Inner Tapestry "Home" June July 2009

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A Holistic Journal Celebrating & Supporting LIFE! June/July 2009

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Home

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Volume 8, No . 1

Inner

Tapestry Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

u Character Counts

u Modern Shamanic Living ~ Coming Home

u Allowing Community

u Destination Healing SNE ~ At Home In Your Body

u These Economic Times

u Destination Healing NNE ~ At Home With Nature

u Drawing On The Strength of Community

u Feng Shui ~ How To Start Your Personal Feng Shui Journey

2 Northeast TRAGERÂŽ Neuromuscular Re-education and Mentastics/Mindful Movement Freedom of Movement is the Foundation of a Healthy Body

www.trager-northeast.org Marlena O'Hagan-Buzzell kmbuzzell@roadrunner.com 207 212-7721

Gail Edgerly gail@movementashealer.com 207 781-4488

Liz Berks lizland@roadrunner.com 207 839-2333

Virginia Reidy vr45traveler@hotmail.com 207 734-8132 / 904-874-4896

Your body is your home for a lifetime.

The Trager Approach can enhance your enjoyment of it.

How could I be more at home, more peaceful, more present?

Pause a moment, take a breath and exhale... Welcome Home.

COME AND SEE OUR NEW LINE OF

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Organic Clothing And Recycled Leather Bags!

2 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

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Inner TAPESTRY

This Issue's Theme HOME

Contents

A Holistic Journal Celebrating & Supporting LIFE!

Features

August/September 2009: Movement October/November 2009: Living Visions December/Januar y 2009: Embracement Februar y/March 2010: Attending To Our Physical Vessel

JUNE/JULY 2009

Drawing On The Strength of Community

Page 6

by Françoise Paradis

Herbology Today ~ Capsule, Tea, Tincture... Oh My!

Page 9

by Christopher J. Bashaw

These Economic Times

Page 11

by Jane Honeck

Fearless Puppy On American Road

Page 16

by Scott Cronenweth

Character Counts

Page 17

by Patricia Brady

Fight Fleas Naturally

Page 18

by Donald and Sara Hassler

Allowing Community

Page 20

by Brenda Nelson

Loving Earth ~

Page

Home Is Where The Habitat Is

by Pat Foley

Modern Shamanic Living ~

Page 10

Coming Home

by Evelyn C. Rysdyk

A Breath of Healing ~ Call On The Light and Go Home

Page 14

Awareness and the Art of Seeing ~ Ocean Breathing

Page 15

Wandering Sage Wisdom ~ Zin At The Ocean

Page 19

21st Century Boheman ~

Page 23

by Donna Amrita Davidge

by Jen Deraspe

by Aaron Hoopes

Remembering The Way Home

by Teresa Piccari

Destination Healing SNE ~

Page 26

At Home In Your Body

by Karen M. Rider

Destination Healing NNE ~ At Home With Nature

Page 27

Welcome Home ~ Ask Asrianna

Page 28

by Kevin Pennell

by Asrianna Dameron

Feng Shui & Geopathology ~ How To Start Your Personal

Page 29

Exploring the World Religions ~ Do You Remember Who

Page 30

The Way of Life-Itself ~ Coming Home To Our Living-ness

Page 31

by Werner Brandmaier

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 moonarts@gmail.com

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by James Bean

Feng Shui Journey

You Were Before Time Began

Directories

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

Pages 32-41 Page 41 Pages 42-44

June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 3

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Departments

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A H olistic Journal

Subscriptions $20.00/year, 6 issues Inner Tapestry can be picked up for free in over 500 locations, but to insure you don’t miss a copy, subscriptions are available.

Celebrating & Supporting LIFE!

Joan Emmons Ron Damico Betty Close Jacqueline Cone Publishers All inquiries call:

SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO:

(207) 799-7995

Inner Tapestry Journal 5 Laurel Ridge Rd. Scarborough, ME 04074

info@innertapestry.org

Email: Or Visit:

www.innertapestry.org

There is in all animals a sense of duty that man condescends to call instinct.

~Robert Brault

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

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

Our intention is to provide a pathway of support for all seeking the awareness of living a conscious life by creating and supporting a network of connection within the holistic community and its practitioners. The journal is advertiser-supported.

It can be found in businesses and services that promote complementary healing, and who support cultural, environmental and educational needs, where ideas of conscious living and integrative wholeness are welcomed and nourished.

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

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

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

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

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

Articles are for information only and do not constitute medical advice. Please obtain written permission before reproducing any part of this publication. All rights reserved. ÂŽ 2009.

4 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

5 INNER WORKINGS New this Issue: Inner Tapestry is starting its eighth year this issue and synchronistically our theme is "Home" bringing our move full circle into this new beginning. Welcome everyone and thank you, so many have welcomed us into our new location in Scarborough. We are enjoying the home and new community, seeing neighbors is quite a treat for us.

As I wrote "Inner Workings" for our last issue our move hadn't started and now as I sit at my computer snuggled into a new space the move is becoming part of the wonderful memories I hold. Every time we move there is great growth, everyone at the house was definitely someone other than who they are now including me!

Being able to be a part of the lives of people who are changing and growing have been some of my greatest gifts, though when your body aches and your mind is exhausted it is sometimes hard to see the trees for the forest, yes there is so much present all at once it is hard to see the individual wonders unfolding before us.

Finding the quite moments and being, willing and receptive, you can palpably feel the support which surrounds us. Our moved has allowed each of us to express ourselves in new ways. Stretching beyond what we know, to the unknown experiences that lie ahead with great anticipation and love.

We have a new family member, Curtis White, who some of you have met by phone or at the Yarmouth Wellness Fair in April. Curtis is now our advertising support person and is working on new distribution in western Massachusetts and expanding our current areas. He asked if it would be possible to write an introduction piece for the journal to all of you so please take a moment to connect with Curtis in the short article below, maybe this expression of sharing will be our newest addition to the journal having Ron, Betty, Curtis and myself answer your questions or just pop in to say Hi.

Curtis

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family seems especially relevant to me now as I’m joining a new family at Inner Tapestry Journal. I suppose it’s also on my mind because as I’m writing this, it’s a few days before Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day is only a few weeks away.

Who knows, as you’re reading this, you may be squinting on a beach in mid-July, the memory of both holidays having disappeared into the haze of a bright summer day. Sitting at my desk, looking out onto a damp, overcast day in May, I envy you, whoever you are.

But wherever, and whenever you may be reading this, I’m sure you can conjure up a feeling, a vision, even a smell of home.

When I think of my dad I can smell black pepper and hear burgers sizzling on the grill out on the deck. When I think of my mother I can hear her thumping her foot on the floor, like a punctuation mark at the end of a sentence as she talks on the phone with a friend. When I think of home, I think of my grandmother’s house during winter, her cast iron radiators hissing and steaming while she sits drowsily at the kitchen table with her glasses on, reading The Reader’s Digest with a coffee in front of her, her hand in constant contact with the handle.

I’m sorry to report that her kitchen often smelled like slightly sour milk. But I’ll let you in on a little secret: because this is a smell I associate with her, I still have a hard time being offended by it.

Those of you who secretly like the smell of skunks or gasoline will know what I mean. (You know who you are.)

I remember being a new member of my family. A little bit, anyway. I remember slamming around the house, wreaking minor and major havoc on things I came into contact with, chasing the cat, being very unhappy when I actually caught her, since her claws were much sharper than I ever would have imagined.

I remember climbing on laps, demanding cookies, trying on my Grandfather's World War II fedoras and galoshes. I remember being very entertained by the word galoshes.

I remember trying desperately to negotiate with my parents for a bedtime extension so that I could fulfill my early childhood ambition of watching Fraggle Rock.

Incidentally, this was my first successful negotiation. Looking back I can see that it had a lot to do with my personal and professional development. It also has everything to do with how I came to write this little ditty you’re reading right now.

Life as a new member of a family was a constant adventure.

There are new practitioners joining the Directory of Resources which birthed the addition of a new category "alternative housing," which I find to be exciting. This past year I have seen a growing number of people who are interested in starting or becoming a part of co-operative housing projects in our area. With the experiences that I continue to have living with others I feel this is a wonderful opportunity for people to experience more of themselves in unique ways that will expand us beyond our knowing of home and family. Coming together in what some call purpose, but for now I'll refer to it as "center," exponentially expanding the equation of "one and one makes two." Creating that center is to find the heart and when the heart is found home is realized as everything.

There are great new and exciting events being planned by those who support the world community and the journal, you'll find them in the display ads and calendar of events listings. These opportunities will lead us to the expression of the new world we wish to create together.

As our grass and gardens grow, and the gentle winds of summer arrive remember the gentleness of summer sights and smells, feel the warmth, surrender to the moments of "being," to center... to heart... to home.

Happy Anniversary Everyone! Thank you for your ongoing support of community and the evolving of its being.

Connections were being made. Lessons were being learned. Tastes, sights, scents, people, places, dreams were all being experienced and catalogued for potential and eventual later use. Growth was occurring on every level. Independence was developed. An identity and personality evolved.

Every sunburn and skinned knee and cut finger and bruise, every physical thrill and victory led to where I am.

I still don’t know what it’s all about. I still don’t know the point of being a conscious being surrounded by other conscious beings we call family in a place we call home—unless it’s about growth through doing.

There’s just no substitute for Doing.

I’m a recent convert to doing. Or, more appropriately, I was born a doer, but had become, like many of us who temporarily fall from grace, a lapsed-doer. I guess you could call me a ‘born-again doer’ now.

I’m coming back into my body now.

I’m experiencing things through the five senses again, and I’m discovering that the senses do not limit experience the way I had mistakenly come to believe. The five senses enable experience—they enhance and make real and concrete what would otherwise merely be thought.

I’m back in the flow now. It feels right. I’m still working at it but that’s all I’m really supposed to do, anyway.

I’m content with where I am.

I wouldn’t be here without having tried on my Papa’s galoshes—or had it not been for the sound of those sizzling burgers, or the smell of black pepper, or the steam from those hissing radiators, or the sting of the cat’s claws on my sunburned thigh.

The cookies and the negotiations to watch Muppets dance their cares away on TV played a part, too.

My dad told me this past Halloween when I turned 30 that the 30’s would be the building years—that this was the time to build a career, a life, a family. It would be the time to create. I’m looking forward to building something real and great with Ron and Joan and Betty. I’m looking forward to applying what I’ve learned and to experiencing new things together.

Now, as then, I join a family already in progress. I am looking forward to matching my experiences with theirs, jumping right into the deep and seeing and experiencing what happens.

I look forward to connecting with you all as Inner Tapestry’s newest family member—as the new Advertising Outreach Coordinator. I am here as a resource for all of you who are currently advertising with us, and for those who are interested in becoming a part of what we’re doing—future advertisers, readers, and fellow travelers, alike. I hope to create a space for you so that the journal can be home for you, too. The journal supports and encourages your good work and celebrates what you’re here to offer. Together, we will build upon our experiences and bring our family and our community where it wants and needs to go. I can be reached at curtis@innertapestry.org or by phone at (413) 595-9092.

June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 5

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A Note From

There has been a passing of two of our Inner Tapestry community members, Patti Gerco, from Massachusetts and Juliet Nightingale, who facilitated the NDE teleconference support group Light on the Water. Our prayers and love to their families. We appreciate the contact that we have had with them during this time of transition in their lives.

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Drawing on the Strength of Community to Live Sustainably

by Françoise Paradis

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hances are if you grew up in a small town in New England in the 50s or 60s, the families on either side of your home were cousins and the ones next to them were second cousins. You probably flowed in and out of each other’s homes, shared transportation, tools, food from your gardens, clothing, and helped each other with errands and problems of various kinds. It was a natural way of life back then. There was not much stress and anxiety that accumulated because the neighborhood provided the antidotes. There was always someone available to lend a hand, a tool, an ear, or an hour or two of their time. Community events reinforced connections and sense of belonging. There was a spirit of working together to sustain families and the neighborhood.

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As our blessed America evolved since the 1960s and 70s, the value of family and community diminished on several fronts. The industrial and technological eras created great job opportunities for young men and women, sometimes far away from their families and support systems. Many of those who stayed in their hometowns moved to the country for privacy, taking up the precious land that used to provide food for the community. We became a society of individuals who struggle in competition with their neighbors to fulfill the great American Dream that is based on our market economy – to own a house with a white picket fence in the suburbs or a house in the country with large acreage for privacy. With large corporate farms, big box stores, national and international banks and corporations eating up the small neighborhood enterprises that used to be the economic backbone and social fabric of our communities, we have eroded the sustainability of our lifestyles and our planet, and have set the course for our own demise. We find ourselves in the 21st century with many disenfranchised families, lonely single adults, empty-nesters, and struggling young families scattered all over the landscape of America. Many of today’s young families and aging adults live without the benefit of the support that used to be the domain of extended families and communities. We often hear that this generation of young people will be the first generation to be worse off than their parents. They are inheriting a “planet in peril,” a failed world economic system, neverending religious conflicts and wars over the distribution of earth’s natural resources.

President Obama is offering hope and dramatic changes for the future of our planet and our nation. His administration is developing policies and offering a stimulus package that will promote sustainability and responsibility. But even before Obama took office, there was a movement in this country that offered this hope, a movement that originated in Denmark and found its way to the United States in the 1980s – the co-housing movement. As a matter of fact, the movement is now so large that it has a national organization with a website and yearly conferences about co-housing. There are now over 120 completed co-housing communities in the United States and an equal number of communities in the development process.

What is Co-housing?

Co-housing communities are similar to the old-fashioned neighborhoods with a spirit of working together and caring for each other. Co-housing communities are intentionally built as a collaborative approach to living sustainable lifestyles.

They uniquely balance individual’s needs for privacy with their need for community.

Families own regular homes and share resources, facilities, and common elements to create a more affordable and sustainable lifestyle. The concept started in Denmark in the 1960’s and was pioneered in the United States by Charles Durrett and Kate McDermott, architects who designed and built the first co-housing community in the United States in California in 1981. Since then, this couple helped design and build over 40 co-housing communities across the United States. They have become the gurus of co-housing in America, having written the first book about it in 1988, “Co-housing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves,” and being credited by the Oxford English Dictionary for coining the word "co-housing".

Who Lives in Co-housing Communities?

Co-housing communities are usually intergenerational and provide a wellsupported and safe environment for raising families. Although co-housing communities actively seek a diverse population, Graham Meltzer, in his 2007 book, “Sustainable Community: Learning from the co-housing model,” found that people who live in co-housing in North America are predominantly white, middleclass, well-educated professionals in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. They are often referred to as “Cultural Creatives,” a term coined by sociologist Paul H. Ray and psychologist Sherry Ruth Anderson to describe a large segment in Western society that has developed beyond the standard paradigm of Modernists. They described 6 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

two types of Cultural Creatives, both of whom fit the co-houser profile. The first group, the Core Cultural Creatives, is made up of well educated writers, artists, musicians, psychotherapists, feminists, alternative health care providers and other professionals who share a concern for their inner life and a strong passion for social activism. The second group they described is the “Green Cultural Creatives” who share the opinions of the Core group but have more conventional religious and world views that are more nebulous. They are the types of people who are attracted to co-housing communities because of their deep concern for the state of our world and are proactive in working toward solutions.

In more recent years there has been much interest among the aging “baby boomer” generation for co-housing communities dedicated to “pro-active adults” or “seniors.”

Charles Durrett, in his new book, Senior Co-housing: A Community Approach to Independent Living, said Senior Co-housing Communities use the same model as conventional co-housing, but do not have a common or specific ideology other than having a more practical, social home environment for aging. Within co-housing, seniors have the resources to live independently and have active social lives many years beyond what they could if they continued to live alone in their own homes.

Common Features of Co-housing Communities:

Co-housing communities have traditionally been defined by six common features.

1. A Participatory Process. From its inception, the community is dreamed of, planned, designed, organized, and then maintained by its members. Usually a group of like-minded people get together and decide they want to live together so they can deepen their sense of connection with each other and provide support to each other in their life journey. From their vision they form a mission statement that focuses their intention for the community. Most mission statements emphasize the desire to live as a community in harmony with the environment.

2. Neighborhood design. Co-housing communities are intentionally designed to encourage residents meeting casually in their day-to-day comings and goings. The homes are physically clustered along open green space with paths or walkways connecting the homes to a common house that is an extension of private homes.

Garages and parking are typically placed on the periphery of the community, thus creating a pedestrian community that is safe for any outdoor activity.

3. Shared resources and facilities. The common house is the central focus of the community with shared facilities such as a large kitchen and dining/event room and various rooms for laundry, games, exercise, child-care, creative arts, healing arts, meditation, meetings, workshops, overnight guests, and even home offices.

Tools and equipment are shared among the whole community rather than every household having one of their own. Rural communities preserve a large piece of property for wildlife, nature trails, community gardens, playground, and other interesting landscape features.

4. Resident management. Co-housing residents work together to manage and maintain all aspects of their community. In the spirit of being good stewards for the planet, some adults in the community contribute a few hours of their time every week for the management and maintenance of the grounds and buildings. Others organize the social activities, and yet others mange the legal and financial affairs.

Everyone has a role that is equal in value.

5. Non-hierarchical structure and decision-making. Another feature that makes co-housing unique is self-governance. There is no hierarchy of leadership or authority that governs; every member has an equal say in all aspects of development, management, maintenance, and growth of the community. Every member gets a chance to offer their opinions and ideas for resolving issues or turning ideas into reality. Although most co-housing communities are legally set up as condominium associations or homeowners’ associations, they are governed using a consensus process rather than the usual Roberts Rules of Order.

Consensus is an egalitarian process in which issues are discussed until everyone in the community is comfortable with the outcomes and is willing to participate in their implementation. Decisions are always based on what is best for the community as a whole.

6. No shared community economy. Co-housing is a form of collaborative living that took the lessons learned from the failed commune movement of the 60’s to create a lifestyle that is truly sustainable. Communes eventually failed because of inequities in their shared economies and the lack of individual space. In co-housing communities, residents earn their own money like most Americans, and they live in

7 their own homes, which are typically smaller than the “McMansions” of the American dream.

For the 21st century, we might add a seventh important co-housing feature.

7. A commitment to live responsibly and sustainably. From the beginning of the movement in the 1980’s, Co-housers have been genuinely concerned about the environment and have made efforts to minimize their carbon footprint on the planet. In today’s environmental and economic crisis, building “green” sustainable homes and communities is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.

New co-housing communities are paying even closer attention to these details.

The technology is available to build “net-zero” homes which generate as much energy as they use. It is now possible to heat and cool homes without fossil fuels. Although the cost of installing alternative energy sources such as geothermal, solar, and wind power may be prohibitive for single family homes, these technologies can be installed in multi-family dwellings for a more affordable cost over the course of time. With no monthly fossil fuel bills, the cost of heating and cooling a home that uses geothermal, solar, and wind power over the course of 20 years is about one third the cost of heating and cooling a home with a conventional oil or natural gas system.

The Co-housing movement in America started in California in 1980 and has spread throughout the United States and Canada. There are currently 16 such communities in New England, with 15 more in the planning or building process. Maine has one completed community - Two Echo in Brunswick, one ready to start building – Greensward Hamlet in Buxton, and one in the planning stage - Belfast Eco-village in Belfast. While the current economy has slowed down the housing market and President Obama offers hope of things getting better, co-housing communities of the 21st century continue to be a model for drawing on the strength of community to living sustainably.

Therein lies the hope for future generations.

Links: www.cohousing.org, www.greenswardhamlet.com, feparadis48@yahoo.com.

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Françoise Paradis Ed.D. is a psychologist by profession and a sociologist at heart. Her global worldview was strongly influenced by growing up in a large Franco-American family in northern Maine. Thus, in her work as a psychologist she focuses on enhancing the client’s community: their family life, social circle, support network, and living environment. It was a natural progression for her to initiate a “green” co-housing community in Buxton, Maine, at a time when our planet is in peril.

Article Submission Deadline for August/September "Movement" is

June 25th June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 7

8

lov ing e ar th

Home Is Where The Habitat Is

Landscaping for Wild Birds

by Pat Foley

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s our human population expands, we are taking over and either destroying or dramatically altering the ecosystems many creatures need for food and shelter. Essentially we are leaving them homeless. The good news is that, with just a little care, we each can mitigate some of this damage right in our own yards. We can consciously design our landscaping with providing space for wildlife in mind. As we move beyond that lone bird feeder on a pole into thoughtful and diversified plantings, working both collectively and as individuals, we can create a network of little green urban and suburban sanctuaries for both migrating birds and for those who live locally year round.

At the same time we can provide homes for a surprising variety of creatures, all of who can be quite interesting to watch, we also benefit our property. Well-landscaped lots are generally considered more valuable than those which aren’t. Perhaps our plantings can be positioned to block cold winter winds and to provide cooling shade in the summer months, making our own houses more comfortable and reducing our needs for heating and airconditioning fuels.

As we proceed, there are three necessary components to consider: water, shelter and a supply of food. Ideal settings provide these essentials year round. Studies indicate that diversity in our landscaping is an important factor in attracting a wide variety of birds. Rather than always planting the standard Norway maple with its invasive root system, a favored city street tree because it is tough and generally healthy; we can consider evergreens, other deciduous trees, short and tall shrubs, vines, perennials and grasses when we work up our landscaping plan.

THE PLAN

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Making that plan, however informal, is a good way to start. Drawing to scale, we can map out our lots locating house, garage, driveway and existing large trees in their appropriate places. We can note areas of topographical interest: high spots, wet areas and any actual water, ledges and large boulders. These unique features can be maintained and worked with creatively to provide areas of special interest.

We can indicate the direction of prevailing winter and summer winds, also the existing areas of sun and shade. We can indicate areas by soil type. All this will be helpful to know when it comes time to select our plants.

Next in our plan, new habitat components need to be chosen and properly arranged for maximizing benefit to wildlife. Generally evergreens, which provide shelter, nesting opportunities and some food, are located in a northern direction to block the prevailing winter winds. Hardwoods are placed to the south, where their seasonal leaves will filter light from the hot summer sun. Many small and large bushes, located in naturalistic groupings can provide flowers, fruit, nesting sites and cover. Grasses and perennials can be placed in front of small trees and bushes.

It is important to create arrangements that discourage predators. Water sources and any feeders should be located where birds have both nearby cover and a clear view of the immediate surroundings.

If the plan cannot be implemented all at one time, items that take the longest time to mature are best planted first. Once planting begins, organic growing methods are strongly advised. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are beneficial to neither birds nor their living prey. Once a planting is established and the birds begin to arrive, generally within a reasonable period of time they and any insect prey come into balance and human intervention is really not needed.

The foregoing assumes we have yards. For those of us who do not, there remain the possibilities of rooftop gardens, deck and porch plantings, window boxes and public gardening areas. Although we are focusing on yard plantings, much of the information can be adapted to other circumstances, particularly roof top gardens and decks.

SOME POSSIBLE PLANTS The following list of plants, suitable for use in the Northeast, is by no means inclusive. For a more complete listing we would refer the reader to The National Wildlife Federation’s Gardening with Wildlife. Here we have highlighted a few hardy, primarily native, plants attractive to a multiple variety of birds:

Flowers and Grasses

Height

Sunflower Helianthus supp.

Flower/Fruit

to 12'

Value for Birds

July, yellows October, seeds

Site Info

Very nutritious favored by many song and game birds

Sun, rich soil

Low Shrubs and Vines Blackberry Rubus spp.

to 6'

Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus Bayberry Myrica pensylvanica

June, white August, fruit

Food and shelter for nearly 100 species

to 6' July-August September into winter, berries to 9'

Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus Quinquefolia

Moist, well drained soil

Favored by songbirds, grosbeaks thrashers; nesting for sparrows

September into winter Food for tree swallow, myrtle warbler grey nut cover and food for song and game birds

Vine June-August August-February blue berries

Favored by mockingbird, flicker, sapsucker also chipmunks

Sun or shade, wet or dry soil Sandy, well drained soil Sun, moist, well drained soil

Large Shrubs Highbush Blueberry Vaccunium corymbosum to 12' June, white July, blueberries Common Elderberry Sambucus canadensis Staghorn Sumac* Rhus typhina

to 13' June, white September, black

to 15' June-September winter Upright, red drupe

Favored by morning dove, bluebird, tanager orchard oriole Favored by 40 species of birds well drained soil Excellent winter food for song and game birds

Sun, acid soil Sun or shade, dry, Acid, dry soil

*Edible sumac, not to be confused with poison sumac, has an upright drupe and is a handsome and valuable plant for wildlife, supplying food in late winter when few other edibles are available. We have seen early arriving robins survive on its seeds for weeks. It does spread if the roots are not contained and is thus not suited for placement in small spaces.

Check out what's new in the journal for summer trips and retreats!

8 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

Continued on Page 47

9

HerbologyToday Capsule, Tea, Tincture... Oh My! Part Three

by Christopher J. Bashaw, RN DISCLAIMER Do not treat the information contained here as a prescription, it is intended as a resource of knowledge for you. Do not use any herb that you cannot positively identify, be it from the wild or your garden. When in doubt you should purchase your dried herbs from a reputable herbalist and seek treatment from a qualified practitioner.

