all to join Inner Tapestry and many of our advertisers at the WHOLE HEALTH EXPOSM on March 4th and 5th, at the Holiday Inn By the Bay. You have seen most of our practitioners' and supporters' ads in the past and this is a wonderful opportunity to come and meet all who have supported the creation and growth of this great community. Further information can be found on pages 21-23. Everyone here at Inner Tapestry is looking forward to meeting all of you at the Expo. 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. We will support the Inner Tapestry's community of readers and it's advertisers with the expansion of distribution. To our advertisers, columnists, feature writers/artists and distributors, our gratitude and appreciation for your support of community in making Inner Tapestry accessible to our many readers. 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 time passes. We welcome into our lives the support of the journal and all who are connected to it as we continue to evolve and grow together.

On The Cover

6 Empowerment Workshop

Create your life the way you want it! Dates: February 9th-12th March 16th - 19th April 6th - 9th

FMI (207) 865-0646 djbonney@suscom-maine.net (See calendar of events section for details.)

The Thirteenth Moon

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

ART from the heART

Art Therapy & Shamanism Studio ~ a light filled circular sacred space surrounded by fields and trees ~

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

Annie Sheble Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Guide to Health using Whole Foods

Instruction in: Cooking techniques, kitchen set-up, and menu formulation for meals using whole foods for health. Three levels of Training in macrobiotics at the Kushi Institute in Becket, MA., completed in spring 2004.

(207) 338-9621

S ewall H ouse

Blessed Maine Herb Farm School of Herbal Medicine

Herbal Medicine Apprenticeship with Gail Faith Edwards 2006 May 22nd - June 16th June 19th - July 14th August 7th - September 1st September 4th - September 29th www.studyherbalmedicine.com

(207) 654-2879

6 Inner Tapestry Feb/Mar 2006

Retreat

Experience history of an earlier time. . . Sewall House Retreat offers yoga v meditation v massage and more. . . July 4 thru Columbus Day

Where Theodore Roosevelt learned the healing attributes of nature. . . (207) 463-3428

www.sewallhouse.com

Uplifting, Unusual and Beautiful Gifts! Classes that Inspire! Angels, Books, Music, Jewelry, Crystals, Pendulums, Crystal Singing Bowls and so much more!

Leapin' Lizards

56 Maine St., Brunswick 373-1777 449 Forest Ave., Portland 221-2363

www.leapinlizards.biz

MYSTICAL GRACES by Megan Don

“Leaving the image of God, to find God” Meister Eckhart

Walking the mystic pathway is one of engagement in stripping away ideas.... beliefs about spirit, about God, and about the spiritual life.... Equally important for Teresa, is humility, another mystical grace. For her, humility means the ability to know that the inner God-self is the truth of our reality and being and that no matter how much the ego seeks to control its life, it is God who gives the very breath and essence of life. There are two definitions of humility that I equally love, and they are: humility is the calm recognition of reality as it is; and, humility is to know that you are still teachable. Teresa adhered to, and lived both of these definitions. The first takes us right back into self-knowledge, but not from a place where the pride stubbornly resists and grimaces, but from a place of acknowledgment of the reality of the situation, whether it is an external circumstance or an internal feeling. The calm comes from a detachment to an outcome, that is, there is no spiritual expectation as to what should be occurring or what should be the internal response to that occurrence. This calm and detachment speak of a true freedom. Not a freedom from pain and chaos, but a freedom from expecting something other than what is being given. Spiritual freedom does not mean a life of perfect bliss with everything going according to your

will. Quite the opposite in fact, as Teresa readily reminds us. This calm and detachment is something that Teresa came to after thirty-five years of monastic living. She lived another ten years to enjoy it. But always, she wrote, we must acknowledge the true source of our existence, the true teacher. Only then can we begin to enter into the realms of humility and acknowledge and pay homage to our own souls, and those whom we share this world with, who are also our teachers. There are none who are not included. There are none who are separate from this true knowledge. By bowing down before all who come to pass in our lives we begin to taste that truly mystical grace of knowing that each is a teacher demanding that we grow into ourselves. Teresa is adamant that we are not to try and gain humility by our own means. She witnessed too many false attempts at this, and once again, she saw through the tricks of the ego, as it tried to fashion its own version of humility, bringing souls ever more into the depth of illusion. One such example of false humility is the belief that we are not good enough to receive the divine graces. In many ways we are all guilty of this, as we block the many ways we could be loved, as we fear entering into the true freedom of our being, and as we hesitate in stepping forward into the richness of whom we are. Another common sister of this false humility is the nature of being overly concerned as to our actions. That is, we worry what others will think or say about us, if our actions are spiritual or Godly enough, or if they will be seen in the darker light of criticism. The truly humble thinks not of what others think. The truly humble does not hide from others, but neither wishes to be seen by others – the humble soul is lifted by the spirit when least expected, when least wanted. A priest who had been offered a bishopric sought Teresa’s advice regarding his acceptance of the position – she replied that if he wanted the position then he was not ready to accept it. Our world today is in dire need of a return to humility. It is in need of both people and leaders dedicated to receiving the mystical graces through self-knowledge and the willingness to calmly face the reality of themselves and their life-situations. The spirit waits to graciously and generously give. How long before we truly come to claim our freedom? And why do we cling so tenaciously to that which keeps us enslaved? Perhaps nothing more, than this is what we know. It is an interesting phenomenon this being human. May we all look to one another for guidance as we journey back into our true self.

Megan Don, is the author of Falling Into the Arms of God: Meditations with Teresa of Avila. She leads retreats at Kripalu and the Omega Institute; also in Rockland, Maine March 10th - 12th (see calendar of events). Her work blends Eastern and Western mysticism, contemplative meditation, movement and sound, www.mysticpeace.com.

ENJOY READING THIS ISSUE OF INNER TAPESTRY

Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 7

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s we walk on the path of our spiritual journey it is easy to fall into the trap of spiritual expectation. That is, our mind has conceptual ideas of what spirituality is and how these ideas should be manifested in our everyday lives. These ideas can then affect all facets of our living, from relationships, to work, and our material existence. More often than not these expectations are shaped by ideals that we have inherited from our societal and parental upbringing, or, are in response to these influences and manifested as an idealistic rebellion. Either way, they can lead us on an erroneous path of how the spirit should work in our lives. Walking the mystic pathway is one of engagement in stripping away ideas, ideals and all conceptual beliefs about spirit, about God, and about the spiritual life in action. There is nothing to hold onto, nothing to believe, and no prescriptions about how to live. It is instead, a moving into the creative life force and allowing this life force to come in and through your very being, re-creating each moment with its unknown and sometimes fiery energy. At times this energy can burn away the dross of past wounds held onto; at other times it can be the divine fire of love burning deeply into the hidden regions of the heart, inspiring and bringing you forth into action. At other times, it may be the ‘gentle breeze’ or the ‘still small voice’ that whispered into Elijah’s soul (1Kings: 19:12) that visits us. Whatever the divine energy brings, whether it be through external circumstances and/or internal stirrings, the mystic knows that it is the beloved coming to pay homage to the soul. This homage is an expression of the loving respect that the divine has for each us, inviting us to return to the truth and freedom that we are. One person, who accepted this invitation, though not without immense resistance and struggle, was Teresa of Avila, the 16th century Spanish mystic and businesswoman. Strong-willed, intellectually reliant, and hottempered, she found herself in a Carmelite Monastery, not through a religious calling, but as an alternative to marriage. The veiled voice of the spirit however, began to call her name, inviting her into the depths of her own being and awakening. She resisted, she ignored, and even denied its existence. The spirit continued however, to come and pay homage. After many years, in the darkness of her own extreme frustration and interior pain, Teresa opened her soul to let the inner light shine. This was the beginning of her journey into the deep interior of her being. She was initiated into walking the pathway of the surrender of her mind and ego. Teresa perceived of the soul as an image like that of a clear crystal castle, containing many rooms, and “rooms within rooms.” The room we must first visit, and visit often, Teresa wrote, is the room of self-knowledge. It is here that we look the ego in the eye and learn to discern its nature, its trickery, and its subtlety. Too often the ego will lay claim to spiritual longings and selfless observances, which are nothing more than protective measures for the ego to lie safely in. For instance, we may fabricate a peaceful sanctified existence by only allowing into our sphere people who won’t upset our equilibrium – those who don’t challenge us or who do not reflect our own negativity. Previously, when confronted with difficult situations or people, both

reflections of the ego, we have either projected our own unresolved feelings back onto them, or we have simply run in the other direction (the fight-or-flight syndrome). The ego now tells us in its sophisticated voice that negativity has no spiritual benefit and that we would do well to remove ourselves from this situation or person immediately. In a not-so sophisticated voice the ego tells us how irritating or annoying this person is and we will find thoughts of our superiority rising. Again the ego seeks to leave their company as soon as possible, in order to be with persons more suitable for our perceived spiritual or intellectual understanding. We are still in flight; we are moving away from, not toward – as the ego would have us believe – our greater selves. This irritating other, the perceived obstacle or difficult situation, is however, the very mystical grace of the Beloved. It is the calling and the giving of a deeper self-knowledge – an opportunity to release any old identification with our self or simply an acceptance of our personality traits somewhere long ago denied. Yet, using this often-unconscious flight strategy, the ego protects itself from experiencing any upset to its controlled way of life and externally creates a peaceful landscape that allows it to live temporarily in an illusory state of peace. And how do we know if we are in such an illusory state of being? Because immediately, once the ego is challenged, the peace rapidly evaporates. The true peace remains, even in the midst of challenges, ego-deaths, and life-difficulties. Self-knowledge – a lifetime of exploration!

a strolo gy

As Above, So Below . . . Feb/Mar 2006 by Maya White

The Scoop for 2006

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ello New Age, Goodbye old. Crystal, get the Merkaba fired up, we’re taking off. Feel the penetration of light through all your levels. Allow it to enter you, to pierce into your personal Daath, the deepest layer of darkness. Bring light to the tree of life below the tree of life. As above, so below. Into the depths below Shekinah, the interface between this world and the underworld, comes a fierce light full of color and cosmic fire. It is a light that has fragrance and sound. So pure that it enters into the water we drink. Essence. Healing. Peace. Obviously we are living in an ever increasingly fast paced world. Still, in order to move foreword unencumbered, we must clean up our personal tree of life. Retrograde planets symbolically bring events, people, and situations into our sphere which either present an opportunity, or demand a commitment to do so. The big news is that in 2006, the retrograde planets flow in a wave like Poseidon coming ashore with his team of water horses. This has to be about cleaning up karma until it shines. Over all, it’s a good thing. Think of it as an opportunity for personal and inner growth, and an incredible scrubbing of a soul. What has been hardest, undoubtedly, is Neptune in Aquarius squaring the other fixed signs- Leo, Taurus and Scorpio. Esoteric astrology teaches that these middle degrees of the fixed signs house the gatekeepers of karma. With Neptune slowly moving from 14º to 17º Aquarius over the past year, these mid degrees have now been breached. Maybe this breakdown is what has brought in the giant angels and ever more spiritual helpers and guides. Stuart Wilde writes about fierce etheric hounds that are now entering our world, too. The roam side by with warrior angels and as teams they battle nasty ugly etheric vipers. Goddess knows there are some of those around. Venus and Saturn, karmic lovers begin the year both retrograde. They tell a pretty sad tale, these two. It’s mostly about when they were kicked out of their beautiful home in Babylon. They’re about loss and separation from that which we love. Pity the maiden bound in chains. Not getting what we think we want. How many of us spent New Years Eve with a longing and commitment in our secret hearts for more, better, and deeper love in the 2006? By mid April, we have only Jupiter and Pluto in backward motion. These gods of power and majesty have their go at it, too. Old empires begin to crumble, the walls crashing down. The Government. The Church. Even the Illuminati. Some type of revolution is going on, and like rats fleeing a sinking ship, the small men behind giant faces will be revealed. Unfortunately, this cannot be good for the mainstream financial markets, either. The secret to Jupiter retrograde is the more you give the more you get. It’s that simple. In May, add Neptune to the retrograde lineup. And, then, next month, by late June, unbelievably, Uranus joins in this harmonic lineup. Wow! Uranus can propel more of us to shop healthy and buy ‘green’. Alternatives like ecotourism will continue to thrive, too. In 1930 Astrologer Evangeline Adams described Uranus as the ‘essence of volcanic fire. There is no planet so strange, so revolutionary, so occult, or so contradictory. The planet of genius, as well as the powerful Kundalini which lies coiled at base of our spines.’ She goes on further to describe that ‘Neptune makes the saint of the hermit; Uranus makes the magician. For every man has this Uranus in him, strong or weak, subtle or gross, fortunate or unfortunate, and this is the Royal Snake of Egypt ,the giver of Life and Death. If you do not allow him to create he will devour.’ The year peaks in Mid June, when Jupiter, Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus are all retrograde at the same time. The exact time for this begins on June 19th. On July 5th Mercury goes retrograde and on the 7th Jupiter is direct. (In a practical vein, I predict that people will be terrible drivers around that time.) There are still four backward players through July 28th. So, really, think of it as mid June through late July. This has got to be a great year of karma.

8 Inner Tapestry Feb/Mar 2006

Hooray for the good people, those who receive the light in order to share the light. By August, it’s only the outer three, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto which are retrograde. In September, Pluto goes direct. Then, late October Neptune finally stations at 17º Aquarius. Talk about long overdue. In November it’s Uranus and Mercury doin’ the duck walk. Uranus is direct after November 20th. And, guess who ends the year as a retrograde singleton. . . .Saturn! I think the year is about commitment. Keeping our word. Intention. We are learning manifestation. There are two sets of eclipses every year. In 2006 the first ones is a Lunar at March 14th at 24º Scorpio, and the corresponding Solar Eclipse is March 29th, at 8º Aries. Both signs are Mars ruled. I guess this means the wars go on, but we must also become crusaders for what we personally feel is important. Eclipses have an interpretation based upon a system called Saros Cycles. Astrologer and author Bernadette Brady* relays the message for this one as ‘Inventiveness with flashes of genius. Intuitive leaps, insights, good ideas, visions or vivid dreams. This is a time when the person needs to be free, if only for a few weeks.’ Our next set of eclipses take place September 7th with a Full Moon at 15º Pisces. The New Moon event is on September 22nd at 29º Virgo- a critical degree. Pisces – Virgo. The Goddess and the Saint. The crucifixion. The Saros Cycle message is also sobering, ‘Separation and loss. To be parted. To finish something, and to be sad at its completion. There is even a possibility of physical injury. So pay attention and mark your calendar, in a positive way, of course. I think our Creator is sad about losing so many of his/her carefully crafted souls. We’re all going to be letting go of something this year. It’s a good year, but yet another one of change. I would personally like to put a word in for the 2006 Jim Maynards Celestial Calendar. Of all the calendars available, this one continues to be my favorite. The pictures this year are especially beautiful. Love it. In addition to following planetary movements, one of the best reasons for learning to use an astrological calendar is so that you can identify void of course moon periods. At these times it’s wise to avoid making important choices. Decisions made then are subject to unknown factors. It’s a time that does detract from daily focus but one which still feeds our spiritual growth. Void of course days are not wasted, as it sometimes seems; rather they could be looked upon as an opportunity to be creative. Now, there’s a good reason to tell your boss you need the day off. Here’s wishing everyone many pleasant days in 2006. *One of the most valuable books I have ever read and source for Saros Cycles is: ‘Predictive Astrology, the Eagle and the Lark’, Bernadette Brady, Samuel Weiser, 1999

February/March Forecast February 2006 Aries – (March 20 – April 19) Your finances should be looking better, since Mars has been clicking ahead in your financial sector for a while now. Consolidate opportunities, finalize gains, and enjoy this well deserved prosperity. After the 17th, Mars shifts into the realm of ideas, and events move into hyper speed. People begin to ask more and more favors of you, and it seems you are pulled in every direction at once. The key word is ‘balance’. Taurus – (April 20 – May 20) Finally, the valve has released some of the pressure of recent months, but you feel like an overdone pot roast by now. Release the burn as your tightly wound core begins to unwind. Allow, go with the flow, take it easy; need I say more? You are on the receiving end of bountiful praise now, too. Accept the gifts that others want to give you, which may include an extra special surprise for Valentines Day. Gemini – (May 21 – June 20) You will be as busy as your planetary ruler Mercury is this month, Gemini. Like its namesake quicksilver, Mercury blasts through a multitude of encounters now. Do not bet the store on ill conceived plans made on the 1st. An adventure of the exotic kind beckons you on the 14th; do you dare? Go for it; just be sure to stick around for the 28th which is also Mardi Gras- best day of the month for you. Cancer – (June 21 – July 21) Jupiter has been opening up your 5th

house of play and creativity lately, which is right up your alley. Seek and find that inner child- have you met him or her in a dream lately? Plan an outing for just the two of you on the 9th; a day in the city, or a trip to someplace you have always wanted to visit. The invisible world is brimming with messages for your soul now. You need only stop, look, and listen. Leo – (July 22 – August 22) The Full Moon on the 12th is in your sign this month. Full Moon represents a time when we harvest the fruits of a project. Move ahead confidently and collect your due; it has

9 Astrology

Virgo – (August 23 – September 22) Your work situation gets a much needed boost this month as Jupiter waves a friendly flag to Neptune. Be ready to act quickly, though. Mercury, your ruling planet is rushing ahead at a dizzying pace. Pay attention to detail, which is your forte, anyway. A welcome infusion of inspiration, coupled with opportunity arrives by months’ end.

Taurus – (April 20 – May 20) Your creative juices are turned up a notch, so get started. Follow that dream; and there is no time like the present. Some practical matters have to be worked out, but do not let it stop momentum. You have so much to offer; release your gift like a butterfly and watch the ripples of your efforts. Put it in writing on the 4th. The journey of a lifetime begins with one step.

Libra – (September 23 – October 21) How is it going with that New Year’s resolution regarding better health? You know- going to the gym and eating healthy food; less couch potato and more super veggie burger. The planets completely support you now in making changes; the only problem being it seems too easy. You need to supply the initiative, and the rest will take care of itself. Best day to take action is first quarter moon, on the 5th. Scorpio – (October 22 – November 21) Well, Scorpio, how does it feel to sit on top of the world? You may continue traipsing on your merry way; just remember to look both ways at the crossroad. Malingering Neptune is still eroding your shoreline; and stern Saturn has long been whispering gruesome trills into your skull. Practice your inner smile because things look even more favorable second half of the month. Look sharp on the 23rd when you connect with a VIP.

Pisces – (February 18 – March 19) The Pisces New Moon of February 27th activates both the Sun and Uranus, which are also in your sign now. Don’t dwindle this exciting aspect on fanciful pipe dreams when you can have the real thing. Sometimes the universe just delivers, and other times we have to use our manifesting power to create that which we want. Both your powers of magnetic attraction and electrical creation are at an all time high. Your choice is one of aesthetics- do you prefer the high road or the low one?

March 2006 Aries – (March 20 – April 19) Separate the wheat from the chaff now, Aries. With Mercury retrograde from the 3rd until the 25th, your inner life operates like a washing machine spin cycle. Things are moving so fast it’s hard to remember what’s in that load; and most likely you

Virgo – (August 23 – September 22) Lunar eclipses often activate issues of loss or confusion related to the home and/or emotional relationships. And, yes, there is a Full Moon eclipse on the 14th in Virgo this month, but this one also comes dressed as inventive flashes of genius! Your dreams are at an all time high. You simply need freedom to expand and explore all possibilities. Plan time away; often a change in perspective facilitates great transformation. Libra – (September 23 – October 21) With both Venus and Mars traveling through air signs, you are looking good and feeling better. To stay on track remember Libra is a cardinal, action starting sign. You now initiate more than just relationships. The 16th is an excellent day to scrutinize your world. You know where to go, and see the way clearly. Scorpio – (October 22 – November 21) Smart Scorpios keep it cool this month. It’s ok to turn on your mystique and charm, ‘cause many people are just playing around now. You can do it that way, too, though it’s not really your nature. Keep a tight lid on two cookie jars; the one where you keep your extra money, as well as the one that has goodies. It’s an opportune time to replace old negative habits with new positive ones. One exception, create a stellar evening out where ‘anything can happen’ for the 25th. Sagittarius – (November 22– December 20) A family member pops up needing extra attention this time around. This seems to draw you away from many tasks at hand, but really, what can be more important? Capricorn – (December 21 – January 19) The mountain peak which was so clearly in view recedes back into the distance, leaving you to philosophize and regroup for

Maya White is a full-time professional astrologer who resides in Florida and Maine. Her primary focus in astrology is to identify soul issues and personal growth lessons. She is also certified in Astro*Carto*Graphy, a specialty that helps people identify their most prosperous and meaningful places on Earth. For consultations or classes contact Maya at 954-920-2373, maya@mayawhite,com. See www.WhiteStarAstrology.com.

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Helen B. Warren, M.Ed. MFA Original Visionary Art Co-Creating with Your Soul • Retreats • Individual Journeys (207) 829-6876 Helen@creativespiral.net www.creativespiral.net

Jason Freidus 5th Generation Intuitive = Psychic = Teacher = Healer 20 years experience

Lectures & Tarot Readings

Inquiries: 207.934.2180 jfreidus@maine.rr.com

INNER TAPESTRY JOURNAL 66 Foreside Road, Falmouth, ME 04105 (207) 781-9885 Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 9

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Aquarius – (January 20 – February 17) Happy Birthday! Kabalistic astrology teaches that yours is a sign of redemption through shared abundance. Someone demands your personal attention this month, and you have no choice but to comply. Aquarius loves to share truth and light for humanity; now your deliverance comes with a name and a face- sometimes that’s even harder to love.

Leo – (July 22 – August 22) There is much to melt even a lion’s heart this month. Situations = frustration. Relationships = smoke and mirrors. Your winning card, though, is attitude. Nobody can take that away from you. Hold on to your secret charm. Focus and center into that warm bright space inside of you, put on a smile, and dance. The Moon is in your sign the weekend of the 10th and 11th; good for going out, but with Mars interacting with Uranus, also play it safe.

Pisces – (February 18 – March 19) Relationship matters take much of your time and attention this month. This is very likely the beginning of a long term trend, too, so pay attention. Yours is the sign of a dreamer, but take a look around from time to time. And, feel it out using your internal guidance system; of all the signs, yours is the most reliable. Don’t be bullied by an outburst on the 10th; it’s real, but then, so are you.

Capricorn – (December 21 – January 19) Venus, the celestial goddess of love and the good life has been retrograde since mid December, but she springs to life in your corner when she moves into direct motion on the 3rd. Look for her shining brightly in the morning sky. This Venus emerges with spice and verve, but how you handle her is up to you. Are you gripping negative qualities of fear and selfishness; or are you ready to look at your own shortcomings? On the 23rd and 24th you receive in kind that which you have been planting; the harvest is yours to create.

Cancer – (June 21 – July 21) The Moon in Cancer on the 8th and 9th serves up some pretty nice aspects. Things pretty much flow to you, though it’s not like you to sit around just waiting, either. Those of you seeking funding for education or other long term projects will likely meet with success. You are honored and wise, sage; share your insights with someone who really needs your assistance.

Aquarius – (January 20 – February 17) You are plucked out of ordinary reality this month, for better or worse. It’s not the time to make important decisions; better to focus on inspiration and higher guidance. Venus conjunct Neptune in your sign on the 26th is a cosmic confirmation to your heart of universal love and service. Some of you meet a soul mate like no other. Others merge into creativity through art or music. It’s a mystical union, but for how long remains to unfold.

Sagittarius – (November 22– December 20) What gift did your secret Santa brings last Christmas? Well, he or she is still in your court. The spirit guides and angels are working over time for you now; really, the best thing to do is just step out of the way and let them help. These helpers and events begin to move into place on the 8th; and what you need becomes available on the 19th.

