Inner Tapestry “Living Visions” October November 2009

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A Holistic Journal Celebrating & Supporting LIFE! Oct/Nov 2009

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Living Visions

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Volume 8, No. 3

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Tapestry Self Actualization: Shattering the Illusion

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The Death of Courage

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Living Visions With Your Pets

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Creativity, Spirituality and Recovery

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Bridging The Healed Past To Our Destiny

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Does Enlightenment Exist In The 21st Century?

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Feng Shui & Geopathology ~ If A House Doesn't Sell

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Wandering Sage Wisdom ~ The Distraction of Everything

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21st Century Bohemian ~ A Conversation with Shakti Gawain

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Modern Shamanic Living ~ New Visions: Dreaming A New Dream

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Exploring The World Religions ~ Reality And Not The Illusion Of Having A Guru

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Inner TAPESTRY

This Issue's Theme

Living Visions D e ce m ber / J a nu a r y 2 0 0 9/2010: E m b ra cem ent

Contents

A Holistic Journal Celebrating & Supporting LIFE!

Features

Self Actualization: Shattering The Illusion The Death Of Courage

Ap r il / M ay 2 0 1 0

by Donald and Sara Hassler

J u ne/ J u l y G o o d Vibratio ns

Page

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by Miriam Nesset

Feb r u a r y / M a rc h 2 0 10: At te n d ing To O u r Physic a l Ves s el Li v ing Wit ho u t D ef initio n

OCT/NOV 2009

by Laurie McCammon

Living Visions With Your Pets

Page 11

Creativity, Spirituality and Recovery

Page 12

by Arla Patch

Bridging The Healed Past To Our Destiny

Page 18

by Debra Rainbow Heart

Does Enlightenment Exist In The 21st Century?

Page 19

by Tim Miejan

Ar t ic l e S u bm issio n D ate Fo r D ecem b er / J a nu a r y Is s ue

Embra ceme nt

Wi-Fi: Friend or Foe?

Page 29

by Phyllis Light Ph.D.

Herbology Today ~ Caution When Mixing Herbs And Drugs

Page 29

by Christopher J. Bashaw, RN

Loving Earth ~ A Vision of Equality

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Modern Shamanic Living ~ New Visions: Dreaming A New Dream Page

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by Pat Foley

by Evelyn C. Rysdyk

21st Century Boheman ~ A Conversation With Shakti Gawain

Page 14

by Teresa Piccari

Destination Healing SNE ~ The Magic Of Hot Stone

Page 16

by Karen M. Rider

Destination Healing NNE ~ Living Visions Of The Future

Page 17

by Kevin Pennell

Wandering Sage Wisdom ~ The Distraction Of Everything

Page 20

by Aaron Hoopes

Awareness and the Art of Seeing ~ There Are Two Ways To Die

Page 21

by Jen Deraspe

A Breath of Healing ~ Vision ~ The Creative Power Of Initiative

Page 23

by Donna Amrita Davidge

Welcome Home ~ Ask Asrianna

Page 26

by Asrianna Dameron

Feng Shui & Geopathology ~ If A House Doesn't Sell

Page 28

by Werner Brandmaier

Exploring the World Religions ~ Reality And Not The Illusion

by James Bean Of Having A Guru

Page 30

The Way of Life-Itself ~ A New Consciousness of Life As Organism... Page 31

by Skye Hirst, Ph.D.

Mixed Media ~ Book, Website & Music Reviews

Pages 46-47

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

Pages 32-40 Page 40 Pages 42-44

Directories

Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 3

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Departments

October 25th

4 Northeast TRAGER® Neuromuscular Re-education and Mentastics/Mindful Movement Freedom of Movement is the Foundation of a Healthy Body A H olistic Journal

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Be Your Living Vision Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

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. ® 2009.