Syrups

Syrups are generally sugar or honey-based preparations that are used to make herbal medicines more palatable for both adults and children (honey should never be given to a child under the age of 2).

NEED: 3 pounds brown or raw sugar or honey (use local honey whenever possible) or syrup or glycerin, water or fruit juice, non-aluminum pot, stove, herbs, strainer and jar.

Brown or raw sugar version: Mix 1 pint water and 3 pounds brown or raw sugar. Bring to boil and add medicinal herbs. Simmer covered for 30-60 minutes over low heat, adding more water if necessary. Strain and jar.

USE: Syrups help make medicine taste good and are a great way of administering herbal remedies to children.

Syrups are given by the spoonful and are traditionally used for colds, flu’s and coughs, though they have been used for other problems, as well.

Douches A douche is usually a water-based preparation that is considered an external application, even though it is used in the vagina. It is used for cleansing, as well as for treating yeast infections, and other problems. *Douches should not be used by pregnant women without a doctor’s permission.

NEED: An infusion or decoction, a douche kit (available at your local drugstore), and a bathtub. Sometimes a small amount (1 teaspoon –1 tablespoon/quart liquid) of apple cider vinegar is used to maintain the natural acid pH.

and then roll into strips 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Cut strips into 3/4-1 inch long pieces, then refrigerate again until use. Ten to twenty minutes before use remove from fridge and let sit to warm up. Just before using coat with olive oil or warm water to help it slide in.

USE: Antiseptic and astringent herbs are generally used, almost always with a demulcent herb to protect and comfort the sensitive tissues in the vagina. Douches are used to cleanse, treat yeast infections, cysts, remove toxins, and more. Douches should not be used often as they can upset the natural pH balance, as well as the natural bacteria balance in the vagina.

STORAGE: Use immediately.

The interest in herbal remedies and the market for them has exploded in the last few decades. Herbal products in Canada and the United States, once confined to the shelves of health food shops, are now in retail outlets everywhere, including independent pharmacies, chain pharmacies, new-age shops, the internet, discount department stores, supermarkets and even convenience stores. Today it is estimated that the market for herbal dietary supplements is more than $5 billion dollars annually.

With herbal medicines so popular, they are still not well understood by professional healthcare provider or home user alike. Many do not even understand that herbs can be used in different routes of administration, other than just pill form. Listed below are some of the common uses for herb administration for the home herbalist.

Suppositories Suppositories are the same as boluses; they are small “pills” that are inserted into the rectum or vagina to treat hemorrhoids, inflammations, infections, tumors, cysts, etc. They melt or dissolve after insertion to allow the herbs to do their work.

Note: Some people are allergic to cocoa butter. Test a small amount on your skin before trying it as a bolus!

NEED: Cocoa butter, powdered herbs, bowl -or- powdered slippery elm, water, powdered herbs, bowl and cookie sheet.

PREPARE: Melt the cocoa butter and place the powdered herbs in a bowl. Slowly stir in the cocoa butter until the mixture obtains a dough-like consistency. Refrigerate,

Place powdered herbs in a bowl. Add slippery elm (1 part slippery elm to 9 parts other herbs or 10% total mixture). Slowly add warm water until mixture reaches a dough-like consistency. Roll into strips 1/2-3/4 inch thick and cut strips into 3/4-1 inch long pieces.

Set out in sun on cookie sheet to dry for a day, or in conventional oven at lowest setting (careful not to burn them), or a gas stove using just the pilot light for heat.

Once dry, store in airtight container in the refrigerator until use. Ten to twenty minutes before use remove from fridge and let sit to warm up. Just before using coat with olive oil or warm water to help it slide in.

USE: Some herbalists recommend for vaginal use only if douches aren’t working well. Others recommend using boluses vaginally to support douches in their healing.

Other herbalists use suppositories instead of enemas, stating that they are just as effective.

Suppositories can be very messy, so are often used at night when you go to bed or during long periods of rest when you will be laying down, or while using a sanitary napkin to absorb leakage. Be sure to place a towel beneath your behind to minimize cleanup in the morning. If used for vaginal purposes, a warm water douche should be used upon waking to clean out the vagina. Herbs of almost any type can be used, although antiseptic, astringent and demulcent herbs are often used. Suppositories are used to treat hemorrhoids, tumors, infections, irritations, cysts, constipation and more.

STORAGE: Keep refrigerated in airtight container until use for up to 1 month.

See you next issue for part four!

Christopher Bashaw is a registered nurse with 24 years experience specializing in integrative medicine. Christopher currently is seeing patients at the Mizu Tama Dojo and White Lotus Healing Arts Clinic in Rochester, NH as well as Pinewood Medical Center at the Pinewood Healing Arts Center in Somersworth, NH. http://www.freewebs.com/mizu_tama_dojo

Inner Tapestry 5 Laurel Ridge Road, Scarborough, ME 04074

207-799-7995 info@innertapestry.org – www.innertapestry.org June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 9

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PREPARE: Honey or syrup or glycerin version: Pour honey or syrup into pot and bring to boil. Add herbs and simmer covered for 30-60 minutes over low heat. Strain and jar. Or use 2 pints fruit juice, Or take 2 oz of herbs and boil in 2 pints of water or fruit juice. Boil until only 1 pint is left. Strain and add 1-4 oz honey and/or glycerin. If desired, add a little bit of lemon juice and tiny amount of cayenne powder (helps kick-start the herbal action).

PREPARE: Warm infusion or decoction to around body temperature and prepare douche to directions for douche kit. Laying in the bathtub, insert douche slowly and gently; don’t force it or else it could push the liquid into your uterus, along with any infection you may be trying to treat. Hold the liquid for 5-20 minutes, and then release it.

10

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

Coming Home

by Evelyn Rysdyk

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n our shamanic healing practice, we meet many people who express that they have never felt “at home” in their lives. These folks report that somehow they feel at odds or out of sync with the world around them. I believe that the interesting thing is these people are not unique in their struggles. In my experience, many people in North America are disconnected from each other, from the larger group of our human family and from the natural world. These estrangements are a source of individual discontent, sadness, depression, and a larger social malaise which, at its worst, is expressed as rage, violence or nihilistic criminal behavior and at the least fosters suspicion of other cultures and other individuals. In addition, disconnection from the natural environment causes people and entire nations to disregard the needs of “other” species. It is my belief that unresolved dislocation/displacement traumas may underlay our destructive behaviors. Shamanic journeying and shamanic spirituality offer perspectives and practices which may hold keys to resolving this issue by healing the individuals and through them, the larger culture.

Who are we North Americans? We have our roots in many different places, Scandinavia, the Middle East, West Africa, Central Asia, Eastern Europe and the Pacific Islands to name just a very few. In spite of our varied origins, each and every one of us shares an important trait. Whether our ancestors came here by free choice, because of famine, to find new lands, at the hand of brutal slavers, as refugees from war, or as literal outcasts from their homelands—everyone of us is either a dislocated person ourselves or the descendent of a dislocated person! Even the original settlers of this continent were moved to reservations by subsequent migrations of people. Perhaps the root of our inner and cultural angst is that we are individually and collectively longing for Home. The home we ultimately long for isn’t Norway, Somalia, Ireland, India, or Peru, rather, I would argue that the longing we feel is directly connected to a more ancient longing for reconnection to the living Earth and all her creatures. This longing has its earliest roots approximately 12,000 years ago, when small human groups began to domesticate plant and animal species.

As I initially proposed in my book, Modern Shamanic Living, our larger human disconnection from a shamanic way of understanding the world began when we made the move from a hunter/gatherer lifestyle to one that was more agriculturally based. While the common view is that this transition produced the beginnings of a flowering of human civilization, the subsequent breakdown of relationships with the environment and within the human community tells another, darker tale. In fact in a 1987 article in Discover Magazine, physiologist Jarad Diamond argues “Agriculture is the worst mistake in the history of the human race.”1 Studies by paleopathologists have shown clear evidence that ancient hunter/gatherers’ skeletons indicate they tended to be much stronger and more robust, showing fewer signs of degenerative disease processes than later agricultural societies. When populations begin to rely on planted crops, it is often high-carbohydrate plants like grains, potatoes, other starchy tubers. This reliance on a simpler diet is not as nutritionally sound as the diet of a typical hunter-gatherer.

10 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

A more insidious fallout from the transition to agriculture is the rise of social divisions. In a traditional hunter/gatherer group, all members work to supply the needs of the whole. At the rise of agriculture, there was now the possibility that one group could own or dominate the wealth that was food. It is possible to see that while gathering, a person could—as many a merry berry picker does today—graze on the consumables that one is collecting, assuring that you, as well as those you were helping to support, would not starve. However, in an agricultural society it is possible to hoard or ration food based on personal preference or prejudice, thereby creating a society of “haves and have nots.” In addition, there is the struggle to own and protect a particularly fertile plot of arable land.

It is my belief that unresolved dislocation/ displacement traumas mayunderlay ourdestructive behaviors.

"Living In The Magic" courtesy of artist Evelyn Rysdyk

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 mind set 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, children are taught 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.2 On the other hand, a Ngandu child is frequently set down so that its mother may do the hard work of farming a single crop—the harvest of which could determine the ultimate survival of the entire Ngandu group. The existence of these people is threatened by largely uncontrollable and unpredictable situations that threaten their crops—variable rainfall, hail, amount of sunshine, and insect or plant disease damage.

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 suggests that there is a cultural effect produced in a similar fashion. In other words, human beings were “taught,” beginning with our shift to agriculture, that the world is inherently and threateningly unpredictable, that we—and “our land” are separate from other people. The good news in all of this is that if these erroneous perceptions were “taught” to us by our cultural experiences, we can be reeducated to heal them. This is beneficial as many of our psychological, emotional and physical illnesses may stem from these ancient emotional “injuries.”

Although volumes have been written on financial, employment, relational or environmental stressors, it is my belief that this change in our relationship with the world around us is the source of a profound underlying stress damaging our bodies and ultimately the planet as a whole. This is the stress of dislocation/disconnection.

When we are under chronic stress, the physiological changes our body experiences when we are in the Fight/Flight or Freeze emotional state can also become chronic. We can develop cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, heart disease and even stroke. Our endocrine system, immune response and even the physical healing of wounds are all negatively affected by stress.3 Emotionally, we can suffer chronic anxiety and depression which each have their own physiological components as well.

In his book, Speaking of Sadness: Depression, Disconnection and the Meanings of Illness, author and sociology professor, David Karp states, “To understand depression, you have to look not only at the chemistry of the person, but at the chemistry of his or her culture.” He also states, “We live in an age and a culture where the medical version of reality is tremendously powerful. I am not trying to attack psychiatry or medicine, but defining depression in purely biological terms deflects attention away from the role of society. The fact is, this is a society which is disconnecting people, at work and at home, and I don’t see how we can ignore this in examining depression.”4 In addition, people suffering depression and anxiety may also have accompanying physical pains such as headache, stomach pain, dizziness, chest pain, back and joint pain and difficulty breathing.5 How we perceive our situation and surroundings produces our ideas about reality. Our perceptions are created from a synthesis of information received from our senses which is processed by the brain to create meaning from the sensory stimuli. This processing compares the current sensation to those that have already been experienced. It is this synthesis of sensory input shaded by previous experience, family enculturation and larger social group definitions that produces our experience of reality. It is quite remarkable that even though the process by which we create our perceptions of reality are highly subjective and personal, we tend to culturally define reality as an absolute.

Einstein once said, “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” We think of reality as something dependable and concrete and yet it is a fabrication

Continued on Page 45

11

These Economic Times

by Jane Honeck

I

n these economic times... It seems like everywhere we turn an event, a thought or theory is prefaced with “in these economic times.” It’s as if our world exists solely for economics and money. We are faced with the reality that there may not be enough money for the “things” our world has created and that ultimately, money is no longer enough.

Each day we are met with depressing economic news and are told of yet another sign that tough times are still here, that “all things glorious” have ended, and that economic times have changed. We listen to the gloom and doom of today’s media, read about major companies asking for bail-outs and/or failing and we know this is for real. All around us “the sky is falling, the sky is falling” and whether or not our own sky has crashed, we know that the financial world has shifted. And, like it or not, our financial life and values are demanding that we shift too.

For years we have been hurtling forward, gathering speed as we accumulated more and more. Acquisitions grew bigger and bigger and our thirst and hunger for more and more was never quenched. There was always a new gadget, a better gizmo, a bigger car, a bigger house. Consumerism and credit grew to where we could not be satiated.

And others shook our fingers at our debt-ridden friends and neighbors and we didn’t stop to examine our part in this global mess. It wasn’t us – it was them. They were heading for trouble and we were glad we weren’t in their situation. But now we find out we are all in this together. For what happens to one of us, happens to all. We are finding out, they are not alone in this – and neither are we.

For in truth, we have built a world around the almighty dollar and our worth is tied to our wealth. Our country is powerful because of our riches. And, we are told our future is at the mercy of “these economic times.” But, is there another way to look at this?

Can it be that we have been brought to this time and place to stop and re-evaluate who we are in relationship to money and finances? Is it time for us to ask, “who am I without money, without possessions, without accumulation?” Could it be an opportunity for us to stop, reflect and change course? Should we be looking at our situation not as one of gloom and doom but rather one of growth and even gratitude?

When money’s no longer enough, we must reexamine our standards for real value in our lives. Do we find value in terms of what we do and what we own? Do we find value by comparing ourselves to our friends and neighbors? Is value determined by how much we earn and how much we’ll have when we retire? Is the accumulation of more and better goods and larger and larger bank accounts the barometer of our value? And, most importantly, are these values our values or someone else’s?

I believe that we are in “these economic times” so we will examine our money beliefs and find the real value in our life. It’s not about working longer and harder for the sake of buying the latest and greatest consumer product. It’s not about the size of our retirement account when our health many not even see us to retirement.

And, it’s not about the size of our car or home when we live in lonely isolation from our neighbors and community.

Losing sight of what feeds our souls; we have blindly pursued consumerism at the expense of our freedom to choose more time for relationships and community.

We have bought into today’s economic times because we tried to put value into our lives with things rather than each other. We exist on credit because money is the most valuable thing in our life and we fear that cutting our consumerism will mean loss of jobs, loss of goods and the loss of our former financial life.

But, what if these economic times are about us finding a new path; a new power in our world – an alternative to the powerful dollar. Because, the truth is, the only value and power money has is what we humans give it. Money is man-made and we alone give it power by using it to assign value to things in our world. Of course, there is a need for a form of currency to operate our world. But, we have lost sight of the initial purpose of money. Instead of giving it economic power for the exchange of goods and services, we have increased its worth to where just the mere possession of money gives the possessor value and power.

Over time, our society has rearranged itself to exist for the accumulation of money. And, consequently, the concept of “enough” has become bottomless. We

And, consequently, focusing on the accumulation of money has caused the gap between those who have and those who have not, to widen until it is almost impossible to see across this great divide. And with the widening of this gap, misleading beliefs have strengthened so that we begin to see them as truths that can never change. These “truths” have resulted in us choosing sides on that great divide.

One side believes that nothing good comes from money – while across the gap, we believe that if you don’t have money, you’re no good. One side believes you did something dishonest or “bad” to get money, and the other side believes if you just worked or tried harder you wouldn’t be in the financial mess you’re in.

And our media helps fuel these beliefs. We are either bombarded with “you don’t understand, let me help you figure it out” or “come with us and be one of the lucky ones.” We hear slogans like “don’t leave home without it” or “priceless” all tied to finding value and joy through money and what it will buy.

But, could we re-examine these beliefs and reconstruct them to reflect the real, intangible values of our life and use this man-made resource to put real value into our lives? Can we ask “How do I find and/or add value to my life?” And, answer with our real, individual, personal values and not those that our society and world have chosen for us?

When I work with people in my money coaching and workshops, they are often surprised to discover what they value most doesn’t require a lot of money.

A woman frantic with financial worry about retirement in 3 years discovers she loves her work, doesn’t need or want to retire and the life she ultimately sees for herself in retirement doesn’t require the accumulation of great wealth – only her gardens and family around her.

And, conversely those with great wealth discover it makes no difference having riches if there is no peace of mind and acceptance of their abundance in non-monetary things. Money is just the illusion of value in their lives and not surprisingly there is never enough of it to “fill them up.”

I like to dream that “in these economic times” we find our way back to real value—the value of ourselves and those we are connected to. When listening to a story of the dismantling of tent cities sheltering the new homeless, I dream of each of us letting one family or just one individual pitch a tent in our backyard.

Or, instead of throwing out our leftovers we share them with another needy family or invite them to dinner to get to know them, really know them. How much value could this add to our lives?

Can we find value in children playing in the great outdoors, climbing trees, building forts and discovering the wonders of nature instead of in expensive computers or game systems or large screen TV’s? Can we find value by inviting friends over for dinner rather than having an expensive night out? Instead of seeing value in the “mansion” down the road or the big and better electronics or long work hours for a bigger promotion, can we find value in the eyes of our loved ones and even strangers?

Could “these economic times” be all about us finding real value in our lives?

Jane Honeck, CPA, PFS is President and founder of Honeck-O’Toole CPAs. She developed Cent$ible Living Money Programs to help you “manage your money and liberate your life.” The program helps you examine core beliefs around money to see how they impact your financial and life choices. For more information call Jane at (207) 774-0882 or e-mail jhoneck@honeckotoole.com, www.honeckotoole.com.

I find in sharing with people there is an aspect of some waiting for the arrival of joy in our lives.

I now realize it will only arrive when we choose to be it! ...Joan June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 11

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For some of us, we acquired more and more debt as we bought into the idea that we were only as good as our possessions. And, as we burdened ourselves with this debt, we found ourselves in a vicious cycle of needing more debt to continue in the lifestyles we created.

have watched individuals, companies and governments operate based only on the bottom line and the amassing of great fortunes. The human factor has been overlooked and decisions are made solely from the perspective of financial value and power. Schemes in financial markets have been developed not for the value or strength they give the general public, but because these products increase someone’s bottom line.

12

ON THE COVER Children of the New Age

Monos~art

Welcome to the world of Monos~Art. Monos~art is a wonderful place to see and feel the colours of life! The paintings that are created by this talented artist brings forth an experience of being in a world much different than ours but one that is very familiar. I connected to an expression of the familiar in the meaning of monos; "alone but whole" or "all in one," this feeling of oneness is found in the creation of her elaborate work.

Monos, Monique, allows the viewer insight into her own spiritual experiences as she celebrates life. Her paintings are the expression of her heart and soul and are deeply influenced by the spiritual and mystic journey she pursues.

Painting started 25 years ago and has evolved, as she in her personal journey, to a more symbolic level, merging indigenous cultures and their myths to support the message of her work.

Presenting myself: "Driven by an endless creative energy, you will find me most of the time in my workshop. Here I enjoy the experience of silence as if it were carried on meditative sounds. I try to re-create these feelings and capture them in my paintings. For inspiration I only have to open the door to this cosmic library. Then my imagination takes flight and does the rest.

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I am not a follower of only one style. I paint what ever I see or what ever my imagination conjures up. This gives me an enormous feeling of freedom of expression. Romanticism and mysticism, very often driven by a strong urge for symbolism, are two of the three styles that I love to capture on canvas.

12 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

Apart from creating my fantasies, I don’t close my eyes to the real world. I am very concerned about the future of children who are less fortunate. That’s why children of far off cultures are often the sensitive subjects of my pastels. I consider this to be my third theme. The profits from these paintings go to Foster Parents Plan or for another good cause.

Painting for me is far more than composing by using colours and lines. It is an expression of my inner self and my spiritual evolution."

Monos is featured on the website cosmiclighthouse.com, an online metaphysics magazine which explores metaphysics and personal spirituality. There individual pieces are featured with an artist's write-up of each.

On the Monos~art website, www.monos-art.be, you'll find five galleries to explore, Spiritual and Symbolic, Romantic and Classic, Portrait, Animals Symbolic and one titled Expo 2009 where I came across our cover art.

I found while visiting her website: www.monons-art.be each piece was an opportunity to let my heart expand and release my imagination to broaden my awareness of "monos."

Thank you Monos for allowing us to share your work, insights and creativity this issue.

I look forward to your continued creativity and being able to take a moment, breath and feel the wonderment that you create.

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Unwind... Body & Mind 269 Church St. (Rte 85), Hebron, CT

Tuesdays 6:30pm - 8:00pm ~ $20 June 9th & 23rd ~ July 7th & 21st FMI: Call Ron and Joan at 860-655-5500 or visit: www.ronandjoan.com

ThisSummer ENJOY RELAX & NURTURE ...with Us

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

June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 13

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Self Awakening Healing Groups with Ron and Joan

14

a b rea th o f he al i n g

Call On The Light And Go Home

by Donna Amrita Davidge

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In the amazingly inspired Grace CD featuring Kundalini Yogini and chanteusse Snatam, she starts the CD with the Kundalini Yoga invocation Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo and elaborates on its meaning by saying “ Divine teacher, the breath, I bow to you again and again.” Then she continues “And I am coming home.” When you take in a deep breath you are definitely furthering your journey into your inner self and your inner “home,” which is uniquely yours. This cannot be explained, only experienced.

For quite some years while I was young I continually created patterns where I rejected the concept of home. Looking back, until I came to a certain level with my inner self, the one we seek a relationship with in Yoga, I could not be comfortable with a physical home. Our relationship between this inner home of the self and the external home have a real relationship. This, like any relationship, can be complicated.

There can be discomfort, acceptance, rejection, love and loss, like in any relationship.

In the current economic climate it seems important to reach out to those who have lost their physical homes. What void has the greed tried to fill, that has only resulted in loss for others? I saw a real estate agent and doctor who were on the verge of losing their home. This is not just reserved for those who have no jobs and make little money. It is an imbalance of living beyond our needs. Why do we feel this need to do this?

As our external structures have begun to crumble people of all walks of life continue to pick up yoga as a practice. People are seeking out the plentiful options to study through teacher trainings, paying between $2000 and $9000 for the opportunity to learn more about what yoga is and how it can help them to have fruitful, balanced and healthy lives, which boils down to the relationship with that other home Snatam sings about, the inner home of our physical body, the mind and the spirit. In yoga the body is the temple.

In this temple, beyond the physical structure of the bones, muscles, nerves, internal organs and glands, we seek to learn more about, resides the soul and our unique iNdentity. With yoga practice we learn what heals and what harms in the choices we make in thoughts, words and actions.

My teacher Yogi Bhajan called this era we are in the Age of Aquarius (remember the Dawning Of from the Musical Hair in the late 60’s?). It is generally agreed in astrological circles that this transformative time is one wrought with challenges including painful experiences and information overload in this technological age.

It is our internal home that yoga takes us to. Here we discover our hopes, fears, joys, grief, all aspects of our human being, the unsteady breath and the restless mind.

For as long as we breathe this mystery called life pulsates within us, gifting us each present moment to decide what to do with our “home.”

If we are blessed to have a roof over our head we take on the responsibility for the energy flow within that home whether we are aware of it or not. People who know

Feng Shui are very aware of the importance of energy flow in our homes, others are not conscious of it at all. I remember reading that Maya Angelou asks guest to leave if she believes they are bringing negative energy into her home. Do we do the same? With our own “inner guests,” the negative ones being the demons that lurk in the crevices of our consciousness, do we question them and ask them to leave? With yoga practice, which requires that we become conscious and aware, we can uncover and question the negative influences inside ourselves and around us. In Kundalini Yoga we utilize the chakra system, the concept of energy centers along the spine, to define where our blocks and breakthroughs happen, how the energy is traveling in our inner “home.”

A happy home has the smells of delicious healthy food cooking, is clean and welcomingly comfortable, with things pleasing to the sight and peaceful to the ears.

We can ask the same of our body and mind, let the breath cleanse and clear the way for radiance and healthy thoughts and a healthy relationship with our body, be aware of what we allow in and out of the “holes” (entrances) to our body, as Yogi Bhajan amusingly put it (but a good concept, no?) so we can be whole.

As I have gradually grown to know myself better I have learned the pleasures of home, the groundedness in having one, the joy in keeping it clean and pleasant to be in, sharing it with others and being 100% present in it. A home is a sacred place, as is all life and the ultimate home, mother earth. Increasingly we see the yoga movement also supporting this right to live and let live, to preserve our mother earth and serve each other to grow in this awareness.

In another Kundalini Yoga CD recently released by Guru Ganehsa, the second song has become one of my new favorites. The words go:

\

“When I call on the Light within I go Home.”

May our inner light shine through our yoga practice out into the world much as the light inside our homes lights the way for others. *The CDs mentioned can be purchased from Spirit Voyage online or on i-Tunes.

We have had guests come to Sewall House who practice other forms of Yoga than Kundalini (as do we) yet knew and listened to Snatam and Guru Ganesha. They tour worldwide and their message is one of creating World Peace.

Donna Amrita Davidge runs Sewall House Yoga Retreat in Island Falls, Maine (May through October, since 1997) with her husband, chef and musician Kent Bonhma, when she is not teaching full time in New York City (since 1985). They offer not only Kundalini but a well-rounded Hatha-Ashtanga based practice as well. This fall they will offer their first 200 Hour Yoga Alliance teacher training in the unique environment of their retreat home with a small group of trainees. Please inquire through www.sewallhouse.com or (888) 235-2395 or for any of their ongoing Yoga Retreats and special events like Tuscany, Italy October 27th-November 2nd.