Gemini – (May 21 – June 20) Mars traveling through your sign provides extra fuel, just take care that you don’t ‘burn out’ with all the activity. It’s an excellent time to begin that new building project, or anything else using your hands; including getting a start on that writing project. Yes, Mercury retrograde mid month affects you, and this one is no exception. Expect mechanical meltdowns and communication breakups. But, it’s also a time when we have greater access to natural brilliance and insights. Focus on the latter.

a clear victory later this year. There are just too many obstacles now. What seems like a frustrating delay will prove to be valuable in the future. It always works that way, especially when things are out of your control.

did put those red socks in with the white underwear. It’s time to step back, slow down, and listen carefully to what your subconscious self is saying. This inner child speaks through events, dreams, and even other people. Listen carefully.

been a long time coming. Don’t let jealous remarks of someone less motivated detract from your joy. Bask in the glow of this victory, because circumstances develop later in the month which leave you feeling off centered and out of sorts.

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Ayurvedic Herbs Growing at the Sambhavna Herb Garden Bhopal, India by Gail Faith Edwards tonic, antihelminthic, antipyretic, and astringent. It is favored for wound treatment, sore throat, urinary problems, gonorrhea, ulcers and liver disease.

was invited to teach herbal medicine making at the Sambhavna Clinic in Bhopal, India this fall. You can read my report on the recent history and current situation in Bhopal, as well as the work I was involved in while there, in the Life Rhythms section of this issue.

Photos of farm and herbs are courtesy of Terry Allan

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More than one hundred Ayurvedic herbs are growing in the lush, magnificent herb garden that Terry Allan created at the Sambhavna Clinic in Bhopal, India. Descriptions of nine of the most widely used medicinal herbs follow: Neem, Azadiracta indica This lovely evergreen tree is cultivated all over India and has become a symbol of Indian indigenous knowledge of medicinal herbs. It is one of the most important herbs in Ayurvedic medicine. Neem is described in several ancient Indian medical texts and it’s Sanskrit name, nimba, is a derivative of a word literally meaning ‘to give good health’. The roots, bark, gum, leaves, fruit, seed kernels and seed oil are all used in making medicine. The bark is regarded as bitter, tonic and astringent and is useful in fever, thirst, nausea, vomiting and skin diseases. The leaves are used as a pot-herb and made into soup or curry with other vegetables. They are a popular remedy used against skin diseases. The fruits are described as purgative and emollient and useful in intestinal worms, urinary diseases, and ulcers. Neem is considered to be antimalarial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and a potent antiseptic among many other uses. At the Sambhavna Clinic neem is used to relieve pain. On one adventure into the marketplace I saw neem sticks being sold for use as toothbrushes. The end of the stick is shredded and rubbed over teeth and gums to stimulate health and prevent infection. According to Vendana Shiva, neem oil is known to be a potent spermicide and is considered to be 100% effective when applied intra-vaginally before intercourse. Tamarind Tamarindus indica is a perennial tree with graceful, lacey leaves and a gorgeous flower. It is known as the “date of India”. It’s leaves are commonly ground with lime juice and other herbs and applied to boils to reduce sepsis and swelling. The leaves and the pulp from the fruit are used to relieve congestion of the liver, chronic constipation and to relieve the pain of hemorrhoids. In traditional Indian medicine tamarind fruit had many indications, including its use as a digestive, laxative, 10 Inner Tapestry Feb/Mar 2006

Tulsi, Ocimum sanctum, Hindus grow Tulsi as a religious plant in their homes, temples and their farms. It’s leaves are used in worship. This plant is also grown as a pot herd and is known as Sacred Basil. When I visited Sambhavna the tulsi plants (Khrisha Tulsi) were in full flower, with gorgeous reddish blooms. Tulsi possesses strong antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral action. It inhibits the growth of a wide range of pathogens, including of E.coli and is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine for its antibiotic properties and to stregthen immunity. Tulsi is an important constituent of many Indian cough syrups and expectorants. It helps eliminate mucus and chewing fresh tulsi leaves us believed to relieve cold and flu. It is also useful for diabetics as it helps lower blood sugar level. Tulsi possesses anti-fertility properties when used regularly. It has been shown to reduce estrogen levels in females and to decrease sperm count in men. Eranda, Ricinus communis I saw beautiful castor bean plants growing all along roadsides and in open areas throughout my travels in India. There are several of these small trees being cultivated in the Sambhavna Herb Garden. According to Terry Allan, the castor oil plant is traditionally used in India to treat pain, fever, inflammation, asthma, bronchitis and leprosy. The leaves are used against intestinal worms; the flowers are used against glandular tumors, anal troubles and vaginal discomfort. The seed and oil are cathartic. Castor beans are severely poisonous. However the oil is safe because the poison remains in the seed. When used externally castor oil stimulates lymph drainage. It is common to soak a cotton or flannel pad in the oil and apply as a moist pack for one half to one hour, using a heating pad to stimulate absorption. The castor oil pack is placed over swollen glands, cancers, cysts, hard swellings, and other abnormal growths.  The oil is said to stimulate the lymphatic system to draw away poisons.  Vasa, Arusa Adhatodavasica is a dense pernnial shrub growing throughout India, and can be found in most waste places. It’s leaves are dark green above and pale yellow below, it’s flowers a white spike. Vasa is a powerful expectorant. Traditional Ayurvedic healers use the juice of Vasa leaves in the treatment of cough, asthma and general respiratory ailments. A paste made from the leaves is often mixed with honey as a remedy for asthma. At Sambhavna the leaves are used to produce a medicinal steam to treat respiratory distress. Ashwagandha, Withania somnifera is a perennial herbaceous plant that produces tiny, deep orange-red colored fruits enclosed in papery husks. The plant and fruits resemble its relatives the ground cherry and Chinese lantern. The dried root and berry of this plant are a popular Ayurvedic medicine used to boost the

immune system and increase vitality. It is commonly referred to as India’s ginseng and is widely used to treat weakness of any kind, to ease muscular aches and pains and as a sexual tonic. Ashwagandha is often used in combination with milk and in formulations prescribed for stress, strain, fatigue, pain, skin diseases, diabetes, gastrointestinal disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and epilepsy. In vitro studies demonstrate its effectiveness against breast, central nervous system, colon and lung cancer cell lines. Other studies suggest anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, immunomodulatory, antioxidant and antistress properties. Rich in iron, ashwagandha is in great demand at Sambhavna Clinic and ¼ of the garden is now devoted to its cultivation. Nirgundi, Vitex negundo, Traditional healers and tribal people of India have a wealth of knowledge regarding the uses of this large aromatic shrub, a relative of Vitex agnus-castus, or Chaste Tree. They prepare herbal oil from the fresh leaves that is used for the relief of more than 70 common diseases. Nirgundi is commonly applied to arthritic joints to relieve pain and inflammation. The leaves show anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal and analgesic activities. It is also useful in the treatment of superficial bruises, injuries, sores and skin infections. Giloy, Tinospora cordifolia is a large, deciduous climbing shrub with small yellow/green flowers that is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine as a tonic, revitalizer, alterative and stimulant. It is employed to treat chronic problems and fatigue, is valued as a remedy for diabetes and metabolic disorders and is also used against stomach ulcers and urinary infections. Giloy is said to improve the immune system and the body’s resistance against infections and has been found effective in promoting regeneration of the liver from drug induced hepatic toxicity. Other uses include the treatment of eye conditions, as a tissue builder, and to prevent premature aging. The whole plant and the juice of the leaves are traditionally used in various mental disorders. Giloy is regarded as one of the best psychotropic drugs in India. Shatavari, Asparagus racemosus is a woody climber with pine-needle-like leaves and tiny white flowers in small spikes. Shatavari literally means.” who possesses a hundred husbands”. It is considered both a general tonic and a female reproductive tonic. Shatavari is the main Ayurvedic rejuvenate tonic for women and is highly regarded as a blood purifier. It is commonly used to treat a wide range of women’s reproductive problems including easing the discomforts of menopause. It helps maintain a healthy urinary tract, strengthens the immune system and is useful against viral infections. Shatavari is recommended in Ayurvedic texts for prevention and treatment of gastric ulcers, dyspepsia and for use as a galactogogue. Some Ayurvedic practitioners for nervous disorders, inflammation, liver diseases and certain infectious diseases have also used it successfully.

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My Visit to Sambhavna Clinic and Herb Garden, Bhopal, India by Gail Faith Edwards

The Sambhavna Clinic seems like a heavenly oasis in the midst of this. Colorfully dressed patients stream into the clinic on a daily basis vividly reporting an array of maladies that made my head spin and my heart break into a million pieces. Frequent low-grade fevers, watering eyes, chest pain, breathlessness, heart palpitations, shivering hands and lower limbs, acute tiredness, severe joint and muscle pains, and heart palpitations. Feelings of anxiety, panic, depression, insomnia and post traumatic stress are rampant. Many people continue to relive the experiences of the night that changed their lives forever. Most of them lost family members, many their entire family.

I had the privilege of being invited to work at the Sambhavna Clinic in Bhopal this fall as part of an International task force attempting to assist the Bhopali people on health, economic, environmental and political justice issues. I would like to share my experiences with you here.

We have such wealth here in Maine! Such Abundance! Even the poorest among us is rich in comparison to the people I met and cared for in Bhopal.

Bhopal is a human disaster of epic proportions, unprecedented in terms of scale and magnitude. The people live with extreme poverty, despair, illness and death every day of their lives. Yet their inner strength and ability to persevere in the face of such devastation and betrayal is a testament to the inherent dignity of the human spirit. These people have not lost hope, and thus offer inspiration to people all around the world. To be honest with you, I cried many times a day, for the first several days after my arrival, from the sheer shock and horror of what I found there. Human waste runs through open gutters along the sidewalks. Most homes in the “bastis”, or slums, are merely bunches of salvaged materials very creatively propped up against one another. Children play in filthy dumps on every corner. There is plastic garbage everywhere. There is no garbage disposal system, no clean water, no plumbing. Black smoke from burning plastic and rubber fills the air continuously. The ongoing problems faced by these people include, but are certainly not limited to, issues of gross contamination of their environment caused by tons of the world’s most deadly chemicals still lying inside the abandoned Union Carbide factory and continuing to leak, children born to “gas affected” parents with severe congenital deformities, extreme health problems suffered by many residents who are forced to drink, wash with and bathe in chemical contaminated water, as it is the only water available, and the fact that no criminal liability has been brought against the offending corporation, now owned by Dow Chemical. Widespread illiteracy, acute poverty, profound class bias, and rampant political corruption complicate these issues even more.

Large numbers of girls and women suffer anemia, menstrual and gynecological problems, infertility and frequent abortions. Children born after the disaster are underweight, weak and sickly. It is not difficult to find 16 and 18 year olds who look more like 8 or 10. Respiratory illness, cough, asthma, diabetes, digestive distress and skin disorders of every kind are suffered on a large scale.

that were primarily for the doctors, Ayurvedic practitioners, medicine makers and health workers, but were also attended by volunteers at the clinic, the gardeners, and several interested people from the community. Terry and I, along with Marisa Miyoshiro, also a former apprentice of mine who has been volunteering at Sambhavna, spent a couple of nights brainstorming. Together we formulated five nutritional tea blends, using both western and Ayurvedic herbs, wrote up descriptions and directions for each, and then mixed large batches of these blends to be used in the clinic. We also created a couple of herbal salves for external application, to address the skin issues and joint and muscle pains, and made a simple ginger syrup to aid digestive upsets. After the classes commenced I was encouraged by the doctors to receive patients at the clinic and to offer them treatment based on these preparations. For the remainder of my stay I listened deeply, (again assisted by Anjali Deshpande) making each patient the center of my universe, rubbed sore muscles and joints, applied rose water and salves to skin conditions, and offered my love. I heard the same refrain from both the doctors and the patients – “Please come back.” and “Please don’t forget about us.” Those ten days in Bhopal have changed my life. We have such wealth here in Maine! Such abundance! Even the poorest among us is rich in comparison to the people I met and cared for in Bhopal. Sambhavna does not accept donations from corporate charities or large funding agencies. They rely on small donations from a large number of ordinary people all over the world, such as workers, artists, small business owners, homemakers and school children. I hope that, after reading this report, you will join them in supporting the clinic and garden and the crucially important work being done there. For more information please visit www.bhopal.org.

The city hospitals, set up initially to treat gas victims, are inadequately staffed, equipment is dysfunctional and compassion is sorely lacking. At the Sambhavna Clinic the patients find caring doctors and health workers, some of whom are gas victims themselves, free health care in the form of Allopathic, Ayurvedic and pancha karma treatments, yoga, pranayama, nutritional education and free medicine. Sometimes what the people seem to need most is someone to truly listen to them, someone who genuinely cares. The Herb Garden project, adjacent to the clinic, was in large part created by organic gardener and former herbal apprentice of mine, Terry Allan. It is nothing short of a miraculous and inspiring creation! In less than three years Terry managed to transform what appeared to be a former plastic dump site into a magnificent garden full of a wide array of thriving western and Ayurvedic medicinal herbs which are used in the clinic. This is where I came in. My role at Sambhavna was two fold. For the first few days I familiarized my-self with the people coming for care in order to find out their needs and concerns. My challenge was to design several herbal formulas, using mostly herbs that were growing in the Sambhavna garden, that would help address these needs. I then conducted two days of herbal medicine making classes, with the help of my able interpreter Anjali Deshpande,

Photos are courtesy of gail Faith Edwards

Gail Faith Edwards is a practicing community herbalist with thirty years experience and the mother of four children born at home and raised on homegrown herbs and vegetables. She and her family run Blessed Maine Herb Farm, now in its fourteenth year, offering medicinal herb products of impeccable quality, safety and effectiveness, made with MOFGA certified organic herbs and flowers grown in their gardens or wild gathered from the pristine wild nearby. www.blessedmaineherbs.com, herblady@blessedmaineherbs.com _A response is guaranteed. _This article is for information only, for health matters and serious health concerns, please consult your local health care practitioner. Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 11

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n the night of December 3, 1984 forty tons of deadly Methyl ISOCyanide (MIC) gas, black green in color, according to those who saw it, leaked from the Union Carbide India Limited Factory and swept through almost all of Old Bhopal, India, in a matter of a few hours. The poisonous gas clouds entered at least half a million people’s bloodstreams through their lungs and caused damage to almost every system in their bodies. In the first 72 hours more than 8,000 lives were lost. The death toll today has reached over 20,000. Those still suffering devastating illness, debilitating and congenital diseases number much more.

Your Mythic Journey by David Lee

ack, a high profile physician, set himself up for a fall. Although he didn’t need the money, he sold contraband to an under cover agent and is now looking at prison time. Rebecca just lost her job. Her whole sense of identity having evaporated, she feels lost and bereft as she steps into unknown territory. Kristine, a successful attorney, finds herself reflecting on her life and wondering “Is that all there is?” She wishes she felt more alive and interested in what the day may bring. While in the midst of their respective dramas, each of these people could benefit from seeing their lives as a mythic journey. When we see ourselves on a mythic journey, we bring greater hope, vitality, and meaning to our lives. In this article, we’ll explore how to apply the Mythic Journey model to our lives in today’s world.

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First, let’s briefly describe the Mythic Journey model and its roots. It is based primarily on Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey model. Dr. Campbell was a brilliant anthropologist whose work was made popular by the PBS series The Power of Myth. His studies of mythology throughout the world revealed that every mythological system had a common theme: the Hero’s Journey. The theme goes like this: the hero is an average person who is living an average life when he or she gets “the call to adventure” – that still small voice inside that won’t be ignored. For a while, just like most of us, the hero tries to ignore that still small voice. The voice refuses to be ignored. The hero finally relents, and crosses the threshold, beginning his journey into the unknown. There is no path to follow; he must carve it out of the unknown with each step taken. Along the way, the hero faces trials and tribulations that test his courage, intellectual prowess, and resolve. Somewhere along the way, when it looks like all is lost, a helper appears, sometimes disguised as an unsavory character or frightening beast. At other times, the hero discovers a clue to solve a seemingly unsolvable problem or stumbles upon just the right tool to overcome an obstacle. Each trial and tribulation contributes to his transformation. His journey exerts an alchemical effect; when he returns home, he is not the person who first ventured forth. He is far more and has far more to offer. This is the Hero’s Journey. This forms the framework of viewing your life as a Mythic Journey. I like to use the term Mythic Journey, because “Hero” tends to connote a masculine, “take charge” approach to life, while mythic journey speaks more of the mystical, mysterious path that we are on. Furthermore, for many in today’s culture, their Mythic Journey might be about abandoning accustomed forceful, stereotypically masculine ways of approaching life. You can use the Mythic Journey model to bring greater meaning and richness to your life, to cultivate wisdom, and to face your own difficult passages with greater courage and hope. More specifically, you can use it to: Examine the reoccurring themes in your life, especially those that involve high drama, trial and tribulation. By thinking of your life as a Mythic Journey and yourself as the Hero on a journey, you can look at your drama with greater objectivity and discernment. Using the lens of the Mythic Journey, you can examine the various struggles and challenges you’ve faced throughout your life and ask: “What clues might these common, reoccurring themes offer me 12 Inner Tapestry Feb/Mar 2006

about the lessons this Hero is here on earth to learn?” So for instance, let’s say you notice that a common thread running through many of your dramas involves being unwilling to speak your truth until a situation becomes unbearable. When it reaches this point, you unconsciously create a crisis that ejects you from the painful situation. Observing this, you could say: “Ah, part of this Hero’s Mythic Journey is to learn to speak her truth. It also seems that another lesson she’s here to learn is to trust her intuition, rather than stifle it until a toxic situation becomes unbearable.” You could then use this awareness to become more mindful of opportunities to speak your truth, rather than suffer in silence. You could also use this awareness to propel you to learn more about using and respecting your intuition. Practice viewing people you find difficult as Helpers in disguise. Using the Mythic Journey model

"Life is a Mystery to be lived. Not a problem to be solved" ...William Butler Yeats

invites you to shift your perspective about difficult people. Rather than wasting time and energy in turmoil, saying to yourself “Why do they have to be that way!”? “They shouldn’t be that way!” You can see them as Helpers in disguise. Using the “speaking your truth” example, you could see them as helpers in disguise who provide you with opportunities to practice a new, more evolved response. Thus, the Mythic Journey model invites us to see even the most difficult person as a helper in disguise. It allows us to adopt the perspective of Reverse Paranoia – imagining that everyone is out to help us. Using this principle when dealing with challenging individuals, we can ask ourselves “What lesson might this person be offering me? Will I get caught up in my anger, frustration, and judgment and miss the lesson… or will I choose to learn the lesson?” When in the midst of a difficult period, use the Mythic Journey model to rise above the drama. Most of us find it easy to get tangled up in emotional turmoil when life confronts us with challenges and crises. We feel sorry for ourselves; we say, “This shouldn’t happen to me”. We ask “Why me?” Not as a question, but as a lament. We then heap on fear by using our imagination to create our own little internal Stephen King film festival – internal movies of all the horrible things that we know will happen because of the difficult situation. Using the Mythic Journey model, we can ask “Is this difficult situation offering me the opportunity to learn something?” Asking this question can shift us from feeling victimized and afraid, to feeling curious and even energized. We can ask: “Is this another example of one of my common themes, one of the life lessons

I’m here to learn?” Asking this question offers us the opportunity to stop re-enacting the same bad relationships, job problems, or life crises. It allows us to use the crisis as the transformational opportunity it is. When you awaken to the day, play with the idea that you’re on a mythic adventure. Remind yourself that you’re on a “magical mystery tour” and there’s no telling what today might bring. Today might be the day you meet someone, and that someone will make an offhand remark, and that remark will offer you a clue to a dilemma you’ve been facing. This evening, at the grocery store, you might bump into an old classmate or co-worker, and a new career door might open. Tonight, you might have a dream that offers an insight into a troubled relationship or a career shift that will enliven you. I find that when I remind myself that – in the words of William Butler Yeats -- “life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved” my energy level and excitement rise. I’ve found this especially helpful during difficult times, shifting me from feeling beleaguered and wanting to shrink from life, to feeling a sense of curiosity, and awakened anticipation. Practice being more mindful of clues cloaked in mundane situations. Viewed with a mythic eye, simple occurrences can offer answers and wisdom. This is my favorite way of applying the Mythic Journey model to everyday life. I find that it not only makes life so much more interesting, it allows one to mine powerful life lessons from simple, everyday scenarios. Just as the Hero must be awake and mindful in each moment – his life depends upon it – we too must be awake in each moment because the quality of our lives depends upon it. When I move through the day alert for clues and lessons, it makes for an infinitely more interesting and satisfying day. Being alert for teaching moments embedded in ordinary life, enables us to turn each day into a classroom for wisdom teachings that can be applied for the rest of our lives. Here’s one of my favorite examples… years ago, retuned to her hotel room after a long day at a conference. Tired and depleted, she looks forward to crashing. Arriving at her hotel room’s door, she slides the magnetic key card into the slot and cranks on the door handle. The door doesn’t budge. Since these locks can be finicky, she tries again, with a bit more focus and force. No luck. Now she’s frustrated. She muscles the magnetic key card into the slot and cranks on the handle with more force. No dice. This happens a few more times, her irritation mounting. Why won’t the darn door just open like it should? Then she realizes. Wrong room. Wrong door. When she goes to the right room, the right door, amazingly enough, the key works like a charm. Now, if one blasts through life going 75 miles an hour, unaware that everyday occurrences offer clues and wisdom, such a situation would soon be forgotten. It’s not all that unusual; most of us have done that or something similar. But what if gaze upon this experience with Mythic Journey eyes and ask: “What is that like?” or “Is this a metaphor for anything?” My friend’s initial response is a wonderful metaphor for how we often deal with what we want in life. We try, try, and try, using our force of will to make it happen. When the door doesn’t open, we simply try harder. When it still doesn’t open, we get so caught up in our willful attempt to force the situation, we don’t notice what Life is telling us. We might be so busy telling ourselves it isn’t fair and feeling victimized by Life, we

13 don’t notice what’s going on. It is only when we stop forcing, when we step back and take a more detached look, do we realize that the door not opening might not be Life taunting us, it might simply mean we’re at the wrong door. When we’re mindful enough to take notice, we can then find ourselves moving toward the door meant for us. Magically, that door opens with ease. Sometimes we even discover that the door opened to us is not what we expected or thought we wanted, but, in the words of those modern day philosophers: “You can’t always get what you want But if you try sometimes Well you just might find You get what you need.”

David Lee, the founder of HumanNature@Work (www.HumanNatureAtWork.com), is a consultant, keynote speaker, and executive coach. He has worked with organizations and presented at conferences both domestically and abroad. David has taught transformational story-telling for over 15 years and has authored dozens of articles on optimizing individual and organizational performance which can be found on his website.

God & Meditation

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, Science of Spirituality in Maine (207) 368-5866 or email: james@SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com WEBSITE: www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com

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

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

Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 13

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

Cooking Consciously & Eating Healthy by Anne Sheble Food is our common ground, a universal experience. —James A. Beard

Change your Tempo with Tempeh a superior soy food.

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Tempeh is an ancient food from Indonesia where it has been a mainstay in the traditional diet as a protein source and an easily digested whole food. Being so gentle on the digestive tract and containing antibacterial agents, it has commonly been used to wean babies and nourish the elders of Indonesia. Tempeh is made by inoculating cooked and hulled soybeans with a beneficial mold (rhizopus oligosporus), and incubating them together for 24 hours or more. The mold binds the beans into a solid compact cake. If you are interested in making tempeh at home use The Book of Tempeh by William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi. It’s possible to construct an incubator with simple materials and the temperature needs to be between 80-90 degrees for the mold to grow. Grains such as brown rice, kamut, barley, rye, oats and more can be added to the soybeans for interesting varieties of Tempeh. The length of incubation determines the flavor of tempeh. The longer you let the mold grow, the sharper the taste. In this respect it is like cheese and can range from mild to strong.

Health Benefits of Tempeh

Tempeh is easy to digest. The fermentation process produces enzymes, which have started digesting the soybeans. Soybeans are a great plant Protein source. (19 grams of protein per serving according to the package.) For the millions of people in Indonesia, Tempeh is the “backbone of the meatless diet”. (Shurtleff, 35) The same could be true in our country! Tempeh is free of toxic chemicals unlike factory-farmed meat, fish and poultry. Good source of calcium and iron. Scientific experiments in 1972 have shown that Tempeh has a medicinal antibiotic effect, which may increase the body’s resistance to infection. (Shurtleff, 35) The mold Rhizopus oligosporus with which tempeh is inoculated produces antibacterial agents that inhibit the growth of some bacteria, thus safeguarding the digestive tract. Indonesians are exposed to dysentery and other intestinal diseases. Those who use tempeh rarely contract these diseases and it has long been considered a cure. Tempeh is found in the dairy section of most natural food stores and you can find it in the large chain stores close to tofu in the organic food section. The brands I have found are Soy Boy out of Rochester, NY, and Lightlife of Turner’s Falls, MA. The 8 oz. package is vacuumsealed to prevent further fermentation and often sells for around $2. There are lucky folks in the midcoast Mainer who can purchase locally made tempeh from Weeping Duck farm. They sell it at the Belfast and Camden Farmer’s Markets during the season. Their list of varieties is the longest I’ve seen and I can attest that the Kamut and Sesame seed Tempeh is delicious. I intend to try the others this spring. Go to their website for more info: www.weepingduckfarm.com.Their cakes are larger (12 oz.) and flash frozen, selling for $4. Many people who are trying to cut meats out of their diet get into a rut with Tofu. I knew exactly how my family and I loved it: sliced and pan-fried with oil and tamari, then dusted with nutritional yeast before flipping it to the other side. Let’s face it, unless you are eating 14 Inner Tapestry Feb/Mar 2006

your tofu raw, what you taste depends on what you marinate it in or cook it with. When I was young I would not eat a burger without ketchup. In fact, it was the toppings that made the sandwich tasty to my palate. I’m happy to report that steamed or fried tempeh (as long as it’s moist) tastes fine to me without any topping! It has the earthy taste of mushrooms with a little bite like a sharp cheese. I mention this to point out that it is easy to get into toppings and sauces whose whole purpose it seems is to cover up a potential defect in the taste of whole fresh foods that are not part of the over salted, over spiced American mainstream fare. Now that I’ve said my piece, I offer some easy ways to prepare one of the most versatile fermented foods I know of.

Some of the Ways to Serve Tempeh

Slice and pan-fry in a little oil it for sandwiches, such as the popular Tempeh-Reuben (made with melted cheese and sauerkraut on rye). Use in fajitas instead of the balls. Deep or shallow-fry: Slice cake in half both ways; dip in egg and seasoned breadcrumbs. Fry each side 3 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with any of your favorite sauces or alone. Steamed: it only takes 5 minutes. Works well with most veggie combinations. Add salt or shoyu (soy sauce). Add to any of your favorite sauces for chunks. (Peanut sauce, tomato sauce....) Broiled: my least favorite way because it is easy to burn and gets dry. Toasted and ground up for a nut substitute. Toast crumbled tempeh in 250-degree oven for 20 mins, on a cookie sheet. Stir often. I have used this in sweet fruit bread and it works. The toasted tempeh is quite chewy. This recipe is right from a package of Lightlife tempeh, printed on the flip side of their label. Each type of tempeh has a different recipe on the label.

West Indian Rice and Peas with Tempeh

2 cups brown rice (I used 1 cup each of sweet brown rice and short grain brown rice) 1/2 cup unsweetened grated coconut 2 1/2 Tbl. oil 4 cups water 1 cup dried black eyed peas (I used Maine Yellow Eye beans), washed and soaked over 5 hours 3 bay leaves 1 onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1/4-cup oil 1 small chile split in half 1 red or green bell pepper 8 oz. tempeh, cubed 1 pinch of fennel seeds (crushed with pestle) salt and pepper to taste (I skip the black pepper) 2 scallions, chopped cinnamon stick Saute rice and coconut in oil (use a heavy bottom pot), for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add water and cinnamon stick. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer 40 minutes. Cook the yellow eye beans or black-eyed peas with bay leaves in enough water to cover. (40 mins) Add 1 tsp. of salt the last 10 minutes.

Remove bay leaves and drain the liquid. Saute garlic and onion in oil until soft. Add chile and bell pepper. Saute for 2 mins. Add fennel, Tempeh cubes and salt. Lower heat and stir frequently. Cook until Tempeh is golden and crispy, adding a dash of water if needed to keep it from sticking to the pot bottom. I also sprinkle some shoyu (soy sauce) in near the end. The Tempeh only needs to cook about 5-10 mins on low heat when cubed. Combine everything in a large pot, mixing well and adding chopped scallion for fresh garnish.

Rice with Tempeh Topping This tempeh topping will go with any of the types of rice you like. The carrots give it color and the tempeh supplies the heft that previous meat-eaters especially like in a winter meal. You can even turn it into a sloppy sandwich. Remember Sloppy Joes? Wash and Soak your rice a few hours, then place in a pot or pressure cooker with water to cover 1 1/2 inches above the rice level. Add a pinch of salt. Cover with tight fitting lid and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook for 40-50 mins. until water is absorbed and rice is plump. Use a flame deflector or a heavy bottomed pot so it doesn’t burn or get toasty on the bottom. When you want to add other grains for variety and their health benefits, use in proportion 1:3 or so. Rice is the most balanced whole grain and therefore most often used in the world. When there is about half an hour left to the rice cooking time, get started with your tempeh topping. Remember it is fun to make the topping a little different now and then to experiment with veggies other than the ones I have listed. If you use stronger tasting root crops other that carrot, such as turnip or rutabaga, they will take a front seat and be noticed. So will broccoli and cauliflower. The only fruit I have ever cooked with tempeh is apple and I love it, however I’m sure a ripe pear would be even sweeter. 1 onion, chopped and sautéed with or without 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced. pinch of salt When onion is soft add 1-2 cups of chopped veggies and just enough water to steam them for 5 minutes. carrot along with any or no other veggie 1-2 apples with skin, no seeds 1 cake tempeh, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces. (It will absorb more of the sweet veggie juice than larger chunks will) Sprinkle of shoyu (soy sauce) or sea salt Lastly add the apple and tempeh, sprinkle the chunks with shoyu. Cover and allow simmering for at least 10 minutes. Check after 5 minutes to be sure there is enough liquid so the tempeh doesn’t attach to the bottom. Give a stir every now and then. Topping is done when the apple and carrot are soft and the tempeh has absorbed the liquid and smells make your mouth water. So, if you’ve caught yourself making spaghetti sauce the same way, try adding something wildly different and better for you than meatballs.

Resources Used: The Book of Tempeh: William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi, 1979. The Whole Soy Cookbook: Patricia Greenberg, 1998. Annie has recently moved to Unity where she has built a simple studio on an old farmstead. She hopes to share her cooking skills in Unity while tending a small garden plot for the first time right out the dooryard. With help from Joel, Tom, and Bob of SolarTech, she is installing PV collectors and planning to live "off-grid." asheble@hypernet.com

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Feng Shui & Geopathology by Werner Brandmaier

MING TANG -the center of Qi Traditional Feng Shui uses Form School principles to describe the ideal situation of a house in a landscape. Four animals symbolically surround the house. The tortoise in form of a round hill provides support from the back. The dragon and tiger, each lying down, represent protection from the left and right. The phoenix allows an open view over whatever lies in front. The area just in front of the house is called MING TANG. Ideally, a water manifestation in the form of a lake, a pond or even a small river magnifies the effect.

There is not very much information about the Ming Tang available in western Feng Shui books. Literally, “Ming Tang” stands for “bright palace”, describing an area where Qi is concentrated and held for a house, as well as for a whole property. Water in general is able to hold energy very well and nourishes such a setup. The strong appeal of a home with a water view is, in part, our instinctual recognition of this energetic enhancement. If we look at old European castles or country estates we immediately recognize the classic layout with a centered main entrance and supporting wings on both sides. In front of the main entrance there is usually a courtyard or a garden. The garden is often circular in shape or includes a series of features orienting towards or placed around a major focal point. This point is typically established with rows of bushes, flower arrangements and a statue or a fountain or both. Without knowing anything about the laws of Feng Shui, people of these times felt intuitively how to strengthen the energy of a building by integrating strong vibrational elements into the landscape.

More Ming Tang‘s

Ming Tang of old European architecture ~ Austrian Schloss Suppach. Photo courtesy of Werner Brandmaier

What does the Ming Tang look like? The size of the Ming Tang should match the size of the building it is supporting. This is true for the landscape around it, as well. In Chinese literature the Ming Tang should be able to hold a “1000 horses”. I very much believe this relates to the emperor‘s home more than to that of a simple citizen. Our home‘s Ming Tang holds about 1-½ horses and still feels right for a singlefamily house (it is about 20 to 30 feet in diameter). If we look into more recent European research the description of a Ming Tang becomes much more 3-dimensional. German Feng Shui researchers Gerstung and Mehlhase describe the Ming Tang as a manifestation in the form of a huge energy bubble floating above the ground in front of a building, maybe 20 to 30 feet in the air above the land itself. These bubbles are of spherical shape and have specific bright colors. They might change their appearance depending on time and numerous other parameters. As with all energetic structures they only can be detected with dowsing tools or observed by clairvoyant people.

Why is the Ming Tang important? Beyond the Ming Tang of a house, the surrounding land has an energetic orientation, as well. At the beginning stages of building a home, it is essential for future positive energetic exchanges between land and building to orient the house in the direction of the naturally appearing Ming Tang. The house will manifest its own Ming Tang as soon as the outer shell is closed, however, both Ming Tangs should line up and be in tune with each other. In more advanced Feng Shui practices such as “Flying Stars” (horoscope of a house), it is essential to accurately determine the energetic orientation of a building. While this seems obvious in many cases, there are particular corner properties or irregular lots where the direction of the house is unclear. Incorrect recording of these details might lead to a complete misinterpretation of the whole building site.

How can we find the Ming Tang? The first step to find the Ming Tang is through observation of the property. With some experience and sensitivity, the orientation of the lot and the centre where the energy concentrates becomes obvious. If the land slopes down, the Ming Tang is oriented towards the lower part. If the property lies on a lake, the Ming Tang points towards the water. Dowsing also comes in quite handy and is one of my favorite methods. In this situation, the Ming Tang itself can be dowsed for, as well as, the positioning of the house or building. Obviously, it is most beneficial if the Ming Tang is situ-

There are several smaller Ming Tang‘s within and around a house. Besides the main area just outside the entrance, the front porch is another place where energy is focused in a spot. That’s why a proper porch supports the energy of an entrance. Once we enter the house, the entrance room holds a small, inside Ming Tang from where the flow throughout the house is evenly distributed in all directions. On the second floor, we can usually detect a Ming Tang at the top of the stairs as a central point for all activities up there.

Round driveway and water feature enhance the Ming Tang. Picture source unknown.

How to strengthen the Ming Tang of our home:

• Find out where the Ming Tang of the property lays, and then open up the house into the same direction. This is where the most energetic support for the house comes from. • Avoid straight driveways towards the house. Choose a circular driveway, if possible. • Develop landscaping to strengthen the area in front of the main entrance of the house. Round flower formations or a circular stone arrangement with a water element in the center (bird bath or small fountain) help to accomplish those efforts. • Consider a proportionately sized porch to manifest an additional energetic area in front of your door. Columns also add a sense of focus and gravity. • Create a strong focus inside the house with a round or oval carpet in the entrance room. Carry on with this principle on each floor.

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 Societyof Dowsers. You may contact Werner (207) 772-7888, or werner@InstituteofFengShui.com. Visit his Website at: www.InstituteofFengShui.com.

The words Whole, holy and heal come from the same word meaning Oneness.. They are all the same Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 15

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Landscape with building and it's Ming Tang in relation to the four animals of Form School. Courtsey of Werner Brandmaier

ated on the property. However, in the case of close proximity to the road, the Ming Tang might float out into the street, being constantly disturbed by ongoing traffic.

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I nt e r v i e w s J il l B et z , D.C. b y J u d it h P e rry

r. Jill Betz is an Applied Kinesiology Chiropractor. She and her husband Dr. Eric Betz run Betz Family Chiropractic in Lincolnville, Maine. Applied Kinesiology is a unique approach to health care that uses muscle testing to get immediate feedback from the nervous system on how to treat a patient. Besides providing chiropractic care, The Betz’s offer detoxification programs, nutritional guidance and healthy lifestyle programs.

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Those of you who regularly read this column know that I usually talk with an Artist or Writer. For this topic I decided to take the alternative approach and talk to someone who could address issues that are relevant to artists and anyone else who is interested in enhancing their life. Artists historically have not been presented as the healthiest of people. Stereotypes abound and some of them are valid but I don’t think that artists’ need to maintain these stereotypes in order to be creative. Art education rarely touches on issues of health and well being yet it’s an important component to enhancing creativity especially given the fact that artists often work with materials that are toxic. I talked recently with Dr. Jill Betz about some of these ideas. Here are excerpts, which focus on new ways to think about our relationship to creativity and some practical ways to enhance creativity. JP: If my mind and my body are essentially the vehicle for my creativity it follows that I should be paying a lot of attention to how well I support both my mind and my body so that I can function at my best? JB: That is absolutely correct. We are not made up of a bunch of independently working parts. Every cell in your body communicates with every other cell in your body. The mind, body, spirit connection awareness is vital to optimal functioning and therefore optimal creative potential. Because we are ever changing individuals, striving for creative potential should not be looked at as a destination, but instead a conscious path that continues for the rest of our lives. JP: What robs us of our creativity? JB: Some of the greatest robbers of creative potential occur on a daily basis, during the process of basic living. By bringing mindfulness to how we are taking care of ourselves we will also open awareness to the subtleties of the environment around us. Potential is unlimited, It is the boundaries of our own minds that limit us. JP: What are some strategies that anyone might do to enhance creativity or productivity from your perspective? JB: There are many strategies to enhance creativity, first is to De-stress – allow the mind and body to unwind and open up so that you can allow creative energy to flow. Relaxation breathing, meditation and brisk walking are a couple of examples. Eating properly is another– food is our fuel for life. Your body needs to take in a certain number of calories as well as a great number of nutrients each day in order for basic function. If you do not fuel the body, vitamin and mineral depletion occur that leave the mind tired and the body weak. There are also substances that deplete nutrients. These substances 16 Inner Tapestry Feb/Mar 2006

include caffeinated food and beverages (coffee, tea, chocolate, etc.) carbonated beverages, alcohol, and refined foods (baked goods, breads, anything made with sugar or white flour.) Focus on taking in whole food such as grass fed protein, free-range chicken, fruits and vegetables (organic when possible), and whole grains (brown rice, buckwheat, quinoa, millet, etc). Dehydration is a major cause of fatigue and “foggy head” feelings. We should drink 6-8 glasses of water daily. Water is also very important to keep the muscles and organs functioning properly by helping to flush toxins out of the body to enhance cellular health. Alcohol and caffeine rob the body of much needed hydration. Another important strategy is to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night and keep a consistent sleep schedule. Your body depends on sleep to heal and rejuvenate. This is similar to recharging a battery. When a car’s battery charge is low, the power supply is not optimal for the motor to run or the instruments to work properly. The battery needs to be recharged for the car to be usable again. Our bodies are much more complex than a car however and do not just shut off when the power gets low. We keep pushing the body until it gets so weak that injury and or illness occur. This cascade can be prevented simply by resting the body so that it may heal and repair itself.

Art education rarely touches on issues of health and well being yet it's an important component to enhancing creativity... JP: What is another thing that we might not realize? JB: Work in healthy environment- toxic environments can greatly affect creativity. Toxicity comes in many forms (mental / emotional, chemical, structural / positional). Each form produces toxins that the body, namely the liver and large intestines, has to process and eliminate. Although detoxification is a natural process of metabolism occurring every second in the body, an overproduction of toxins can cause a great deal of burden on the body. Some common symptoms of toxicity or toxic burden are poor memory, inability to concentrate, fatigue, skin rash, bad breath, body odor, and poor sleep. JP: Toxicity with regard to art materials and individual practices is a big, often not talked about subject. What can artists and others do to decrease the toxic affects their work might have on them?

JB: Keep the air as clean as possible- open windows or use an air purifier. Keep hostile people, conversations, and actions out of your workspace. Take breaks to get up, get a drink of water, and stretch the body to decrease structural stress. Be aware of symptoms that only seem to happen when you are in a certain environment (i.e. Headache starts when you get to the studio but isn’t present at any other time in the day) Those simple actions can help to decrease toxic burden in your environment. JP: So we’ve talked about some of the chemical and environmental factors that may affect our creativity. What about the emotional component? Many artists don’t have a positive outlook on what they do and the culture supports the idea that a life in the arts can be hard. Does what I think about being an artist have a physical affect on my body? JB: Absolutely. What you think about yourself, your accomplishments, and your setbacks greatly affect your physical body. Stress comes in three main forms - emotional, structural, and chemical. When discussing these stresses with patients, I use an equilateral triangle to give a visual awareness to the fact that each stress is of equal harm to the body. Also each type of stress builds upon the others. Therefore, stress is cumulative. Your body reads emotional stress as STRESS. There is no differentiation between types. At the moment that stress is felt, a series of chemical reactions begin to take place. These chemical reactions cause an increase of toxicity in the body as well as a shutting down of the digestive tract as the blood is shunted to the muscles in preparation to fight or flee (i.e. Hans Selye’s Adaptation Syndrome). If this stress occurs continually over a long period of time, specific systems in the body can no longer handle the stress load and organ breakdown occurs. JP: It’s interesting to think about the choices we have, I’ve never looked at any of these factors as having an impact on my creative life. Artist or not, the ways we take care of ourselves plays a big role in how we feel day to day. And if I feel good I am much more likely to find myself in the studio. JB: Each day is a new beginning and a new chance to take care of yourself. Our experiences, thoughts, motivations, and desires are what define us. We can live in our past or we can learn to live in the moment and let new thoughts, motivations, and desires open our minds to new experiences. This is where creativity flourishes.

Dr. Jill Betz can be reached at 207/236.6272 Judith Perry is an Artist and Writer. Her landscape-derived paintings reflect our connection to nature. To see some of her paintings go to www.judithperry.com.

Awareness and the art of Seeing:

WISDOM FROM a Psychic, Intuitive

contemplations on the environment and interconnection

By Jason FREIDUS

by Jen Deraspe

A day in the life of an old cat

feel the pull to embrace the silence and stillness of winter, to tap into that place of non-distraction as I follow my cat, Baboo’s restful way this early morning. Babs has no need to grow, learn from inspiring books, or work on her stuff. She’s just being a fat, gray, soft, warm, loving cat. Nothing to accomplish, fix or figure out. Just cat breathing, cat thoughts, and what appears to be, from this mere mortal’s perspective, deep contentment in nothing and everything, just a pillow and woodstove heat on a Sunday morning before sunrise.

During a busy year of completing my home and retreat center in the woods, in the land of countless projects and projections, I promised myself a day in the sun, living the life of a cat. I needed to give myself a break and just follow one contented senior cat around for a day to witness and practice a day of taking care of personal needs, as determined by a 13 year old feline street cat born in a dark Philadelphia alleyway. Who knows, this old girl may just have been planted on my path to teach me much more than her obvious mastery of maintaining hygiene and proper sleep to waking hour ratios. Perhaps Babs has more to offer this overly ambitious person than what appears at first glance. Baboo arose before the sun to start her day with a small snack, then sauntered over to the woodstove I was lighting. She settled in on a pillow as close to the heat as she could without igniting herself, where she remained, unmoving, for the next 4 hours. I sat on a pillow next to her, absorbing the heat, light and sounds of a crackling fire and snoring cat. On occasion, Babs wished to connect with this nosy human by making a variety of sounds resembling “touch me~love me”, which I did. In between her calls, there was dreaming and occasional grooming. Her slow breathing, the rise and fall of her side body, as rhythmic as the tide, soothes this observer. This sleepy cat teaches contentment

Jen Deraspe is a licensed Maine Guide, holistic retreat facilitator, certified yoga instructor and adjunct faculty member with the University of Southern Maine's College of Nursing and Health Professionals. She owns Nurture Through Nature, providing holistic nature retreats for women. She lives off the grid on Pleasant Mountain in Denmark. www.ntnretreats.com (207) 452-2929.

want to start by saying Happy New Year and that 2006 will be so much better than 2005. For many reasons, most of my writings in 2005 had been about collective consciousness. When we look at the numbers, two and five both numbers in the tarot ask us to look at the art of spiritual psychic balance. The number five also has a take it or leave it feel. Hence, in 2005, many chose to expand their vision beyond the one mind, and some chose not to, both paths are to be honored. In my opinion, old beliefs and ways of being kept us limited which has lead us here, to the realization that we cannot live in the dark forever. We will ultimately be drawn to live in the light. I have begun to see a transformation, a unification of healers and seekers, which are supporting a shift of the world vibration, back to a way of peace and loving relationship with our home and all life. While we go thru this birthing of consciousness, we begin to feel the negative patterns. These patterns seem to be there so we can all embrace our fears. These fears can be addressed in many ways and by taking the time to walk into them, we will shed those fears. For example, I have had a fear of spiders, which affected all areas of my life. By taking time to walk in the woods, seeking out spiders and making amends, it all began to change. By doing this for ourselves we begin to live the lives that God intended us to live, lives of peaceful co-existence with all beings. I’m not saying blindly and recklessly move within the world, be mindful and aware of your surroundings. Because any unresolved fears/feelings will show-up remind us to listen to the guidance of spirit and your own intuition. Until we are willing to trust this guidance, be willingly aware of everything around you. I am happy to say that in the tarot number six is a very helpful. It tells us that if we balance spirit and physical, with complete faith and trust, spirit will provide. You see six is that kind of card, when you think everything is running dry, with true faith, perseverance and a desire to live, blessings will manifest. If we all took the winter to face our past haunts and present fears and live by honoring all life, come spring and summer we will begin harvesting a wonderful bounty. There are many ways to receive support. Here are some things I find soothing and full of medicine for the spirit. These are my experiences, take what you will and leave the rest. I find it imperative to go for a walk daily. A simple 45 min. walk with thoughts focused on the earth and her beauty not only nourish my physical body, but spiritually I feel much more thankful for all the beauty that surrounds me. Music that gets my blood moving is always a sweet tonic. I also find therapy in going out into nature when I have a spare moment, whether the beach or woods, searching for cool rocks and treasures, opens my connection with nature and myself. If along my journeys I find myself picking up someone else’s litter, I’m not alarmed, I just remind myself that I am re-awakening the love and appreciation for mother earth and all she supports. Other things that produce amazing medicine are clearing away clutter and attachments on all levels. Choosing to be around positive, like-minded heartfelt souls and doing your part at home, all contributes to a life in harmony with our divine truth…and that is good medicine. When we live from love, we are loved back. When we take a second out of our day to help remove what I call toxic debris, it allows plants and all life to create cleaner air. By living a life of love all that we touch begins to change and we begin to experience a life of true bliss, heaven on earth. It has always been there, we just got distracted along the way. Now we are re-membering who we are, choosing to receive and live the gift of Universal love and share it with all beings. If we choose to continually focus on clearing yourselves of negative thoughts, chatter and disturbances, whether past present or future, we will create an environment for growth and change.