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

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

(207) 772-7888 • www.InstituteofFengShui.com 14 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

15

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

by Jen Deraspe

Ocean Breathing I didn’t know schools of ocean fish rest together periodically during the day, like lucid sleeping. I was floating above them, witnessing, in the blue-green Caribbean waters near the rugged coastline off St John.

As I watched the brilliant colored fish float in stillness beneath me, swaying gently with the moving tide, I began to hear my breath, and then deepened it, releasing into what is referred to as: “Ocean Breath” or Ujjayi breath.

Breathing slowly, creating a soft and gentle sound in my throat, just like the waves of an inner ocean floating to the coast, I began to float in and out with the waves, just like the resting fish. I began to hear and feel the sound of inhaling and exhaling, experiencing this ancient rhythm as the ocean suspended me, held me. I continued to ride gently on the wave, it mirroring the surrender I was witnessing beneath me as hundreds of fish moved in unison back and forth to the rhythm of the tide.

Nurture Through N atu re

Let Us Guide You Home...

Pleasant Mountain, Denmark, ME

Jen Deraspe, owner of Nurture Through Nature, is a holistic retreat facilitator and facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie. She lives off the grid on Pleasant Mountain in Denmark, Maine. www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.

The Substance of Spirit

by Fern Dyer The substance of Spirit is quite powerful. The presence of God within me, now in my consciousness, is the breath of life. I have found the beauty in life. I have found the Source in life. I have found the fulfillment in life. All this borne of one truth.

God is the meaning of life, the breath of life and the pure joy encompassed in the knowing of this truth.

When we truly feel this and know this and trust this, we are in the flow and our needs are fulfilled. We then feel love for all and we are aware of our oneness with Spirit.

Our light then radiates to all we meet and we help heal the world. The healing expands exponentially. It is magic and creates a wave of well-being, a tidal wave of love surrounding the world. We are all the key on this journey together as we raise this awareness and spread the true meaning of life throughout. We are all now healed. We are all now in peace and the truth has been told.

Blessed be in Light.

June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 15

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This experience brought my breathing practice to another place, a deeper understanding of the inherent rhythm and unfolding of all things. I was

leading a yoga and meditation eco-retreat in St John. Together, we were walking in a place of mindfulness, deep breathing and yoga as a daily lifestyle. I didn’t expect yoga and breath to show up for me while snorkeling.

When we all met up for our evening gathering, many others echoed the same realization. How sweet to see and experience such a direct translation from a practice to a life experience. If I had to name it, it would be soft awareness, or awakeness in the moment. There was no efforting, no discipline in it, no practice in it. It was a happening, this joining of ocean life, my life, all life, with breath, ebb and flow.

16

Fearless Puppy on American Road

by Scott Cronenweth FEAR Sucks!

Why are so many people running away from things that aren’t chasing them?

– from the back cover An exile for 50 years from the land where he has served as spiritual and temporal leader for many lifetimes, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet said in a recent interview that “Wherever you find happiness, that’s your home.”

Doug “Ten” Rose can surely relate. After 35 years of hitchhiking around the US, Ten recognizes more fully than many of us that happiness – and home – is not a moving target after all. Ten chronicles his astounding journey, on both inner and outer levels, in his new book Fearless Puppy on American Road.

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Ten ran away from his parent’s house in New York City at the age of 15, never to return. He encounters more than his share of miracles, menace, insanity and illumination in his long, mostly homeless travels. A mostly chronological series of colorful vignettes woven together with spiritual insights and personal musings, this self-published autobiography and “pretty much true story” is fiercely honest and humble. Devoid of literary pretense, it’s also graphic, manic and not meant for children.

Every once in awhile a book comes along that nudges our consciousness beyond any semblance of its comfort zone. In reading it we’re transformed… or maybe just opened up to a transformation that’s been lying in wait for us all along. Many folks will be whomped by transformation somewhere on their journey through Fearless Puppy.

Perhaps this disclaimer from the book’s back cover says it best: If you put the writings of Kerouac, Chopra, Hunter S. Thompson, Castaneda, Black Elk, Will Rogers, Gandhi, and a clown in a blender with 500 lbs. of additional hallucinogens and a time machine, you would have the writings of Doug Rose.

The Fearless Puppy Project But there’s more to this story than just the words. In fact, Fearless Puppy isn’t only a book in the first place – it’s a project. Once the minimal publication costs (borrowed from a friend) are recouped, all proceeds from the book will be used to create Westerner-friendly guesthouses adjacent to Buddhist monasteries in Asia. These lodgings will not only help support the monks and nuns, but also give Westerners access to vital teachings from these “wisdom professionals” and the more self-responsible, sustainable cultures in which they live and practice.

Indigenous elders, shamans, mystics and other spiritual teachers will eventually be part of the project also. For more information visit the Fearless Puppy Project website at www.fearlesspuppy.org.

Ten’s inspiration Ten knows first-hand how vital the Buddhist teachings can be. A former drug dealer who dropped more than 500 hits of acid before he was 30, Rose has spent time in jails and psychiatric hospitals and has chronically abused both alcohol and heroin.

With his life swirling down the tubes several years ago, Ten made his way to a monastery in Thailand where he lived and healed for six months. The monks spoke almost no English and Ten spoke essentially no Thai. Yet he was welcomed, adopted and told to “make himself comfortable” with nothing asked in return. “It took me awhile to realize that the intended emphasis wasn’t on ‘making myself comfortable’ but on making myself comfortable… with myself,” Ten explained.

While at the monastery Ten began to write about his experiences there. In conversations with the abbot he hatched plans for the Fearless Puppy project.

16 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

Finding one’s own, authentic teacher is a gentle yet recurring theme in Fearless Puppy. Buddhism for Ten has been literally a saving grace, and a source of stability in a life with few reference points.

The Temple Dog Soldier trilogy But wait: the Fearless Puppy project involves more than one book. It’s actually Book 1 of a trilogy. What turns out to be Book 2 (to be titled Temple Dog Soldier) is the one Ten started writing in Thailand. It was only after he got back to the US that Ten finally began working on the book his friends had been cajoling him to write for years, about life on the road. “I realized that one had to come first,” explained Ten. And Book 3? That will mostly be about Ten’s philanthropic adventures distributing and working with the money he’ll raise from the sale of the first two books. With more than a few ribald anecdotes and insightful observations thrown in, no doubt.

Every once in awhile a book comes along that nudges A Conversation with the Author our consciousness Reading Fearless Puppy with its conversational verve, you can’t help but feel like you’ve hung out with this remarkable beyond any man. So why not phone him up for a chat? assemblance of its That proved mildly challenging as Ten (short for Tenzin Karma Trinley, a name he received comfort zone. from a high Tibetan Buddhist lama) has no phone. Nor does he have a bank account, credit card or permanent address. But he does have e-mail and a PennyTalk card.

And so it was that eventually he tracked me down from a payphone in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.

Ten had spent the winter in Truth or Consequences finalizing on Book 2 in the trilogy and taking daily therapeutic soaks in the local hot springs. Though he’s been homeless most of his 57 years and has never driven a car, Ten is semiretired from the physical demands of full-time hitchhiking. “I can’t lug a big heavy duffle bag around like I used to,” he mused. Brattleboro, Vermont is the closest thing Ten has to a home, and he plans to spend the summer there. He’ll be taking the bus back East.

Asked about his motivation to undertake the Fearless Puppy project he replied: “I’m doing this to support the wisdom professionals, and writing was the best way I could think of to raise money. We need to create more wise people.

There are still far too many stupid people out there doing stupid things to themselves, each other and the planet. Not that I have any illusions that I can save the world. I just want to do what I can. It’s our individual responsibility to create change from within as well as without. Each of us must do that work for ourselves. No one can do it for us.”

Ten drew my attention to the Tibetan expression quoted in Fearless Puppy’s front matter, which he first heard spoken by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and which inspired the book’s title: Though that person may have low and humble social status, like that of a dog, yet he or she takes great responsibility.

Ten’s goal, which is another major theme in Fearless Puppy, is to keep himself and others moving “more toward the positive, toward how we innately actually want to live. The problem is we get caught in fear. Greed, hatred, anxiety – it’s all fear, and we’re served a heapin’ helpin’ of it every hour of the day by our TVs. I hope my book can help counteract that, whether any guesthouses ever get built or not.”

Ten went on to describe how the laborious editing of the book, as well as the development of the project’s excellent website, were the work of a Cherokee woman who Ten has never met and who has never accepted any money for her

17 thousands of hours of work. Ten seems prone to encountering, and inspiring, that kind of support.

A growing buzz on the Internet shows that some people who’ve encountered Fearless Puppy consider it a work of major significance.

But Ten is growing impatient with stealth marketing and the gradually expanding social media snowball. He’s looking for new ways to promote the project, such as sending copies of the book to influential celebrities like Richard Gere.

Not that Ten is new to the world of grassroots fundraising. He’s spent much of his time over the years supporting various causes while accepting nothing for himself. Among many efforts he was a door-to-door canvasser for Greenpeace and in 1985 organized “Massachusetts for Africa Month,” a statewide campaign that raised thousands of dollars for famine relief and earned him praise from Senator John Kerry from the floor of the US House of Representatives.

As we were saying goodbye, with the hope of meeting in person someday, Ten said I was the only interviewer who hadn’t ask whether the events in his book were true.

“I believe!” was my reply.

Getting your copy

http://www.fearlesspuppy.org/m_purchase.htm Get your copy, find a comfortable spot and hit the American road.

May the experience benefit you and all beings.

Scott Cronenweth is a freelance writer, naturalist and shamanic healer based in South Portland, Maine. Among his various service projects Scott is the communications director for the Siddhartha School Project (www.siddharthaschool.org), a non-profit that raises funds for a school in northern India, with the goal of supporting Tibetan Buddhist culture and ethics. Please visit Scott’s website at www.gotbuddhanature.com.

by Patricia Brady Fourth graders. A batch of fourth graders showed me the road I want to travel on. I had been involved with an organization called Character Counts. It is a fantastic volunteer program, where one goes into a school classroom and talks about the pillars of character. I would often, enthusiastically, ask the kids what the pillars were, because I could never remember. The pillars of Character Counts are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. Each month was a different pillar. I so loved doing this that I never planned what I was going to say, to the kids. Often I felt like a channel, what to say just came.

During a very difficult time in my life, that all consuming break-up with a loved one that leaves you dry, Character Counts was about the only thing I enjoyed doing. Kept me going, being positive for those kids. I think the pillar of the month, where it became clear to me what road I was going to travel, was fairness.

As I stood in front of that magical fourth grade class, a beautiful black girl with a deep, soulful voice and eyes of a hundred and ten year old raised her hand, looked me right in the eye and asked, “Miss Trish, what do you do when someone has hurt you, it doesn’t seem fair if you don’t get to hurt them back?" A channel opened and so did a road. This is exactly what I had been asking myself, what do I tell a bunch of fourth graders? I took a deep breath and said, “It’s natural to feel that way, but you don’t hurt others, you know how that feels. You take the high road.” The beautiful girl, again, looked me right in the eye, smiled and nodded, she already knew. Was I ready to take the high road? While walking down the school hallway, I knocked myself on the head, Are you listening, I thought. I went home and back to my depressed state, yet a powerful seed had been planted. The following week I went back to the classroom, as I did every week. As soon as I entered the class, a hand flew up. Yea, go ahead, I said. “What’s the high road again?”, a boy asked. I asked the class if anyone could answer that. I wish I could remember the words of the sweet boy who spoke. I got goose bumps and shivers up my spine, as he gave his version of the high road. When he finished, his classmates and I spontaneously applauded. I watched this boy, literally, grow and open as he received his applause, his whole face lit up. I knew I had just witnessed something special, something that would keep me going until next week.

During the depressing in between time, I would sadly ask the powers that be, where my reward was, this was a really hard time. I would cry out to the night sky on the private farm where I lived, “where is my next boyfriend and pile of money?” Only to return to my little cottage alone, tired and with the ever present depression.

Once again a hand flew up when I entered the fourth grade classroom the following week. A charming young Mexican boy asked, “But Miss Trish, when you take the high road you don’t get any medals or rewards.” I stared at him a moment, I could not believe he was asking me this. Do I admit my lonesome cries to the night sky? I thought not, sighed and said, “That’s right, but in your heart you know you have done the right thing and you may have a friend or two that s sees this in you and that’s your reward.” I really didn’t care much for my answer , as I knew now I would have to live it. I could not be a hypocrite and tell the kids one thing and do another. I did look up at the night sky one evening, I rolled my eyes and curled my lip, but I did not cry out and walked back to my little cottage a little less. Less lonely, less hurt, less sad and depressed. These kids were lightening me up. The next week I asked the sweet Mexican boy if he understood what we had talked about previously, he looked at me, right in the face, “Oh yea,” he said “you take the high road and your heart feels good and you have good friends.” I stared at him, again, these kids were teaching me so much.

I loved it and needed it.

I was happy, when the next time to stand in front of that fourth grade class came around. Once again, a hand, a question. “What’s the low road?”, an impish boy asked. I asked the class to answer that. A lovely, quiet girl, who had not spoken a word, for months, raised her hand. I motioned to her, she spoke these words, “the low road is when you don’t let go of things.” My favorite forth grade teacher and I looked at each other, with dropped jaws, stunned.

There it was, simple, true and without consequence, let go. The high road is where you let go of things, hurts, pains, and people.

Now I ask the night sky to help me let go.

Patricia Brady is new to Maine via Nepal, India, Thailand, The Caribbean, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Works creatively with children turning adversity into gifts. Enjoys the beauty, solitude and calming quiet that Maine's nature has to offer. She can be reached at pb1764@yahoo.com.

June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 17

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You can purchase Fearless Puppy on American Road on Amazon.com and at a number of participating retail establishments across America.

However, you’ll get maximum charitable impact by buying it with PayPal from the Fearless Puppy Project website at:

Character Counts

18

Fight Fleas Naturally

by Donald and Sara Hassler

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s spring blooms into warmer weather we look forward to spending more time outside. Most of our pets can’t wait to get outdoors too. They ache to run and play in the yard, sun bathe in the grass and breathe fresh warm air as they reconnect with Spring’s Mother Nature. When we open our homes to our pets, it doesn’t necessarily mean we have to also open our homes to the pests that are attracted to our pets. We can live in harmony with our natural enemies like fleas and ticks and others by learning to control them and our environments. We’ve had a lot of questions about flea and tick control with the warm months ahead and hope this information is both informative and helpful for our fellow pet lovers.

like fleas and ticks. Under a microscope, the particles look as sharp as tiny pieces of glass. Diatomaceous Earth can penetrate the soft mucous membranes of humans and pets if inhaled. It can scratch the eyeballs and the tiny particles can get imbedded into the sclera of the eye and go deeper with every blinking motion. DE that is sold as FOOD-GRADE has been found to be safer. The FOOD-GRADE DE is white in color. The product that goes into your garden or pool should be used with caution for flea control. It has been reported to be chemically treated, impure and toxic and should have warning labels on the packaging.

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Flea Control or Pesticide?

Safer Healthier Alternatives

Many flea control treatments for animals can be toxic and harmful to pets and children. Topical treatments are known to contain toxic chemicals and are often just pesticides. These products are meant to attack the nervous systems of insects and stop their development or breeding activity. Studies have shown them to be neurotoxins and harmful to mammals. Oral medications are meant to be ingested by an animal. The animal’s body acts as the drug delivery system to insects via the largest living organ—the skin. These chemical flea control products have been reported to cause liver toxicity, comas, brain damage, seizure activity, vomiting, depression anorexia diarrhea, and pruritis (intense itching) and more. Chemicals found in most flea control products have also been linked to brain damage, liver, kidney and endocrine system problems and certain kinds of cancers.

Eat a Good Diet & Stay Healthy Some people and pets are prone to bug bites. Strong immune systems and high nutritional levels are natural insect repellents. Healthy bodies are less inviting to most pests and a good natural diet free from chemicals is the best defense. Garlic and brewers yeast is often introduced into a pets diet as a means to ward off fleas.

Insects don’t like the taste of either of these natural dietary additives and are less likely to enjoy the flavor of the blood. Both garlic and brewers yeast should be used with caution. Garlic is in the same family as onions, shallots and chives and contains the chemical thiosulphate. This chemical can cause damage to the red blood cells and lead to hemolytic anemia and eventual death in animals. Raw garlic has been known to cause ulcers and can be an irritant to the mouth, esophagus and stomach. Brewers yeast and nutritional yeast can be helpful but some animals are intolerant of yeast. They can have an allergic reaction which will present itself as a skin allergy.

An overdose of these “safe” chemicals can kill people and pets. Be sure to check the labels and research all the ingredients listed before administering flea and tick treatments. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are available on all products and offer consumers a listing of ingredients and their known hazards. The inserts and informational materials in most medications do not include the MSDS information.

A Material Safety Data Sheet is available for all products through the manufacturer.

Hazardous chemicals that should be avoided • Butylhydroxanisole • Butyldydroxytoluene • Carbaryl • Carbamates • Carbitol • Chlorpyrifos • Dichlorvos • Diazinon • Ethanol • Fipronil • Imidacloprid • Lufenuron • Malathion • Methoprene • Naled • Organophosphate Insecticides (OPs) • Permethrin • Phosmet • Polyvinylpyrrolidone • Propoxur • Pyriproxyfen • Tetrachlorvinphos • Inert Ingredients – does not mean inactive – inert ingredients are chemicals that can be just as toxic, or more toxic, than the active ingredients. Inert ingredients are chemicals that are not required by law to be listed.

Have Good Personal Hygiene A flea comb used regularly can eliminate the need for chemical flea shampoos. A simple water bath with a natural safe shampoo will eliminate fleas and drown them.

Fleas don’t live in soapy water.

Trap Fleas Fleas can be trapped with a dish of soapy water under a night light. Adult fleas are attracted to warm light and will drown in soapy water. Small plug-in electric flea traps are also available and can be very effective.

•

Flea products sold as “all natural” doesn’t mean safe or non-toxic. Check and read all labels. Consult your Holistic Veterinarian if your pet has special health needs. Caution should be used for pets on homeopathic medications because some natural herbs, like peppermint in any form, can negate homeopathic remedies.

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Natural products to be thoroughly researched before use • D’Limonene is derived from citrus peels and can be highly toxic to animals.

• Lemon Oil can be toxic to pets and cause internal organ toxicity including death from shock. Lemon Oil has been found in studies to cause adverse reactions like ulcerations of the stomach and can damage the small and large intestinal lining to near perforation.

• Tea Tree Oil, Pennyroyal Oil, Wormwood Oil and Citronella Oil are known to cause allergic reactions and can be highly toxic to some animals.

• Essential Oils are not easily handled by all animals. Some mammals can’t metabolize essential oils and their bodies don’t efficiently excrete the essential oils. The oils can build up to toxic levels and poison an animal’s body.

• Homemade Flea Sprays, Dips and other alternatives to chemical products can be just as toxic and cause pets to have serious health emergencies.

• Black walnut can be a helpful flea repellant but it can be toxic in high doses.

• Herbal flea collars with warning labels for children might not be safe for pets either.

• Pyrethrum or Chrysanthemum Plant/flowers are perennial plants that are grown commercially because their plant extract and seed cases contain pyrethrins, a highly toxic insecticide.

• Diatomaceous Earth is the fossilized remains of single-celled algae that have been ground up into a very fine powder. This powder has razor sharp microscopic particles that slice through the hard shell of most insects

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18 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

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Control the Environment Sanitize an inside environment with regular vacuuming. After vacuuming take the old vacuum bag and throw it out so the fleas don’t escape back into the house.

Keep clutter to a minimum and wash animal bedding as often as possible.

Sprinkle regular salt on the carpets, couches, cracks in the floors, let sit and vacuum. Fleas live off their host but live in the environment. The salt dehydrates the air around them, their bodies and living space. They can’t breathe and die. Salt can burn soft paws, so vacuum thoroughly.

For the outside, Mother Nature has a helper called a Nematode. Nematodes control the flea population outside. They are microscopic worms that eat flea larvae and are a natural outdoor flea control. Nematodes can be purchased online and at most pet and garden supply stores. Nematodes multiply rapidly and only a small amount might be needed. Nematodes can be applied with a sprayer and within 24 hours there can be up to a 90% decrease in the amount of fleas in the treated area. Nematodes are also garden friendly and guard the premises against cutworms and grubs.

Without food or flea larvae, nematodes will die, so regular or seasonal applications might be necessary.

Natural Enzyme products are also available for environmental flea control.

Pre-formed enzymes have been used in restaurants and institutional settings for years. Some products and their enzymes leave no toxic residue and are safe for humans and pets. This product works to eat away at the protein of the insects it comes into contact with. The natural enzymes also destroy the hard outer shell of fleas and ticks called the exoskeleton.

Natural enzyme flea control products contain; natural enzymes, purified water, Protease, Lipase, Cellulase and Amylase. They tend to be Non-Toxic and Bio-Degradable. Check the ingredients list and ask the manufacturer for a material safety data sheet (MSDS) to double check the products biohazard ingredients and levels.

Our companions rely on us to nurture and care for their minds, bodies and spirits. By using thoughtful thought processes and researching healthy choices we

19 nurture their bodies. By keeping their physical body healthy, we care for their minds so they can think, live, feel and love. When we make a good informed decision that benefits our pets, we allow their spirits to tend to their desires—Loving US. We encourage all pet owners to work with nature, research their choices, check ingredients lists and make healthy choices for their best friends and companions. The main resources for this article:

w a n d er i n g sa g e w i sd om

Zin at t he O cean

Alternatives 4 Animal Health http://www.alt4animals.com/flea.htm Earth Easy http://eartheasy.com/article_natural_flea_control.htm Whole Dog Journal February 2002 Issue http://www.apnm.org/ publications/resources/fleachemfin.pdf Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrethrin Helping Animals http://www.helpinganimals.com/animalsHome_ fleaControl.asp Mother Earth News – Blog Notes http://www.motherearthnews.com/ Sustainable-Farming/1985-05-01/Natural-Flea-Control.aspx?page=5

Aya Itagaki

Eco Living Friendly http://www.elfbrands.com/shopexd.asp?id=44 The Nature of Animal Healing, Martin Goldstein, DVM.

Donald and Sara Hassler are co-authors of the award-winning children’s book, Loving Marley, and reside in Connecticut with Marley and Belle the real-life inspiration for the PugTale Adventures storybooks www.lovingmarley.com. The Hasslers are active members of the press and write exclusive feature articles for several publications. Their columns are also published in Pug Talk Magazine. Visit them online at www.responsiblepetowner.com.

by Aaron Hoopes

Z

in decided that he needed more focus in his own meditation, which he knew he could find in a visit to the ocean. It would be a week long journey, yet each day he felt a stronger pull. When he could ignore the feeling no longer, he informed the villagers that he would be leaving on a journey to the distant ocean and return in a month or so. The villagers were sad to see him leave, but generously loaded him up with supplies and wished him well. It took six and a half days to reach the shore. There he breathed deeply of the salt air and set out to find a place to settle down. He found the perfect spot an hour later along the rocky headland. It was a large flat rock that jutted out above the crashing surf. He immediately settled himself down and began to breathe.

Into the Light

by Fern Dyer

Aya Itagaki

Zin spent many days on the rock listening to the waves crashing below. He ate sparingly and slept under the stars. He trained in the morning and then sat in meditation during the afternoon. After a while he felt as if he had become part of the vast ocean itself. The flow of his breath moved with the waves.

The rolling of the waves never stopped and eventually he became enveloped in their sound. As he sat breathing, merging with the rhythm of the ocean, he began to hear the unique voice of each wave. Many of the waves seemed proud of their ability to crash upon the rocks. A few of them tried to soak the sage with their spray as they pounded the headland. Zin smiled at each of them. There was one small wave, however, that was very unhappy. “I’m so miserable,” it moaned. “The other waves are big and powerful, while I’m little and weak. Why is life so unfair?”

“You only think it is because you haven’t seen your own nature clearly. You think you are a wave and you think you are suffering. In reality you are neither,” Zin said.

“What?” the small wave exclaimed. “I’m not a wave! But it’s obvious that I am a wave! I’ve got my crest, see? And there’s my wake, little as it is. What do you mean I’m not a wave?”

“You call yourself a wave, but that is merely a temporary form you assume for a short time. You are really just water! When you understand that this is your fundamental nature, you will no longer be confused about being a wave, and you will be free of your misery.”

“If I’m water, what about the other waves?”

“They are simply water too. They may temporarily assume the form of a wave somewhat larger than you, but that doesn’t change their fundamental essence—water.”

“Then why am I so miserable?” the wave asked.

“By comparing yourself to others, you perceive some sort of inequality. People do this as well. Everyone needs to realize that we are all connected in a fundamental way… a part of the greater whole.”

“And this form is merely an illusion of being separate from the whole,” the wave said.

“Exactly,” Zin replied.

At that moment the little wave crashed upon the rocks below Zin and was washed back into the ocean.

More Wandering Sage Wisdom is available at: http://wanderingsagewisdom.blogspot.com.

Aaron Hoopes teaches an Online Personal Development Course for Spiritual Deepening.

He is the author of 5 books including Zen Yoga: A Path to Enlightenment through Breathing, Movement and Meditation. His best-selling Daily Warm-Up DVD is a simple method for integrating breath and movement into daily life. Please feel free to contact Aaron: breathe@artofzenyoga.com. Visit the Zen Yoga Website: www.artofzenyoga.com June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 19

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My mind in a cloud My body in a shroud It began this year With a knowledge so clear I just couldn’t see The beauty in me Nor in the world How it would unfurl Clarity came one day In a most spectacular way The truth was told The manner was bold It brought hope and faith Let in love not hate The answer is trust Doors open with thrust The light shone through I was revived anew The old couldn’t stay It is not the way To live and love In this most spectacular way The darkness behind The future in line With faith in God We can only trod In love and light Our futures are bright No room for needs As angels do heed To all details Large and small We do avail To be enthralled The message you see Has got to be With love not hate We are at Heaven’s gate.

20

Allowing Community

by Brenda Nelson

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any people have dreamed of living in an intentional community, but have gone away discouraged when they found they were not getting what they wanted, including myself. However, I do believe that many more people can find what they are looking for in community if they had the right tools for group process. After much thought and study, I have come to the conclusion that a higher rate of success can be achieved if a group establishes at the beginning that the process itself is more important than the goal. If all can hold the goal very lightly, then it actually has a greater chance of happening. The tools that I have come to identify as being most useful to group process are: “allowing,” meditative consensus, and conflict resolution techniques. At some point in the future I could even see that “allowing” by itself, might be sufficient. I will go into more detail about these processes towards the end of this article, but for now my focus will be exploring the above tools with a group. These tools can be used in any cooperative venture, and my hope is that I will one-day work with a group to establish an intentional community using these or similar tools – remembering the process itself would be the main thing.

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Looking at the larger picture, I see our culture as sitting on the cusp of a great evolutionary change. In the infancy of our evolution we lived in cooperative tribes and had a very femininemind orientation. A member of the tribe not only had their own individual identity but also a group identity. Then about 20,000 years ago in Chinese culture and about 5,000 to 6,000 years ago in Western culture we shifted to a more male-mind orientation, a lessening of cooperative group living, and a shift to smaller extended families. This in turn shifted to the nuclear family and then to the “sub-nuclear” or single parent family. However, I believe that we are now at the dawn of a third age in which we are going to shift to a more balanced use of the male and female minds (they are not equal, but have separate functions). I see this inner shift being paralleled by an outer shift to a new form of cooperative group living. We will not be related by blood but by intellectual and spiritual commonalities.

This grand evolutionary drama has been playing out in my own life through my vacillation for over 63 years between two dreams; the first being the American dream of homeownership, a sufficiency of material goods, and a feeling of abundance. The addition of loving spouse and children rounds out the picture. The second being that of living in a cooperative community. I have lived in one and been in at the start of three others. I have also belonged to a few food coops, garden coops and child care coops. Now with the rise in popularity of the Ecovillage concept I have felt myself once more drawn to the latter dream. However, I recall the difficulties and the successes that arose in the cooperative processes. Overall, I feel that each endeavor was successful to some extent and I was able to learn much about myself, which counts as a big success for me. Nonetheless, I feel that my co-communitarians and myself must face the difficulties squarely if we are to be successful.

Successful communities have been established by a group forming around a powerful central person whose vision was close enough to the others for them to compromise and adjust to it. However, I feel that an even more solid community can be established through more egalitarian methods.

So, I see my preparation for group living as being two fold. Firstly, I am considering my personal evolution within cultural and human evolutions. I will continue to deepen my relationship with myself and to heal the wounds engendered by living in a male-mind paradigm, which I have allowed. But we all have “stuff.”

Most intentional communities I have explored admit that nothing brings up one’s “stuff” faster than attempting to live in community and I would agree. So I see a continuing process of being willing to explore the best and worst of myself individually and within the context of a group.

Secondly, I am studying how group interpersonal relations can work better and what I would feel most comfortable with personally. I am realizing that I want to be 20 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

more process oriented and less goal oriented. As I stated earlier, it is my belief that to put the process first is to better guarantee both the achieving of the goal and the quality of that goal.

I hope to be a part of a group that is in agreement about the basic principles of allowing, meditative consensus and conflict resolution or to at least open to explore these and whatever other group process tools anyone has. I believe that having a small cooperative venture within which to practice growing those skills would be very helpful. In my mind taking on the project of establishing an egalitarian ecovillage is too big. Even the smallest cooperative projects bring up conflicts. In a smaller project there is ample opportunity for working on whatever the group has decided are the bottom line principles. For example, one such project might be having a community meal once a week. In such a venture various questions and differences might arise. Where and when do we do it? Are we vegetarian, or do we include meat? What money is needed and should everyone contribute the same amount or only according to their ability? Do we sell meals to the public?

Do we sell extra food to members or just give it away? How do we raise money for food or to cover potential damage we might do to the facility? How do we deal with people who break work commitments? How do we deal with conflict? How do we deal with simple personality clashes? The list could go on…

Granted in reading the above, some people might feel that considering so deeply what might go wrong will bring it about. True to an extent, but the process would be focusing on the positive skills that improve human relations. Additionally, in every group endeavor (in Western culture at least) interpersonal conflict does arise. I allow that I want to be prepared for it. Putting our heads in the sand will not make it go away. So if a group agrees to something like allowing, meditative consensus and conflict resolution, what they are doing is allowing for the worst while allowing for the best. In my experience, groups that do not do some kind of planning for conflict resolution or communication opportunity have a short life.

So, as I have mentioned above, after giving it long thought, allowing, meditative consensus and conflict resolution tool(s) are needed to provide a cooperative venture its best chance for growth. My ideas will likely evolve, but this seems like a good starting place. I hope to meet others who have come to the same or similar conclusions or who are at least willing to try these. I am simply extending an invitation to like-minded individuals. Once a group is formed the growing or refining can begin. I see it as an ongoing process dependent on many variables. But my goal is to establish harmonious, respectful interpersonal relations within the group.

The following are expansions of the process. I will begin with allowing. What is this allowing? It is simply letting everything be as it is. There are subtleties to it that need work in order for people to come to understand the permutations of what allowing can mean. However, to define allowing is to lose or muddy what it really means. The simple shared connotations of the word are enough at the beginning to get a grasp of it. Following is an example.

Imagine that you are in a group of people and you have all agreed that the process is the main thing and not whatever endeavor you are using as a vehicle for that process. Nonetheless, someone is going to get fed up with the process and say ”Let’s cut to the chase here. I want some action and some decisions now! I am fed up with all this talk. So who wants to get down to brass tacks and DO something?”

Some other people may feel the same way, but you don’t. You feel like there is more that needs to be said and done before the accomplished end is reached. Given the group has agreed at the beginning to do allowing, you could say, “Allowed, that you can do whatever you want, I am also allowed to feel and do whatever I want about that. I am feeling steamrollered. Is that okay with you?” He might say, “Well, maybe I just need a break from all this talking for awhile. Can we adjourn?” And then maybe everyone suddenly realizes that they too need a break and everyone agrees that a break is allowed. The process is often much longer than that at first, with

21 going back and forth and allowing everything, people usually reach a place where they all feel they are on the same page. It is quite often a matter of looking for the lowest common denominator behind what everyone is wanting. Allowing makes it clear that all ideas and feelings are allowed. Anyone can put out anything they want, allowed that someone else might come back with something else. The more the process is done, the more easily it flows. There can be a truly wonderful feeling at the end.

Everything is allowed. The process goes on until a consensus is reached and then action points are discussed and again consensus is used to agree upon

Visit:

Conflict Resolution Processes: Although good allowing and consensus can do much to head off conflicts I feel that having a structured conflict resolution tool in place from the very beginning can be extremely helpful. But it needs to be something that is introduced as a proposal, is up for discussion, is voted on and, only adopted if there is unanimous agreement. Also, even if it is agreed to by all, when a conflict does arise, if all parties do not again agree that is the tool they want to use then it goes back to the table for more discussion—” Allowed, you don’t want to use this process right now, would any other tool work for you?”

One such process that could be used is the “Talking and Listening Technique” as set forth by Shakti Gawaine in her book Return to the Garden. It can be done with a mediator or not. In it, first, one party lays out his complaint in short “sound bytes”, using “I-messages” (no blaming) and the other party repeats back to them what they have heard, adding nothing of their own. The first party can correct them if necessary. The first person goes through all of his points and when he is done it is the second person’s turn. He does the same. It can go back and forth for as long as they both desire. Usually at the end there is a delightful feeling of having been heard and very often also a feeling of resolution.

These are some of my ideas on preparing for living in community or for working on any other large group cooperative venture. I like the idea of starting with a small project and having learning to do the process be the number one goal, with the vehicle for that being the secondary goal. Once people have learned the skills in a low commitment project they take on larger ones more comfortably, perhaps even an ecovillage. The people who have learned these skills might be seen as invaluable consultants to other new cooperative ventures. Teaching the cooperative skills they have developed could even be the community business. I have a vision of these types of extremely democratic ecovillages popping up everywhere. The allowing/consensus process, or whatever evolves, may be noticed by the larger society and I believe could eventually affect the broad governance of our country.

Brenda Nelson is an artist, writer, and retired metaphysical counselor. Comments and questions on the article are welcome. She can be contacted at brendahnelson@gmail.com.

www.patternsofhealthconference.com Email: dameron@body-knowledge.com June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 21

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Meditative Consensus: What is normally meant by consensus is that nearly all members of the group agree upon a proposal. However, in my mind, in a small group of 20 people or less, full unanimity is possible and desirable. Consensus is a process where there is first discussion; an example would be the discussion of what kind of a cooperative venture a group wants to use as its vehicle for practicing cooperative skills. Then, at some point in the discussion, when it seems like there might be full consensus on what that might be, someone makes a proposal. It can be anyone in the group. Then a vote is taken and if even one person says I don’t’ like it, then it is open to discussion again. The person says why they don’t like it and rather than trying to convince that person of the efficacy of that particular choice, the others instead begin to see if there is a lower common denominator that would include that person and not leave anyone else out. For example let’s say it appears that there is a consensus that a community meal endeavor once a week would be a good idea. However, Bill says, I don’t like it. Then the discussion would open again and Bill would be asked what he doesn’t like about it. ”I don’t like cooking.” “Allowed. So how about you don’t cook.

Anybody else not like cooking or washing dishes? Or is anyone not willing to do those things?” Somebody else says, “How about if we divided up the jobs and see if there are enough people to cover all the jobs.” If that looks like it will work a vote is taken again and maybe this time everyone is in agreement. If not and if an impasse feels like it has been reached the group can take it into meditation.

Oftentimes, inspiration comes out of that and unanimous consent is achieved.

Everyone is able to feel like they chose the final plan and they feel committed to it.

Staying with the process is important and can include breaks from a few minutes to however long people decide to table it. Maybe it would be indefinitely or until someone says, “I really want to start that process going again. Anyone else still interested?” Maybe the group that remains decides unanimously to reach out to new members at that point saying. “We are working on creating a community meal cooperative, as a practice for developing community skills. Here’s what we have decided thus far. Want to join?”

those. A playful, flexible attitude is helpful but not necessary. Some groups assign roles such as facilitator, note taker and “empath”. The latter person is charged with monitoring the “emotional climate” of the meeting. Sheila Kerrigan states, in her paper How To Use a Consensus Process To Make Decisions, that the role of the empath is to “watch for non verbal clues, taking note of the body language and other nonverbal cues of the participants. Defusing potential emotional conflicts, maintaining a climate free of intimidation and being aware of potentially destructive power dynamics, such as sexism or racism within the decision-making body....”

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22 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

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

Remembering the Way Home

by Teresa Piccari

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aybe it begins as a dream, a vision, a nagging sense that something is missing or out of balance, that you have lost something. The call, barely discernible amid the daily sensory orchestra, pulling at you as you drive to work, stalking as you attempt sleep, softly caressing your cheek as you walk numbly through the day, finally building to a crescendo that will not be ignored.

appear. While our trials may seem harrowing at times, we need to remember that everything that comes our way is there to bring us into alignment with our authentic nature and highest Self.

The call to action and adventure beckons. You find yourself enrolled in a hero’s journey of mythic proportions, a classic shamanic journey or spiritual quest. Call it what you wish – the destination is always the same. The road home to your authentic Self.

These challenges are where we will be confronted with our egos and shadows.

Where we will be broken down and asked to face the truth of our self and our fears before we can begin the process of building back up. From here we realize we have experienced and lived a transformation, an awakening, to our authentic nature.

A recurring dream of mine would place me as a visitor in a home where I once lived in reality. As I made my way through the house, I would turn a corner and come upon a whole new wing and the house would keep expanding with lots of new rooms. Upon awakening, a sense of joy would be flowing through me. Homes typically represent our identity in dreams and I came to understand these dreams were showing me an internal expansion was underway.

Thresholds

In her new book, The Second Half of Life: Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom, cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien, Ph.D., says “When you find the courage to change in midlife, a miracle happens.”

In the Forward to the book, late Irish writer John O’Donohue, writes of Arrien’s work, “The assumption behind her work is that a human life can be understood in terms of a narrative of its thresholds... There are times when life sharpens, things come into focus and, gradually, you become aware that you are standing before a threshold. There is no way back to where your were before, and there is no way out but through... If people were to take this book up, work with it and act on its invitations, it would lead to huge cultural change. People would suddenly come into possession of their creative agency, potential, and responsibility... In a time of anxiety and creeping despair, Dr. Angeles Arrien has offered us a necessary gift, a gift that finds the missing bridge between the inner life and the outer world. Use it deeply!!”

Both gates and thresholds, writes Arrien, serve as symbolic passageways into new worlds, promising the possibility of a new life, experience or identity. “To thresh” literally means to pound cereal grain to remove the husks and separate out the seeds.

Figuratively, the threshing floor is where we tread, turn, twist, or flail as we do inner work. In our later years it is the place of the soul’s own threshing, where what is no longer necessary or aligned with our essential nature is released and discarded.”

This brought to mind how once I arrived in my new home I repeatedly heard, mostly from folks who I came to understand represented threshold guardians, how Maine is a place that separates the wheat from the chaff.

Mentors and Allies In ancient times an ailing villager seeking the help of a shaman would first be asked when he or she had stopped dancing, singing or telling stories, as explained

by Gabrielle Roth in her book Maps to Ecstasy. These are the things that help keep us anchored in the natural world, channeled to wisdom of the past and in touch with our divine natures.

When setting out on a serious quest it is always wise to have a benevolent mentor or teacher to guide us and provide support.

Holistic practitioners such as therapists, acupuncturists, energy and light workers are among the countless professionals we can turn to help fortify us for the rigors of the journey and to open the door for healing the wounds we experience along the way.

Their treatments can also provide a crucial reminder, mimicking how our minds and bodies feel when in a healthy natural state, serving as reminders so that we can achieve those states on our own again, once we have moved beyond the instability of our compromised form. After all, the nearer we are to transformation, the more unstable we appear, like a caterpillar who has dissolved into chrysalis before emerging as a butterfly.

Tests and Foes As we make our way in new worlds, we will find that plenty of “adversarial” characters will naturally come our way. But things may not always seem as they

As we are stripped of our ego, we may become acutely aware and intolerant of the egoic behaviors of the people who cross our path, leading to conflict. Although it may seem counter intuitive, the more we can allow and surrender when we are at our most vulnerable and trust, perhaps even turning an adversary into ally, the smoother our journey may be.

Compasses and Maps No two journeys are ever the same; they are as individual as we are. But each of us contains an inner compass that always knows our true North. One way we can access it is through being present and aware of our breath. Yoga and meditation practice are two of the best ways to access the moment.

Another is to feel what Eckhart Tolle in his book A New Earth calls “space consciousness” or the sense of “being” in our bodies, as opposed to the idea that we are our bodies or forms. When we are centered and grounded in the present moment, we are at one with our own divinity, a universal intelligence, what some may call God. At the time of our birth the planetary positions provide a natal chart or map that we may find helpful to follow. We can calculate our personal numerology based on our birth date and name. And our own bodies reflect a personalized map of who we truly are. This becomes apparent in the one of a kind patterns on our palms and fingers. While many may not put any credence in these maps and symbols, they are ancient and have guided many.

A palm reader once startled me when she saw so much on my hand - she was able to tell me things about my life known only by me - so many symbols - a writer’s fork, humor loop, mystic cross, intuitive droplets, Rajah loop and an eagle, among others. Our dominant hand, the one we write with, represents our own life while the other represents our ancestors. There is so much present with in us. It is only necessary to look and welcome and the truth will be revealed.

Uncovering Truths The single most astounding realization experienced on my personal journey is that everything “learned” has been a reminder of what I already knew. Perhaps it is the remembering of the knowledge we each carry that ultimately transforms us, maybe it is the influence of others and the choices we make in response, it is ultimately up to us, the choices we make, the turns we take, each leading us closer to our truest self.

The Return Home A key component of most journeys, which can come about willingly or unwillingly, is the road back or the return home. When we, or a character in a book or movie, literally return to the point of departure - usually our actual home.

It is here we can more clearly reflect on our adventures and experiences in the new world, review what we learned and decide if we will recommit and return to the new world or return to our old life, changed.

This is also when we get to take an accounting of our former life. To determine if all the stories we have about it are real or made up. Taking pause to decide if we will re-engage in our old world or get closure before returning to the new world.

To paraphrase the spiritual teacher Ram Dass, if we wish to see how truly enlightened we are we should go spend a week with our parents.

At the moment, I have returned to my place of origin. And while there are many things that bring me comfort here - things that have not yet materialized for me in Maine, I have faith the elixir is still within reach.

Copyright 2009 Teresa Piccari Teresa Piccari is a writer and teacher living in coastal Maine. She is the proprietor of The Village Scribe, a writing and editing business located at The Wellness Center, 71 Elm, in Camden. She runs The Ducktrap Writers Roundtable. She teaches writing workshops including Creative Writing, Mythic Structure, Writing & Healing and Memoir. Correspond with her at The21stCenturyBohemian@hotmail.com or call (207) 344-7070.

June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 23

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Before my move to Maine nearly four years ago I had a recurring vision of a white gate (always open) and an arbor abundant with flowers during guided meditations that were part of the work in my artist community. It turned out to be both a metaphoric and literal manifestation of the journey I would undertake and an ushering into a new world.

We will encounter plenty of obstacles that we will need to negotiate or navigate around.

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At Home in Your Body: Eating—The Angel Way

by Karen M. Rider

Griswold, Connecticut

I

f you are not at home in your own body, the temple of your soul, then being “at home” anyplace will be difficult. You can surround yourself with beautiful things but things do not make a house a home. You can adorn your body with jewels and project the image of someone who loves her(him)self, but deep down how you really feel will be known—your body will know it and so will your soul.

How do you see yourself? Do you love your body for the Divine creation that it truly is? How do you treat your body? Your answer may lie in the answer to another question: How does your body treat you? A body that is loved takes care of itself—that is, you— mind, body and spirit. In Inner Tapestry, we examine many ways to nourish the whole self. This month, I invite you to learn about Eating... the Angel Way, a divinely inspired approach to caring for your body, and in so doing, your mind and spirit.

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My sister-in-spirit, Annie Kelleher, is a novelist and intuitive medium whose angelic guides have been conveying to her messages for the care and feeding of the human body, mind and spirit. You met Annie in an article I wrote for Inner Tapestry in 2008. You might recall how, some years ago, Annie made the life-altering decision to leave an abusive marriage and begin anew with four children, while wakingup spiritually and psychically to finally acknowledge her ability to communicate with Angels and other energies. To deal with the stress that comes in the wake of confronting abuse and enduring a painful divorce, Annie exercised—relentlessly—in ways that left her feeling powerful and in control, but not loved.

The angst from the divorce eased and, shortly after her fortieth birthday, Annie’s motivation to exercise vanished, but she continued to eat anything she wanted. The pounds crept on.

She tried various diets and exercise regimens month after month, year after year. Nothing fit nor worked for her. Annie knew she didn’t want a diet—she didn’t want deprivation. She wanted a way of life that would allow her to indulge in foods she enjoyed, avoid foods she didn’t like, and would leave her feeling nourished, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Recently, Annie realized she had come a long way on her healing journey, but physically, she was stuck.

One day, about two years ago, Annie was peeking in her fridge for something to eat. Frustrated, she asked The Angels, “Would you please tell me what to eat?” To her surprise, They responded.

Annie shared the Angel’s nutritional guidance with me. Having a professional background in the health sciences, I was a little skeptical. As I examined the messages, I was immediately struck by the validity of these divine guidelines, that we call, Eating…

The Angel Way. There is strong nutritional science support for the guidelines. In the following excerpt from our work with the Ten Angel Way Guidelines, Annie shares what the Angels say about how to be at home in your body – your whole body.

Over the years, I have undertaken serious study of various spiritual traditions and acknowledged the angelic messages I received as my intuitive practice progressed. Early on, I received a message regarding 26 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

how I was “squandering” my health by not paying attention to my food choices and by neglecting to exercise. I knew I “should” eat right; I had no idea what that really meant. I wanted to feel nurtured and nourished, and to experience my body in a loving, self-accepting way.

The Angels response to my call for help about how to nourish my body did not come all at once, of course. With the gentleness I’d been seeking, They patiently began to guide me. Many months, I received information from the Angels regarding what and how I should be eating. It took me some time to understand the content of Their messages and to put the guidelines into practice. Like most people, I was resistant to change, no matter how much I knew I needed it.

The Angels response to my call for help about how to nourish my body did not come all at once.

The Angels teachings are rooted in love and an appreciation for our bodies that many of us do not have for ourselves. One of the first messages I received was how saddened the Angels are that most of us do not appreciate the unique miracle of creation that is our physical form. The one thing the Angels lack is the experience of life in a body. They assured me, being able to manifest in the appearance of a body is not at all the same thing. They would like all of us to see ourselves as the beautiful and unique manifestations of the Divine that we are.

The Angel Way Guidelines bring us back into that place of loving delight for our bodies and our need for nourishment that we had when we were infants. Bombarded as we are by advertising and approved images of what we “ought” to look like, most of us find ourselves at war with a very necessary part of ourselves – our appetites. We have been told that our appetite is something to be “controlled” and “not trusted.” We are encouraged to pursue a culturally approved ideal and made to believe something is wrong with us if we don’t fit that ideal. Yet, our appetite kept us alive when we were at our most helpless, spurring us to signal our caregivers that Baby needed to be fed. Without a healthy appetite hard-wired into place, infants would die.

The relationship we have with our bodies is a microcosm of the relationship we have with our Earth home. The Angels emphasize that our world is in serious need of healing. With these simple, easy-tofollow guidelines, the Angels provide a tool to help us heal. In order to heal our world, we must first heal ourselves, including our relationships with our bodies, and the ways we nourish ourselves – mind, body and spirit.

The first Angel guideline is “What you eat is up to you. Each of you is a unique human being blessed with the ability to make choices.” Like so much of what we do, what we choose to eat reflects key attitudes and beliefs we hold not so much about food, but about ourselves. In his book, The Spectrum, Dr. Dean Ornish writes at length about the choices available to us—a spectrum of foods, ways to exercise and care for our bodies and minds. He also discusses the unique biochemistry of every person, which means that each person has unique nutritional requirements unlike anyone else.

The second, third and fourth guidelines are more direct answers to my initial question, “What should I eat?” The Angels encourage us to see foods not simply in terms of physical nourishment, but also as energetic nourishment as well. The term “energetic” is used in two ways. First, as most of us know, food provides energy to fuel our bodies. The higher the quality of the food we choose, the healthier we are. Today, scientists and nutritionists advocate that we eat the most natural, wholesome, organic quality foods that we can afford to buy. As Dr. Ornish, and Dr. Mark Hyman (author of UltraMetabolism) explained in interviews with Karen, the more biologically natural a food is, the easier it is for the body to acquire nutrients it needs from the food.

“Energetic” also refers to the spiritual energy centers of the body – the chakras. The color of a fruit or vegetable, or grain, for example, indicates what chakra it helps to fortify, rebuild and balance. An orange isn’t just good for us physically – it’s also good for the second chakra.

The Angels stress the importance of complete protein in our diets, which they refer to as “white foods.” Just like white light, protein foods contain all the nutrients necessary to rebuild the biological fabric of the body.

The Angels also emphasize that, as you become more sensitive to the vibrations in foods, you may develop a preference for humanely raised and butchered meats and plant-based proteins. The vibration contained within the food we ingest affects our energy vibrations, as well. Since following this regimen, many of my sisters-in-spirit have noticed they feel “clearer” and more energetic on a psychic-spiritual level.

Grains and starchy vegetables receive special consideration because these foods are the most exploited by our culture. Grain and grain by-products are found in all sorts of foods.