"I am happy to announce the opening of Touchstonebookstore and More located at 1832 Forest Ave. in Portland where I will be teaching and offering readings and I look forward to the opportunity to meet and connect with many more of you!" Jason Freidus lives in Southern Maine. His psychic, intuitive gift has been handed down in his family through many generations. He has been working for the public for more than 19 years, relying on many divinational tools, Tarot divination to name one, but most importantly with his inherited psychic gift. Jason takes appointments for classes, readings, and healings. jfreidus@maine.rr.com

FEBRUARY 14TH 4TH ANNUAL, WORLD SOUND HEALING DAY! www.healingsounds.com

Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 17

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Baboo, Photo courtesy of Jen Deraspe

with simple comforts; an ability to deal with the moment at hand, whatever it brings. She has no other place to be, nothing else to do, but to rest in winter’s embrace, chin on paw, stillness in the silence as the gentle light of a new day shines through the southeastern window onto her warm body. I pull her from her sleep with arousing strokes, for my own need for love and recognition. She looks up at me, sleepy and bothered, saying, “What do you need, woman? Just let me be and you be.” So, I did. Babs takes such good care! Her lack of needing anything beyond warmth lets my mind begin to slow. She didn’t need permission from anyone, including herself, to take the morning off to nap and do self-cat-care things. She didn’t have to earn her rest in the rising sun. Her worth inherent with birth, still remembered and honored, Ms. Babs has enough wisdom to take care of her own business as needed. Perhaps that is why she is so loving in her waking hours, nurturing her fiery cat-sister, Molly, and enjoying the company of others, including me, fully. Animals, like children, have much to teach. There is something about perceiving the world so innocently, with such a present state of mind, free from preoccupation. The world is something new to explore and learn about. There seems to be no memory of past drama or mishaps, but a newness with each moment, fully alive, playing, resting, being and doing as needed. Straying from my pillow, I decided I had to move a little with a brief yoga practice. That’s cat-like, right? Cats follow the sun, stretching often, right? Occasionally, I look at Baboo, still on her pillow, snoring, next to the stove, while I refocus on breath and movement. I wonder if I am breaking my self-imposed rules for the day by doing yoga. As if on cue, Babs awakens from her deep winter nap and positions herself perfectly in the stream of morning sun coming in through the window onto my mat, sprawling indignantly under my lunge pose, both of us in perfect formation. What do I do with that? She reminds me, not so subtly, that its cat day, “Stop messing around!” So, I stop, look and listen, stretched out in the winter sun, practicing cat wisdom for a day in the life. Thanks, Babs.

Back to the Basics: Preventing andTreating the Flu with Home Remedies by Sasha Rose, ND

t starts as a sore throat, then an annoying cough. The next day your muscles start to ache and you feel unusually feverish. Pretty soon, there’s no denying that you have a full-blown flu. You are wondering, is there anything you could have done to prevent this? Now that it’s here, what can you do to get better?

Flu vaccine Flu viruses mutate constantly, producing new strains each year. The current avian flu is one such example. The available flu vaccines are ineffective against any new type of flu as they are based on older strains of the virus. Each year, by the time a vaccine is produced and distributed, new strains have mutated. Most people have immune systems that can fight new flu viruses without the help of a vaccine. (Some exceptions to this may be elderly or severely debilitated persons.). When the body is in balance, we can be exposed to viruses and bacteria without being susceptible to infection. How do we maintain a healthy immune system? The answers lie in returning to the basics of food, rest, and some gentle energetic medicine such as homeopathy.

Food Studies show that within 5 minutes of ingesting sugar or refined carbohydrates there is a decrease in the number of white blood cells–the crucial component of our immune system. Once their number decreases our defenses against viruses and bacteria are weakened.

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We know that sugar is not good for us for many reasons. A strong immune system is one important reason to avoid not only sweets, but also anything with refined, or simple, carbohydrates. Examples include pasta, white bread, and white potatoes. As soon as these foods come in contact with the enzymes in our mouth, they are broken down into sugar and recognized by the body the same as a piece of candy! There are plenty of foods to replace these refined carbohydrates that not only strengthen the immune system but also taste good. Refined carbohydrates can be replaced with complex ones such as brown rice and legumes. Leafy green vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals including a high amount of vitamin C, vital for strong immunity. There is a good reason why your grandmother always made a batch of chicken soup when you were sick. Chicken soup is a wonderful source of easily digestible protein. Protein makes up immunoglobulin--our first defense against a virus or bacteria–, which line the mucus membranes of our nose, mouth, and respiratory tract. In order to have adequate immunoglobulin we must eat enough high-quality protein. Other ingredients to add to your soup include a generous portion of garlic. All members of the alliums family are anti-bacterial and anti-viral. While trying to prevent a flu or cold or if symptoms have arrived, try to keep your meals light. Overwhelming the digestive system diverts energy away from fighting the flu or cold. Try to eat broths and lots of teas and water. Warm foods are better than cold or raw at this time.

Rest As most of us know from experience, one of the most important ingredients to getting and staying well is adequate rest. During the winter months, it is normal to need more hours of sleep. This may mean going to sleeping earlier, or allowing yourself a twenty-minute nap in the afternoons. Our cells repair and regenerate during sleep as well as rid themselves of toxins. Another element of rest is mental and emotional rest. A body and mind under constant stress is much more likely to fall ill. There are many tools to manage stress including yoga, Qi gong, T'ai Chi and meditation. Contact your local Yoga or T'ai Chi studio for gentle, restorative classes. Just as important is remembering to take deep breaths during your daily activities. I find that little reminders such as a note next to my computer that simply says “Breath”, really helps.

Hydrotherapy Cultures around the world use the medium of water to heal all sorts of ailments. Perhaps the simplest form of hydrotherapy that is beneficial during a flu is the epsom salt bath. Run a hot bath and put 2 cups of epsom salts in the bathtub. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate. Magnesium is one of the best minerals for relaxing muscle and soothing aches that often accompany the flu. Stay in the bath for twenty minutes, making sure to keep hydrated during and afterwards. Keep your head dry, stay warm, and avoid drafts after the bath. 18 Inner Tapestry Feb/Mar 2006

Homeopathy Homeopathy has been effective historically both in prevention and in acute symptoms of the flu. Many of those who used homeopathy during the flu pandemic of 1918 survived. The best homeopathic flu prevention is Oscilloccinum (also known as Mucococcinum). This is a clinically proven preparation of bacterial and viral strains from the worst flu pandemics of the 20th century, formulated to help the body combat all types of influenza. It can be taken preventively or acutely. For prevention, take one tablet a week. If flu symptoms have already started, take one tablet every three to five hours as needed. For other specific ailments, it is best to let a naturopathic doctor or trained homeopath prescribe an appropriate remedy. However, the following are some common acute remedies and good additions to your home medicine cabinet: < < < < <

Bryonia: respiratory symptoms, worse with motion Gelsemium: headache, muscle ache, slow onset and heaviness of eyes Baptisia: significant fatigue, aches, restlessness Eupatorium Perforatum: deep bone ache Nux Vomica: flu symptoms, irritability, waking at 3am, sensitive to noise or odors

For acute symptoms, a 30C potency is adequate (and available at most health food stores). Place 3-5 pellets under the tongue, let dissolve and avoid food or drink for 15 minutes before or after taking the remedy. Take the remedy every 1-2 hours for one day and take only one remedy at a time.

Common Sense As always when you are sick or when others in your household are sick, take extra care to wash your hands frequently. When you feel as though you are about to get sick or if you become sick, take the time to nurture yourself with baths, chicken soup, and extra sleep. This is much more beneficial than taking medicine to suppress symptoms. Getting sick is often the body’s way of telling us to slow down. When we don’t listen and continue to push ourselves, the cold or flu often lingers for weeks. This is much more exhausting for the body than putting things on hold for three days to truly hibernate, renew our inner resources, and then emerge with plenty of energy.

Dr. Sasha Rose is a licensed naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist. Her clinic, Wildwood Medicine, is located at 97 India Street in Portland. For more information call (207) 347-7132 or visit www.wildwoodmedicine.com. Dr. Rose is also a certified yoga teacher currently teaching Yin yoga at the Portland Yoga Studio. For class descriptions and schedules, visit www.portlandyoga.com.

Dieting for Health by Shannen L. Wagner

• • • •

silent and aware can bring you closer to listening to the wisdom of the body and mind to facilitate healing. Avoid poor quality foods. Reduce junk foods and processed foods. Eat organic foods whenever possible to lessen chemical toxicity. Drink enough water. We need at least half our body weight in ounces of water each day. Drink high quality water to appropriately hydrate tissues and cells in the body. The cleaner our bodies are, the better we can digest and assimilate our foods. Slow down and enjoy meals. Don’t eat in the car or on the run. Our bodies metabolize foods much better when we are aware of what we are eating. This will help us to get the most nutrition out of our foods and keep us feeling full longer because our body and mind realizes we had a meal. Get enough greens. Include plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits in the diet as well as whole grains and lean proteins. Reduce negative stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol, and refined sugars. Take time for yourself. Get regular massage or reiki sessions to reduce stress and negative toxins and recharge the body and mind. Make time in your schedule for exercise. This is important for weight loss as well as stress reduction and will increase energy levels.

These suggestions are great ways to get started on a healthy diet regime. It is important however to also receive ongoing support and advice from health care professionals. We have available to us many amazing books regarding diet and overall health. I recommend Healing with Whole foods by Paul Pitchford as a wonderful dieter’s reference book, packed with essential information on nutritional and lifestyle healing. If one is looking for personalized, ongoing support, Holistic Health Counseling can be very beneficial. Holistic Health Counselors combine nutrition counseling with lifestyle coaching to custom tailor a program that works for each individual. Working with one’s own unique profile, health counselors listen and ask questions to determine which foods, exercise routines, and overall wellness suggestions to recommend. No fad diets included, just wholesome foods we can enjoy eating, exercise programs that we can integrate easily in our busy lives, and lifestyle changes that are small yet positively impacting our overall health. Holistic Health Counseling programs are 3 or 6 months in length, meeting weekly or twice a month for an hour. Each sessions recommendations are made according to the person’s own health concerns. During the counseling program, we learn to be more introspective and taught to listen and work with our body. The counselor gives you the tools, knowledge, and support to make changes, one week at a time to encourage that long-term goals are easily attained. With this approach we learn to respect and take care of our precious body, reclaiming the body-mind-spirit connection. Naturally supporting our adrenal glands by getting enough rest, eliminating junk foods and processed foods, and eating organic meats, fruits, and vegetables, our bodies begin to find balance. The adrenal glands begin to relax and work in our favor, supporting us to let go of fat and other toxins, which mentally and physically weigh us down. The Holistic Health Counseling program is designed to teach us to connect with our own inner healing power that will help us to make positive decisions regarding health and wellness for the rest of our lives. When the next diet craze hits the media, keep your adrenal health in mind and stay off the bandwagon. If we decide to take a healthier approach to our diet and lifestyle we will find that the love and effort put into ourselves will show-- inside and out!

Shannen L Wagner is a board certified Holistic Health Counselor and Reiki Practitioner. She offers free initial consultations at her office in Portland or over the phone. The Healing Path, 142 High Street, Suite 313, Portland, Maine, www.pathofhealing.com, 207-837-4878

Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 19

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s fad diets rise and fall in popularity, it makes us all wonder, “Which diet really works?” How can the pendulum swing so drastically from one diet that claims to work for everyone to another, with the same claim, which is completely opposite? Our society does jump on these diet bandwagons, trying to find what works for our bodies. Maybe this “new miracle diet” worked for a friend, co-worker, or a celebrity endorser and we think it must work for us too. With the best intentions we count calories, restrict certain foods, eat foods we normally would turn our nose up at, and begin a crazy workout regime. After a few days of being on any fad diet our body begins to fight back. The cravings and hunger sets in. We feel cranky, our muscles are sore, and we don’t have enough energy to get through the day. Our inward battle has separated our mind from our body. We are no longer listening to the messages our bodies are sending via cravings and moods; instead we are fighting that helpful information in the name of health. The stress our body is now under actually inhibits weight from being shed and throws the metabolism off balance. The body reacts to stressful conditions caused from fad dieting by placing itself in survival mode. During this fight-or-flight response, cortisol is released throughout the body, which raises blood glucose and insulin levels. Cortisol is a naturally occurring steroid hormone that is produced in the adrenal gland, but, when the glands are working overtime to keep up with the higher demands, the adrenals begin to burnout. When the adrenals become depleted, the body is unable to handle stress. The sustained high cortisol levels can destroy healthy muscle and bone and slow down healing, weakening the immune system. Also because of this increase in cortisol, the body inhibits the release of stored fat (lipolysis). Common symptoms of adrenal fatigue are: irritability, weight gain, depression, dizziness, low blood sugar, cravings for salt and sweets, sensitivity to light, low blood pressure, lower back pain, and dark circles under the eyes. When the adrenals are weak, copper builds up in the body, affecting the nervous system, which can lead to emotional instability causing mood swings and panic attacks. The stress caused to the body and mind by the fad diet has caused more harm than, good contributing to fat cell lockdown, metabolic slowdown, and adrenal burnout. These negative symptoms are not the benefits we are looking for when dieting for health. In our fast paced society it is easy to fall into the trap of the quick fix, fad diet. We live in a world where we expect results yesterday and don’t think about the long term side effects of fad dieting. Stress is a huge factor today in our everyday lives without the addition of an unhealthy yo-yo diet regime. Thousands of people suffer from adrenal fatigue relating to fad dieting and our lifestyles. Most physicians do not diagnose adrenal burnout and they think recovery is impossible. It is however very possible to recover from adrenal fatigue once we stop the abusive cycle of fad dieting and get some help. First we need to know more about what causes adrenal fatigue. Excessive stress on the body and nutritional deficiencies are the common causes and coincides with fad dieting. Today, stress can come from many sources, mental, emotional or spiritual based. We can reduce stress by revaluating daily routines and making needed changes. Working too much, family or financial problems, and over stimulation from our fast paced lifestyles can put unnecessary strain on our adrenals. City life, cell phones, and loud noises are definite stressors to the body and mind. We don’t need to quit our jobs and move away from family or the city to lessen our stress; we just need to fit in some healthy, stress relieving practices and add appropriate nutrition for starters. Here are some suggestions for adrenal fatigue recovery and healthy dieting: • Get adequate rest. Plan on 8 hours of sleep every night and rest or nap whenever needed. • Calm your mind regularly. Meditation, breathing exercises, and just being

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LIVING TO BE 100 by Amy Kustra, MD

A Part of True North's "Your Best Health Series"

Dr. Amy Kustra is a board-certified family medicine physician who practices at True North.

ntil recently, Okinawa Japan had the highest number of centenarians in the world. There it is common for people to surpass the one hundred mark fully functioning and free of the diseases of “aging” that we in America have come to accept as normal. Their diet and lifestyle have been widely studied and many differences have come to light - and one of the most compelling is the prevalence of anti-inflammatory foods in their diet. In stark contrast to American eating habits, Okinawans eat a fruit and vegetable-based diet rich in grains and soy foods and very low in dairy and animal products. It has become widely accepted that chronic inappropriate inflammation in the body is a root cause of aging and illness and has been linked not only to the traditional inflammatory disorders like arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and autoimmune diseases but also to heart disease, hypertension, cancer and Alzheimer’s. Normally inflammation in the body occurs due to infection or trauma and is localized to a specific site where healing is needed. A swollen, warm, red ankle is a perfect example of normal inflammation at work; the immune system fires itself up in order to stave off infection and start the healing process. Typically this may last for a few days or at the most a few weeks but eventually the inflammatory process wanes and returns to a state of quiescence. Unless, of course, our diet and lifestyle promote inflammation and the inflammation becomes chronic.

The bottom line is that food is information and what we eat will either enhance health or impede it. It will either promote inflammation and aging or impede it. In the work I do with patients, virtually any chronic disease or symptom can be influenced by food. To me, food is first line therapy and eating an anti-inflammatory diet is one of the keys to health. The basis of an anti-inflammatory diet consists of fruits and vegetables. They are full of antioxidants and phytonutrients which inhibit the inflammatory process. This year the federal government recognized their immense health benefit and recommended that fruits and vegetables take priority over all other food groups in the diet. The current recommendation is that adults have 10 servings a day. This seems daunting but in fact a large salad with lunch and dinner and 2 pieces of fruit just about covers it. When choosing fruits and vegetables it is wise to eat from the entire color spectrum. Red, purple and blue fruits such as blueberries, cranberries, cherries and grapes contain their own individual array of anti-inflammatory factors while yellow and orange foods contain a different but equally important set. Diets in America are very high in pro-inflammatory fats. These fats include trans fat, otherwise known as partially hydrogenated oil, found in margarine and many processed foods. These fats are extremely harmful and should be avoided entirely. Commonly used vegetables oils like safflower, sunflower, and corn contain Omega-6 fatty acids, which are also highly inflammatory. These should be replaced with virgin pressed olive oil or expeller pressed canola oil. Lastly, saturated fat found in animal products such as dairy and red meat should be used sparingly and whenever possible plant substitutes like soy products should be used. On the other hand, fat containing omega-3 fatty acids protect against inflammation and should be eaten regularly. Good sources of Omega-3 fats are cold-water fish and their oils, such as salmon and sardine, flaxseed and flax oil, walnuts, avocadoes and omega-3 fortified eggs. I start most patients in my practice on fish oils because omega-3 deficiency is extremely common and because it is unsafe to eat fish every day due to mercury contamination.

ALWAYS BRING LIGHT AND LOVE WITH YOU INTO THE DARKNESS

Lastly, never underestimate the power of the mind and its role in inflammation. A multitasking, overtaxed, stressed, brain and body are fertile ground for the inflammatory cascade to run wild. As Jeff Bland, founder of the Institute for Functional Medicine and pioneer in the field of nutritional medicine says “mobilize your bliss molecules.” Just as food is information, thoughts and emotions are too. The concept of stress didn’t even enter into mainstream Okinawan society until later in the 20th century. For all the advances we have made in modern society it seems that we have a lot to learn and a few steps to take backward.

Photo courtesy of Joan Emmons Tree courtesy of Linda and Peter Jacques

True North, Maine’s Center for Functional Medicine and the Healing Arts, is a nonprofit medical and healing practice in Falmouth offering individual visits, classes and workshops. Foreside Place, 202 Route One, (207) 781-4488, www.truenorthhealcenter.org.   Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 23

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Refined oils, processed foods, white sugar, dairy and meat are all highly inflammatory. Eaten on a regular basis they lead to a chronic low level of inflammation which involves the whole body - the brain, the heart and blood vessels, the eyes, everywhere. Our blood becomes stickier and is more prone to clotting. Cholesterol plaques form on blood vessels as band aids trying to dampen the underlying inflammation. Cells divide more rapidly due to constant irritation. Stress hormones are increased. Fat deposition occurs in the middle creating a shield of armor against the turmoil within. The body is essentially “on fire.”

⇠

What is Shiatsu? by

Antje Roitzsch

hat is Shiatsu? This is not a very commonly known modality and I hear this question a lot. Wataru Ohashi explains in his book “do-it-yourself Shiatsu” the Japanese word Shi means finger and atsu means pressure. Shiatsu is also called acupressure. It is oriental bodywork where particular points of the body are pressed to ease aches, pains, tension and symptoms of disease. These points are called tsubo and are located along the meridian lines or energy pathways through the body. The tsubo can be tender when the flow of energy is blocked. By manipulating those points the energy circulation gets enhanced. Tender tsubo however are not usually where the complaint is. For example to relieve a headache points might be stimulated on the arms or legs. To paint a picture of how this information gets applied during a session I will describe a typical session to you and then go into more background afterwards. The session

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The sessions are performed on a floor mat wearing comfortable loose clothing. Upon arrival one usually fills out an intake form or talks at length with the practitioner. The questions include physical complaints and major illnesses, emotional responses to certain situations, food preferences, high or low energy levels among other things. The information will give the practitioner a clearer picture of who and how one is in the world beyond simply knowing the complaints. Often a session starts out with 6 stretches. These are to engage the energy in the different pathways of one’s body. Some of them might feel easy, while others the body seems to resist. This also is a diagnostic tool for the practitioner. The practitioner usually begins by placing her hand on the belly, moving her hands around, pressing lightly into different areas, which is another diagnostic tool. This usually feels comforting and gentle. Moving one hand down the leg the practitioner keeps one hand as a comforting, reassuring presence on the belly. She is actually crawling on her hands and knees, moving one hand slowly down a specific path on the thigh, leaning into specific points. The pressure might feel firm but comfortable. If it is not, feedback is always welcome. Once in a while there might be a spot that feels unexpectedly sensitive (here the energy is stagnant or blocked). A good practitioner seems to sense it, ease up a little bit and have you breath into the area. After a while the sensation will subside. Once arriving at the foot she lifts up the knee to rotated it in a big circle, giving a delicious stretch to the hips. Then she places the leg down, bending it

24 Inner Tapestry Feb/Mar 2006

slightly, exposing the inside and moves up points on the inside of the leg. The leg might be put in a few different positions, exposing and stretching the meridian to be worked on. As a transition from one leg to the other both legs get rotated and stretched, sometimes putting the body into gentle twisting positions. The release and letting go of tensions is a beautiful effect of this. Working her way up the body the practitioner might stop in the hara again (the belly) and read the effects of the session that will mirror in this area. The shoulders and upper chest get opened and stretched which heads into meridian work of the arms. Here also the arms get stretched, rotated and the meridians worked on by leaning into the specific points. The stretches always engage the whole body, when the arms are stretched the toes move and when the legs are stretched the head moves. It feels like a wave going through the body initiated by the movement of the practitioner. The practitioner might move the person seemingly effortlessly into a side laying position without any help of the receiver. Giving up control and just being moved around is a great release (although that might take practice for some of us). Lying in a side position the shoulders are free to be rotated and stretched. For most of us this is an area of tension and habitual holding patterns. Gentle work will release some of these tensions and even relax and ease the breath. The whole side or even the back might be worked on in this position. Being moved on to the stomach the practitioner will lean into all the points along the spine. Most people will feel a sense of release and letting go, although some spots might be unexpectedly sensitive. Here it is also good to just breathe into those areas. At some point on the backs of the legs one might notice three or even four points of contact. The practitioner uses her knees for extra effect, but it never feels like too much pressure. Being turned over the session comes to an end with the practitioner resting her hands in the hara (belly) again touching the same areas as in the beginning, proceeding with a light kneading, almost like a cat kneading the belly. The receiver now has time to lay quietly for a while, feeling the effect of the session. One might notice a sense of deep relaxation but also stimulation, being ready to face one’s projects and life. Specific issues that were addressed will have changed or shifted.

Background I like to describe shiatsu as being a modality between massage and acupuncture. It addresses soft tissue concerns without needing to get undressed. This is a great advantage for those who feel shy about receiving massages. Similarly people that have fear of needles can still go deeper and addresses a whole different dimension than massage. The session described is based on the accumulated knowledge of 5000-year-old Chinese medicine. Similar to 5-element acupuncture the person is evaluated based on the knowledge of the 5 elements: metal, earth, fire, water and wood. During the intake, the meridian stretches and the touching of the hara the practitioner evaluates the person’s elemental balance and how they relate to the physical, emotional and spiritual well being. If one element is too dominant or too weak over a long period of time one could see tendencies and imbalances in a person that could develop into diagnosable diseases. These diseases are what western medicine treats with medication. But eastern medicine looks to strengthen or sedate the elements to bring them back into harmony, giving us a sense of well being and prevent disease. Shiatsu is best used to maintain health and vitality, strengthen internal organs and prevent energy from getting blocked in the first place. Additionally Shiatsu can be a support on different levels: It can address physical discomforts. On an emotional level, it can bring excess emotions like anger, fear, grief, worry and sadness back into a normal range. It can help bring life into focus, seeing the bigger picture. In general it can be a great support during life changes, such as a job change, a move, a divorce, an illness, finding one’s life purpose and goals. Caregivers can also greatly benefit.