Consequently, most of us eat far more graincontaining products than we may think. Gluten sensitivity and other allergies related to grain-based

Continued on Page 47

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At Home With Nature by Kevin Pennell Bethel, Maine

dog team across the sea ice of Hudson Bay.” They consider themselves as “traditional guides” meaning that “we make much of the equipment we use on our guided trips, such as cedar canvas canoes, ash dog sleds, and maple paddles. We have found the traditional equipment and materials we use to be durable, functional, and in many ways preferable to today’s high technology outdoor equipment. The craftsmanship that goes into our equipment is an extension of the care we put into each of our trips.”

A visit to either of their websites will show the vast opportunities offered to experience nature, www.mahoosuc.com or www.mahoosucmountainlodge.com. For example, “all of our trips are owner guided. A high percentage of our clients are returning as friends. We have traveled extensively in the north with the Cree and Inuit, and many techniques we use for north woods and tundra travel were developed by them.”

Aside from its use for groups, retreats, workshops, musical events, and the like, the Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge can also be utilized as a “base for hiking, skiing, climbing, paddling in this area of the Mahoosucs.”

Experiencing the outdoors with Kevin and Polly is exhilarating, exciting, challenging, and most assuredly educational. A canoe trip or dog sled trip are not focused on entertainment, but rather an education about nature, to know about it, to care about it, and to act on the preservation and respect toward the natural world. If you come and expect to get entertained, keep in mind that Mahoosuc Guide Service offers a strong educational element. “People take it as far as they want. Some will learn every plant and use of it they can in the few days we have them. Some people have a casual interest and that’s fine too.” Despite their level of interest, Polly and Kevin want their clients to gain wellness and personal development on a deeper level through both the Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge and the Mahoosuc Guide Service. They will even help the practitioner, the corporate liaison, or workshop facilitator in planning an event.

Polly mentions, “I like to do trips incorporating Yoga or Tai Chi into the experience.

There’s a Women’s Canoe and Tai Chi weekend the last weekend in July. Then, there’s a Women’s Canoe and Yoga weekend scheduled for the second weekend in August.”

Typically Polly guides these trips while outside or local area instructors facilitate the modality. These two trips will be at Lake Umbagog and the Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge. A women’s plant study trip is scheduled in July called Grand Lakes Region Women’s Canoe Trip/Native Plant Study July 20th-25th.

Other planned activities for the summer include Intro to White Water a canoe course “designed for people with little or no white water canoeing experience” June 19th-21st. The following weekend, further course study in white-water is available to those with more white water experience. They also offer excursions out of state and into Canada like Canoeing with the Cree in Quebec August 22nd-29th. Those participating in this trip will experience quaking bogs, black spruce, woodland caribou, and northern lights. “Welcome to the land of the Cree. This trip offers our guests a rare opportunity to travel with a Cree couple, David and Anna Bosum, through their ancestral homeland. Several days will be spent in the Cree Village Ouje-Bougoumou learning about the Cree language and culture. Learn traditional north woods canoe traveling techniques with the people who developed them.”The medicinal and herbal use of plants can be learned on this trip from a Cree, known by some as “Dr. Dave”, who was taught by his elders.

Continued on Page 47 June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 27

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It was the Roman Naturalist, Pliny the Elder (AD 23 – 79) who said, “Home is where the heart is.” Polly Mahoney and Kevin Slater personify that quote through the Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge in Newry, Maine.

We enjoyed a casual conversation with Kevin and Polly at their home located about fifty yards from Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge, a rustic timber frame lodge that exudes an atmosphere of warmth with all the amenities to accommodate groups from a family to a corporate retreat. The goals for Polly and Kevin through their Lodge and their Mahoosuc Guide Service is to promote “wellness and personal development while getting to know and appreciate the natural world better.”

The Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge and Mahoosuc Guide Service are located in Newry about twelve miles from Bethel, four and a half miles from an Appalachian Trail parking area, and about thirteen miles from the Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge.

You can hike to nearby Step Falls in Grafton Notch State Park right from the lodge.

There are hiking, dog sled, and snowmobile trails accessible in the summer and winter.

A quaint New England farmhouse greets the visitor when they arrive at Mahoosuc Guide Service. Polly explained that the original threebedroom farmhouse was built in 1903. “It’s been renovated and is being operated as a Bed and Breakfast. The attached barn of the farmhouse is a workshop where canoes, paddles, dogsleds, and other traditional equipment is made.” The original farmhouse was also used as stop for stage services in the early 1900’s. Although renovated, they kept the structure’s original charm. You feel the charm the moment you walk onto the sixty-acre property.

Home may very well be how Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge feels when you’re away from your home. The lodge living quarters has a spacious great room, ample sleeping space with bunk beds, a user-friendly and functional kitchen, and bath. With a spectacular backdrop of the Mahoosuc Mountains, the lodge is large enough for just about any activity including weddings, corporate retreats, or family reunions to name a few possibilities.

Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge engenders a sense of healing the moment you enter, making it an ideal setting for therapists or workshop facilitators offering retreats centered on personal well being or improvement. The Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge itself can accommodate sixteen people for overnight occupancy with a seven-person overflow available at the farmhouse Bed and Breakfast facility. Polly and Kevin have had larger groups meet in the downstairs of the lodge for various functions with some participants staying in nearby Bethel, Maine.

Polly and Kevin have hosted dances at the lodge with as many as ninety people. Polly said, “It’s amazing how many people you can fit in there and it doesn’t feel that crowded.”

She added, “I envision the Lodge as a meeting place for people that need a location for board meetings or annual retreats. They may not need to be outdoors, but they like the idea that it’s in the country and there aren’t a lot of distractions.” The groups could include corporate business retreats or nonprofit organizations. As a break from the meeting, participants could tour the sled dog kennels, schedule a canoe trip, or take an interpretive walk or hike in the northern woods. Group or workshop facilitators could utilize the Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge to coordinate a wellness weekend. For that matter, a practitioner could also utilize the lodge for a wellness weekend.

The Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge is an important element, but Mahoosuc Guide Service is also a vital part of Kevin’s and Polly’s work serving the Mahoosuc region as well as portions of Canada. They earned their status as Master Maine Guides by guiding professionally for over twenty years. They view themselves as “professional year-round guides, equally comfortable poling a canoe up the Allagash or driving a

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welcom e ho m e

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

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Dear Asrianna, I know the economic crisis is touching everyone to one degree or another.

And I don’t think my problem is the only one of its kind, but I really need help. My sister and her husband bought an expensive house about two years ago that I knew they couldn’t afford. They live an extravagant lifestyle with new cars, luxury trips, top-of-the-line gadgets, you name it and they’ve bought it. I wouldn’t care or notice except that my sister has shared her money worries with me and has admitted that they’re living off of credit cards. I’ve even had to lend her the occasional money when she’s been strapped.

I’m a single woman and work hard at a steady job with a comfortable but relatively modest pay. I own my own home, one I bought quite a few years ago and have maintained nicely. I guess you could say I’m pretty predictable but I like to have my life and finances in order.

Now my sister, her husband, and their daughter are losing their home to foreclosure and she’s asked if they can stay with me until they recoup enough to move into a new home.

Asrianna, I feel awful admitting this but I’m resentful. Why should I have to give up my privacy and space to a couple that has been so irresponsible? Even now, as they’re losing everything, they still go out to dinner and spend money they don’t have.

Isn’t there a time when you have to own your mistakes and suffer the consequences?

But I can’t let them live on the streets either. I’m afraid they’ll move in and, because they haven’t changed their spending and mind-set, they won’t leave or at the least they’ll stay longer than I can tolerate.

How can I do the right thing? And if the right thing is letting them live with me, how can I do it without feeling as angry as I do now?

Signed, Frugal and Fuming Dear Frugal, Money isn’t the root of all evil, but it’s at the root of many a complex situation. It’s easier for most Americans to talk about sex than it is to discuss their finances. Having—or not having—money can touch upon one’s sense of worth, security, self-nurturance, and enjoyment as well as being a source of stress, anxiety, fear and failure. For most individuals, money isn’t about a dollar bill or a handful of tangible coins; it’s about how they see themselves, how they feel others view them, and how they meet a variety of needs, both emotional and material.

We live in a culture that lauds and values signs of material abundance, equating wealth with success and personal achievement. There’s even a cable television program called Wealth and it streams programs showing every conceivable, and inconceivable, luxury. Hollywood stars and corporate moguls spend millions of dollars, each appearing happy and fulfilled. Even as we repeat the old adage that money can’t buy happiness, we watch such expenditures and somewhere inside a little voice says, me too. I want to be successful and admired. I want to buy that computer or dress or car without having to think, can I really afford that?

As a nation we’re promised the right to pursue happiness, but most people make the mistake of seeking happiness outside of themselves. Dissatisfied with their lives, and yearning for something to fill that vague sense of emptiness, they buy and buy and 28 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

buy, with each acquisition hoping to reach the point where they feel nurtured and fulfilled. Of course that goal is never realized and their new desires grow in proportion to their disappointment. This creates a cycle of unhappiness, spending, disappointment and guilt, and more splurges.

When you combine the emotional reasons for overspending with a variety of other underlying issues such as a lack of discipline, an inability to postpone instant gratification, a sense of entitlement, an absence of basic budgeting knowledge, and a reluctance to see the real consequences of the choice to spend, you get the perfect setting for many a financial catastrophe.

Understanding the dynamics of overspending helps those of us who are more prudent with money to see those who struggle in a more compassionate light. It doesn’t justify their behavior nor does it excuse them from having to experience the consequences of their financial choices. In fact, an unpleasant result can be the catalyst for change and growth.

The problem is that no one lives in a vacuum and painful consequences can, and usually do, touch not only the responsible individuals, but also family, friends, the community, and the world at large. When your sister and her husband—like so many others—purchased a home outside of their price range, when they spent and continue to spend more than they earn, when those actions lead to foreclosure, they not only have to experience the losses, but now you have deal with an unpleasant situation.

In addition, it fosters resentment in the hearts of others, strangers who don’t know your sister but who, nonetheless, feel anger toward those they see as being instrumental in the economic crisis. On a large scale this negativity creates global fear which compounds the situation, worsening its effects on everyone.

So how do you cope with something so complex and emotionally laden? You start from a place of compassion.

Compassion, as with forgiveness, doesn’t mean you ignore the trespass. It doesn’t excuse the behavior of your sister and your brother-in-law. It doesn’t even mean you have to open your home to them. It means employing discernment instead of judgment.

Operate from a place where you acknowledge your sister’s negative behavior even as you honor her intrinsic value as an individual. In doing so you maintain a level of loving objectivity enabling you to see the situation with greater clarity. This creates a foundation of understanding which allows you to see how you can truly be of the greatest good for your sister. You can make your own decisions regarding her request, but from the standpoint of seeking what’s ultimately best for her growth and your own. You help her as she helps herself in this situation rather than fixing it for her and feeling resentful. And it means being kind to yourself even as you explore the deepest reasons for your resentment and anger.

For instance, are you certain there isn’t an element of jealousy in your emotional response? As you watched your sister living a life of material abundance, was there a part of you wishing you could do so with the same level of abandonment? You’ve worked hard, done the right things, sacrificed and lived within your means, and now they get the benefit of having splurged even as you have to bail them out? No wonder you’re angry.

When we feel, even subconsciously, envious of someone, then when they get their comeuppance we can experience twinges of self-righteousness satisfaction, a sense of their having finally gotten what they deserved. While this can be an understandable reaction, it never feels good to take even a fraction of pleasure in someone else’s misfortune, however self-inflicted and well-deserved.

Powerlessness can also create feelings of anger and frustration. In your letter you indicated that if you didn’t let them live with you, they’d be on the street. If you truly believe this then as a caring individual you’re left with no choice other than to open your home to them. When we feel coerced into doing something, we understandably resist. Are you certain there isn’t an alternative option for them? Speak up. Asking questions and making your hesitations and concerns known gives voice to your emotions and honors your needs as an individual. This isn’t selfishness, it’s a way to make helping them feel like a choice rather than an unavoidable obligation When someone asks a favor, when they request our assistance, it’s not unreasonable to ask for more details in order to help us make our decision as to whether we’ll say yes or no. While keeping love and compassion as your primary source, inquire as to what they’re truly asking. Do they expect months of help, or is there a specific time-frame? What will they be doing to rectify their financial state so they’ll be able to reach their goal of independence? What plans will they have in place to become fiscally secure so that they’ll no longer need your assistance?

If it ends up that, armed with the details and such assurances as you need, you open your home to them, make sure to do so with clear boundaries in place. Communicate, uncomfortable as it may be, your expectations of behavior while they share your home. What are the rules by which you’ll feel less imposed upon? Will they need to pay some portion of the utilities or rent? What about chores such as cleaning and groceries, cooking and the use of shared spaces such as the TV room?

Being in a position to offer help to the people we love—even if their need for assistance arises from their own mistakes—can open up avenues of personal understanding and spiritual growth. The situation you’re faced with can be a means of expanding your ability to speak up for yourself. It can be an avenue by which to identify your emotional strengths and vulnerabilities. But whatever your decision, make it from a place of compassionate understanding both of yourself and your sister.

Many blessings, Asrianna Asrianna Dameron is a Psychic, a Spiritual Medium, a Certified Hypnotherapist, and a Certified Past Life Regressionist in private practice. She offers individual and group sessions as well as seminars and speaking engagements on the topics of Psychic Development, Mediumship, Hypnosis and Shamanic healing. Asrianna can be reached at asrianna@shamansheart.com, by visiting her websites at www.shamansheart.com or www.nhshamanandpsychicmedium.com, or by calling 603-892-1268.

To have your questions answered, please email your letters or comments to Asrianna at Asrianna@shamansheart.com

29

f eng shu i & ge o pa t h o l og y

How To Start Your Personal Feng Shui Journey

by Werner Brandmaier

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3-Door Bagua

Traditional Bagua

The traditional 4,000 year old Bagua (often shown in octagonal form) is applied in the context of the compass reading of the house and is independent of its entrance.

These two different ways of applying the Bagua alone will most likely leave us with two completely different outcomes.

But it can get even more confusing. Other systems, such as Flying Stars, take into account beneficial and less beneficial areas of a space depending on the precise measurement of the orientation of the house and the year a building was constructed. Pillars Of Destiny calculate the horoscope of a person over a lifetime with changing influences each year, month, day and hour, with the goal to correct any mis-match for the final benefit.

Our best sleeping directions, the orientation our home or business should face, are determined in the East/west System. But there is more: European influences of Geomancy and Dowsing explain about harmful earth energies (Geopathic Stress) and Spaceclearing.

How do we determine which system works best, which one to follow and in which order? Finally, how can we integrate them all into one common picture?

If we imagine the influence of all energies on a location we will find that each of the different Feng Shui systems is contributing valuable information. However, we need to recognize that only looking at one of these many approaches is like seeing the world in black and white. We need to understand that we deal with a multi-faceted/multi-layered color picture with a number of energetic levels and facets. Instead of forfeiting one system for another, my advice is to integrate them all. The challenge for a Feng Shui practitioner is to find out which systems contribute most, where to start and how to optimize the existing resources. We then work down the priority list to revitalize the most compromised areas.

Here is a diagram, which should explain my point: At least half of the energetic impact depends on the Chi itself. Is there enough chi in the house to support good health?

Are there any energetic drains caused by Geopathic stress or electrosmog/EMF’s and how freely does the resulting Chi flow through the rooms? In my opinion the quality and quantity of the Chi as generally described in Form School, make at least 50% of the final energetic outcome, often even more.

The other half is a summarization of several Compass School practices: influences of the Traditional Bagua, the 3-Door Bagua, the effects calculated with “Flying Stars,“ the best directions of the house and the inhabitants and even the color choices. They all have their share, not the complete answer as some proponents of one or another group likes you to believe—just parts of it.

So if a book tells you that fixing your Bagua will miraculously solve all your problems, please stay focused and exercise a bit of skepticism. Start your personal experiments, watch and observe, and don’t be disappointed. If you don’t get the results you had wished for, you only need to broaden your knowledge and sharpen your skills.

In practice we never can expect to achieve a full 100% anyway. That would be the ideal case only. We work with the resources we have and try to optimize and maximize the outcome. Instead of boosting the energies for specific Bagua areas, I suggest you bring the whole house into balance. Then we don’t need to worry which part of the Bagua is left out. Keep a simple, plain, rectangular shape, of the building, with a good overall balance of the whole space. Make sure there are no Geopathic drains and keep technology (and EMF‘s) at a minimum.

For those who think this sorting through is too overwhelming, a Feng Shui class might come in handy. Check out your local Adult Education program for classes or visit one of the health fairs and expos. Feng Shui is now much more in demand and lectures are available in many communities.

Werner Brandmaier Dipl.Ing., a medical engineer and a citizen of Austria, studied with prominent international Feng Shui masters and trained in Germany to practice dowsing and geopathology.

Werner offers consultations for homes and businesses and teaches workshops and seminars. He is a member of the International Feng Shui Guild and the American Society of Dowsers. You may contact Werner at (207) 772-7888 or office@InstituteOfFengShui.com.

June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 29

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When I heard the topic of this month’s issue was “Home” I naturally got excited. What other “one word” would hit the core of Feng Shui more precisely? So I decided to start back at the roots and use this month’s space to help you sort through the overwhelming amount of Feng Shui information.

Many of us first heard about Feng Shui through a friend or maybe an article in a magazine. Something sparked our interest and we decided to find out more. We walked into our local bookstore and found ourselves in front of a shelf with a variety of titles, everything from “Feng Shui Design” to “Feng Shui for Love.” A more accurate title would read something like “Understanding energy patterns in a home or office and applying them for our benefit.” But that sounds too long and boring for a publisher to take interest.

Confronted with this confusing array of information we have to decide where to start. A typical approach would be to browse through a number of those books and begin with one we feel comfortable with. We have to start somewhere, right? After a chapter or two we feel ready to act, ready to try out some of the recommendations. So, here we are, pushing around our couch, hanging crystals in the window, or buying our first room fountain.

Some changes might make a difference, many will not. Time to go back to our studies.

When we choose our second and third book we might find that the advice given there is different from the first one, perhaps the opposite of what we have read before and even had success with! This is where confusion sets in and unfortunately many get lost.

Here is my advice: There are numerous approaches to success. We have to learn more about the origin and the understanding behind the specific rules to integrate them into our overall solution.

People originally learnt about the principles of Feng Shui through observation.

Houses of families who always were lucky and others who were not had specific characteristics. Over generations those findings were studied and finally put together in a set of rules. “Kanyu,” the Study of the Universe ("kan") and the Earth ("yu") later was called “Feng Shui“ the observation of Wind ("feng") and Water ("shui"), both energetic representations of the forces of "Heaven and Earth."

Two major schools developed over the centuries: the Form School being the study of Chi flowing in a landscape full of forms, such as mountains and valleys; and the Compass School, the description of Chi depending on compass directions and their energetic qualities.

If we open any of the books in a bookstore, we will find that the majority of them represent quite a different approach, originated in a much more contemporary form of Feng Shui. When Feng Shui became popular in the West, a well-known Feng Shui master, Professor Lin Yun, started teaching out of California. Professor Lin Yun is the founder of Black Hat Sect Feng Shui and, as an early representative, influenced the first set of students spreading this knowledge in America. He simplified the complex knowledge for Westeners and many of his students have written their own books now, such as Sarah Rossbach, Jami Lin, David Kennedy, Nancy SantoPietro and Stephen Post.

The basis of Professor Lin Yun’s teaching is that in a modern city it is of greater importance to consider the direction from where the energy enters a space than the compass direction itself. Therefore he took the Bagua, the 8-trigram overview, orienting it from the front door, with three possible positions for an entrance: left, middle or right. This system is called the “3-Door Bagua“.

30

ex p lori ng the wo r l d r el i g i o n s

Do You Remember Who You Were Before Time Began?

A Reflection on the Spiritual Journey, World Religions, Being True to Our Selves by Knowing Ourselves as Soul.

by James Bean is another name for the work of an Archon (Greek for ruler), a Demiurge (false god), a Kal Niranjan (lord of time), a Collector of the Energy of Souls.

Never mind levitating the table or haunted whispering astral voices captured on graveyard magnetic tape.

Stay on the Path.

Meditate.

Simran.

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An enormous cosmos is out there; many voices trying to convince us of the merits of their path, and the merits of their destination.

Many yogas.

Many meditations.

Many breaths.

Many lives.

Many lights in dark matter skies below yet more dark skies.

Many caught in dreams of separation.

Many asleep who have forgotten who they were before time began, who they still are, Truth be told.

A dis-incarnate channeled spirit is not a worthy guide, having never been in the human form, and may not even have much love for humanity.

Biological infestation are we?

A dis-incarnate spirit is impossible to know.

One has only words to go by.

Many avatars attempt to vacuum up souls with words, taking them to various realms of astral, causal, mental or etheric.

Why not say ‘no’ to being In ‘The Flow’ if it really means being psychically scattered in a thousand directions?

There’s a great white brotherhood in the Himalayas with no forwarding address.

Misdirected perception

There’s religion for every chakra, and a religion for every realm of creation.

Materialists proclaim, “This is all there is.”

An astral guide can never guide one beyond the astral.

Astrals take souls to that realm saying, “You’ve made it,” a last-ditch effort to fool us into prematurely thinking we’re enlightened and have escaped from the matrix while remaining inside the matrix.

Worshippers of “Universal Mind” believe they have created the highest reality.

But it is no longer a prison when we are free to leave.

Moving beyond the soul-neglected state of God-denial and all the spiritual poverty thereof, The Atman Project...

With a living teacher-who has-a-body (not a holy scripture or cuneiform tablet), one has the potential opportunity to evaluate, if they are genuine or fraud – a monster, or the em-body-ment of Love and Compassion from Above, a Light appearing to us in the darkness of contemplation.

Zoroaster had a body.

Enoch had a body.

Moses had a body.

Lord Mahavira had a body.

Buddha had a body.

Christ had a body.

Valentinus had a body.

Bal Shem Tov had a body.

Shams had a body.

Rumi had a body.

Hafiz had a body.

Nanak had a body.

Kabir had a body.

Dharam Das had a body.

Gobind Singh had a body.

Paltu had a body.

Dariya had a body.

Tulsi had a body.

Shiv Dayal had a body.

Living Ones, not held captive by centuries long gone by, also have bodies today, here, now, in the living present.

Somewhere close by through perhaps Unseen, Unknown, there is path about you, about me – the Path of the Soul – “The Pearl”, and the Lord of All Souls – The Ocean of Love.

One asleep awakens nobody.

Master-souls incarnate into the human form, not because of karmic debt and attachment, but out of Compassion, to summon us to awakening.

They ask, “Do you remember?”

They show us a passage by which we may find our way back, riding the Holy Stream of Light-Sound, the Audible Life-stream, the Tao or Logos that was with us “In the beginning,”

before time came to be.

As Kabir says, “You have slept for millions of years.

This morning, will you not wake” Astral travelers stay astrally confined.

Soul travelers passing through inner regions, ascend through a long tunnel, with the Grace of the Audible Light Stream, the Positive Power.

Beyond the material plane, beyond the astral, beyond the causal akashic, beyond the mental plane, is the Timeless Realm.

“God-beyond-god.”

This is the Place of Life, the Point of Origin.

We never left Home, only our attention.

We still are.

Our true identity remains soul.

This is the Path of Remembrance.

When the drop returns to Oneness with The Ocean, all form will disappear into Formlessness.

We become what we focus our soul-attention upon.

If we should happen to dwell upon The Absolute...

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 Shabd Yoga in the Bangor, Waterville, & Portland areas. Address questions or comments to PO Box 7, Newport, Maine 04953, or email: james@spiritualawakeningradio.com.

Enjoy reading this issue of Inner Tapestry!

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31

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

Coming Home to Our Living-ness

Might Feel Good About Now and It's Only A Leap, A Shift of Focus

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had available within them, the energy carried into the room could be rough, robot-like, providing the service, but not the real connecting, healing presence so needed.

Then serious mistakes would occur.

I kept thinking do I have to get this tired to be receiving all this insight? The answer was yes. I had learned this once before when I was ill with pancreatitis many years ago and hospitalized. Helpless with pain, I found myself in a state of bliss totally harmonized at some level in which my every need was being fulfilled without me even having to ask for it. I had a sense of how all life worked. I remember I was constantly in tears at the time, as my heart was touched over and over again by this awareness. Ordinarily, I get so busy, consumed with doing, and trying and focusing on stuff of ego needs that this lovely knowledge of my connectedness gets lost.

And so it seems many of us are being given wake-up calls that help us release the “stuff ” so we can shift our focus to the home place in which we are benevolently carried, provided for and connected.

We were in the middle of the awakening, I believe.

And it isn't easy.

We’re in the middle of the awakening, I believe. And it isn’t easy.

Up-close and personal, Norm and I got to both witness and experience the machine-ways we’ve all been engulfed in for many long centuries, and how the tools and rules originally created to help humankind have increasingly become traps and non-sustainable. And we get to choose again only now with greater awareness of the “wholeness” of our beings and our connectedness, the oneness of life, our living-ness.

Just as Norm’s and my journey are awakening us, life’s value intelligence within and throughout is awakening us all to the wisdom/logos of our living organism energy and amazingly, it feels like coming home to a warm welcoming peacefulness.

We all know it, it’s just that we need to more fully name it and share what we know with one another.

A vital step will be seeing the machine-ways and letting them change to more effectively support our living-ness process. Here’s some of our insights about healthcare, one of many arenas where machine-ways have been dominating.

Choosing Health-Care again.

Consider, as a nurse pointed out, “How do I describe in words from the categories from which I must choose on the computer what I see when I look at a new patient, when what I would say is, he doesn’t look right?”

Undoubtedly that the patient doesn’t “look right” might be of immense use to the doctors as the nurse shares his/ her wisdom from years of experience seeing ill patients.

So how is the wisdom of this nurse captured by the computer-questionnaire required of the nurse as patient is admitted to her care? How does the holistic ability of the nurse’s knowing get put into a computer model that is typically compartmentalizing and reductionistic?

We suggest the answer is not getting better and better at capturing the “parts” in an isolated manner, nor having a data mine on each patient to save all in one place.

Today with the way data is collected in the hospitals, and doctor’s offices, the patient is pushed into a category, a statistic, a narrow picture that never, and we say never, adequately captures the whole of the patient. That said then, what can be done to use the computer tools better in service to doctors, patients, and the system? It’s a fork in the road as it were. Now, in this paradigm transition how do we choose? This is where values come in.

Knowing old paradigm values can help us move away from them.

With our living, inherent, value intelligence awake, it reveals the ineffectiveness and non-sustainability of machine-like approaches. Machine ways are producing fatal errors and lost revenue and “hospital recidivism.”

How much of the cost of medicine is due to hasty diagnosis, emergency fixes that go unaltered until the return visit due to a worsening condition? If more time were given in using the resources of the hospital and alternatives to fully comprehend imbalances within the patient instead of categorizing and treating part of the problem, we would see an immediate shift in health care benefits to all. As the “bottom line” has been highest in our focus, we’ve gotten a system where money making comes first and helping sick people—second. The system has quickly become about making money by keeping people sick and dependant on medicines indefinitely instead of helping them to fully recover to health with less dependency on so many medicines. Also, how much of the current health care system time, money and effort is consumed by doctors having to defend and argue for their choices of medicines, or tests or treatments to insurance companies, (Medicare) due to national policy requirements, laws and restrictions? Also, how much of the data collected from patients by providers is to protect providers from litigation instead of providing better care for patients? Hasn’t the “let’s sue” and “let’s pass a law” to control behavior seen its limits in keeping us safe from practitioners’ and providers’ mistakes?

What we choose to value ultimately determines what does or does not work for living-ness.

Yes, technology, regulations, medicines and money all have a role to play, but we suggest that first, of higher value is the holistic abilities of living doctors and nurses who can evaluate what is fully going on in a patient. Question underlying assumptions (values) of approaches developed over the years of disease categories, statistics as grounds for treatment choices etc. We can choose again. What do we value most; making money, efficiency, data collection without the human integration considerations, or can we put the value of the living beings we are in higher regard than that of machines and money making? Maybe what we really want more is health, lasting wellness and wellbeing and that might come about with a little less primary focus on machine-like efficiency and money making.

Finding effective action for our living-ness requires all three dimensions of our inherent value intelligence with living-ness being the highest. You may recall from previous articles; intrinsic (all living possibility), extrinsic (the metric) and systemic (systems of order).

Continued on Page 45 June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 31

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he times, they are achanging. Windows of possibilities are opening in how we live, work and die. We see a kind of fork in the roads being traveled today as we make this paradigm shift. Machine ways that have dominated for so long are losing their appeal as we learn how they have subjugated living energy to ideas of control, separation, isolation and fear. Many are sensing that the machine-ways have had control long enough.

Coming home to the miraculous living beings we are may, at first, feel like a giant upheaval. Moving from the machine-like controls of rules and tools that increasingly have kept us isolated and compartmentalized in everything from birthing to work to social inter-actions to foreign affairs and now it’s changing. We’re coming home to our living-ness and it’s quite a leap.

And it’s only a shift in focus.

Over the past several months, I’ve experienced probably one of the most difficult periods in my life.

Every challenge imaginable has come my way from Norm’s health and communication with the medical system in all its marvels and its deep shortcomings. But through it I’ve really gotten how life presents us with both challenges and the means to help us meet those challenges to grow and evolve.

Each day with new challenges, sometimes I’d feel like I was entering darkness, a place where nothing I knew or had known was applicable. And yet, I reached for all that I knew and had learned about my own body, living process, and what it could offer me as guidance. As I focused more and more on the moment and what I needed to keep going, there was a kind of greater knowing within me that seemed to be having a conversation with me.

At such moments, a friend would offer a much-needed comfy room to sleep with a warm meal, and a gentle hug.

I would be restored. The sun came out. I would sense that Norm was going to be OK although there was lots of evidence to bring that into question.

Everywhere we went we met ambulance drivers, nurses, Certified Nurses Aids (and by the way, many are true angels in disguise), and doctors who spoke our language of a possible new world. But they couldn’t imagine it just yet with all the rules and tools they were burdened with in the medical system.

As days turned into months of too little sleep and the tension of caregiving and advocacy for Norm, I became aware of something trying to push into my consciousness... TLC, In-c. softly whispered within me.

The tender loving care we received from little rays of sunshine angels throughout our experience became ever increasingly loud, as we needed it more and more. Just when it seemed I was at the bottom of my resources and reserves, this ray of light would appear in the form of a gentle being offering a willing smile, kindness or witnessing that we needed at the moment. I realized that TLC doesn’t just mean tender loving care, it means tune in, listen, and care and that we were all in this life together, in-cooperation. The timeliness of the light that came seemed other-worldly because it was exactly what we needed to lift us from the darkness and we had not asked for it consciously. It was a need being met like a mother soothing a crying child with just the right touch, or loving distraction. Often as the CNAs would come into the room to provide the most basic needs for Norm, their energy would carry with it that TLC, In-c.

When the caregivers were not awake to this gift they

by Skye Hirst,PhD

32

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Patricia A. Burke, MSW, LCSW

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

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

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

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

co u n s e l i ng & t h e rapy Maine I am a clinical counselor and practitioner of Somatic Experiencing© with a private psychotherapy practice in Portland, Maine.

My work integrates traditional talk therapy, somatic therapy and mindfulness in work with individual clients. The emphasis is on helping people learn to access the innate healing ability of the human body.

The end goal is to heal trauma, stress, compulsions Douglas Smith and other challenges in order to enjoy an open, embodied flow of experience. I also teach workshops in somatics and sensory awareness for clinicians and others interested in mind-body integration. Most insurance accepted. For an appointment or more information please call, email or visit me on the web at www.mindmeetsbody.com. Douglas Smith, LCPC, SEP. 205 Ocean Avenue, Portland, ME 04103, (207) 773-7993 x19. smith@mindmeetsbody.com

Paul K. Matteson MS. Ed., L.C.P.C. Humanistic Psychotherapy

Grief and Loss Issues Adult survivors of all forms of childhood abuse " Moving Through Grief, Trauma and Loss Workshops " Office hours by appointment in Portland and Lewiston Accepting most insurances 207 753-0135 paul@edgebrook.org www.edgebrook.org

A community needs a soul if it is to become a true home for human beings.

You, the people must give it this soul. ...Pope John Paul II 32 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

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

counseling & the rapy- cont.

Gestalt Your Life

Mark Nakell, LCPC

Angela Hassenpflug Personal Development/Gestalt Work Do you live your best life? Do you live up to your full potential?

Where do you express your true self?

I work with you to: - articulate your vision of what your Best Life will look like - refocus on your strengths and talents - get back in touch with your authentic self, your core beliefs and values - define your goals and strategies to achieve them - stay focused so that you do not give up or lose momentum I integrate life/personal coaching tools and Gestalt Therapy elements in my work.

We can meet in person or over the phone, I offer individual and group settings.

Call 207-592-7888 or email me, at angela@gestaltyourlife.com for more information and to set up a free introductory call. www.gestaltyourlife.com.

Live From Your Center

Awareness-based Psychotherapy Growth and Self-Realization Individual & Couples Counseling

All of life happens in the present moment: Our natural condition is an

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

creative healing arts

Judith C. Mignogna MSW, LCSW I enjoy helping individuals, couples, and families bring a renewed sense of peace and hope into their lives. Understanding differences in communication

www.truenorthhealthcenter.org/judith_mignogna.asp or call (207) 781-4488.

Stressed?

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

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

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

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

Worried about the sky falling in, money, your family, and your job?

Then 'find your balance' using the Core Biofeedback System!

Kavi Cohen, M.S.,C.S.K., L.M.T., Registered Counselor and Biofeedback Coach Experience the core system as a fantastic source of information about your unique process. The core evaluates on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels to reflect a resonating picture of 'you'. Then it chooses informational and energetic balancing through vibration, sound and light to create a state of 'dynamic equilibrium' and readiness to live more fully in the moment. Over 100,000 remedies from numerous modalities such as Homeopathy, Acupuncture, EMDR, NLP, and Feng Shui create individualized balancing treatments that can be imprinted and reinforced from session to session. Talk therapy is available when appropriate.

Try the core, attain balance like never before! Phone for an appointment (207) 671-9239, Kavi.Cohen@gmail.com, www.FindingYourBalance.net.

Directo ry of R es our ce s $375 for 1 year Print & Online Listing with An Active Link to your website!

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

Art Therapy & Shamanism

Susan Bakaley Marshall, ATR-BC, LCPC Art therapy is a dynamic combination—powerful artistic creation with the insight of psychotherapy. Art therapy

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

Home Sweet Home

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

Call 207-799-7995 or email: info@innertapestry.org June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 33

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styles and learning new problem-solving skills can be key to unraveling many family system difficulties.

I am also committed to working with breast cancer survivors, adults with ADHD, individuals with PTSD and those who feel unaccepted for "who they are." When clients accept and love themselves for their uniqueness, they become empowered to access new possibilities. I use a "strengths-based," "staying in the moment" approach to assist others on their journey to self-discovery. When validated and encouraged, my clients begin to master their own "destiny" while eradicating self-defeating obstacles and fears. They come to understand themselves in a gratifying, non-judgmental way. To learn more about me, please visit at

Maine

34 creative healing arts–cont.

THE CREATIVE SPIRAL

Journey to the Authentic Self Helen Warren, M.S.Ed., M.F.A., facilitator Within each of us is the knowing of our oneness with the creative life force. In the silent, inner-directed

process of image-making as meditation, we reconnect with and are guided by our authentic selves, the ever-present creative and playful soul-child within who carries the imprint of this eternal oneness. The magical and profound process of Touch Drawing provides a unique portal. Retreats And Personal Journeys offer a safe and sacred space for experiencing deeper trust that fosters expanded intuition, imagination, and flexibility; reduction of stress, anxiety, depression and fear; and emotional and spiritual clarity that empowers us to live according to our soul’s blueprint. For those who aspire to live and experience life more deeply, creatively, and consciously! Visionary artist, art educator, facilitator and healer with over 40 years experience, Helen weaves together scholarship in the psychology of the creative process, intuitive insight, indigenous spirituality, and metaphysical wisdom in her facilitation.

FMI or to schedule an appointment: www.creativespiral.net; (207) 829-6876; helen@creativespiral.net.

Creative Spiral Studio, North Yarmouth, ME 04097

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

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with deep breathing to gather energy and then introduces soft, flowing movement and stretches to facilitate the smooth flow of that energy throughout the body. Based on the fundamental principles of yoga, tai chi and qigong, Zen Yoga is like nothing you have tried before. Prepare to feel wonderful! Our instructors create programs specifically designed to meet the needs of your group. We are available to teach workshops and stress relief programs throughout New England. We hold special retreats in the mountains of Vermont in September. Our Online Correspondence Course is a 12-week email program that provides tools to assist you on your journey of self-discovery. For more information: Phone: (860) 805-6551, Email: breathe@artofzenyoga.com, Website: www.artofzenyoga.com.

evolutionary consciousness Maine

healing in nature

Main e Ecotherapy Dennis Grannis-Phoenix Turtle Journeys Ecotherapy and the nature-based practices offered by Dennis Grannis-Phoenix, MA are designed to support individuals in the challenging yet predictable life transitions experienced by everyone. Walking side-by-side with individuals or

group participants Dennis helps guide and mentor each person as they transition psychospiritually from one phase of human life to the next. This transitional movement is marked with co-created, earth-centered rites of passage which have largely been forgotten by our contemporary culture. Using nature-based ritual and ceremony helps to bring us into closer connection with nature, the more-than-human world, and the true Self contained within each of us. Sessions occur in natural and wilderness settings with office locations available as needed.

For more information please call Dennis at (207) 273-1390 or email: dgp189@tds.net. Dennis has an MA in ecopsychological counseling from Prescott College and is a Registered Maine Guide.

Mountain Spirit Journeys Jamal Lee-Elkin

Mountain Spirit Journeys is dedicated to helping people become whole and vibrant human beings living in connection to the Earth and all of creation. Mountain

Spirit Journeys is owned and operated by Jamal Lee-Elkin who is a Shamanic Healer, Reiki Therapist and Registered Maine Guide. Jamal enjoys sharing his love of the outdoors with people and has been a guide for 12 years. He has been on his spiritual path for 17 years and has a passion for helping others. Shamanic Healing consists of ancient and powerful methods for restoring your spirit to wholeness and vitality. The Shamanic Practitioner uses the unlimited power and love of the universe to help you with problems of your spirit/soul. Jamal also offers Reiki treatments, which is a positive energy that promotes healing and balances the mind, body and spirit. Wilderness Trips and Expeditions are intended to re-awaken a spiritual connection between you and the Earth.

These programs include the following: • Earth Based Wilderness Navigation • Rock & Ice Climbing • Wilderness Waterway Explorations • Mountaineering • Winter Survival Skills • Guided Walk With the Spirits • Wilderness Immersion

Please see our website www.mountainspiritjourneys.com, email Jamal at jamal@mountainspiritjourneys.com or call (207) 461-4840 for more information. Brownfield, ME.

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

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

Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action! ...Mother Teresa

34 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

35 health publications

holistic healing centers-cont.

M a i ne The Maine Directory of Complementary & Alternative Health Practitioners

By LeCain Smith, Windrose Productions Good health is something that we often don’t appreciate until something goes wrong. But wellness

can be achieved through non-invasive bodywork that recognizes the body’s innate intelligence and brings it to bear on the root cause of dysfunctions, strengthening the recipient’s ability to prevent a problem from occurring or progressing into disease, as well as restoring the body, mind, emotions and spirit to healthy functioning. To make it easier for people to access these methods of complementary holistic health care, Smith has compiled a directory of 421 practitioners working in 192 different therapeutic bodywork modalities (from Acupressure to Zero Balancing) in 131 towns in Maine. Descriptions of each modality are provided, along with information on energy medicine, other types of therapies available, massage and bodywork schools, and related associations or organizations. Windrose Productions hopes that this book will become an ongoing resource for Maine people by periodically updating and expanding it with new editions. For information, to be listed as a practitioner in future editions or to order: (207) 326-4279 or www.WindroseAway.com. Also available at bookstores around the state.

holistic healing centers

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

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

The area's premier location for the most comprehensive selection of holistic health treatments and integrative medicine, meditation, yoga & movement classes offered by a dynamic community of professionals...

Holistic Medicines

Reiki~Polarity~Life Coaching~ Nutritional Counseling Massage Therapies: Hot Stone, Integrative, Deep Tissue Ener - genetics: Healing Through The Energy Of DNA Acupuncture ~ Homeopathy & Naturopathic Medicine Sanctuary Studio: Classes & Private Lessons !

Yoga: Vinyasa, Kripalu, Hatha For Women Meditation ~ Power Pilates ~ Relaxation ~ Core Conditioning Gift Certificate available! This season, give the gift of well-being at Sanctuary.

For more information, contact director Erinn Cayehal at (207) 846-1162 ext.2 50 Forest Falls Drive, 2nd flr, Yarmouth, ME 04096 or visit the website: www.sanctuaryhhyc.com.

Gardens of Atlantis is home to every person who enters.

Years ago when I set out to find this place, my intention was to find a house that was welcoming and wonderful. When people walk through the door, they often say. "I feel like I just came home!." There is no higher compliment. We have much to share: Many Workshops, like Creating a Labyrinth, Munay-Ki Mentorship, Dowsing. Services like Massage & Spa Treatments, DNA Healing, Shamanic Healings, Readings. Community Gatherings at the Medicine Wheel, Drumming Circles, Grandmothers Group, Qi Gong & Yoga. LOTS More! WELCOME HOME! (207) 929-5088, www.gardensofatlantis.org.

hypnotherapy Maine HypnoWave Hypnosis Training Center Ernest VanDenBossche, BCH, CI - Director Is it time for a change? Let hypnosis work for you in so

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

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

ELISSAGARDE-JOIA

Harness the power of the mind-body connection.

As a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, I have

the tools and skills you need. Hypnotherapy eliminates fear and stress and creates a blueprint for health and healing that your mind can read and follow. Medical experts acknowledge that Hypnotherapy complements all medical procedures, maximizing their effectiveness and minimizing negative side effects. Pre/post surgical patients experience reduced anxiety, blood loss, and 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. Home visits, sliding scale & group workshops available. Contact: Elissa Garde-Joia at 207-322-5600, elissagardejoia@gmail.com.

It is vain to talk of the interest of the community, without understanding what is the interest of the individual. ...Jeremy Bentham

June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 35

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M a i ne

Gardens of Atlantis Healing Arts Center

36 integrative healing Connecticut

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

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

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

integrative healing–cont.

Ron and Joan

As WE change so does OUR world. With that stated,

Ron and Joan are continually growing to welcome in opportunities to support those interested in awakening to the Truth as being fully human. The process they bring forth is simple and supports the creation of everyone's uniqueness as harmony with Source – we call this "Quantum Energetic Harmonization." We are excited to offer new trainings we have taken with Sue and Aaron Singleton, founders of The Way to Balance and the EOL process. The EOL trainings blend with and expand their offerings of harmonizing the physical, emotional and energetic aspects of each being beautifully. If you are interested in exploring how we may be able to support you please visit www.ronandjoan.com, see our ad on page 24 or call us at (207) 799-7998 with questions or for more information.

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

Dragonfly, LLC Sandra Diamond, M.A., Ct.H.,RMT Journey through the Rivers of Time and Space, into the Lands of Wisdom and Healing.

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Supporting client wellness, Sandra, is an internationally trained teacher, healer, registered Hypnotherapist, Reiki Master and has obtained a Masters in Experiential Health. She has studied Shamanic healing and counseling for more than six years and additionally, performs Soul Retrievals. Sandra was initiated as a Tamang Shaman in a Buddhist monastery in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, received certification in TuiNa, an ancient Chinese technique from the Xuan Wu hospital of Beijing and is certified by the Sixth Sun Foundation as a Toltec teacher under the auspices of don Miguel Ruiz. Sandra also leads annual trips to the pyramids at Teotihuacan, Mexico. Her background provides for a wide variety of techniques and experiences in support of her clients. Contact Sandra at (860) 665-9034, email Drgnflyllc@aol.com or visit www.dragonfly-llc.net.

Maine

the living tea room integrative healing in Portland, Maine

The Living Tea Room is an integrative healing practice founded by Jessica Healy.

Jessica has a master’s degree in integrative medicine and is a certified practitioner of Soul-Centered Healing; a spiritual healing discipline that combines hands on energy medicine with soul-guided imagery/inner journeying work. Jessica encourages anyone, from someone with a major illness to someone who wishes to explore alternative medicine for the first time to contact her for further information. www.thelivingtearoom.com, Exchange Street, Portland, (207) 653-5860.

Dr. Adi Philpott

Osteopathic P hysician Acupuncture Practitioner, Certified Hypnotherapist, EF T-Adv Holistic Facial Rejuvenation For those seeking gentle, safe, alternative methods to improve health and performance Dr. Philpott offers a multidisciplinary approach. Used alone or in combination,

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

Roberta Barnes, CHT, Gendai Reiki-ho & Komyo Reiki Shihan & Herbalist Roberta Barnes completed the updated Shihan (Teacher/Master) level in Japanese styles of Reiki directly under Hiroshi Doi, who is a member of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai in Japan and Rev Hyakuten Inamoto who is also Buddhist monk in Japan. Her Natural

Healing & Learning Center nestled in a wildlife habitat, in Windsor Maine, is the perfect environment to reflect the harmonizing essence of the spiritual practice Mikao Usui founded. Encased in harmonizing relaxation, you can return to your natural state of well-being by... * Learning Japanese Usui Reiki, * experiencing one or more Reiki healing sessions, * learning Peace through Meditation or Daianshin Meditation, * scheduling a personalized herb report, * experiencing a guided meditative journey into your past, or * learning to raise your awareness through nature.

The natural healing Roberta Barnes teaches and practices can bring you the ultimate in relaxation while speeding recovery of imbalances in the mind, body, and spirit. Visit www.naturalhealinglearning.com or call (207) 445-5671 today.

TO BECOME PART OF THE INNER TAPESTRY COMMUNITY AS AN ADVERTISER, DISTRIBUTOR, CONTRIBUTING WRITER OR ARTIST Call 207-799-7995 or visit www.Innertapestry.Org

36 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

37 integrative healing–cont.

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FERN DYER - Reiki Master/IET Practitioner Reiki with Crystals, Stones, Integrated Energy Therapy, Reading, Write-up. Our intuition guides us to the stones and crystals

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

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

Kathleen Iselin brings 23 years experience to her private practice in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, Trauma Healing, and Integrative Bodywork. Kathleen’s

Professionally trained for the last ten years by the Upledger Institute. Work has included advanced study

in CranioSacral therapy including pediatrics and SomatoEmotional Release. Related course work has included advanced brain work. Offering Craniosacral Therapy, Lymph Drainage, and Neurological reorganization with intuitive healing and therapy from the heart. Integrative use of various techniques assists with a wide range of conditions, including: Migraines and headaches, chronic neck and back pain, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, learning disabilities, autism, cerebral palsy, central nervous system disorders, infantile disorders, feeding disorders and anxiety.

please visit www.mainecoastvibrantvitality.com, or call (207) 699-8949, email: followyourbliss@mainecoastvibrantvitality.com, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Linkedin.

life mastery Maine

Energetic Wellness Solutions Anne E. Smith, M.A. Certified Life Coach, Energy Medicine Practitioner: Reiki ,TYLEM, IET Energetic Wellness Solutions provides natural, supportive ways for you to create positive change in your life. Whether you seek relief from stress,

improved health, increased self-esteem, better relationships, freedom from stagnation and clutter, connection with spirit, or other changes, Energetic Wellness Solutions facilitates your personal growth and healing through effective energy therapy and coaching. You are empowered to connect with the wisdom residing within you, increase the flow and balance of energy in your life, and live the authentic life you truly deserve. Anne invites you to discover how energy healing and coaching can make a difference in your health and wellness now. Call (207)-462-8757, e-mail energeticwellnesssolutions@ yahoo.com or visit www.energeticwellnesssolutions.com to learn more from Anne about the energy healing modalities she practices and how they may benefit you. Anne welcomes new clients whose lives have been affected by Lyme disease.

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

Ocean of Possibilities Life Coaching

Massage – Seated Massage – Couples Massage and Outcalls available, Craniosacral Therapy, Hypnotherapy, Reiki, Past Life Regression, Ancestral Healing Techniques and Readings. We consult with each client to identify the appropriate modalities to achieve self-healing and overall well-being. We offer Reiki and Karuna® Reiki Classes plus other workshops to guide you on your spiritual journey. Visit SpiritWings for a cross-cultural variety of enchanting gifts, supplies and accessories to aid your spiritual journey, including an exquisite selection of healing crystals and quartz crystal singing bowls. SpiritWings is conveniently located at 14 Main Street in Bethel, Maine. Sessions by appointment.

Store hours Tuesday through Saturday 10 - 5. Telephone (207) 824-2204 or visit us on the web at www.SpiritWingsBethel.com. Credit Cards accepted.

Deborah Bergeron, CPCC, Certified Life Coach, Prosperity Guide

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

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

and create a dynamic vision for your life – a vision that can pave the way to living your greatest potential and sharing your gifts with the world. By weaving in successful coaching principals and the Law of Attraction, you will be guided to access your inner wisdom, to get clear on what you want in your life and learn the tools that will support you in having it. Every journey truly starts with a single step. When you are ready to embark on your mission of life, I would be honored to walk with you. For a complimentary coaching session or schedule of workshops call (207) 797-9007 or email: debcoaches@aol.com. Phone sessions available. www.oceanofpossibilities.com.

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

~ For all graphic and text material July 5th June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 37

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work honors the healing needs of your whole being.