Antje Roitzsch is a Shiatsu practitioner and massage therapist. She graduated in 2001 from Downeast School of Massage. Last year she spent 7 month in New York City advancing her shiatsu study at the Ohashi Institute. She practices in Camden. Call her at (207) 594-7372, email at

antroi@yahoo.com, www.antjeroitzsch.com, A Shiatsu information and demonstration evening will be held on Monday February 27th at 7:00pm at 28 Washington St. in Camden.

⇠25 BIG MEDICINE'S

a b r e a t h of h ea l i n g

ECO-SOMATIC STUDY TOURS

Yoga, Ayurveda and More

February 26th - March 5th Health Care as if the Earth and Human Being Mattered

This first course is at the Bija Vidyapeeth International College for Sustainable Living campus based on the five acre lush Navdanya organic farm nestled in the Sivalik mountain valley in Dehradun, Uttaranchal. The course is lead by well known public health advocate Dr. Mira Shiva and her world renowned sister Dr. Vandana Shiva. It focuses on the innovative measures Navdanya & other environment and public health ngos are taking to restore Indian agriculture and public health infra-structures hard-hit by the WTO & IMF structural readjustment requirements. We will also interact with the network of creative professionals who contribute richly to Navdanya and Bija Vidyapeeth's overall holistic social movements. This program includes: sessions in organic agriculture vegetarian cooking using organic produce ayurveda Hatha yoga sound meditation and interpretations of the human body in India's classical music tradition and literature.

March 7th - March 14th Indian Traditional Medicine ~ Options in Public Health

The second Course is at Jagran Jan Vikas Samiti's rural Udaipur district campus surrounded by the scenic Aravallis one of the world's oldest pre-cambrian mountain ranges. This course is led by Jagran Jan Vikas Samiti's charasmatic co-founders Ms. Bhanwar Dhabai and Mr. Ganesh Purohit, JJVS and Ms. Dhabai are co-recipients of the International Women's World Summit Fondation 2005 Award for Women's Creativity in Rural Life. Since 1987 JJVS founders and their staff of ayurveds, ethno-botanists and community workers have worked together along side traditional village healers, and local government forestry experts to develop holistic health and ecological care programs. The course includes a look at their multi-disciplinary holistic health education; ayurvedic and traditional medicine consultation, treatment and therapies; ritual healings, forest farms, medicinal plant gardens, seed banks, grain storage, self-help community restoration programs and village art, philosophy and culture. Our course ends with Holi, the Hindu festival of colors. We promise; healthy food, beautiful locales, inspiring company and god willing, normal spring weather and plant exuberance. We believe you will return with a larger network of like minded people and creative ideas for your own localities. Big Medicine's study tours are interactive study opportunities with leading Indian mind/body/ecology masters. It is also a chance to be with village communities that know how to tread lightly on the planet and live healthy naturally.

COME FOR ONE OR BOTH COURSES! For more information contact Rita Dixit-Kubiak e-mail: metamed@nancho.net and check for further course details at: http://nancho.net/bigmedtours/

o look at Yoga and its relationship to Complementary Medicine let’s begin with a quote from world-renowned violinist Yehudi Menuhin. "He experienced considerable physical and artistic difficulties caused by overwork during World War II. Meditation and yoga (He met BKS Iyengar in 1952) helped him overcome many of these problems and he continued to perform to an advanced age.” (See more on this at http://YehudiMenuhin,area51.ipupdater.com.) “I believe this treatise (Iyengar’s book Light on Pranayama), drawn from classical Indian texts, will provide illuminating guidelines to the reconciliationof various practices of medicine from acupuncture to touch and sound therapy. Mr. Iyengar, my guru in yoga, had added a new and greater dimension to the life of the people of the West, urging us to join in our brothers of every colour and every creed in celebration of life with pure reverence and purpose”. Mr. Iyengar, born in 1918, is still teaching and inspiring. Having started yoga himself as a way to overcome health problems and weaknesses, he is a living testimony to the strength, vitality and health that comes from having a regular yoga practice. As many of today’s illnesses, both physical and mental, are linked to stress, dysfunctional families and environments, yoga has become a haven for healing our wounds and illnesses, both physical and mental in nature. Yoga links the mind, body and breath and this inter-relationship is being much honored by some Western Medical practitioners as well. One medicine that is getting much attention as complementary to those engaged in a yogic lifestyle is Ayurveda, which translates into knowledge of life. In Ayurveda there are considered to be three forces, or doshas, that we are made up of- Vata (air and ether), Pitta (fire) and Kapha (earth and water). The predominance of these in us is evident by our behavior and physical characteristics. As yoga is about creating balance, an Ayurvedic diagnosis can suggest what foods and activities will help you balance the doshas. Pitta, for example, benefits from the energy that fire brings but if too active can lead to short temperedness. Pitta people often enjoy spicy foods yet that only contributes to over activating the fire; so cooling foods like coconut milk are suggested over heat producing foods like garlic. Suggestions can be quite extensive, so depending on your motivation and truly listening to your inner voice, choosing feasible changes gradually, or as they work for you, may work best. Often feeling better is the motivation for adding more of the changes! When we are faced with serious health issues, often we experiment and wonder what is the best direction to take with treatment. Here again it might be helpful to listen to your own inner voice as well as suggestions from others. It is also wise to listen to that inner voice before illness arises. “I really should be meditating more”, “I know I am not eating healthily”, “ These toxic emotions I am feeling need to be addressed and healed”, “I really am curious about yoga but I don’t think I could do it” (by the way, anyone can do yoga!). Another aspect of yoga that can help us understand our medical path is the chakra system. Chakras are considered to be energy centers along our spine that absorb and are affected by the energy around us. Yoga asanas and breathing practices can clear, cleanse and strengthen these energy systems, as can certain foods,

sounds and stones. Some health practitioners recognize the chakra symbols whereas your medical doctor might well not. They are still a useful tool to interpret what is going on with you. In the book “Emotional Intelligence”, for example, it is noted that women who have contemptuous relationships with men have a higher incidence of bladder problems. This would relate to the second chakra and makes sense. The second chakra is related to water, the flow of our emotions and our relationships. Yoga practitioners are often more open to complementary practices, such as acupuncture, numerology, astrology and music therapy. Often these tools are quite helpful but sometimes they are just not enough and Western medicine is what is needed. One of my students discovered yoga through Kundalini Yoga. It totally changed her life. She gave up her job as CFO of an international law firm to, at age 40, take the yoga teacher training to enhance her practice and study Ayurvedic Nutrition with Dr. Ladd in New Mexico (www.ayurveda.com). She then combined this Eastern theory with a degree where she became a Registered Dietitian as well, mixing the East with the West. This served her as well since she had been dealing with cystic kidney disease for almost ten years. Her use of Ayurvedic herbs and change of diet seemed to be helping. She was determined to defy the odds. Yet recently she had to take injections to boost her system and finally had a successful kidney transplant. Her new kidney helped her kidney function return to a level it had not functioned at since 1982. Were all those years of yoga and meditation a waste? Certainly not. Her inner voice and the wisdom of Western medicine suggested that now was the time to accept a transplant which would save her life and restore her stamina and energy. More of my students are telling me recently positive stories of their doctors and yoga. One said “My doctor was thrilled that I do yoga”. Another said that her doctor commented that all his patients who do yoga have healthy blood pressures. On a radio program not too long ago the interviewer said to me “ All my friends who do yoga seem to have it together”. What yoga does is help us keep it together but the laws of nature say that none of us are immune to life’s changes, whether it be loss or illness or accidents. Yoga can serve us to get through these changes in a more balanced way, we hope, and in that process help us “keep it together” by being divinely attuned, by our patience and our efforts. Then we can choose the practices, like Yehudi Menuhin, that can enhance our healing and our life journey.

Donna Amrita Davidge has been teaching yoga since 1985 and owns and operates Sewall House Yoga Retreat with her husband Kent Bonham in northern Maine from June to October while teaching full time and continuing to study yoga the rest of the year in NY City. www.sewallhouse.com, 888-235-2395. She has also produced several Kundalini Yoga products which are available on the website.

Donna (Amrita) offers ongoing Yoga Retreats from June to October and Christmas at www.sewallhouse.com in Island Falls, Maine and has been an avid yogini and teacher in the training arena called life for 50 years and as a Yoga teacher for over 20 years.

It as an important thing that while we are living and we are human we have human support...

...Teresa of Avila

Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 25

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We will celebrate Shivratri the festival of Shiva with the farming families who live near he Navdanya farms.

by Donna Amrita Davidge

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modern s ham an i c l i v i n g

Shamanic Healing: Medicine's Ancient Heart by Evelyn C. Rysdyk

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hamanism and contemporary shamanic healing have roots that extend very deeply into the collective human past. Originating in the time when people all over the globe lived a hunter/gatherer lifestyle, shamanism is an ancient spiritual tradition, which presupposes that all of the world, which surrounds us, is alive. As living beings, the plants, trees, animals, birds and people are filled with spirit, which enlivens and animates them. Furthermore, the health and strength of any individual being is believed to be a direct reflection of the vitality of this animating force. During the subsequent spread of our species to every corner of the Earth, we carried this understanding of the world with us and incorporated it into our different tribal traditions. This is very noticeable when we examine traditional shamanic healers in disparate cultures-- from Africa to the Americas to Siberia. Observers, of widely diverse shamanic cultures, see amazingly similar threads in their practices, which clearly reflect our common spiritual origins. Having its foundation in shamanic worldview, shamanic healing approaches the patient’s disease or imbalance through the doorway of spirit’s enlivening force. In other words, the shamanic healer addresses the spiritual aspect of an illness, which manifests itself as the physical, mental or emotional symptom. Within this framework, all illnesses of the body, mind, and emotions are accessible through this portal. A shamanic healer assists someone to regain a healthy balance by returning the patient’s lost spiritual energy and removing intrusive spiritual energy, which may have entered the person. These intrusions often replace the void left by the loss of the person’s own spirit. In other words, during a healing, the shaman works to restore an individual’s spirit to wholeness and health. The ritual of returning lost parts of the spirit or a person’s “power” is referred to as soul or spirit retrieval. The removal of intrusive, unbeneficial spiritual energy is called extraction. If the intrusive energy in the patient is actually a part of someone else’s spirit, the situation would require a depossesion. These healing methods, although practiced in rituals as various as our many human cultures, are seen so often they may be thought of as universal. Once more, in tribal cultures that retain a shamanic spiritual context in their society, the healings performed by the shaman create genuine, positive and sometimes, miraculous changes in the patient. When working with contemporary, westernized people who have wandered furthest from their early roots, a shamanic healer has unusual challenges. Unlike their tribal counterparts, the contemporary shamanic healer must first help the individual, who is seeking healing, to remember their connections to the rest of the living world. The patient must remember the beauty and power of their own spirit and recognize that they have tremendous inner resources for healing. In essence, some of what we do as practitioners in the modern world is to help our patients through their current-present moment--illness by reconnecting them to their ancient selves. Much of the malaise people experience in our contemporary world seems to originate from the perceived 26 Inner Tapestry Feb/Mar 2006

disconnections of our bodies, minds and spirits. These disconnections express themselves metaphorically in all phases of our existence. For instance, in our practice, we see individuals that perceive themselves to be separate or isolated from other people. Another client may have rewarding relationships with people, yet cannot see themselves as a part of the natural world. While still other clients do not perceive their connection to the Divine. There are those that see their spirits as separate from their bodies or at the very least that their bodies are somehow less important. Each of these people have, in their own way, fallen prey to the hierarchical and compartmentalized viewpoint, which is prevalent in our culture. Healing these misconceptions and internalized divisions are a large part of a modern shamanic practitioner’s work. People need help in remembering their, “inherent preciousness--that they are no more or less important than any other being in Creation and that, as Divine beings, they are both loved and Love itself.”

Shamanic healing approaches the patient's disease or imbalance through the doorway of spirit's enlivening force. Barry S. Hewlett, an anthropologist at Washington State University in Vancouver has been involved for twenty-five years in studying how human perceptions of the overall nature of reality are really based on how we were “educated”. That is, the training our mind receives affects how we understand the world and ourselves. This is particularly true of the early education we receive about the world as infants. In Hewlett’s work with both a foraging (hunter/gatherer) people, the Aka, and their farming neighbors, the Ngandu; he has postulated that the foragers have a different cultural mindset about trust and sharing. This powerful fundamental difference is apparently transmitted from one generation to another through their child rearing techniques. Through Aka behaviors of sharing the care and feeding of infants within the group, they “teach” the child that the world is an inherently safe, loving and nurturing place. In addition they, by their lifestyle of reliance on the gifts of Nature, project the same understanding of the inherently compassionate and trustworthy nature of the world at large. It has long been understood by developmental psychologists that an individual’s attachment/ relationship style is directly impacted by how the child is parented, particularly in terms of the degree of attentiveness and concern provided by the parents when the child is in infancy. Hewlett’s work is suggesting that there is a cultural effect, which is produced, in a similar fashion. In other words, we are taught our definitions of reality. If this is so, we may therefore be reeducated in the same manner. As we change our perceptions, we recreate our reality. In the shamanic understanding of reality, the spirit is the framework on which the physical existence is created and sustained. When this foundation suffers

imbalance, an illness may ensue. In Genesis, there is a phrase, “In the beginning was the Word...and the Word became Flesh...” This is a description of the Creation. If we examine this statement from the point of view offered by quantum physics we could infer that “word” refers to a vibration or wave and “flesh” refers to a particle or to matter itself. Following this logic therefore, matter initially exists as a wave or vibration, which may take form. In every one of our cells, we carry the elemental building blocks of life--DNA--a remarkable double helix-shaped chain of chemical information. Housed within its twisting steps is the story of our evolution as human beings. It is what shapes our physical form. What is even more amazing is that we share 90% of our genetic material with other species. Recent discoveries have documented the fact that inside of the 60-80 thousand genes that make up our human DNA lies the information to create all other life forms on the planet. When molecular biologists examine the complex strands of our genetic material, they also find the codes for other life forms housed within it. Instead of simply being a blue print for a human being, our genetic strands are an extraordinary Library of All Life on Earth--the entire inter-linked biosphere. We are part of all of Creation and all of Creation is held within us. In addition to being an extraordinary storehouse of information, our DNA is also a source of energy. Studies in the 1980s determined that DNA emits photons in the visible light (900-200 nanometer) range, which although weak, exhibit a laser-like coherency. Photons are particles of light matter, but have no mass. They may be proven by physics, but not weighed in the traditional manner. They are normally imperceptible to our senses yet they are constantly radiating from the DNA in every cell. A remarkable property of a photon is that, since it has no measurable mass, it is able to travel over great distances. That means the energy of our bodies, expressed as the photons emitted from our DNA, is intermingled with all other beings that our energy comes into contact with. And since all DNA radiates these particles of light, it exists everywhere as a subtle energy-- infusing, as it were, all of Creation. This means that, our DNA emitted photons--the invisible part of us--can not help but constantly interact with the invisible part of all other beings. This interaction creates yet another exciting situation. When one energy wave contacts another energy, it enters into a positive feedback loop. In this dynamic interaction, each element in the loop affects and is affected by the other. What this means is that, through the interactions between different beings, the invisible, radiant part of us, has the capacity to change and evolve. And if this information wasn’t staggering enough, since photons continue to travel endlessly onward, they have the ability to keep growing, interacting and evolving, even after the body that generated them expires! It seems that the long road of science is bringing us back to a more ancient understanding of the world. If we examine this scientific information using a shamanic lens, we would call this subtle energy or vibration--Spirit. Perhaps, 50,000 years before the Bible

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t he w ay o f lif e - itse l f

No sin gle syste m of he a l th ca re ca n a ddress th e i nf i ni te va r i e t y o f l i fe. . . by Norm Hirst

homeopath from India told me he was shocked that the President of the United States has only one physician representing only one medical system. In India the Prime Minister is required to have five physicians representing five different medical systems. This made sense to me. Medical systems are finite systems, as they have to be. The mind cannot encompass infinity. No finite system can encompass the infinite variety of reality or in this case, health-care. I propose this as an important point to be aware of. No system of thought can encompass the infinite variety of reality! This becomes especially relevant in the ways we care for the body/mind.

He who can effect the energy can help the body cure itself. During the nineteen years we have been together, Skye and I have investigated and been treated by acupuncture, homeopathy, herbs including Chinese herbs, kinesiology chiropractors, naturopathy, nutrition and Jin Shin Jyutsu. In her 24 years of practicing Jin Shin Jyutsu, Skye has experienced benefits on many levels from it’s miraculous holistic wisdom. Each of these body/mind approaches has shown more potential than orthodox medicine convincing me that we are more entities of energy than merely physical entities. Current research by biochemists and biophysicists is tending to confirm this. Now I believe our bodies are not primarily physical entities, they are energy entities. He who can effect the energy can help the body cure itself. Being autopoietic, self-making, the body can cure itself and that is all that can cure it. He who can only work with the physical aspects can not cure. There can be acute conditions where orthodox high-tech treatment is all that will save a life. However in less acute conditions where cure should be the goal, I don’t believe our medical system is designed to cure. Prescription drugs are “work-arounds.” That means they do not restore the body to health. They just force it to function differently so the symptoms go away. When you are on a drug for life, you know there is no cure being attempted. I refer to the alternatives here as being energy medicine. They also involve different ways of observing and thinking. For example homeopaths don’t observe or think in terms of disease categories. They work with remedies and their symptom pictures matching the symptom pictures of the remedies to the symptoms of the patient. There was a time when the FDA wanted to outlaw homeopathy unless the remedies were subject to standard double blind trials and were proven effective. This could not be done. Different people with the same disease will exhibit some similar and some different symptoms. Thus a homeopath will choose different remedies for different patients even though they have the same disease. Each of the energy medicine systems has its own unique way of observing and treating disease. What one system cannot see or treat, another might. They all should be available. Unfortunately they are not really. In many areas of the US most of them are not available. Even where they do exist, people will go the orthodox route so insurance will pay. I believe we could save enormous

sums of money if insurance paid for alternative care and we would get better health care. Finally, I think many believe that orthodox medicine is more scientific with all its miraculous technology. At this time there is no proper basis for scientific medicine. I believe there soon will be. For now all we have is empirical philosophies. My research has informed me that: 1.

Our official medical system is the most expensive the world. 2. When compared to other countries for quality of care, our system does not rank well. 3. Our medical care is the third largest cause of death. 4. Our system leads the world in error rates. One third of all patients are misdiagnosed. Regarding error rates, I believe there are two possible causes. First, our bodies truly are holistic. With medicine divided into specialties the way it is, there are holistic effects that physicians won’t see. Second, technology can only be a finite system; the extensive dependency on technology can only lead to seeing the body/mind in parts. The living entity as energy organized and constantly creating itself by holistic relationships cannot be studied in parts. What do physicians do when the MRI shows nothing? Or worse, how can they be sure that what the MRI shows really indicates what they think it does? In other countries, the technology is relied on less and the doctor spends more time getting to know the patient to fully diagnose. The result is less error. It is time to demand a new kind of health care that supports the way of Life-itself and to defend the freedom of choice that could be taken away if the “Codex laws” are imposed. It used to be thought that MD’s were the best authorities on treating disease. Given contemporary research, there are Ph.D.’s in biochemistry and biophysics who know far more. Unfortunately they are not considered 1 the best authorities so they have difficulty being heard. We need a health system that embraces all the knowledge and specialties available to give us truly a holistic approach, not just for caring, but for healing our body/ minds. I quote Alfred North Whitehead, one of the last thoughts he wrote contributed by him to his festschrift volume. “The self-confidence of learned people is the 2 comic tragedy of civilization” No single system of thought can encompass the infinite variety of reality!

1. Molecules of Emotion by Candace B. Pert, PhD. 2. The Philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead, p689 Norm and Skye Hirst are co-founders of Life-itself Institute, a research and education non profit organization discovering the ways of Life-itself, its self-creating forces and functions revealing wholistic intelligence. Norm is now putting forth 27 hypotheses about the functionings of living organisms culminating from his 45 years of investigation and recent discoveries over the past 10 years. Skye has 30 years experience as a human dynamics coach, is a Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner, educator, lecturer and author. Skye helps make this emerging knowledge accessible to all. For more information skyeh@midcoast.com or (207) 236-6331. Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 27

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Back in the 70’s I was hired to design a very advanced hospital computer system. When we were ready for the pharmacy component I asked the hospital pharmacist if we should alert the doctors if they prescribed incompatible drugs. He thought it was a great idea but didn’t know where I would get compatibility information. There was some such information for a few drugs but in general they did not know. They prescribed an average of eight to ten drugs to each patient. I asked how they knew whether a worsening condition was due to the disease or the drugs. He sort of smiled and said I apparently had not heard of iatrogenic disease meaning, “doctor caused.” I had not. That experience made me look for alternatives. I found a psychiatrist who practiced homeopathy. He raved about how good he felt actually bringing relief to people for the first time. He enthusiastically explained the theory of homeopathy to me. I went home thinking it was the most nonsensical notions I had ever heard. Then I realized it wasn’t. Although it seemed to be nonsense, it couldn’t compete with what I heard in a course on quantum physics. I continued to investigate homeopathy and found much evidence in its favor. When I met the homeopath from India I made him my doctor and I saw enough to be convinced. Also, I will never forget asking an orthodox physician if he had heard about homeopathy. He answered that at home, he treated his family homeopathically. At work, he wrote prescriptions. I also met a doctor who treated a dying girl homeopathically and saved her life. All other doctors had left her to die saying there was no cure for her disease. But shocks to my thinking were not over. I knew a woman who developed a lump on her side. She told me there was a psychic surgeon visiting some friends. She was going to see him to have the lump removed. Of course I knew that psychic surgeons were frauds. The whole idea was absurd. I went with her to watch and maybe gloat a little. As I watched, the surgeon placed his fingertips on the lump. I saw her skin open exposing the lump. He lifted it out with his right hand leaving a red hole where the lump had been. When he removed his left hand her skin closed. There was not a sign that anything had been done except the lump was gone. There was no pain to the woman. To those who want to tell me he created an illusion, I leave it to them to explain how it was that lump was gone and remained gone. Long before I met her, Skye suffered a serious knee injury. Her doctors told her they could restore some function by operating but her knee would never be normal. Instead she went to a psychic surgeon. As he operated she sensed she was entering a different reality for a brief time. When he finished she walked home. As she walked

her normal sense of reality returned. Her knee has been normal ever since. There are those who do demonstrations debunking psychic surgery. I saw such a demonstration on TV. It bore no resemblance to what I saw watching a psychic surgeon. It was what I might have imagined them doing if I did not believe. Perhaps the debunkers need debunking.

e x p lori ng the wor l d r e l i g i on s

Finding Your Spiritual Path Part Four by James Bean Spiritual Community A number of medical studies have shown that those who have regular, meaningful, and fulfilling social interaction, are part of a group working together towards common goals (community projects, churches, synagogues, satsangs, sangas, yogas classes, meditation groups, book discussions, etc....), tend to enjoy better physical health than those who take a more solitary path. They even have stronger immune systems. Individuals coming together with a shared vision, a united purpose...that is what I mean when I use the term spiritual community’.