From a grounded state of presence, authenticity, and deep listening, Kathleen creates sacred space for you to deeply relax, and do your healing work in. When appropriate, she will weave aromatherapy, music / sound therapy, flower essences, hot towels, etc., together to assist you in experiencing the pure Bliss of your Being. She is also a Rawfood “Live-It” and Lifestyle Chef/ Educator, a Doula, and Yoga Instructor. Kathleen is available to use these leading edge wellness tools, in supporting you in creating astonishing levels of health and transforming your life! She is now accepting new clients, and loves working with people of all ages, and levels of wellness. Enjoy a cup of Bliss Tea, an herbal elixir, fresh juice, or raw cacao confection, at your appointments with Kathleen Iselin. FMI: and for class, film, talk schedule,

Usui & Karuna® Reiki Practitioner: Massage – Including Therapeutic

Transforming the stress in your life.

For more information or for an appointment, please call 207-653-8263.

Yarmouth ME.

Kathleen Iselin

SpiritWings CompassionateHealing

Kim Egberts Holistic & Cranial Sacral Therapist

38 life mastery–cont.

reflexology & healing massage Maine

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

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

Jeanne Fiorini is a Tarot practitioner and teacher with 16 years' experience.

She has training in both mediation and psychosynthesis counseling, bringing practical guidance and useful information to all her readings. Jeanne is currently a contributing columnist for the American Tarot Association's newsletter www.ata-tarot.com/reflections. For more information about all the TarotWorks offerings, visit www.tarotworks.com or phone Jeanne at (207) 799-8648.

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

and builds until it becomes a lifestyle. Lynn Marie Danforth has been practicing Reflexology for over 5 years. Lynn specializes in therapeutic Reflexology.

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

Jennifer Bourget, RN, LMT, Reiki II Practitioner

meditation

Jennifer Bourget holds a BS degree in nursing since 1983, is a Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki II Practitioner. Jennifer works from a belief that there is a

Maine

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

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

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

psychic & spiritual mediumship Maine PsychicMediumship, Hypnotherapy

connectedness between all living things and it is through this relationship that we are able to find healing, harmony and balance. You are invited to experience deep relaxation and peace in a beautiful, energetically clear space. Choose from massage therapy, including pregnancy massage, Reiki, aromatherapy, Raindrop Technique, or a combination of therapies. Thirty-, sixty- and ninety-minute sessions available. Guigen Qigong instruction and on-site chair massage also available. Located in a lovely Victorian at 251 Main Street in Yarmouth, Maine. Sessions by appointment weekdays and Saturday. Contact (207) 846-4704 or (207) 841-3053, jbourget0261@hotmail.com. Or visit www.jenniferbourget.massagetherapy.com.

retreats Maine

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

resides in Fairfield and Northport, Maine.

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

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

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.

Directory of Resources Listings are easy to compose.

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

For more information call: (207) 799-7995 or email info@innertapestry.org

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Sewall House Yoga Retreat

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

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

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

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

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

(888) 235-2395 July 3 – October.

The lodge is a traditional New England timberframe featuring hand-cut mortise and tenon joinery. It is the home base of Mahoosuc Guide Service and their working sled dogs (www.mahoosuc.com). In addition to the Lodge, the original 3-bedroom farmhouse built in 1903 has been renovated and is being operated as a Bed and Breakfast. Our views are dominated by the 3,500-4,000’ peaks of the Mahoosuc Range. We are: 1 mile to Grafton Notch State Park, 4.7 miles to the Appalachian Trail, 14 miles to Umbagog Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and 2 miles to the Grafton Loop Trail. Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge is a great facility to host a retreat, meetings, family reunions, dances/concerts, wedding or an outdoor activity. Please call Polly or Kevin at: (207) 824-2073 for more information or visit: www.mahoosucmountainlodge.com.

salons & spas Maine

Since 1999, Nurture Through Nature has been offering transformative retreats and women's holistic canoe trips dedicated to creating lasting internal peace. You are invited to join

Nurture Through Nat ure

acres on Pleasant Mountain, just over an hour from Portland, Freeport and Lewiston, Maine and 3 hours from Boston. www.ntnretreats.com, ntnretreat@yahoo.com, (207) 452-2929.

sacred space

She has traveled the world motivated by multi-cultural curiosity to explore the many truths, in all their aspects, that make our world beautiful. She happily cultivates this curiosity by assisting people to recognize the innate beauty that resides within each-and-every one. By creating beauty, Stephanie encourages people to take care of themselves, the environment in which they live, and the things they love. Her belief is that beauty is harmony and she gracefully communicates the inseparable unity between exterior and interior beauty. The intention that resides in her heart is soulfully communicated through her hands. Providing a nurturing environment Stephanie assists her clients in the decision-making process regarding the expression and enhancement of their own beauty. Stephanie uses products with sustainable integrity and performance. You will also find homemade soap and unique pieces of jewelry at Roots.

HAIR BEAUTY GRACE

Contact Steph at beautyheals@aol.com or (207) 838-9535.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Osteopathic physician, Acupuncture practitioner.

GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

In loving embrace we will remember Home!

June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 39

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this inner peace movement through our guided meditation circles, gentle Let Us Guide You Home... yoga, mindfulness practices and through Pleasant Mountain, Denmark embodying The Work of Byron Katie.

Experience balance through gently guided outdoor pursuits, connecting to the living earth and your inner self. Nurture Through Nature is a Maine - Certified Environmental Leader, committed to sustainability practices, including solar-powered facilities and our composting/recycling efforts. Eco-cabin getaways, customized solo and private group retreats are available to both individuals and practitioners. We rest on 33 pristine

Stephanie Kostopoulos is honored to bring her skill in cosmetology including, enhancing hair color, style and make-up to Meadow Wind, in Falmouth Maine.

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shamanic healing Maine

Ravens’ Crossing — Come find some rural Raven’s Crossing Appleton, Maine

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 two. Available by appointment in private setting.

Trails to walk, ride horses, or X-country ski. Space for small gatherings. Please call Lori Cressler at

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

(207) 845-2304 or visit www.ravens-crossing.com.

schools & trainings Maine

Treat Your Feet

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

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

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.

Pacha Works

Holding New Possibilities.

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

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

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

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

Yokids

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

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

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

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

Chaplaincy Institute of Maine

Working with traditional shamanistic practices for healing.

Eva Rose Goetz, director

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

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

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

A new 16-month course in beginning Shamanism begins April 2009. More information about classes, private sessions, or ceremonies can be found at www.pachaworks.com or contact Eva directly at (207) 756-0488. "By

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

D O R Y C OTE

…Follow the Path to Your Own True Essence. At

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

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

First Year: The Way of Contemplation • Second Year: The Way of Action The next two-year program begins September 2009

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

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

Tuition for the two years is $5,400.

Information and applications: ChIME Admissions, P.O. Box 3833, Portland, Maine 04104 (207) 347-6740 • chimeadmin@gmail.com • chimeofmaine.org 40 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

Our thanks to the many who support our community.

41 shamanic healing-cont.

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

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

It is my great blessing to bring these sacred healing ways forward to support your personal and our collective transformational journeys. I have been cultivating my medicine and wisdom path for 25 years. I create a safe, sacred space for you to release energies no longer serving you while restoring the radiance of your rainbow body and divine essence. You’ll engage in powerful processes to support and sustain you on your personal journey. As you source your life from these higher vibrational energies, restoring “ayni” (balance) in your life, you become more empowered and divinely guided in creating your life and manifesting your dreams. It is my deep honor to share this sacred work with you. With Blessings of Munay, Debra, windhorse506@yahoo.com, (207) 929-6776, www.rainbowheartshaman.com www.munay-ki.org.

Offering programs in Maine, New England, the Southwest & Peru.

writing services Maine

The Village Scribe

Yoga ~ T'ai Chi Maine BRUNSWICK Human Element Center

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

FREEPORT Center Studio and Spa

We view education about and communication with one's body as the most valuable relationship a being can have. Classes are offered in a gorgeous, serene setting that will give you immediate comfort.

Yoga, Meditation, NIA and Yamuna Body Rolling (www.yamunabodyrolling.com) for all levels, as well as workshops in various psychic and spiritual modalities, Young Living Oils, sensuality dance and more! Private instruction is available. The Center also offers a full menu of holistic skin and body therapies and natural nailcare. Please contact us with any questions: (207) 865-0086, www.centerstudioandspa.com, 194 Main Street, Freeport (conveniently off exit 22).

The Wellness Center, Camden, Maine TheVillageScribe@hotmail.com Communicate your authentic message Writing and Editing services for the Creative and Holistic communities.

Original Copy for: Ads ~ Business cards ~ Brochures ~ Articles Memoirs ~ Websites Custom crafted words that represent who you are and what you do.

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

PORTLAND Portland T'ai Chi School

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

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

Yoga ~ T'ai Chi ~ Aikido

Traditional Yang Style T'ai Chi classes at the Portland New Church Wednesdays 6:00pm-7:00pm. White Crane Qi Gong is taught to develop internal energy. The focus is on developing a healthy body and emotional being.

(207) 272-8286, www.portlandtaichi.org.

WholeHeart Yoga Center Portland's Kripalu-affiliated studio offers a full schedule of weekly classes for all levels. Our instructors are all Kripalu-certified and highly trained. We also offer weekend workshops, private instruction, and Kirtans (chanting events). 150 St. John Street, Portland.

(207) 871-8274, www.wholeheartyoga.com or email: info@wholeheartyoga.com.

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

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

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207.344.7070

42

Calendar and Classified GuidelinesAnd Advertising Rates AreLocatedon Page 44

H eart V isions June 12th- 14th/July 10th- 12th/August 14th-16th Munay-Ki Rites & Mentorship Program Fridays 6:00pm-9:00pm, Saturdays 10:00am-5:00pm, Sundays 10:00am-2:00pm. Workshop Fee for 35-hour program: $575.

Facilitated by Debra Rainbow Heart, Full Mesa Carrier and Lineage Keeper. In the Andean Shamanic Traditions, Forest Circles, Topsham, ME, pre-register Regina Strongheart (207) 776-3152, rstrongheart@gmail.com, www.forestcircles.com, www.rainbowheartshaman.com, www.munay-ki.org.

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July 31st-August 2nd/September 4th-6th/October 2nd-4th Munay-Ki Rites & Mentorship Program Fridays 6:00pm-9:00pm, Saturdays 10:00am-5:00pm, Sundays 10:00am-2:00pm, facilitated by Debra Rainbow Heart, Full Mesa Carrier and Lineage Keeper. In the Andean Shamanic Traditions, $575 workshop fee for all 3 weekends, Gardens of Atlantis, Rt. 35, Dayton, ME. Pre-Register (207) 929-5088, atlantis@securespeed.us, www.gardensofatlantis.org, www.rainbowheart.com, www.munay-ki.org.

October 18th-24th Assisi Pilgrimage: Your Sacred Work www.mysticpeace.com.

June ~Maine May 29th, 9:00am–10:00am The Artist’s Way – Your Artist’s Way Send your inner critique on vacation and join this group to discover and recover your creative Self. For 10 weeks we will meet and work through Julia Cameron’s book together. Guided discussions, group coaching and exercises support the process of creative development. Contact Angela Hassenpflug, Personal Development and Retreat Coach, for more info or to register at (207) 592-7888 or www.GestaltYourLife.com.

June 6th, 9:30am-5:30pm Alchemy of Consciousness – A Vywamus Mastership Class Do you desire to create transformation within yourself that you never thought possible? Do you seek to expand your consciousness and move beyond your self imposed fears and limitations? If so, consider this unique opportunity to work with Vywamus in a small group setting that introduces you to the alchemy of consciousness. FMI: The Vywamus Foundation at (207) 797-6106, www.vywamusfoundation.com.

June 9th, 6:30pm-8:30pm EMF protection with ZEROPOINT - CEO Rick Bergen Electro-magnetic Fields (EMFs) create more and more stress in our lives: cell phones, computers, wireless technology, and microwave ovens. ZeroPoint's CEO Rick Bergen will be in Maine for the first time and give an introduction of the latest technology to counteract this problem. True North conference room, 202 US Rout One, Falmouth, ME. Call (207) 772-7888 for details, www.ZeroPointEnergyTools.com.

ALL EVENTS ARE LISTED ONLINE AT

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June 13th, 9:00am-4:00pm Back to you your senses – A SENSational Beach Day One-day retreat to slow down and listen within. Be on a beautiful beach in Midcoast Maine and experience nature to connect with yourself through guided walks, meditation, reflection and physical awareness exercises. Facilitated by Angela Hassenpflug, Personal Development and Retreat Coach. For more info or to register contact (207) 592-7888 or go to www. GestaltYourLife.com.

June 19th-21st Women's Summer Solstice Holistic Eco-Retreat with Nurture Through Nature, Denmark, Maine, sliding scale: $250-350, www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.

June 19th-21st Life Change Studio At Point Lookout, Eastport, Maine. Life Change Arts (www. lifechangearts.com) will hold a highly interactive, experiential workshop to help people making significant life transitions learn new skills and turn life's challenges into creative opportunities.

The weekend is open to all and will include art activities such as collage and drawing as well as mind/body practices like gentle yoga and breath work. Participants need no prior experience in these activities. Contact us at programs@lifechangearts.com or call Point Lookout at (800) 515-3611.

June 20th, 9:00am-1:00pm Expanding Your Channeling/Healing Abilities A mini-intensive introducing you to the realm of channeling and the different flows that one can utilize in the process of channeling. It is designed for those who are interested in further exploring and developing their innate healing and intuitive abilities. FMI: The Vywamus Foundation at (207) 797-6106, www.vywamusfoundation.com.

June 21st, July 25th, August 29th, September 26th Greensward Hamlet Co-Housing Community Equity, New & Exploring Members - Monthly Meetings, 10:00am, Buxton/Saco area. FMI: Françoise Paradis, Ed.D. (207) 227-3678, www.greenswardhamlet.com, www.cohousing.org.

June 23rd, 6:30pm-8:30pm FENG SHUI & the Impact of Earth Energies on our Health European research shows that geopathic (earth related, harmful) stress; as well as electromagnetic radiation of modern technical equipment (cell phones, computers) often contributes to chronic illness and physical imbalance. If not addressed improvement is difficult. Werner Brandmaier, Dipl.Ing. will explain typical findings and demonstrate possibilities of protection. True North conference room, 202 US Rout One, Falmouth, ME. Call (207) 772-7888 for details, www.InstituteofFengShui.com.

June ~ Massachusetts June 10th, 7:00pm-9:00pm Mystical Traveler 2009 Farewell Tour with Sylvia Browne and Colette Baron-Reid. Hynes Convention Center, Boston MA. Call (800) 654-5126 or visit www.sylvia.org.

July ~Maine July 3rd-6th Yoga and Meditation Retreat Yoga, meditation, self-inquiry and silence with Surya Chandra Das at rural retreat center in the hills of mid-coast Maine.

Brooks, Maine, www.rollingmeadowsretreat.com, (888) 666-6412.

July 20th-25th Grand Lakes Region Women's Canoe Trip & Native Plant Study. Explore these remote lakes in NE Maine.

Learn about wild edibles & their medicinal uses. FMI: (207) 824-2073, info@mahoosuc.com.

July 26th-August 1st Summer Camp for Grown-Up Girls Experience the summer camp you always wanted! Denmark, Maine www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.

July 31st-August 2nd Women's Canoe & T'ai Chi Weekend Paddle & camp in Umbagog Wildlife Refuge in western Maine.

T'ai chi will add spice & reflection to our weekend. FMI: (207) 824-2073, info@mahoosuc.com

Upcoming~Connecticut September 30th, 7:00pm-9:00pm Health & Disease: A Holistic Approach Using Homeopathy & Nutrition With Dr. William Shevin, MD, 2009 Lecture Series by Windham Hospital Integrative Health Services, Bernard & Desrosier Rooms, FMI: www.windhamhospital.org.

Upcoming ~ Maine August 5th, 6:00pm-9:00pm Full Moon Fire and Munay-Ki Rites (Donation) Gardens of Atlantis, Rt. 35, Dayton, ME. Pre-Register (207) 929-5088, atlantis@securespeed.us, www.gardensofatlantis.org, www.rainbowheartshaman.com, www.munay-ki.org.

August 8th, 9:00am–5:00pm (August 9th Rain Date) Art in the Park (Next to Mill Creek Plaza), South Portland, ME (Booth 172) Debra Rainbow Heart - Shamanic/Visionary Art – Originals/Prints on Sale, www.rainbowheartshaman.com, windhorse506@yahoo.com.

August 15th, 9:00am–5:00pm Women, let’s get ‘lost’ on an Island One-day retreat on a beautiful Maine island. Silence, guided nature walks and reflective exercises. Contact: Angela Hassenpflug, (207) 592-7888 or www.GestaltYourLife.com.

August 16th-22nd Women's New Moon Wilderness Living Holistic Canoe Trip, Penobscot River, Lobster Lake, North Maine Woods, Nurture Through Nature, www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.

July ~ Connecticut Ongoing~Connecticut

July 25th, 9:30am-11:30am Have You Had a Spiritual Experience?

Free Workshop in conjunction with a weekend spiritual seminar hosted by ECKANKAR, Religion of the Light and Sound of God. Explore dreams, visions, and divine love; try a spiritual exercise; share stories and experiences. Crowne Plaza Hotel, Cromwell, CT. www.ct-eckankar.org.

July 29th, Wednesday The Lebed Method Focus on Healing Through Movement and Dance Sharon O’Neill Mulcahy, MA, MS, DMT, CLM, 7:00pm-9:00pm, Windham Hospital, Bernard & Desrosier Rooms, 112 Mansfield Ave., Willimantic, CT. The Lebed Method is committed to improving the physical and emotional well-being of breast cancer survivors, those with Lymphedema, as well all cancers and chronic illnesses in both adults and children. Our goal is to elevate quality of life through therapeutic dance and movement, healing body, mind and spirit. www.lebedmethod.com.

FMI: call (860) 456-6002, Cost: Free.

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

Ongoing Monthly Group Reiki Sessions Individual & Group Reiki Sessions, Reiki Shares & Classes.

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

Holistic Moms Network Hartford County chapter of a non-profit organization for parents with an interest in natural health and mindful parenting. Meetings held the last Wednesday of each month, from 7:00pm-9:00pm, at JCC of Greater Hartford, 335 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford. Email hartfordmn@yahoo.com or visit www.holisticmoms.org.

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

43 ECKANKAR Temple of CT -- a place for all who love God.

Earthrest Discussion Series

Real-ize Your Integral Potentials

ECKANKAR, the religion of the Light and Sound of God. Worship services are the second Sunday of every month 10:00am with fellowship and refreshments afterwards. The Temple is located at the corner of Rte. 66 and Harvestwood Rd. Middlefield, CT. For information call (860) 346-2226; website: www.ct-eckankar.org

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

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

Nia With Maggie Bokor

Kittery, ME: Rawfood Potlucks, 5:00pm

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

Third Saturday of each month, with guest speakers from the rawfood community. Support, learn, share, and build a local rawfood community. Call Aimee, (207) 409-0899.

ShivaShakti School of Yoga, Rockland

Inner Light Church of Spiritualism, Rev. Gloria Nye

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

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

On g oi ng ~ M aine Wednesday Women’s Meditation Group All women welcome to a weekly meditation in the Greenfire tradition. Location: Newcastle, St.Andrews Parish House, Glidden St. 6:30pm–7:30pm (not on the 3rd Wednesday of the month).

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

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

Fourth Friday of each month - Gallery Readings.

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

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

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

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

Satsang/Meditation ~ Camden/Lincolnville.

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

Qigong group starting at THE LANDING,

Qi Gong Classes with Georgi Nelson, CPT Classes ongoing, beginning April 13th, 6:30pm-7:30pm, 4 week sessions are $40.00. Gardens of Atlantis, 508 Clarks Mills Road Rt. 35, Dayton, ME 04005, (207) 929-5088.

"Positively Moody Blues" radio show with Astrologer Ananur Forma every Thursday, 8:00pm9:00pm, streaming online www.wrfr.org. Ananur will be playing only the music of the positively, ever uplifting Moody Blues from past to future. Ananur will sprinkle in a little astrological information when she vies the weather forecast other than that it's all Moody Blues! For more information: (207) 594-0721 WRFR community radio for the people by the people.

Meditation and Buddhism: Nagaloka is a spiritual community that provides space for individuals to explore and practice Buddhism. Weekly mediation sessions, retreats and introductory classes on meditation and Buddhism are scheduled regularly.

Bookstore too! www.nagalokabuddhistcenter.org.

Munay-Ki Rites and Mentorship A personal journey through the nine great rites, recently gifted by the high medicine elders of Peru. Individual and group mentorships offered. It is the deep prayer of the Inka elders that we step forward to receive these transformational energies of healing and enlightenment. It is my great honor as a recipient and steward of these rites to offer them to you with a full heart and blessings for your journey of becoming.

In Munay, Debra Holloway (Rainbow Heart) (207) 929-6776, windhorse506@yahoo.com, www.munay-ki.org.

Mondays 9:00am-10:15am and Wednesdays, 5:30pm-6:45pm at the Masonic Hall on River Road. Please contact Rebecca at (207) 749-4150 for more information.

Authentic Movement Dance at Bath Dance Works

Reiki Works offers all levels of Reiki

Spiritual Horizons Maine

Dragonfly Taijiquan, Larry Ira Landau

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

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

Group & Private Instruction in T’ai Chi Ch’aun (taijiquan) & Chi Kung (qigong) for beginners & experienced students.

Studios in Portland and Kennebunkport. Ongoing classes, workshops & retreats. FMI: (207) 761-2142 or (207) 967-4070.

Sharon Elaina would like you to know…

SpiritWings–Workshops, Reiki Classes in Bethel ME

that women's groups have begun in her new space at 925 Sawyer St., So. Portland. Tuesdays 6:00pm and Thursdays 12:00pm. Groups are limited to 8. Please call (207) 247-2650 for more information.

Reiki Share second Tuesday of every month. Well-Being and Healing Classes Regularly. Offering Tibetan/Usui and Karuna® Reiki-Meditation Classes and Ancestral Healing, which examines various methods of healing employed by our ancestors. For further information call (207) 824-2204 or visit website www.spiritwingsbethel.com.

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

Portland T'ai Chi School Traditional Yang Style T'ai Chi classes at the Portland New Church. Wednesdays 6:00pm-7:00pm. White Crane QiGong is taught to develop internal energy. The focus is on developing a healthy body and emotional being. (207) 272-8286, www.portlandtaichi.org.

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

The Womanly Art of Self Defense and Empowerment Ongoing course for women, awareness & prevention skills, verbal self-defense & empowerment, basic self-defense techniques.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

hosts: "The New Moon Rituals" with chief Oscar Mokeme and "Full Moon Drumming Circle" with Drum Connection Maine, www.forestcircles.com.

Tuesday Buddhist Meditation

The Birth House

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

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

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

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

First and third Saturdays of the month, 10:00am-1:00pm, April 4th & 18th May 2nd & 16th, suggested donation $10, no experience is necessary. FMI: call Kay Mann (207) 725-9997 or email dancingfewl@pobox.com.

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

"Forest Circles," center for community and healing

Ayurvedic Massage

Classes, sessions and free clinics. For schedule please contact Andrea Smith, B.S. Rehabilitation at reikiworks@beeline-online.net (207) 474-9962.

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

Authentic Movement Dance at Bath Dance Works First and third Saturdays of the month, April 4th and 18th, May 2nd and 16th, 10:00am-1:00pm, suggested donation $10, no experience is necessary. FMI: call (207) 725-9997 or email dancingfewl@pobox.com.

Aikido of Maine Portland Aikido for Women classes, Wednesday and Friday a.m. classes. Daily beginner’s classes and youth programs. www.aikidoofmaine.com (207) 879-9207.

Ongoing Yoga Classes, Vacations & Retreats 20 years of teaching in Kennebunk Monday evenings at 5:00pm & 7:00pm, Saco Tuesday 6:00pm, Thursday 5:30pm and 7:00pm & Wednesday 9:00am, Portland Saturdays at 10:15am. 6 weeks at &75. FMI: call Jeanette Schmid Lakari (207) 282-5528 or yogajs@maine.rr.com.

USM Center for Continuing Education.

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

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

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

Holistic Pathways Yoga & Healing Center, Gorham.

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

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

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

Continued on page 44

June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 43

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Center for the Healing Arts in Portland on Wednesdays at 7:30pm. These gentle movements balance and strengthen your vital life energy, leading to better health and a deeper spiritual connection. Call (207) 699-4299 for more information or go the www.thelandingcenter.com.

Yoga Class in Windham

44 Mindful Meditation™ Thursdays, 12:00pm-1:00pm

Tai Chi for Health

HEALING PLACES

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

Every Wednesday from 8:30am-9:30am. Learn the KHY form Mizu Dansu as well as concept and theory of Tai Chi. Tai Chi studies reveal that this slow moving, adaptable exercise improves balance, lowers blood pressure, improves the immune system, and assists with depression. $20 per class or $80/5 classes. The Center for Community, Culture and Change, 40 Pleasant Street, Portsmouth, NH. To learn more contact the center at (603) 973-2317 www.thecenter4ccc.org.

Eco-Retreat in a Solar-Powered, wood-fired cabin.

Martial Arts Class

HOUSE SITTING SERVICES

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.

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

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

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

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

Short-term Solutions-oriented Couples & Family Work Guiding Couples & Families from conflict to communication, from disengaged to connected, from hurting to resolution.

Group and private sessions. Call Maureen McCarty-Darling at (207) 975-5200.

Wise Women Daughters of the Moon Ceremonial Wisdom Circle honoring our Inner & Outer Seasons & Cycles. Sliding Scale. FMI: www.spiritualrenaissance.com, www.templeoftheheart.com or call Deborah, spiritual guide, priestess: (207) 883-1081.

Belfast Yoga Studio. Iyengar style Hatha Yoga

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

All levels including, Beginner, Level I, Level II, Gentle & Private classes & workshops. For more info and schedule see www.belfastyoga.com or call (207) 338-3930/338-4256.

Aaminah School Of Middle Eastern Dance

The art of Kosho Hoho Yooga is an internal, passive martial art based off the concepts of natural law. This complete art is based off of 800 years of lineage from the Japanse warrior monks that includes martial art, healing arts, and mystical awarness. Ages 14 and up. Mixed gender class every Tuesday 7:00pm-8:00pm; woman's class every Wednessday noon1:00pm. The Center for Community, Culture and Change, 40 Pleasant Street, Portsmouth, NH. To learn more contact the center at (603) 973-2317 www.thecenter4ccc.org.

Shugendo Yoga.

This soft, gentle, healing and spiritual yoga meets every Tuesday evening 8:00pm-9:00pm. Suggest a yoga mat, safu cushion or pillow and mala if you have them. One of only two licensed programs in the country. The Center for Community, Culture and Change, 40 Pleasant Street, Portsmouth, NH. To learn more contact the center at (603) 973-2317 www.thecenter4ccc.org.

Shamanic Journey Circle Meets the 2nd Sunday of each month 6-7 pm. a $10 donation suggested. Experience prefered. The Center for Community, Culture and Change at 40 Pleasant Street, Portsmouth, NH. To learn more contact the center at 603-973-2317 www.thecenter4ccc.org.

Ongoing~RhodeIsland Bridge Between Two Worlds Radio Show Mediumship, Physical Phenomena and more. Contact Talk Radio Mondays 8:00pm-9:00pm EST, Listen Live www. bridgebetweentwoworlds.net. Host Pamela Marie Edmunds, (508) 273-0022.

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.

Classified Listings

“SANT MAT RADHASWAMI SATSANG”

ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS

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

New Country School in West Baldwin, Maine

Ongoing~NewHampshire NESHHA Educational Presentation The New England Seacoast Holistic Health Association (an organization of Healthcare Professionals), has meetings monthly, third Thursday, Potluck 6:30pm, Networking 7:00pm at the Herbal Path, 839 Central Ave., Dover, NH. www.NESHHA.org.

has alternative, affordable education. We offer environmental studies, yoga, music, organic gardening and learning field trips. Pre-K through 8th. FMI: call (207) 625-4962 or www.newcountryschool.org.

HELP WANTED

Retreat Cook Wanted~Nurture Through Nature Experienced whole-foods cook for group(s) up to 14. Trade for opportunity to participate in holistic nature retreats.

Send indoor/outdoor experience to ntnretreat@yahoo.com, www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.

Eaton Satsang An informal gathering to discover and welcome the truth of one's inner nature. Eaton, NH is near the Maine/NH border.

Most Wednesday evenings. www.eatonsatsang.com or (603) 447-5401.

Calendar of Events

Send all listings to

Experience deep quiet and nature's beauty in a solar-powered, wood-heated eco-cabin getaway at Nurture Through Nature Green Retreat Center in Denmark, Maine, only an hour from Portland/Freeport/Lewiston, ME and 2 hours northwest of Portsmouth. Cost $59-$65/night for one-two. Add $20 each additional person. Two cabins available, both sleep four. www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.

Willing to stay at and care for your home. I am a neat, quite, responsible professional working the in Portland area. I am experienced in the care of homes, gardens, lawns, pools and animal companions. Willing to travel one hour from the Portland area. Contact Jacqueline evenings or weekends at (860) 208-9407.

HYPNOTHERAPY CERTIFICATION TRAINING

Phenomenal, weekend trainings.

Learn from award-winning, hypnotherapy instructor, Julie Griffin, BCH, 16 years' clinical experience. Private and semi-private hypnosis sessions also available. Call (800) 497-1807. Free brochure and hypnosis CD. Or visit www.hypnosistoday.com for instant hypnosis downloads. Free retakes and telephone support!

OFFICE RENTAL SPACE

The Starfish Center, 641 St. George Road, South Thomaston, ME has over 1500 square feet of office space for rent. Especially suited for medical, alternative or elder services. There are six rooms, two with sinks and cabinets and one for classes, plus a full bath, kitchenette, reception area and laundry that may be rented together or individually. Inquire to katrina@askforhomecare.com or call (207) 354-7077. For pictures, go to www.askforhomecare.com and click on “Space for Rent.”

Unique opportunity to lease prime space.

Impeccable high-end design showcases your services. Perfect space for an allied health professional, spa or therapeutic offerings. Approximately 2,000 sq. ft. including large open space approximately 800 sq ft. private entrance, well lit parking. Three additional rooms for privacy or office, (2 have sinks). Shared access to bath. Newly renovated building. $10$12 a sq. ft. Centrally located in the Mill Creek/Knightsville area of South Portland. Proximity to the Casco Bay Bridge assures traffic from both sides of the bridge. FMI contact: Fawn Dunphy, DC, Chiropractic Healing Arts Center, 85 E Street, South Portland, Maine 04106, (207) 799-0972, www.drdunphy.com.

SACRED RENTAL SPACE Space Available for Gatherings, Ceremonies, Presentations.

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

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

SACRED SPACE FOR SALE

WWW.BESTMAINEWATERFRONT.COM Two unique sunset lake front offerings. Privacy with accessibility to both Bangor and Bar Harbor. FMI see website or call Alison Cote (207) 632-3662.

info@innertapestry.org

~ Ongoing Event Listings ~

Classified Ads

Inner Tapestry 's ~ calendar of Events and Classified Guidelines ~ Date Sensitive Listings ~ $12 per issue for 30 words, additional words are 50 cents each.

Please follow the format found in the journal and online, (Date information, title, description, location and contact information.)

A six-month (3 issue) listing is $25 for 30 words, additional words are 50 cents each.

Classified ads are $20 for 30 words, additional words are 50 cents each.

Please follow the format of our Ongoing Listings found in the journal and online, (Title, frequency, description, location and contact information.)

Please send formatted listings.

We do not publish press releases.

w w w .in n e rt ape st ry.o rg 44 Inner Tapestry June/July 2009

All Calendar and Classified Listings are listed on the Inner Tapestry Website!

45 Continued from page 10 ~ modern shamanic living ~ Coming Home occur. Once the lines of communication and relationships are reestablished with other beings—we prodigal sons and daughters of the Earth—have opportunities to heal our disconnection/dislocation traumas and regain our place as compassionate and loving stewards of our Home.

Notes: 1. page 64-66 Diamond, Jared "The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race" Discover (May 1987).

2. Bruce Bower, "Raising Trust," Science News, Vol. 158, pages 8 & 9.

3. Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser; Timothy J. Loving; Jeffrey R. Stowell; William B. Malarkey; Stanley Lemeshow; Stephanie L. Dickinson; Ronald Glaser "Hostile Marital Interactions, Proinflammatory Cytokine Production, and Wound Healing," Archive General Psychiatry, December 2005; 62: 1377 – 1384.

4. Oxford University Press, 1995.

5. A study by Kroenke and Price in the November 1993 Archives of Internal Medicine (Vol 153 No 21).

6. Listed here from the lowest frequency to the highest, the electromagnetic spectrum includes the following: Radio Waves (AM Radio Waves, Short Wave Radio, Television/FM Waves,) Microwaves ( which includes Radar, Millimeter Waves & Telemetry) Infrared, Visible Light, Ultraviolet, X-rays, and Gamma Rays. hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/ems1.html#c1.

7. Higher Wisdom: Eminent Elders Explore the Continuing Impact of Psychedelics, Roger Walsh and Charles S. Grob, eds. 2005. Albany: State University of New York Press.

(For more about this column’s topic, please see Evelyn’s article, "Shamanic Spirituality In A Place Called Home," in the Spring 2009 issue of The Journal of Shamanic Practice.

The author will be teaching the shamanic journey practice in Maine on the weekend of July 11 & 12th. For more information, please go to: www.spiritpassages.org.) © 2009 Evelyn C. Rysdyk

Nationally recognized shaman teacher/healer, speaker, and author of Modern Shamanic Living: New Explorations of an Ancient Path, Evelyn C. Rysdyk delights in supporting people to remember their sacred place in All That Is. Whether though face-to-face contact with individual patients, groups and conference participants, or through the printed word in books, columns and articles—Evelyn uses her loving humor and passion to open people's hearts and inspire them to live more joyful, fulfilling and purposeful lives.

In joint practice with Allie Knowlton as Spirit Passages since 1991, she offers workshops in advanced experiential shamanism across the USA and Canada.

For more about this column's topic, please see Evelyn's article, “Shamanic spirituality in a place called home,” in the Spring 2009 issue of The Journal of Shamanic Practice. Evelyn will be teaching the shamanic journey process in Maine on the weekend of July 11th & 12th. www.spiritpassages.org.

Continued from page 31 ~ the way of life itself ~ Coming Home to Our Living-ness...

Money can and should be made from people’s efforts, and also we need regulations and laws that enable, not restrict us to better do our jobs. As Arie de Geus, author of Living Company, points out there is an analogy between oxygen for living organisms and money for companies. To support life, we need oxygen to breath; but breathing oxygen is not our purpose. Similarly to support continued operation, companies need to make money and profit; but when this becomes their sole purpose for existence, they become money machines; rigid mechanisms unable to adapt and learn and people become unhealthy.

Coming home to our living-ness moving away from machine-ness just might feel good about now; so simple, so elegant, so radical.

With life-style values that pressure humanity to be ever increasingly more machine-like instead of being caring, connected beings in which we sense one another, have empathy and realize the insights that come from such as TLC, In-cooperation, we will just keep creating suffering, making more and more money for some reason we’ve lost sight, and producing growing feelings of helplessness. But now we can choose again.

This is the miracle of life as I see it. It’s not reaching a fixed nirvana and

Calendar and classified listings submission deadline for August/September issue is July 5th Time flies don't forget!

Please send your formatted Calendar and Classified listings to info@innertapestry.org

living-happily-ever-after that’s emerging but a world of TLC, In-Cooperation.

Life keeps growing us to receive her infinite wisdom and clearly she/he is doing so as we make this shift. Good-bye old world controlling machine-ways. I’m coming home to my living-ness. And that’s a world that works for everyone.

More on that another time. Let us hear from you how you are making the shift from machine ways to living-ness.

Skye Hirst, PhD is researcher, executive/personal coach, presentation facilitator and co-founder with Norm Hirst of Transcendental Autognomics (TA); New Field of Life-Energy and Transcendental Science/ Philosophy going beyond scientific materialism to discover the emergent epi-principles within life-itself.

The mystery/the miraculous/the wisdom of life-itself is revealing herself and Skye is doing presentation/ discussions on latest revelations impacting us all during this time of transition. Her 30 years of experience as communication consultant, her love of the arts and nature inform her work as does her 30 years as energy medicine practitioner of Jin Shin Jyutsu. To receive Transcendental Autognomics email newsletter on how latest revelations are impacting us all, visit us www.autognomics.org or join us on Twitter @ autognomics for frequent tips and insights, plus see who we are following.

Article submission deadline for August/September issue "Movement" is June 25th Please send articles to info@innertapestry.org June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 45

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of our mind based on input which is fundamentally limited by senses that are only capable of picking up information from a small range of the electromagnetic spectrum.6 Our senses are not nearly as keen as many of the other species with whom we share the planet. There are animals, birds and even insects who can see infrared light or hear into the ultra or subsonic range.

In spite of our apparent physical limitations, there are ways to stretch one’s senses into the ranges that ordinarily go unseen or unheard. For many centuries, shamans have been defined by their ability to travel beyond ordinary reality of the five senses into the spiritual realms and back again. This ability to move beyond the limits of time/space—done to access healing, guidance, insight and assistance from the spirits for the Earth and her people—earned shamans the reputation as “Those Who Walk Between the Worlds.” As a result of the broadening of experience attained while traversing the realms beyond ordinary perception, a practitioner is altered not only during the shamanic journey but afterwards. One begins to see, hear and experience ordinary reality in a different way.

In an interview done in 2005, anthropologist and founder of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, Dr. Michael Harner stated that after even a few journeys people who were not initially ecologically focused begin to have new views about the interconnectedness of all species. It is his belief that once a person begins to see her or himself as a part of the larger cosmos, it stimulates a more compassionate and ethical orientation toward the rest of creation.7 In essence, Harner is suggesting going on shamanic journeys produces experiences of the self and world that are more in alignment with the native sense of indigenous peoples.

No matter what continent they may have arose upon, when we go back far enough, ALL of our ancestors were once indigenous people. As such, they held and believed in the same profound wisdom that tribal people still hold—that is that every plant, bird, animal and insect is an member of our larger family of Life. It is ironic that the cutting edge of science—the Human Genome Project—has proven what each of our ancestors already knew. That is, that the entire ecosystem—every living being—is a part of who we are. I believe the greatest challenge we face, and indeed the responsibility we carry is to relearn, remember and renew our connections to the larger ecosystem—All That Is. Future generations depend on us stepping back into context with the beings around us and regaining the ancient paradigm of being wise and loving stewards of our Earth. Simply put, for our own health and the health of the larger world, we need to be reunited with the rest of our family.

Shamanic spirituality offers ways to reenter into relationship with the “other” beings with whom we share our world. We can communicate with the spirits of the trees, the rivers and ants in a way that both our ancient ancestors did and we, ourselves once did as children. Through the shaman’s journey, our perceptions of reality shift—expanding our awareness of the larger world and our place within it.

We become changed and deep healing of centuries-old, injurious perceptions can

46

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Book Review The Shack By: William P. Young ISBN: 978-0-9647292-3-0 Publisher: Windblown Media

I was given this book by a client of mine who thought I might like it… boy, I guess she knows me pretty well! It’s supposedly a fictitious story about a father named Mack who experiences utter devastation and perhaps the ultimate joy.

Let me explain.

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DV D s S I E O V M AND F OO D

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Mack embarks on a camping trip with his three children to one of his favorite get-away sites in Oregon. (His wife, Nan, is unable to accompany them due to a commitment.) It was a fabulous vacation until his son almost drowns in a canoe accident and, during all the commotion, the unspeakable happens, his older daughter, Missy, gets abducted by a serial killer and brought to a remote shack. Despite the great efforts of many, Mack’s worst fears are realized, and he begins to lose his sense of life and self from this tremendous tragedy.

Until… he gets a letter in the mailbox a few years later inviting him back to the shack—the same shack where his daughter was brutally tortured and killed. The letter is signed “Papa,” Is this someone’s idea of a cruel and sick joke? Has the killer now set his sights on Mack or could it be “someone” inviting him on a weekend that would change the rest of his life and how he sees everything? He faces a life-changing decision… do I follow my head and logic and continue down the path of

self-disintegration or follow my heart into the unknown? What ensues (in what I would call the second half of the book) is a description of Mack’s experiences from the choice he made.

If it hasn’t already, the pages in the book that follow will bring you to places within yourself you may have forgotten were there.

The author, William Paul Young, through his clever use of the Holy Trinity at the shack, shares his thoughts and insights on what he feels Jesus and The Father were really trying to share with humanity. Mack asks questions that each of us might want to ask God at a time like this, and they get answered! Even if you are not Christian (or religious for that matter), most of the insights shared leave the reader with much to ponder, explore and feel. If you’ve ever wondered why God let’s “bad” things happen to “good” people, this may be your book.

For about the first chapter, I was frustrated with the author’s seemingly excessive use of adjectives in his description of just about everything. But, by about Chapter 2, he had me off and running and reading deep into the early morning hours.

William Paul Young really helped me experience some intensity of emotions that I had been resisting in my life. Through what generated his writing, he helped further affirm that although my views and feelings of “God” do not fit into any religious model, it doesn’t invalidate them—at least not to me anymore.

So, if you’re open to having an experience that may deeply touch your heart (as well as other parts of you), broaden and expand your relationship with “God” (and hence, yourself ), you may really enjoy The Shack.

And, if you’re anything like me, have a fresh box of Puffs Plus close by.

Joe Belanger, PT is a holistic manual therapist who deeply enjoys helping his patients explore what is truly causing their present symptom(s) and discovering all of who they are. He has a private practice in Marlborough, CT and can be reached at joeb.pt@snet.net.

Book Review Love With Out End ISBN:0-9666623-1-8 The Keys of Jeshua ISBN: 0-9666623-7-7 By: Glenda Green Spiritis Publishing, www.lovewithoutend.com Glenda Green is an internationally recognized portrait painter and art historian. In 1989, her husband had a dream that Glenda was to paint a portrait of Jesus Christ. The possibility intrigued her, but it took nearly two years before she decided to undertake such a painting. After months of study, research, and contemplation, she felt frustrated as to how to proceed. She prayed in her studio for guidance.

Jeshua first appeared to Glenda in 1991, manifesting from a field of Light that inundated her in such waves of Love that her world stood still and transformed forever. Glenda describes what happened next: “At that moment, a presence entered the room unlike any I’ve ever experienced... Although He was transparent, there was a radiant glow, and He displaced the air so conspicuously that I could see currents of pressurewaves rippling about eight feet in front of me. Was it the Holy Spirit... or perhaps a special angel? Later experiences and insights were to reveal that it was the Master Himself, in pure spiritual form.”

After that, the events of every day unfolded perfectly as they should, and each hour of work was a living dialogue with the Master.”

From 23 November 1991 until 12 March 1992, the Master Jesus appeared to her in her studio so that she could paint His picture. Subsequently, they began to enjoy daily communion as she proceeded with their first project, which was painting the

by Joe B elan ger , P T

by R on Damico

now internationally renowned The Lamb and The Lion. During these first visits Jeshua effectively revealed and dismantled Glenda’s ego identity and led her to know her true nature as love. In these days there were also poignant challenge to her self-confidence, amidst the struggles of doubt. This time was both beautiful and unsettling. Throughout their time together He talked—she took notes. He gave her the “secrets of the universe” and answered more than 400 important questions including who we are, how we came to be, how the universe was created, and how to live a joyous and successful life.

What came of this time together was not only a truly vibrant radiance of a painting which, to me, does not capture the likeness of the being we have come to call Jesus, but emanates his very Presence. She also brought forth a beautiful written expression of what I would call Universal Truth. While reading these books the awareness of what is real began and continued to expand. I found myself in joyful gratitude of my acceptance and agreement with absolutely everything I was reading. It was the realization and acceptance that all I innately believed about Life and myself was True, but in the past would not dare allow myself to share for fear of rejection, ridicule and abandonment.

The written expressions in both books were wonderfully fluid, graceful and enlivening. I felt myself choosing to embody and embrace the Truth I Am and the willingness to live that Truth as a Way of Being.

Love Without End, Jesus Speaks brings forth information and insight which clears the clutter of confusions and frustrations which have been carried throughout life and begins to offer insight and awareness’s of how to begin to be as One with our Self as an expression of Love. The Keys of Jeshua offers specific insights and guidance to change life to be an expression of Life lived as Love, the purest and most sincere way of being. These books are a wonderful investment in the awakening of yourself as Love.

47 Continued from page 8 ~ loving earth ~ Home Is Where The Habitat Is...

Small Trees Red Cedar Juniperus virginiana

to 40'

Evergreen

Favored by many birds: finches, jays, grosbeaks, waxwings: cover and nesting for robins, sparrows, mockingbirds

Wild Black Cherry Prunus serotina

to 60' May, white August-September purple drupe

Choke Cherry Prunus virginiana

to 30'

Hawthorne Crataegus coccinea

to 30' May-June white August-October, red pom

Sun, dry soil

Favored by many song and game birds Sun or shade, well drained soil

same as above

same as above

same as above

Nesting and cover for many birds Food for fox sparrow, cedar waxing

Neutral, poor soil

Large Trees White Pine Pinus strobes

to 100'

Evergreen

Very important to wildlife, favored by jay, crossbill, nuthatch, woodpecker, pine grosbeak

Eastern Hemlock Tsuga canadensis

to 70'

Evergreen

Used by pine siskin, crossbill, chickadee Sun or shade, Nesting for warbler, veery, junco well drained moist soil

White Oak Quercus alba

to 100'

American White Birch Betula papyrifera

to 80'

September acorn May, catkins

Very important to wildlife, song and game birds well drained dry soil Favored by grouse, chickadee, redpoll, pine siskin

Sun, well drained soil

Sun or shade, Sun, moist, fertile soil

Helpful resources include: Gardening With Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, Edible and Medicinal Plants, Steve Brill with Evelyn Dean. Good identification of the various sumacs. Landscaping for Wildlife, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Aimed at the Midwest, but valuable info, particularly for larger spaces.

Copyright Pat Foley 2009

Pat Foley attempts to live a sustainable life just outside of Cornish, Maine. She is the owner of Earthrest, a “green” place of retreat for groups and individuals. The underlying focus of Earthrest is following Gandhi’s advice to be the change we wish to see in the world. www.earthrest.org.

Continued from page 26 ~ destination healing ~ southern new england ~ At Home In Our Body...

Like many of today’s leading nutrition experts, The Angels advise us to pay close attention to labels and to eat the best quality foods available to us. Reading labels raises your awareness of the choices available to you so that you can choose the healthier food or treat as often as possible. The Angels do not ask you to deprive yourself. Not even Dr. Ornish wants you to give up chocolate. He (and the Angels) recommends a bite or two of the highest quality organic dark chocolate to satisfy any chocolate lovers' soul!

The remaining guidelines offer gentle suggestions for incorporating The Angel Way into your life. The Angels never made a suggestion that in any way took away my ability to choose for myself. In fact, the Angels suggested that to begin, I follow the guidelines for just two days at a time. They assured me, after just two days, I would choose to continue eating The Angel Way of my own free will. Not because They wanted me to, or because I “knew I should” eat this way, but because I liked how eating, the Angel Way, made me feel.

The Angel Guidelines – Scientific Support The Angels acknowledge that there is more nutrition and wellness information available now than ever before. While this is a wonderful thing, it also can be very confusing to apply the knowledge to ourselves. All of the Angel Way guidelines coincide with sound nutrition practices. I don’t mean trendy diet tips, either. I am referring to scientifically supported principles for what to eat and how to eat. For a reading list, please contact Annie or Karen.

Annie Kelleher is the published author of 11 novels, a Reiki Master and an intuitive medium. She works out of The Purple Rose in Tarriffville, CT. Annie is currently writing a book on this subject with Karen M. Rider. If you are interested in learning more about the Eating the Angel Way program and guidelines, please contact Annie at 860-658-9888, ext 1.

Karen M. Rider holds a B.S. in Exercise Science and an M.A. in Health Psychology. Karen has experience in health research and wellness program development. Presently, she is a promotional copywriter specializing in the communication needs of holistic health businesses. She can be reached at karenM_Rider@cox.net

...The Angels were right.

Continued from page 27 ~ destination healing ~ northern new england ~ At Home With Nature Polly and Kevin have some other activities scheduled for the summer.

Specific information on the canoe trips and activities can be reviewed on their website www.mahoosuc.com. Their telephone is 207-824-2073.

Kevin Slater and Polly Mahoney devote their lives to guiding and that devotion shows through their dedication and excitement as guides. When it comes to the natural world around us Kevin Slater is reminded of the words from “Kirk”, a good friend of theirs. “You have to know, to care, and to act. You have to have all three. This is an old timer who started a Canadian canoe museum. That’s what he always tries to instill and use no matter what he’s doing, to learn about it, to care enough about it,

to follow through with action to protect it.” Those are Kirk’s major concerns when it comes to the natural world. “It’s great to learn about all these different medicinal uses of north woods plants, but then you care enough about it to use it for yourself or other people and then advocate for the protection of the wildlife habitat.” Polly and Kevin strive to apply those same goals, to know, to care, and to act in their own work both through the Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge and Mahoosuc Guide Service, a destination of repose, a destination for healing, a home away from home.

Kevin Pennell, an author from Bethel , Maine, wrote Two Feathers–Spiritual Seed Planter and has written for other periodicals and media. Kevin Pennell is an Usui and Karuna Reiki® Master Teacher, Certified Hypnotherapist, Ancestral Healing Practitioner, and Psychic Empath. He conducts Reiki and other workshops that assist spiritual and personal development. Kevin, with his wife, Vickie Cummings, own and operate Spirit Wings, their Compassionate Healing Center and Therapeutic Store located in Bethel, Maine.Contact www.spiritwingsbethel.com or kevin@spiritwingsbethel.com.

June/July 2009 Inner Tapestry 47

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foods are on the rise. The Angels encourage us to eat whole grains with awareness for how much we consume and the type of grains we choose.

48

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As we enter into our eighth year...

Thanks to everyone who continues in creating and supporting community.

Through your support of Inner Tapestry and each other our visions are realized.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to the entire Inner Tapestry Community!