Dare To Live Your Dreams

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Underline words such as ‘shared’, ‘vision’, and ‘meaningful’. Groups that get caught up in gossip, mindless criticism and controversies are, of course, anything but healthy. Even as there are medical studies suggesting a good marriage generally promotes health and well-being, the opposite can be said of a marriage where the partners are engaged in endless conflict. And nothing in this material creation lasts forever. Sometimes we outgrow a particular group or teacher, and seek to find a new sense of community, which really does live up to our original Ideal. Sometimes we have to dare to turn the page and see what the next chapter will bring. Truth is good, but truthful living is better still.

Nothing Wrong with Being A “Stranger in a Strange Land” Lord Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita, those who know him by his outward appearance only and not his true form, miss the mark. A verse of poetry in the Urdu language by Darshan Singh proclaims, “Those who look at the surface are exiled from the Beloved’s Light”. In one part of the Mandaean Gnostic scriptures of Iraq, the soul departs, ascends into the spiritual regions above and sings an ode to its previous life in the world, saying: “I was in your midst but you never recognized me”. Mystics often portray human society as shallow, as being caught up in various forms of intoxication, addiction, illusion, and distraction. The Gnostic Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas said, “I took my stand in the midst of the world, and in flesh I appeared to them. I found them all drunk...When they shake off their wine, then they will change their ways”. He also said: “I shall choose you, one from a thousand and two from ten thousand...”, a very small percentage of the population. What comes to mind is that funny proverb, “In the Kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man would be king.” Here is an Eastern equivalent of that found in the poetry of Paltu Sahib: In the colony of the blind, a man with sight arrived. A man with sight arrived, and all the blind came out to greet him. The fools collected around him and cried, “Put out your eyes, 0 stranger, and live as we do!” Then they deliberated and declared him blind, as they themselves were. Where millions are blind, what can one person with sight do? No one listens to him and he feels helpless. 0 Paltu, nobody considers what he has to say. In the colony of the blind, a man with sight arrived. (Saint Paltu -- His Life and Teachings) 28 Inner Tapestry Feb/Mar 2006

Often, beliefs are inherited, hand-me-down, echoes of the past, not something consciously chosen. The true spiritual seeker is the person of sight in the poem above. They have not lost their identity in the crowd, and are unwilling to surrender their vision in order to conform to the consensus or tyranny of the majority. Love, Serve, and Remember -Don’t Give Up On The Vision The true spiritual seeker never quits. The divine quest is permanently part of this life during this incarnation. The Ideals of meditation and spirituality are never left behind, nostalgically associated with a youthful past along with Kirk, Spock, the Hula Hoop, or maybe an old Iron Butterfly album. In my view, it is far preferable to Be Here Now...NOW! In the present moment, we are! Speaking of that great spiritual classic by Ram Das, Be Here Now -in the bibliography of, Be Here Now, is listed several books by Kirpal Singh. In one of them, Kirpal Singh wrote the following about being in the LIVING PRESENT: “Standing at the crossroads of Time, we must make a firm resolve to do better from day to day.... As there are landmarks on earth, so there are landmarks in Time. The past and future are like sealed books to us: the one is in the limbo of oblivion, while the other is in the womb of uncertainty. It is only the LIVING PRESENT that is ours, and we must make the best use if it, ere it slips away through the fingers and is lost forever. Human birth is a great privilege and offers us a golden opportunity. It is for us to make or mar the same, for it is given to each individual to forge his or her own destiny as best he may.” Often I notice the spiritual seeker is someone with a certain quality of intensity that most do not seem to possess. By using the word ‘intensity’ I do not mean this in the sense of religious zeal or fanaticism. The genuine spiritual seeker is someone willing to go the extra mile in their search for Truth, but not necessarily someone who thinks they always have all the answers. Being drunk on one’s own opinion is just as much of a vice as any other addiction. The long-term spiritual survivor does have however, a very strong faculty of attention, definitely a healthy amount of can-do spirit and tenacity (resoluteness, firmness, resolve, resolution, determination, purpose, doggedness, perseverance, persistence)! They are not so distracted by the busyness of life that they loose their ability to hear the Voice of Silence speaking softly in the center of their soul. Being a true student of the Master is mostly about becoming a good listener, having an Ear of the Heart, a listening heart that truly hears, able to receive new wisdom coming from outside the universe of one’s own ego.

A Stage Beyond Seeking Called “Finding” Some prefer an eclectic approach, a new age salad bar where you “pick the best and ignore the rest”. But, when it comes to spiritual paths and practices, is the neophyte really qualified to make such judgments based on any wisdom, or are they acting more like the child during dinner who objects to finishing their vegetables and would rather eat more sweets? From their young vantage-point, if left unchecked and free of parental guidance, “picking the best and throwing out the rest” might mean an all-candy diet. Does the American eclectic spiritual salad bar approach actually lead somewhere, or is it merely going over

the same ground again and again like someone lost in the woods? The “maps” and “compasses” of traditional paths may represent oppressive, authoritarian symbols to some, but for devotees following traditional paths, the Ways that have been fine-tuned and practiced for thousands of years in some cases, provide priceless wisdom and genuine guidance. Each traditional school of spirituality advocates following one teacher, adopting one path, riding one horse in one direction, so to speak. Some prefer combining elements of different paths together. However, when one combines, for instance, Sant Mat and Shamanism, or Jainism and Sufism, that may not really lead to truly appreciating, understanding, or honoring those traditions for what they truly are. I think of meditation techniques as being like scientific experiments. One has to follow the directions very closely in order to get the intended results. Not all paths are the same. Not all forms of meditation have the same goals. Techniques vary greatly. Some schools of meditation, for instance, suggest using certain visualization exercises. Other say, don’t visualize anything at all. Some say you have to be vegetarian, others not. Some teach one to meditate using the breath. Others discourage focusing on the breath during meditation. Certain forms of meditation promote siddhis, which are psychic or supernatural powers. Others declare, “never mind desiring those powers”, and portray them as detours from true self-realization. Some advocate counting beads to maintain concentration during meditation, while others use mantras and are critical of the use of beads or other external aids. There is a wonderful spiritual classic called, The Anurag Sagar (The Ocean of Love) of Kabir. For me, its description of the cosmos, all the world religions and all the states of consciousness they represent, makes perfect sense of “life, living, the universe, and everything”, to borrow a phrase from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. I remember after reading this revelation, coming away with such a clear understanding of the Grand Scheme of Things. All the world religions reflect an aspect of the cosmos. All promote an interaction with one of the many planes or spheres of creation. M. Scott Peck has described in his writings the different stages of the spiritual journey. Included in that is a fundamentalist “boot-camp” stage of “turning your life around”, giving up addictions or vices. That stage is characterized by strong opinions or emotions as one struggles to push themselves into moving ahead and not “backsliding”. Ken Wilber has attempted to label the stages of consciousness that various spiritual practices or yogas take one to. He was one of the first to attempt to do this, which is no easy task. See his chapter titled, Evolution Through the Egoic Levels, in the book, “The Atman Project”. We seem to all be born predisposed to follow the paths that we do in life. Some desire to create the perfect ritual. Other devotees construct a physical temple, and visit God there on the weekends. Some are lovers of silence and contemplation, going within the “temple” of the human body. Others create ecstasy through trance-dance and rhythms, perhaps playing a tambourine in a spirited praise of Krishna in the East, or a spirit-filled worship of Christ in the West, while lovers of intellect ponder “correct” interpretation of law, doctrine, theology, and philosophy. Hunters of entities find voices faintly audible in the astral silence of magnetic tape, recorded at haunted houses in the night. Lovers of universal Mind (Mind spelled with a capitol “M”) repeat affirmations and seek to modify the reality they create

29 with their thoughts -- A Course In Miracles -- What the Bleep Do We Know! Represented in the spiritual marketplace of ideas are many different interests, temperaments, and preferences, and each of these resonate with a certain aspect of creation contained within the microcosm of the human form, be it physical, astral, emotional, mental, etheric, or spiritual. In India there is a religion for each of the chakras. There is yoga for each of the subtle bodies, and paths for each of the planes or heavenly realms. Each of these states of consciousness has its avatars and incarnations that come to the earth-plane to represent those realms, and even eventually escort souls to various higher planes, in the Beyond. Satisfying the intellect during a spiritual search is required. Curiosity is healthy. Seeking is wonderful. Exploration is necessary. But hopefully there is another stage beyond this seeking, called “finding”. What a great day it is when we finally know what OUR path is. The neat this is, after you have found yourself, it becomes much easier to find compatible spiritual community. When you know your own mind, finding the like-minded is not so hard.

“Maine, the Way Life Should Be” If you find yourself living in Maine and your primary

The Internet and Spiritual Community There was a hilarious commercial for a wireless web service a few years back. It showed computer users emerging from their houses out into the street, as if for the very first time. With milky white skin and squinting their eyes in the bright sunlight of the outside world, they celebrated their newfound freedom,

no longer tethered by a short copper wire leading to a cable modem or phone line [smiles]. While there has been some concern that the computer revolution has promoted isolationism, I for one see the opposite beginning to happen. The Internet is what we make of it of course, be it isolation, or a new way to make friends, connect with people, or promote events. Truth is, spirituality is thriving on the worldwide web. It is possible to learn about countless world religions and schools of spirituality, and practice networking, finding out about what groups have centers in Maine or other States. There is, more and more with each passing day, the growing potential for the LOCAL aspect of the web to play a major communications role. College campuses and universities where most everyone is online have been enjoying this reality for years. It is possible to organize online chats or classes just for people in Maine. These cyber-events are not intended to replace coming together for meetings, lectures, workshops, and group meditations in person, but to compliment these activities by reaching out to more people, especially those who may live many miles away. This local dimension of the web has taken several years to become a significant factor, but as more and more people get online and fill out yahoo, myspace, msn, and other profiles which reveal their interests, connecting with people locally via the web, running one’s own spiritual chat room, developing e-mail lists or eGroups to announce events, and sharing meeting announcements via various Maine calendar of events sites, are practices that are beginning to play a very major role, creating exciting new opportunities for spiritual community in Maine.

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

What is SoulCircling? by Ken Hamilton, MD

SoulCircling is a gentle, soft, and loving web of gossamer with which an individual circles her or his soul, Psyche, which, like psyche, the butterfly, is beautiful, tender, and shy. If you would catch the winged Psyche, you need to hold her tenderly while she tells you what she needs you to know. SoulCircling began in 1996 out of supportive groups a Maine surgeon started in 1987 to help his patients find meaning in lives that serious illness had threatened. Those groups, called HOPE Groups, came into being after a decade of helping his patients discover the power that came from finding their core passion and focusing on finding the means to realize it. SoulCircling is a healing that comes from telling one’s story to a small group of people who support and affirm each other for being a one-of-a-kind work of art. A loving examination of one’s personality, talents, passions, attachments and will in the light of one’s story reveals the resources one has with which to meet life’s circumstances and discover the reason for the soul’s coming—its intent. SoulCircling provides a caring and gentle environment in which one’s soul can tell a person what she knows about them and her journey with them. A SoulCircle is a truly supportive group—a “Mastermind” —that provides just such an environment. SoulCircling empowers a person to go beyond simply coping with change. SoulCircling is getting in touch with that part of one’s Self that knows how to get through crisis, both personal and social. SoulCircling helps people keep their center in the face of confusion, chaos, profusion; accepting it and finding one’s own way through it — making sense out of and finding the meaning of a person’s own life—its spiritual meaning. SoulCircling is a process that builds community through dialogue and nurtures synergy thereby. It reflects the Christ’s “Where two or more of you are gathered, there am I.” It reflects the Buddha’s Sangha. It reflects the Hopi Kiva. It empowers negentropy. It creates community. SoulCircling is a “brief psychotherapy” with a distinctive process that takes less than two days to complete. It does not require a psychotherapist, for it has the help

of caring humans who listen with hearts and minds, share reflections on what they see and hear, and affirm a person for their life’s story. SoulCircling involves the search for Psyche, the soul—the butterfly. So imagine that your soul hovers around you with the beauty of a butterfly, and she knows who you are, why you are here, how you are going to get what you came for, and what you’re going to do with it when you have it. Your soul is the seat and home of your passions. SoulCircling helps you identify your core passion, the recognition of which is a powerful way to manage stress. The process comprises five elements. First, each participant creates an illustrated story of twelve events that changed their life. Second, they take an inventory of their core passion, talents, temperament, will, and responsibilities and attachments to people, places, and things. Third, they tell their stories and share their inventories with their SoulCircle. Fourth, they create an intention and an associated affirmation for their life that helps them realize it. Fifth, they take part in the SoulCircle for each of the other members of their group, and they are then able to convene their own SoulCircles to help them follow their intention. SoulCircles consist of active listeners... offering no advice or judgment; asking questions for clarification only; reflecting on the qualities of what they have heard; and affirming the speaker for what s-he has done with that life. Through the process, the participant comes to recognize that the painful experiences of life are as valuable as the joyous experiences. The participant identifies the resources of self and Self with which s-he has met life, discovering the archetypal themes of her or his life thereby. Thus, the participant determines the strategies that help her or him move forward into a meaningful life.

“Ken Hamilton, MD, retired physician-surgeon guiding his fellow humans on ways to develop healing dialog between ego and soul—our secular and spiritual selves. Founder, HOPE, Healing Of Persons Exceptional; recipient, Jefferson Award; member, Society for Healing in Medicine.” Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 29

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Traditional paths such as Zen, Sufism, Kabbalah within Judaism, and many forms of yoga-meditation, all advocate adopting one specific contemplative spiritual practice and then adhering to it faithfully with complete devotion and accuracy. Ideally, a spiritual path is like the commitment of a good marriage, not a short-term fling or one-night stand. Coleman Barks has translated a verse of poetry that speaks to this issue of diving in, of commitment. Rumi says, “Window-shoppers, for God’s sake -- buy something!” I think what he was saying is that, for the sake of Allah, it is best to embrace a path fully -- begin somewhere. Learn it, know it, live it, experience it totally -- grow, mature, gain some wisdom. In truth, it takes years, dare I say even decades, to really get to know a spiritual path in depth.

criteria for attending a spiritual gathering is not having to drive very far, well... I suspect you could end up being a follower of a fundamentalist sect since those are often close by [smiles]. A few years back I came up with this humorous odd little saying that does seem to often be accurate: ‘The weirder you are, the further you drive’. If you are a vegetarian living in some rural part of Maine, as I am, you may indeed find yourself gassing up the vehicle and making a pilgrimage to a health food store or co-op thirty miles away. You don’t mind doing this as you know that certain foods are like medicine, make you feel better, give you more energy, may help prevent diseases, you are committed to staying faithful to your Ideal, and that’s just the way it is. Maine is a fairly large, spread-out, rural state without large cities. There is no one area that necessarily will serve as a central location and is just a five-minute drive for most everyone. It’s not uncommon for adherents of a rare spiritual path, a specific form of meditation or Eastern philosophy, to drive an hour or more to get to their meeting. One would be most fortunate to have to travel only that short a distance. Some are not so lucky, as there may not even be one gathering or class anywhere in the entire state representing certain yoga practices or Eastern or Middle Eastern paths. I know of one example of a rare Eastern path that has one follower in Alfred, Maine, another person in Lubec, one in Fort Kent, another in Farmington, and two people from Portland. A very rare day indeed it is, when they all manage to get together. A willingness to drive, at least to some degree -- let’s say, within an hours distance from one’s home in any of the four directions, may indeed open up new possibilities for finding spiritual community in this particular sparsely populated “corner of the universe”.

Inner Tapestry DIRECTORY OF RESOURCES (pages 30–34) Maine’s Holistic practitioners, products & resources at your fingertips! Reaching over 30,000 readers ( TAKE A LOOK AND SEE WHAT’S NEW! ( (New listings added each issue) For information on how to add your listing, see page 34

: Astrology .................................................................page 30 : Body Essences .......................................................page 30 ; Counseling & Therapy ........................................... page 30 ; Creative Art Therapies ........................................... page 30 ; Dance/Movement ................................................... page 31 ; Healing: Combined Modalities ........................ pages 31-32 ; Herbs, Gardens & Herbal Products ........................page 32 : Hypnotherapy . ......................................page 32 ; Meditation .............................................................. page 32 : Metaphysical & More ..............................................page 32 ; New Solutions for Life ............................................ page 32 ; Psychic & Spiritual Mediumship ........................... page 33 ; Reflexology & Healing Massage ........................... page 33 ; Retreats ................................................................. page 33 ; Sacred Space ........................................................ page 33 ; Salons, Spas & Retreats .............................. page 34 ; Shamanic Healing ................................................. page 34 : Spiritual Centers .....................................................page 34

astrology White Star Astrology

Maya White is a professional astrologer who divides her time between Maine and Florida. She offers personal and professional

astrological counseling for individuals as well as businesses, and brings her knowledge of spirituality and metaphysics to every consultation. Maya is one of a select group of astrologers world wide who are certified in Astro*Carto*Graphy, an astrological technique which helps people identify places on the earth to promote their own personal growth and prosperity. Her monthly horoscope, which is read around the world, is also published by the India Times online newspaper in New Delhi as well as the Korat Post in Thailand. For ongoing educational articles and/or more information visit her website: www.WhiteStarAstrology.com or call her at (954) 920-2373.

Maya White

Body Essences Arbonne's skin care products, based on botanical principles, became a reality in the United States in 1980 and are now shared throughout the world through Arbonne's network of Independent Consultants. Building on these same founding principles, Arbonne's

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Siiri Gott, product line has since grown to include both inner and outer health and beauty products that are unparalleled in quality, safety, value, Independent benefits and results! The wonderful thing about Arbonne is that it's not just about great products: it's also about great people! For more District Mgr. information feel free to call me at (207) 839-3596.

counseling & therapy Health problems, relationships dilemmas and dreams can be your connections to nature, the spirit of the future, and new unknown aspects of yourself and community. Process Work, also known as Dreambody Work, gives you innovative but simple ways to unfold and

Carol Zahner Process Work

understand what your body, relationships and life are communicating. Individual sessions, ongoing groups, classes and phone sessions. Introduction session free. Carol Zahner MS, Dipl. Process Work Center of Portland in Oregon. In Maine: Portland and Walpole (near Damariscotta). Call (207) 522-3600, cz@processworkne.com. Sponsored Workshops: Worldwork + Teamwork with Arnold & Amy Mindell, Boston, October 22-23rd. Eldership and Leadership with Dr. Salome Schwarz, Boston, January 2006.

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, PhD, Licensed Psychologist, Sex Therapy Diplomate, AASECT; rfeintech@conversent.net; Deb Feintech, RC, Certified Shamanic Practitioner; Michele Keef, LMFT. 222 Auburn St. Portland, ME 04103.

creative art therapies Art Therapy & Shamanism Art therapy is a dynamic combination—powerful artistic creation with the insight of psychotherapy. Art therapy and shamanic counselling will help you cultivate your strengths like a gardener tending plants. Together we can use imagination to design the garden.

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

Susan Bakaley Marshall ATR-BC, LCP

Dance/Movement Therapy Dance/Movement Therapy is a body-centered psychotherapy that promotes emotional, spiritual and mental health. Caroline uses a therapeutic process which combines words and movement, integrating the usual flow of words with expressions of the body and it's wealth of information and wisdom. Caroline offers individual therapy sessions as well as consultation for professionals. She also teaches groups in Contemplative Dance and T'ai Chi Ch'uan at her studio in New Gloucester and in Portland. For more information: Call (207) 780-6090 or e-mail cmloupe@maine.rr.com.

Caroline Loupe ADTR, LCPC

30 Inner Tapestry Feb/Mar 2006

Inner Tapestry Directory of Resources Ad Listings can also be advertised Online, see: www.innertapestry.org

dance/movement Movement as Healer Free movement is directly related to our health physically, emotionally and spiritually. When we experience the possibilities of our own movement, no matter how restricted we are, release happens, and our movement becomes more free. I offer two approaches using

Gail Edgerly, RN, CTP

movement to assist you on your healing journey. I work directly on the body as a Certified Trager® Practitioner, using touch and rhythmic movement to communicate the feeling of freer movement. In the 5Rhythms™ Movement Practice, based on the work of Gabrielle Roth, I coach and witness your improvisational, self-expressive movement journey through a rhythm wave. I offer private sessions and classes in Portland and Kennebunk. FMI: call (207) 761-3765, or Email gailedge@maine.rr.com

healing: combined modalities PATHWAYS TO CONSCIOUSNESS

Pathways to Consciousness was created to support the process of human evolution. Through harmonizing all aspects of our being,

Ron & Joan

each person will be supported within their own unique journey of self-discovery and expression. Energetic & physical harmonizing will be guided with loving intuition and divine guidance supporting awakening to ones own innate wisdom. If you are looking to change your life, the place to begin is within. The journey to self is as unique as each of us, and through this process you will experience opportunities to re-connect to and deepen an awareness and love of self that we all long to feel. Support is offered for individuals, couples and families through private sessions, open gatherings and residential and experiential playshops. This is an opportunity to become a conscious participant in your life. As we change so does our world. Falmouth, Me. (207) 781-9887, website www.pathways2u.com, e-mail info@pathways2u.com.

“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

Natural Healing & Learning Center

in harmonizing relaxation while the universal vibrations of love and harmony named Reiki restore 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.

AvantiHealingArts “Discover the Spirit of Healing Within” Experience Reiki with Gianna Settin, PhD, International Center for Reiki Training Licensed Teacher. Pre-approved NCBTMB and AHNA CE’s, teaching all levels of Usui-Tibetan and Karuna Reiki®. Dr. Settin’s 25 years

of holistic treatment expertise merges with her professional clinical psychology and dance background to create an eclectic blend of spiritual energy work for releasing blockages and healing the shadow self in Reiki Healing sessions. Brewer, Phone (207) 989-9009. www.avantihealingarts.org

Gianna Settin PhD.

Path to the Heart

"Housekeeping for your body, mind and spirit." Drawing from a broad range of healing methods, as well as my gift as an intuitive and channel, each client receives an individually tailored session appropriate to their needs and symptoms in the moment. People feel easier and more comfortable in their bodies, relaxed, balanced and revitalized, often expressing how “light” they feel. Treatment provides support during life changes and challenges, as well as relief with chronic pain, stress, depression and anxiety. Clients often choose to receive regularly as part of their self-care, to maintain their health and sense of well-being. It is truly an honor and my joy to act as a facilitator and teacher for others. www.pathtotheheart.net (207) 563-5889, Newcastle, Maine.

Lindsley Field, RMT, CTP

SpiritWings

CompassionateHealing Kevin Laughing Hawk Vickie Little Bird

Kevin Laughing Hawk Pennell, Usui Reiki Master Teacher/Shamanic Practitioner and Vickie Little Bird Cummings, Massage Therapist/Usui & Karuna® Reiki Practitioner: Massage Therapy, Hypnotherapy, Reiki, Past Life Regression, Shamanic Healing and Readings.

We consult with each client to identify the appropriate modalities to achieve self-healing and overall well-being. We also offer Reiki classes and other workshops. Visit SpiritWings for a cross cultural variety of enchanting gifts, supplies and accessories to aid your spiritual journey including an exquisite selection of healing crystals. SpiritWings is conveniently located at 57 Main Street in Bethel, Maine. Sessions by appointment. Store hours Tuesday through Saturday 10 - 5. Telephone (207) 824-2204 or visit their website www.SpiritWings.biz

To place your listing in the Directory of Resources, please call: (207) 781-9885. For rates see page 30, or www.innertapestry.org.

Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 31

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Empathic Healing Channel Anju Myodo, opened healing abilities through intensive Zen meditation. In 1988, after five years of monastic study, she returned to the world to serve people of all faiths. Healing Sessions begin with Anju listening to the client’s concerns. 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, where lodging is available for those coming from a distance. (207) 897-4378. www.ibinn.net/ohs

healing: combined modalities 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 pain, illness 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 osteopathy (cranial, muscle energy, functional technique) and heart. Marlborough, CT (860) 295-0572, or e-mail Joe at joe.pt@snet.net

Belanger Physical Therapy

herbs, gardens & herbal products Ble s s e d M ai ne H e rb Fa rm

Blessed Maine Herb Farm offers Medicinal Herb Products of Impeccable Quality, made with Certified Organic and Wildgathered Herbs,

hand cultivated on our farm or gathered respectfully from the blessed earth around us. A Family owned and run business since 1989, we at Blessed Maine Herb Farm are dedicated to offering the very best of what is offered to us all by our Bountiful Mother Earth. Our product line includes nourishing and delicious Herb Tea Blends, Tinctures in Organic Alcohol, Compound Formulas, including our world famous 13 Sisters Restorative Elixir, Syrups, Infused Oils, Salves, Beauty Care, Incense and Smudge Sticks. Opening Our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs and Traversing the Wild Terrain of Menopause; Herbal Allies for Men and Women, by Gail Faith Edwards. Visit us online where you can peruse our offerings, read about the many uses of medicinal herbs, ask a question of the Herblady, or place an order. www.blessedmaineherbs.com

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

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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.

ELISSA GARDE-JOIA

meditation PATH OF THE MASTERS (SANT MAT)

The focus of the Maine Satsang is on Inner Light and Sound Meditation (Surat Shabd Yoga) and the Science of Spirituality.

These are founded on the rich heritage of the classic Sant Mat tradition of India. Experience Words of Light and Love for the spiritual journey from a Living School of Spirituality. Develop your own meditation practice. All events are free. All spiritual seekers are welcome. Bangor, Waterville & Portland areas. To find out more and to join the mailing list, call: (207) 368-5866, or email: james@SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com

metaphysical & more Resource for Body, Mind & Spirit, Healing Pathways offers various workshops, Reiki, Angel & Tarot Card readings. Our merchandise

consists of jewerly, angel & tarot cards, magazines, incense, crystals, tumbled stones, CD’s, books, angels, fairies, candles, essential oils, massage & body oils, feng shui items & much more! Come in and enjoy the serine atmosphere while you shop, sit in our chair by the fountain and look through our selection of books or just chat with us and share your experiences. You won’t want to leave. Located at 36B Main Street, Kennebunk, Maine 04043, call (207) 985-7870 or e-mail us at www.healingpathways.info

Healing Pathways

new solutions for life We hold a lot of beliefs that no longer make our lives work in this changing and challenging time. LifeWORKS© reveals emerging knowledge of natural laws that provide a new way of knowing, feeling and thinking about how life works. Through guided selfdiscovery, or Jin Shin Jyutsu, an ancient form of balancing the body/mind energy, or personal coaching or group consulting, or courses, you or your organization can find new solutions that work for you in developing a coherent way of living, working, communicating and being. Life truly does work when we understand the intelligence operative in all of nature and life. The LifeWORKS© process helps you access this intelligence and use it in all aspects of your life. Life is gooood! Skye Hirst, Ph.D. co-founder of LifeWORKS© looks forward to partnering with you or your organization to learn how these emerging insights can benefit you to grow a healthy, thriving and peaceful world. Contact 207-236-6331 or email skyeh@autognomics.org 32 Inner Tapestry Feb/Mar 2006

(New listings added each issue) For information on how to Advertise your Directory listing, see page 34

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

Making Spiritual Connections

www.hypno.us

Making Spiritual Connections. Spiritualists believe that there is life after death, and that we can communicate with the energy forces of

spirit guides, teachers, loved ones, and higher entities. Gary W. Mascher, an experienced medium, provides spiritual readings and conducts workshops with individuals and groups in his garden space in Litchfield or in a space of your choice. He helps you to step along the path of spirit communication as a witness to life after death. He works to help you learn to awaken and connect with the God energy to heal yourself and others. He assists you in learning daily practice for spiritual fulfillment and peace in your life long journey. For more information call: (207) 582-8110. Email: raven321@netzero.net

reflexology & healing massage Treat Your Feet

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

School of Reflexology

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 NATU RE

Let us bring you home...

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 family, colleagues, and friends to have a personalized retreat to meet your wants and needs. Denmark, Maine, located just 40 miles west of Portland (207) 452-2929, or www.ntnretreats.com

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. Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 33

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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.

salons & spas Raven’s Crossing Appleton, Maine

Ravens’ Crossing — Come find some rural comfort and relaxation in our wood-fired sauna and/or therapeutic hot tub. Deep tissue, swedish, and

myofascial-release massage available by licensed massage therapist. Rustic retreat cabin can sleep four. Available by appointment in private setting. Trails to walk, ride horses, or X-country ski. Space for small gatherings. Please call Lori Cressler at (207) 845-2304 or visit www.ravens-crossing.com

Offering holistic facials using the organic and biodynamic botanical products of Dr. Hauschka Skin Care. These earth-friendly, holistic

preparations restore and maintain the skin's vitality. Also offering Swedish massage, full body exfoliation, expert eyebrow shaping, and thereapeutic hair and scalp treatments. Retailers of fine holistic grooming supplies for the whole family. nordstrom skin care studio,

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

Flourish

holistic face, body & nail

Flourish is a place of quiet and relaxation. Charlotte Van Joolen offers a unique type of facial treatment — Facial Rejuvenation,

a hands-on sculpting of the face combined with the ageless healing arts of head reflexology and nerve regeneration that awakens your beauty and renews your inner self. You enter a deep state of relaxation uniting body and spirit — renewing physical vitality and inner beauty. Combined with the use of Jurlique organic skin care products you meet the world with a radiant face, a refreshed body and a relaxed sense of self. Charlotte also offers basic facial care and manicures and pedicures for natural nails. Gift Certificates available. By Appointment Monday through Saturday. (207) 774-0585. 260 Western Avenue South Portland, ME 04106. www.flourishfacials.com

Charlotte Van Joolen

shamanic healing Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

D O R Y C OTE

…Follow the Path to Your Own True Essence. At the core of my shamanic healing practice is the belief that we have the capacity to be

whole, stable, and functioning at our highest potential. 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 Shamanic Healer Transform your body, heal your soul and change the way you live and die with the ancient healing techniques of the South American Medicine people. The core of healing occurs in the energetic or Luminous Energy Field; this is the blueprint for the physical body, and an

archive of our physical and emotional strengths and wounding. Illuminating this field transforms these wounds into sources of knowledge and power. The loss, pain and sorrow may remain as a memory but it no longer defines who we are; we realize that we are not our stories. The Illumination Process is powerful, efficient, effective transformation. In training with Alberto Villoldo, Ph.d. Appointments in Brunswick (207) 729-7270, deb@midgette.org

spiritual centers THE MAINE BEACON embraces all people providing a safe harbor of healing love and joy. Through teaching and living the Science of Mind principles, we support all people in their own spiritual evolution. The Maine Beacon is a Teaching Center for The Science of Mind. Sunday Morning Celebration Services are held at 10:30 AM Camp Ketcha, 336 Black Point Road, Scarborough, ME Children's Program now available. For more information, call Rev. Linda E. Holmes at (207) 767-3515 or (207) 409-2515 www.themainebeacon.org

Advertise in the Inner Ta p estr y ~ D i r ecto r y o f R e s o u r c e s ~ $250 for 1 yr (6 issues) or $300 to include the Online version: www.innertapestry.org

Directory of Resources listings are easy to compose. Write as though you are speaking to others about the work you do and the services you offer. Logo included. Limit 115 words, ($1 per word thereafter.) For more info call: (207) 781-9885. modern shamanic living con't...page 26 was written, a shaman would have understood the idea of Creation in this way, “First there is Spirit. Spirit is what both shapes and infuses the body. Spirit is what radiates from us and continues after our bodies are no longer alive.” This view of human beings as timeless, radiant beings, interconnected to all other forms of life has parallels with cutting edge quantum physics, yet the people that first developed these concepts about reality lived as early as the stone age. Our reality is affected by the world of spirit and the invisible realms produce all that is physical in nature. It is therefore possible to see how, by working within that realm of spirit, the shamanic practitioner’s work is capable of affecting a healing for the entire person. : 34 Inner Tapestry Feb/Mar 2006

© 2006 Evelyn C. Rysdyk (excerpted from the author’s soon-to-be-published book on shamanic healing) 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, and 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.spiritpassges.com

Heart Visions

to support our future life's journey WINTER 2006 February 18th-25th Yoga Vacation in the British Virgin Islands A week of paradise in the midst of winter! $595 plus airfare, two yoga classes daily, evening dance, chanting and meditation. FMI call Jeanette Schmid Lakari (207) 282-5528. Please register ASAP

February 26th-March 7th Big Medicine's Eco-Somatic Study Tours offers Course One Health Care as if the Earth and Human Being Mattered Held at the BijaVidyapeeth International College for Sustainable Living, India See ad listing on page 11 for more details. Contact Rita Dixit-Kubiak, e-mail metamed@nancho.net and check FMI: http://nancho.net/bigmedtours/

March 7th-March 14th Big Medicine's Eco-Somatic Study Tours offers Course Two Indian Tradition Medicine - Options in Public Health Held at Jagran Jan Vikas Samiti's rural Udaipur district campus, India See ad listing on page 11 for more details, Contact Rita Dixit-Kubiak, e-mail metamed@nancho.net and check FMI: http://nancho.net/bigmedtours/

SPRING 2006 April 21st-27th UTAH New Moon Dreaming Canoe Retreat for Women Stillwater Canyon, Green River, UTAH $1,330 www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929

April 28th-30th, Karuna Reiki (R) Master Class May 5th-6th, Usui - Tibetan Level 1 & 2 Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick Canada.

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On ocean cove with private sandy beach, awaken your creativity surrounded by perfect conditions to increase high vibration, relax with the ebb and flow of the tides, be attuned to the sound of the surf. Register online at avantihealingarts.org or by phone Gianna Settin (207) 989-9009

May 21st- June 11th Painting Trip in China  Workshops with 5 master artists. Travel in beauty and history.Register by February, questions call (207) 348-2782 or visit www.fredericamarshall.com

April 30th-May 6th Yoga & Walking Melora Gregory, Tuscany, Italy. www.spannocchia.org

Summer 2006 June 3rd-4th, DTA Center for Learning and Growing Presents: International Healing the Healers Conference in Bar Harbor, ME. Keynote: Harry Oldfield, pioneer in Kirlian photography and electrocrystal therapy. Other speakers from science to art of healing. FMI: (207)- 667-6783, dtaus@hotmail.com. Come connect and revitalize.

July 2nd-8th, 9th-15th, 16th-22nd, Adult Watercolor or Ceramic Workshops, Camden, Maine. Wheelwork, handbuilding, majolica decoration or daily plein air excursions. $960 watercolor week, or $1,120 pottery week, includes room and healthy food with delightful instruction in clay or painting. All levels are welcome, maximum 12 participants per week. Please call ARTS ALIVE, Ellen Berry (207)-236-8000

Fall 2006 September 23rd-30th Women’s Annual Provence Retreat Join us in Biot, France for touring, reflection and gourmet delights. $2450 includes lodging, retreat program, meals, excludes flight to Nice. More info: www.barbarababkirk.com

Now accepting applications: Spirit Passages’ SEVENTH Two-Year Apprenticeship Program Evelyn Rysdyk (author: Modern Shamanic Living) & C. Allie Knowlton, MSW, DCSW Experience advanced shamanic methods and develop a deep relationship with Spirit in a shamanic context while integrating these practices into everyday life. Training includes many classic-healing methods such as extraction, power animal retrieval, soul retrieval, word/sound doctoring, deposession, psychopomp and absentee healing. Strong emphasis on ethical responsibility, clear diagnostic work and following the guidance of Spirit. Initiatory experiences, group rituals also included. Brochure and application form: (207) 846-6829• passages@maine.rr.com www.spiritpassages.com

Now accepting applications: Spirit Passages’ THIRD Graduate Program in Shamanism Evelyn Rysdyk (author: Modern Shamanic Living) & C. Allie Knowlton, MSW, DCSW for graduates of the Spirit Passages 2-year Apprenticeship Program, FSS Three-Year and Sandra Ingerman’s Teachers of Shamanism Training. This is the only training of this kind available to advanced students of core shamanism. Brochure and application form: (207) 846-6829 passages@maine.rr.com- www.spiritpassages.com

Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 35

Fe b ruar y 2006 February 3rd Sanctuary Holistic Health & Yoga Center Grand Opening

February 11th, 9:30am-4:00pm Reiki Works in Madison Reiki Level I ($125) Contact Andrea Reiki Master/Teacher at (207) 474-9962

February 11th-12th Anusara Yoga Workshop

Visit the area’s newest center offering a variety of holistic health practices and yoga classes. (207) 846-1162. www.sanctuaryhhyc.com

Deb Neubauer, www.PortlandYoga.com

February 3rd-26th Small Movements: Interpreting Discernable Motion

5:00pm reception and book signing, “The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things.” 7:00pm lecture, “Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine.” $60 pre-registration for reception, book copy, signing, light dinner and lecture. For lecture only: $20 pre-registration, $30 at door. USM, Abromson Center, Hannaford Hall. Sponsors: ChIME and Beacon Hospice and others. FMI: (207) 780-5951.

The Harlow Gallery, Kennebec Valley Art Association, 160 Water St., Hallowell, ME (207) 622-3818 www.harlowgallery.org, kvaa@harlowgallery.org

February 4th, Saturday 1:00pm-3:00pm Balancing Hormones with Yoga, with Sasha Rose, ND, LAc John Friend, the founder of Anusara Yoga, says, “a regular, balanced routine of asana and pranayama brings a harmonious pulsation to the endocrine glands”. In this workshop we explore poses which alleviate symptoms of menopause, menstrual disorders, and other hormonal imbalances. Open to yoga students of all levels, including beginners, fee $20. Contact the Portland Yoga Studio at www.portlandyoga.com or (207) 799-0054 for registration & information.

February 4th, 11:00am-4:00pm Psychic Fair

February 17th Ground-breaking author Larry Dossey, M.D.

February 18th Partner Yoga Workshop Melora Gregory, info@portlandyoga.com

February 18th Creative Cooking Contest At Monica's...Naturally, 93 Main, Unity Category: Cold Entrees; entries due at noon; judging at 1:00pm, prizes awarded. Call (207) 948-2935 or e-mail monicasnaturally@uninets.net

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Fabulous readers, Angel Aura Healings, Chair Massage, Give-a ways. Great energy and fun! Leapin' Lizards, Brunswick (207) 373-1777 www.leapinlizards.biz

February 18th & 19th, April 1st-2nd Reiki Level I & II Classes

February 4th, 9:30am-12:30pm (Beginning Class) Enhancing all in your life, Peace through Meditation

February 19th, Sunday 11:00am Learn how to receive your own answers from God

February 9th–12th, March 16th-19th, April 6th–9th Empowerment Workshop

by singing the sacred HU at an ECKANKAR worship service. This month's topic for discussion is: "When you ask for truth and your heart is pure; Divine Spirit will take you one step closer home to God." Falmouth Memorial Library, Lunt (Depot) Road, Falmouth. For a free introductory packet, please call (207) 771-0281.

Space is limited. Call today, Roberta Barnes (207) 445-5671. www.naturalhealinglearning.com

The format of the Empowerment Workshop is to support you in creating your life the way you want it. This training is based on the premise that our thoughts and beliefs create the conditions of our life. If we want to bring about changes in our life we need to change our beliefs. The workshop focuses on seven areas of your life – Relationships, Sexuality, Money, Work, Body, Emotions and Spirituality. FMI: Call David @ (207) 865-0646 or e-mail at djbonney@suscom-maine.net.

February 10th-12th Weekend of Self Exploration A Residential Playshop which supports a process of wholebeing harmonizing through conscious awakening & energetic support. Friday 6:00pm to Sunday noon in Falmouth. For more information, questions & to register (207) 781-9887, www.pathways2u.com. Self assessed sliding scale $325 - $425.

February 11th 10am-3pm Open House for Evergreen Naturopathic Clinic in Bangor. Come meet Lori Forest, N.D. and find out more about staying healthy this new year. (207) 941-0981, www.evergreenclinic.net

Location: Brewer, Maine, Avanti Healing Arts, (207) 989-9009, www.avantihealingarts.org

February 25th, 9:00am-1:00pm  (First Part) Enhancing all in your life, Shoden, level I, Gendai Reikiho. Space is limited. Call today, Roberta Barnes (207) 445-5671 www.naturalhealinglearning.com

February 25th, Saturday, 10:00am-5:00pm Spirit Passages presents: Shamanic Frame Drum Making Workshop Evelyn Rysdyk (author: Modern Shamanic Living) & C. Allie Knowlton, MSW, DCSW Wells, Maine • $250 (207) 846-6829 • www.spiritpassages.com No experience necessary!

February 25th Great Abdominal's Yoga Workshop Portland (207) 799-0054

February 25th 10:00am-5:00pm Auras and Chakras

Inspire your creativity with artistic play combined with T'ai Chi. Beautiful Bethel, ME. 9:00am-1:30pm. $45. Betsey Foster, (207) 875-2426, bsf@megalink.net

A one day workshop, learn to see auras, auras and the healing process, exercises for the chakras, receive a chakra balancing and healing session, individualized flower essence combination to expand your aura, before and after auras photos, $125 10% discount if payment received by February 15th, at the Adeva Holistic Therapies, 15 Holly St, Suite 201, Scarborough to register call (207) 233-2805.

February 11th, 18th, 25th, 10:30am-12:30pm Explore Chakras with Yoga

February 26th, 11:00am-4:00pm Psychic Sunday

February 11th, & March 18th The Creative Process & the Art of T'ai Chi

Three-week series will involve yoga postures, energy work, guided meditation, body mapping, and self-reflection. No yoga experience necessary. $75/Scarborough Kimberly Allen (207) 590-0082 or www.collectiveenergyworks.com

FOR THE ADVERTISERS WHO BRING THIS JOURNAL TO YOU PLEASE SUPPORT THEM & LET THEM KNOW YOU SAW THEM HERE! 36 Inner Tapestry Feb/Mar 2006

Double Tree Hotel, Congress St., Portland Admission $1, FMI: (207) 286-1427

March 2006 March 2nd-5th Anusara Yoga Workshop

Doug Keller, Portland Yoga Studio, (207) 799-0054

March 3rd, 4th, 5th Leapin' Lizards presents Dr. Karen Frank

for 3 fabulous workshops. Friday, March 3rd, Past Life Regression Saturday, March 4th, Mental Magic™, How To Use Your Mind to Heal your Body and Sunday, March 5th, Firewalking, Extreme Spirituality. Please contact Leapin' Lizards at (207) 373-1777 for further details and registration.

March 3rd-5th Women's Snow Shoeing ~ Meditation Retreat Join Nurture Through Nature on a women's winter weekend getaway. FMI: www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929

March 4th-26th Young at Art 2006

The Harlow Gallery, Kennebec Valley Art Association, 160 Water St., Hallowell, ME (207) 622-3813

www.harlowgallery.org, kvaa@harlowgallery.org March 4th & 5th Whole Health Expo ~ Holiday Inn By the Bay

More than 50 exhibitors, speakers every hour, free parking, (See our ad on page 19 for more information.)

March 4th, Saturday, 10:00am-5:00pm & March 5th, Sunday, 10:00am-4:00pm Spirit Passages presents: Mastering the Living Energy Evelyn Rysdyk (author: Modern Shamanic Living) & C. Allie Knowlton, MSW, DCSW Exploring our personal energy systems and our energetic connections to the rest of creation. Clearing, removing blocks, filling our “Energy Well,” how we can more fully embody our Divine energy, and dealing with energy draining people and situations. Experiential. Wells, Maine $210 • (207) 846-6829 •www.spiritpassages.com Shamanic Journeying is a prerequisite.

March 4th & 5th Workshops in the Art of Spiritual Dreaming. Booth #500 at the Whole Health Expo in Portland. Recall past lives, interpret dreams, and learn Soul Travel. Presented by Eckankar, Religion of the Light and Sound of God. To contact us please call (207) 771-0281.

March 6th, Saturday Massage Therapy School Open House in Rockport! Please Join Namaste' Institute for Holistic Studies for an Open House at the Institute anytime between 11am & 1pm. Sign up for student massages, ask questions and enjoy tea! All are welcome including Family & Friends. For more information call (toll free) (877) 236-2744 or visit www.namasteinstitute.com

March 8th-12th Feng Shui Interior Redesign Certificate Program Manchester, CT For information: The New England School of Feng Shui (203)-268-9483, amy@neschoolfengshui.com, www.neschoolfengshui.com

March 11th, 9:30am-4:00pm Reiki Works in Madison Reiki Level II ($175) Contact Andrea Reiki Master/Teacher at (207) 474-9962

March 9th-12th, April 27th-30th Beginning and advanced Enneagram Workshops Greenfire Women's Retreat, Tenants Harbor (207) 372-6442, www.greenfireretreat.org

March 11th Yamuna Body Rolling

Portland Yoga Studio, (207) 799-0054

March 10th-12th Mystical Graces Winter Retreat with Megan Don Through Western and Eastern mystic traditions, New Zealand teacher/author, Megan Don will lead a retreat exploring discernment of the spirit through perceived obstacles in our lives, unfolding into grace amidst difficulty. We will enter into contemplative meditation, movement, Taize and Sufi chants and a special Sunday ritual and service. Non-Residential in Rockland, fee: $100-$195. One-day option and early registration available, for information and registration contact: (207) 230-0232 or stevedonoso@yahoo.com, www.mysticpeace.com

ENJOY READING THIS ISSUE OF INNER TAPESTRY~

37 March 18th, 10:00am-3:00pm Drum Making Class

May 26th-28th Weekend of Self Exploration

12 inch Native American Hand Drum and Beater $110 Space Limited, $50 Deposit. D. Harrington, PO Box 1142 North Conway, NH 03860 FMI: (603) 356-5692

A Residential Playshop which supports a process of wholebeing harmonizing through conscious awakening & energetic support. Friday 6:00pm to Sunday noon in Falmouth. For more information, questions & to register (207) 781-9887, www.pathways2u.com. Self assessed sliding scale $325 - $425.

March 18th, 5:00pm-7:00pm Resonance and the Healing Properties of Sacred Space The Magick Closet is hosting a unique lecture with bestselling author Freddy Silva at the Sewenborgian Church. FMI: visit www.themagickcloset.com or call (207) 772-1441, author's web site www.cropcirclesecrets.org.

March 19th, Sunday, 11:00am Learn how to receive your own answers from God by singing the sacred HU at an ECKANKAR worship service. This month's topic for discussion is: "Change must often be made slowly in order to maintain a balance in everyday life.” Falmouth Memorial Library, Lunt (Depot) Road, Falmouth. For a free introductory packet, please call (207) 771-0281.

March 24th-26th Weekend of Self Exploration A Residential Playshop which supports a process of wholebeing harmonizing through conscious awakening & energetic support. Friday 6:00pm to Sunday noon in Falmouth. For more information, questions & to register (207) 781-9887, www.pathways2u.com. Self assessed sliding scale $325 - $425.

March 26th, 11:00am-4:00pm Psychic Sunday Double Tree Hotel, Congress St., Portland Admission $1, FMI: call (207) 286-1427

March 31st-April 2nd Zen and the Art of Paddle Making Learn a Native American craft with other women. FMI: www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929

March 31st-April 2nd Chanting Workshop

Upcoming

April 7th-30th Women of UMA

The Harlow Gallery, Kennebec Valley Art Association, 160 Water St., Hallowell, ME (207) 622-3813 www.harlowgallery.org, kvaa@harlowgallery.org

April 7th-9th Iyengar Yoga Workshop

Gabriel Halpren, www.PortlndYoga.com

April 21st-27th Women’s New Moon Dreaming Retreat with Nurture Through Nature, Canoe Stillwater Canyon, Green River, Utah, FMI: www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929

April 28th-30th Weekend of Self Exploration A Residential Playshop which supports a process of wholebeing harmonizing through conscious awakening & energetic support. Friday 6:00pm to Sunday noon in Falmouth. For more information, questions & to register (207) 781-9887, www.pathways2u.com. Self assessed sliding scale $325 - $425.

April 28th-30th Karuna Reiki on Grand Manan Island (NB), Canada with Gianna Settin, PhD. Enhance your Usui Master Reiki energy with this compassionate, transcendent healing aspect in a beautiful oceanfront setting. website: www.avantihealingarts.org or call (207) 989-9009.

April 30th 11:00am-4:00pm Total Wellness Expo, Presented by New Edge Events Reiki, Massage, Nutrition, Intuitives, Environmental Products Psychic Sue Yarmey. Double Tree Hotel, Congress St., Portland. FMI: (207) 286-1427 Admission $3

May 5th-28th Art2006

The Harlow Gallery, Kennebec Valley Art Association, 160 Water St., Hallowell, ME (207) 622-3813 www.harlowgallery.org, kvaa@harlowgallery.org

Email your Events to: events@innertapestry.org Calendar Events & Classified ads are also posted on the Inner Tapestry Website! www.innertapestry.org

Dragonfly Taijiquan, Larry Ira Landau Group & Private Instruction in T’ai Chi Ch’aun (taijiquan) & Chi Kung (qigong) for beginners & experienced students. Studios in Portland and Kennebunkport. On going classes, workshops & retreats. FMI: (207) 761-2142 or (207) 967-4070.

Holistic Pathways Yoga & Healing Center, Gorham.  On-going classes offered in Kripalu Yoga, Pilates, Pregnancy and Mommy & Me Yoga.  All ages and abilities. Call (207) 839-7192 or visit www.holisticpathways.com for more information on upcoming sessions.

SpiritWings-Workshops, Reiki Classes & Events in Bethel Maine. Social Drumming Circle first Friday of every month. Reiki Shares second Tuesday of every month. Reiki Classes and other Workshops scheduled every month. Call for schedule (207) 824-2204 or visit website www.spiritwings.biz for details.

A Gathering of People Exploring Conscious Living Join us Wednesdays. 6:30pm-8:30pm at 66 Foreside Rd. (Rt. 88) Falmouth. Fee $15. For more info call (207) 781-9887, or visit www.pathways2u.com.

Student Massage Therapy Clinics at Namaste' Institute for Holistic Studies Ongoing Student Massage Therapy Clinics at Namaste' Institute in Rockport Maine. Please call for more information on how to become a recipient of Student Massage Therapy Clinics & Student Massage Therapy Session Studies! Call (207) 236-2744 or visit www.namasteinstitute.com

Healing all levels Japanese Usui Reiki Ryoho Training, Unchanged by Western, and Treatment Sessions offered.  Gift certificates available. Roberta Barnes, Reiki Shihan (master/teacher), Windsor, ME, (207) 445-5671 www.naturalhealinglearning.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.

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 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 consultationsFocusing 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

Ongoing Yoga Classes In Kennebunk Monday evenings, Saco Tuesday evenings, O.O.B. Thursday evenings and Scarborough midday Wednesday First Yoga class free for newcomers! Dance, Chant & Meditate in Portland, Fridays 6:00pm-9:00pm Yoga Vacation in the Virgin Islands, February 18th-25th, FMI: call Jeanette Schmid Lakari (207) 282-5528. Register ASAP.

Inner Light Spiritualist Church Invites You to Weekly Services, Sundays 10:00am-12:00pm, with Reverend Gloria Nye. Healing, Songs, Sermon, Mediumship, Governor King Masonic Lodge, Route 1, Dunstan Corner, Scarborough, Me.

One 30 Word Event is Free! Email: events@innertapestry.org • Please follow the format of the Calendar— please do not send unformatted Listings such as press releases. •Email typed text indicating under which heading you want your event to appear: (Month, Upcoming or Ongoing). •If your 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, Classifed ads are $20 for 30 words, $1 per word thereafter. Times, dates and telephone numbers count as one word (like “August 6”. Email and Web addresses count as 2 words. Payments must be sent with the listing.

The deadline for the April/May 2006 issue is March 1st. Email your listings: events@innertapestry.org.

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.

Full Moon Yoga Experience the power of the moon through yoga postures, breathwork, and meditation. Friday closest to the full moon 7:30pm -9:00pm: February 10th & March 17th in Scarborough cost $15. Kimberly Allen (207) 590-0082

Dynamic Facilitated Group Breathwork Sessions Combining breath and intuitive healing - held monthly in Falmouth, Harrison & Oxford. Offering breath workshops, classes and personal sessions & all levels of Reiki training. FMI: Call Breathe In & Beyond Paula & Christopher Easton (207) 583-6603.

Free Reiki Exchange

3rd Tues of month, 6:00pm-8:00pm Avanti Healing Arts Reiki Center in Brewer. All levels of practitioners and teachers welcome to share Reiki ideas and treatment. (207) 989-9009. www.avantihealingarts.org.

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

Women’s Workshops Designed exclusively for you to address your unique problem online & in-person. Henderson, NV. $75 per workshop Fridays 6:00pm-10:00pm, FMI: (702) 408-1783 workshops_for_women@yahoo.co.uk

CONTINUED ON PAGE 38 Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 37

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Led by Ana Hernandez, author of "The Sacred Art of Chant" Greenfire Women's Retreat, Tenants Harbor (207) 372-6442, www.greenfireretreat.org

Ongo i ng

Place your Event in Inner Tapestry’s Calendar

38 Crescent Moon Herbals

Ongoing Usui Reiki Classes in all levels,

Creative Spiral Studio

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

private sessions and free clinics,Gift certificates available. Please contact Judy Fisher, Reiki Master Teacher in Camden, Maine at (207) 236-0359.

Gallery exhibits Original Visionary Art by Helen Warren, MSed.,MFA Open by appointment or chance. Co-Creating with Your Soul retreats and individual journeys. FMI: (207) 829-6876 or helen@creativespiral.net; www.creativespiral.net

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.

Learn to Meditate; contact your spirit guides and clients' guides; raise your vibration level and more. Psychic-Spiritual Readings, private sessions and parties of 4 or more by appointment. FMI contact Marilyn at (207) 602-4006 or romntclibra@gwi.net.

Accessing Serenity & The Art of Positive Living

Dancing Xigong: Twelve movements to music

Workshops and private Transformational Breath sessions for easing the impact of stress, trauma and illness. Access a life that is Joyful, Peaceful and Fulfilling! Many who find meditation difficult find this more energetic approach enjoyable and beneficial. (207) 789-5127. info@AccessingSerenityWithSumac.com,

The Awakening Process Learn about a simple path that will eliminate depression and anxiety, leading eventually to peace and enlightenment. First and third Tuesday 7:00pm-9:00pm. Call (207) 286-8060 for directions.

Oriental Brush Painting Classes and Workshops Frederica Marshall, an artist who lived 28 years in Japan, teaches sumi-e in her Deer Isle Studio. Basic to advanced levels. (207) 348-2782. www.fredericamarshall.com.

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

Kripalu “DansKinetics” The body, mind, spirit workout blending yoga and dance. No experience necessary. Free trial class. Days Meadow Farm, 889 Alewive Rd. Kennebunk. (207) 985-6896 or: daysmeadowfarm@prexar.com.

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“Authentic Movement” with “The Wave” Two Saturdays per month at Bath Dance Works, Classes: February 4th & 18th, March 4th & 18th 72 Front St., Bath. 10:00am-1:00pm; $12 .00 donation. Kay Mann (207) 725-9997 or dancingfewl@pobox.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.

Book Review by Janet Brennan For too many of us, one of life’s greatest mysteries is this: Why am I so darn fat, and why can’t I lose the weight and keep it off? America is in the midst of an obesity epidemic, but the multi-billion-dollar diet industry can’t seem to come up with a solution that works in the long run. Clearly, we’re on the wrong track --- but what’s the right one? Marc David, a nutritionist with a master’s degree in the psychology of eating who works at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health and the Canyon Ranch spa, may have the answer. Using the latest research in mind-body medicine, he has uncovered the biological secret of why diets don’t work, and has come up with his own plan that does. Despite the book’s title, his program is not a “diet” at all. No lists of “good” and “bad” foods; no requirements to count calories or carbs; no limits on portions. This book is not about what to eat, but how to eat. David gives us an eight-week program that will change your lifestyle from one focused on willpower and deprivation to a life of joy, spirituality and intuition. His Slow Down program promises to “bring the gifts of the soul into your dietary world and in so doing awaken an inner fire that is the true source of your power.” This inner fire is the body’s metabolism, and David teaches us how to eat in a way that allows our metabolism to function fully, so food is used to create health rather than stored as fat. His program is based on the body-mind connection, and also the body-world connection (for example, did you know our metabolism works best when the sun is directly 38 Inner Tapestry Feb/Mar 2006

Spiritual Readings ~ Psychic Development Classes

Every Thursday mornings, 8:30am-9:00am Summer at Merryspring Park, Winter at Quarry Hill, in Camden. FMI call (207) 236-8732.

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

Shop securely at www.chakra-tees.com Cool tanks and tees connecting chakras and botanical remedies in beautiful designs. 12 colors to choose from. 100% cotton. For yoga or your other life!

Short-term Solution-oriented Couples & Family Work. Guiding Couples & Families from conflict to communication, from disengaged to connected, from hurting to resolution. Group and private sessions. Call Maureen McCarthy-Darling at (207) 691-0023.

Energize! and RYSE® sessions (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

Aaminah School Of Middle Eastern Dance All levels of belly dance classes taught by experienced and caring instructors. Bangor and Waterville classes. Visit our Website: www.aaminahdance.com or jeason@pivot.net.

NDE Support/Discussion Group 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.

Circle of Roses Healing Circle Energy healing every third Saturday, monthly at The Wellness Center, 69 Elm Street, Camden, ME. 9:00am-12:00pm. FMI contact Cheryl: (207) 273-2490.

The New England School of Feng Shui Basic through advanced workshops. World-renown faculty. Professional certification program available. For complete brochure: (203) 268-9483 or visit www.neschoolfengshui.com.

“The Path Of The Masters In Maine” Inner Light & Sound Meditation. Surat Shabd Yoga. Science of Spirituality. For a Bangor, Waterville, & Portland Satsang schedule, call James at: (207) 368-5866 or james@spiritualawakeningradio.com

Classifieds SACRED SPACES

Wise Women Daughters of the Moon

Space Available for Gatherings, Ceremonies, Presentations.

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.

SACRED RENTAL SPACE

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.

Calendar of Events & Classified Ad Info, Page 37

"The Slow Down Diet" overhead?) and even the body-God connection. After an introductory chapter, the following eight chapters are to be read and enacted at the rate of one a week. Only one chapter, “The Metabolic Power of Quality”, focuses on what to eat (and, surprise, if you want a Big Mac, David says enjoy it!). The other seven weeks are devoted to the psychological and spiritual aspects of eating. This may sound too touchy-feely to be effective, but David packs his book with the latest research findings on body biochemistry. His chapters on Relaxation, Awareness, Rhythm and Pleasure show how focusing on our meal gives our brains time to send out the correct hormones and enzymes to properly digest our food, enabling us to garner more useable nutrients while at the same time feeling more satisfied and eventually losing weight. In the first month of this program David will have you breathing deeply, slowing down, and savoring delicious food of the highest quality in relaxed, pleasant surroundings. In the second month, his focus turns from the physical to the metaphysical. His final chapters on Thought, Story and The Sacred are what really make this a most unusual “diet” book. Especially sage is his advice to “align our way of eating with our greater life purpose”. He gives an assignment to write a mission statement for our life -Why am I on this planet? What am I here to accomplish? -- And then create a way of eating that supports this grand mission. Looking at nourishment in this cosmic context of the soul’s journey suddenly makes starving to fit into a size 8 for your class reunion seem ridiculous. The Slow Down Diet reveres food as nature’s gift, meant to be enjoyed -- but that doesn’t mean the program

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

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

Beautifully Renovated Alternative Health Care Clinic in Freeport, offering two rooms to rent to health care professionals. Call for more information: (207) 865-1203.

by Marc David Healing Arts Press ISBN: 1-59477-060-3 is a piece of cake. Yes, you CAN have cake and eat it too, but you won’t be able to gobble junk in your car or in front of the TV anymore. You may be spending more money for organic fruits and free-range chicken. And you might have to work for social justice -- David contends that all foods have memory, and that apple you’re munching KNOWS it was picked by an underpaid migrant worker with no health insurance. Is that the kind of vibe you want to put into your body? That idea may be a bit hard to swallow, but mostly the program is based on common sense -- the kind of wisdom your grandmother would impart. For example, David brings a saner view to exercise, and shows the biological benefits of saying grace before meals. Follow his program and you’ll be slimmer, healthier, and a whole lot happier. Happiness? That’s not a word we usually associate with diets. But David cites several different studies that prove that if you don’t like a food, your body doesn’t absorb all the nutrients in it. Conversely, when you truly enjoy a food, you absorb all its nutrients, and its “bad” aspects such as cholesterol don’t hurt you (the “French paradox”). Using studies such as these and anecdotes from his many clients, David makes a good case for doing something many of us chronic dieters haven’t dared to do since childhood: Eat what we like, without guilt. “Tune into your gut wisdom,” David advises. “Let go of any concepts of numbers, calories, points, portions or grams. Move and exercise joyously. Eliminate any aspects of working out that are cleverly disguised punishment systems. Trust yourself.” Thank you, Marc David, for giving me the book I’ve been waiting my whole adult life to read. -- Janet Brennan

mi xed me dia

Book Review

b y J a me s Be an Dalai Lama XIV, Edited by Catherine Barry Reflections from the Journey of Life ~ Collected Sayings of the Dalai Lama ISBN: 1-55643-388-3 www.northatlanticbooks.com

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

Music Review by J a m e s Be an Donna De Lory The Lover and the Beloved Label: Ajna Music ~ www.ajnamusic.com Donna De Lory: “I learned my first chant, Gananpati Om, six years ago at a friend and fellow musician, Dave Stringer’s house. Saying those ancient words over and over again felt new and familiar at the same time. It was also that night that I first discovered the Harmonium and fell in love with it’s droning sounds. Early this year, a version of Govinda Jaya Jaya I had recorded for my devotional CD “In The Glow” fell into Ajna Music’s hands and they asked me to make an entire

album of mantra. Making this CD was the perfect opportunity for me to further explore the transcendent and meditative power of music.” The two versions of the title track, The Lover and the Beloved, are very dynamic expressions of worship done in a more contemporary style. Other tracks are quite haunting with soaring etheric vocals, such as, Samba Sadashiva, and, He Ma Durga. I’m very impressed with this album and listen to it often.

by James Bean Liv and Let Liv (Liv Singh and Friends) Music of the Spheres, Volume One Label: Invincible Music ~ www.invinciblemusic.com Unlike the other records above, Music of the Spheres is not a new release. A Sikh/3HO label produced it in the early 1980’s before the digital CD revolution. It’s a classic new age recording. As with other musical genres, in this category there are albums that tower above the rest, must be remembered, and honored always. The Invincible label has produced some great music over the years, including, Mender of Hearts, the Crimson Collection, and chant based upon the Sikh scriptures of India known as the Guru Granth or Adi Granth. An album before its time; the previous technologies of cassette tapes and vinyl LPs simply did not do justice to what this recording was trying to accomplish. Now available on compact disc, Music of the Spheres, will take you on a very relaxing meditative journey with two

long tracks: Angel Bells of Raga Bhairo, featuring one of the most otherworldly flute compositions I’ve ever heard, along with the pure sounds of bells, The second track, Raga Bhairo Soundscapes, attempts to reproduce or mimic for the listener, the music of the inner Sound. Current or Astral Bell often heard by practitioners of Shabda Yoga, Nada Yoga meditation, and in certain rare forms of Buddist Quan Yin practice. After Hearing literally thousands of CDs, this is still one of my all-time favorite albums of meditation music from the “hearts of space” -- music for relaxation. 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 james@spiritualawakeningradio.

Book Review by James Bean Kabir 1008 Vani ~ Nectar of Truth and Knowledge ~ Essence of the Collection of Saakhis ISBN: 81-8133-515-5 Nataraj Books ~ www.natarajbooks.com Kabir 1008 Vani is a very beautiful and impressive book featuring 1008 sayings of Kabir, one of Indian’s greatest Masters and poetmystics, who lived in northern India around six hundred years ago. As with Rumi, the Persian Sufi poet, in recent years Kabir has also become increasingly popular in the West. A few decades ago, the only translations of Kabir were, “Songs of Kabir” by Rabindranath Tagore published in 1915, and Robert Bly’s 1971 paraphrase or “versions” of Kabir, which were also based upon Tagore’s translation. These days however, there are literally hundreds of books available in the English language exploring the poetry and teachings of Sri Guru Kabir Sahib. The Saakhis (a term for a certain kind of poetic composition, a couplet giving testimony of eternal truths) are often

used in the satsangs (spiritual gatherings in the name of Eternal Truth) of many spiritual paths based in India. It makes a great deal of sense that spiritual teachers would give satsang talks based upon the Saakhis of Kabir, as they are brimming with wisdom about how to integrate spiritual principles into one’s daily life. Kabir was critical of religious hypocrisy, going through the motions of outward rites and rituals without sincerity of heart. His path was that of Bhakti, meaning, love and devotion for the Beloved Supreme Spirit. For Kabir, the true church, mosque, or temple is within the body, within the human heart. The theme of the Saakhis is bringing all levels of our existence, more and more with each passing day, in body, speech, emotions, and thought, into harmony with the soul or spirit inside. Feb/Mar 2006 Inner Tapestry 39

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The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the spiritual and temporal Leader of the Tibetan people. Over the years there have been of course numerous publications about H.H. the Dalai Lama. This one however, I find to be my absolute favorite, as it opens up for the reader, in a most effective way, the world of Buddhist teachings. I am quite impressed with, Reflections from the Journey of Life, as an excellent source book on contemporary Buddhist wisdom. These quotations are selected from personal conversations between the Dalai Lama and Catherine Barry, a French television journalist. This collection of sayings is arranged topically and includes a wide variety of subjects such as: happiness, love, emotions, compassion, tolerance, giving, responsibility, death, mind, spirit, body, ethical behavior,

right-thoughts, right-action in the world, the environment, the media, politics, Tibet (The Roof of the World), China, democracy, human rights, world peace, forgiveness, kindness, non-violence, interdependence, economics, science, dharma, nirvana, awakening, karma, reincarnation, consciousness, meditation practice, the role of the living teacher, the inner master, Buddha nature, God, the similarities and the differences between Buddhism and other world religions. This is a very beautiful book making quite accessible the spirituality of the Dalai Lama, who also is known as: the Ocean of Wisdom, Kundun (the Presence of a great spiritual master), Power of the Word, and, Incarnation of the Buddha of Compassion.

Music Review

\ YOGA & T’AI CHI

Maine Practitioners Directory BELFAST Diamond Light Yoga Studio Offering Kundalini Yoga and Meditation classes. Taught by Devbir Kaur (Lisa Whiting) CKYI, RMT, ATP®. Private sessions and Reiki appointments also available. Call for class times or appointments. (207) 322-5633. 108 Main Street, Belfast, 2nd floor. Belfast Yoga Studio Iyengar Yoga, Relax&Renew® (restorative) Yoga, Yamuna Body Rolling®; classes, workshops, individual sessions. Marianna Moll (Iyengar, Relax&Renew®, Yamuna® certified) and Belinda Pendleton (Iyengar style, Gentle Yoga). (207) 338-3930. www.belfastyoga.com info@belfastyoga.com

BOOTHBAY HARBOR

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The Yoga Firm Studio Join our ongoing movement inspired Beginning and Flow Yoga Classes to restore the supple nature of your body and mind. Also offering Shiatsu/Acupressure bodywork. For schedule and info please contact Romee May, (207) 380-6975; 115 Townsend Ave. www.yogafirm.net

CAMDEN Open Door Yoga Center Offering a wide variety of Yoga classes, 5 Rhythm Ecstatic Dance, Feldenkrais Movement, Mindfulness Meditation, Shamanic drumming, and Tantra Workshops. Morning, evening and weekend classes for all ages and levels. Conveniently located less than 3 miles from the center of Camden. Call for brochure or info: (207) 236-8971.

FALMOUTH Meadow Wind Center for Holistic Arts Kripalu Yoga Classes for people of all ages and abilities taught by Rebecca LaWind, LMT, KYT. We offer beginner/continuing classes focusing on meditation, postures, breathing, relaxation. 100 Gray Road, (207) 749-4150

FARMINGDALE Gentle Rhythms Yoga & Therapy Center Yoga Spirits Certified, Iyengar based (proper alignment). Chakra Balancing Yoga. Yoga for focus, flex-ability balance & relaxation. Yoga for MS, Parkinsons, Fibromyalgia, Autism, etc. Carleen Bevans (207) 588-2023 ext 1, 308 Maine Avenue, Farmingdale, ME. 04344. www.gentlerhythms.com

Calling all Maine-wide Yoga, T’ai Chi, Qi Gong and Meditation Practitioners.

Place your listing here! An excellent resource for getting the word out for your classes and workshops! \

GORHAM Holistic Pathways Yoga & Healing Center Kripalu Yoga: all abilities/ages. Beginner, Continuing, Intermediate, Toning & Sculpting, Pregnancy Yoga, Mommy & Me, Pilates. Private Sessions available. Classes include postures, breathwork, guided imagery, meditation, relaxation. (207) 839-7192. www.holisticpathways.com.

KENNEBUNK Days Meadow Farm Yoga Studio Kripalu Yoga, DansKinetics (Yoga-Dance), Flow Yoga, Authentic Movement, Body-Mind Centering, Groups, Individuals, all ages. Claudia Berman, M.Ed., RYT. 889 Alewive Road, Kennebunk, ME 04043, (207) 985-6896. daysmeadowyoga@adelphia.net

PORTLAND

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. Workshops for beginners, children, groups and 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. 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

SCARBOROUGH Collective Energy Works ~ Maine Massage and Yoga Yoga classes and private instruction based on integrative yoga therapy and body centered awareness. Full moon, Chakra, and Elemental Yoga, Reiki and Body Work. Kimberly Allen (207) 590-0082 and Emily Eastbrook (207) 415-3123, 153 US Route 1, Scarborough.

YARMOUTH Sanctuary Holistic Health & Yoga Center Professional instruction in Kripalu & Hatha Yoga and guided meditation located in a peaceful and beautiful newly built studio. Gentle, moderate and vigorous classes for all ages & levels of experience. Private classes available. Certified directors Marilee Marrinan & Erinn Cayehal. (207) 846-1162, www.sanctuaryhhyc.com

If you and your group or school hold classes and workshops and would like to be listed in this Directory, please call: (207) 781-9885 or Email: info@innertapestry.org. Please include in listings Yoga, Meditation, T’ai Chi and Qi Gong related classes

See what’s new in this issue! Articles, New Calendar Events, New Directory of Resources Listings and much more... Thanks for reading!