4 Inner Tapestry Oct/Nov 2009

www.trager-northeast.org Marlena O'Hagan-Buzzell Virginia Reidy kmbuzzell@roadrunner.com vr45traveler@hotmail.com 207 212-7721 207 734-8132 / 904-874-4896 Liz Berks lizland@roadrunner.com 207 839-2333 "Experience your vision of living life with more ease in your body, peace of mind and a sense of emotional well-being; The Trager Approach, Mind/Body Integration."

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INNER WORKINGS New this Issue: Well I blinked and summer has evolved into a new beginning. During this season's transition let's set our visions toward new beginnings in our lives. Within these new beginnings, we might find ourselves feeling a bit lost and sometimes even confused. This is due to a lack of reference as we evolve. Evolution is defined as the change in genetic material, organisms, species, genes and generations. Yes, that word again—change.

The unanswered question of "Why..." is always present: why is change necessary? For some, acceptance of why and change births growth; for others focus on the answer becomes the mission. Most will answer "just because."

Interesting answer: Because. Two very interesting words in combination: "Be" and "cause." Are we willing to allow ourselves to accept and "be" the "cause" of everything that we experience, no matter what it is or what it brings? Are we willing to take that level of responsibility for ourselves and the manifestation of the light that we are in the world and feel without a doubt that we are the "cause" and "be" it in every moment, or at least try to?

During this upcoming season of autumn we can feel the energy of the earth pulling back to nurture and sustain life within, at an unseen inner level, to evolve (change) once again into a lush vibrant expansive expression of energy and life. So as we draw inward to nurture ourselves as well as ponder the changes that autumn and winter contribute, allow yourself to explore being the cause of everything in your world.

Next, for some great Inner Tapestry news, we are all happy to congratulate and welcome Curtis home from his trip to Ireland where he and Elaine shared their marriage with family and friends. Congrats! Curtis and Elaine, we look forward to seeing you both really soon.

We are also really excited to let everyone know that we have been asked to place the journal in the southern Shaws stores in Maine and the Stop and Shop in Kennebunk.

Here is a list of the Shaw's locations: Portland/Auburn St. and Congress St., South Portland, Westbrook, Scarborough, Falmouth, North Windham, and Saco.

We are excited about the added exposure that expanding into these locations will give our advertisers, writers and columnists.

There are lots of great things coming up once again... If people are wanting to travel to the Boston area it's worth the trip, Hay House has wonderful fall events taking place (their ad is on page 27).

The Spirit in Action Conference is happening again for the sixth year. Thank you ladies for your continued effort to bring this wonderful event to the community, it is no small task, awesome job! (More information is on page 15.)

The latest advanced and beginning classes in Shamanism will be starting this fall and winter with all of the talented teachers in the Maine area. What a great way to learn to journey to one's self for the inner guidance that we all seek.

There are many great training and certifications being offered for those needing continuing education credits. As well as outstanding travel opportunities coming up, so keep those in mind as you put money aside here and there to invest in your well-being, it will be well worth the experience.

Our thanks again to the folks at Dreamstime for our wonderful graphics this issue.

Enjoy the crunching of leaves under foot, the smells of fires burning, chilly evenings that bring a wonderful night's sleep and the special time of "being" with yourself and our community, with the richness that it brings.

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

Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 5

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Also, a huge hug and welcome to our newest Inner Tapestry's family member, Scott Cronenweth's new bestest friend, Tashi Norbu. Now really, how can you not fall in love with a fellow being like this! LOL Tashi, we know you'll have loads of fun and lots of long walks at Willard Beach... Lucky guy!

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Self - Actualization : Shattering the Illusion

by Miriam Nesset

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n a trip to Peru with a group who shared my spiritual beliefs, I hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Once at the ruins we were given a nontraditional tour by a guide who related the spiritual implications of Machu Picchu; a Quechuan Indian who worked with dreams in the fourth dimension. We listened in fascination as he spoke to us of many things:; the use and purpose of Machu Picchu as a mystical school, kept open until the very end of settlement; the Lemurians, giants eight feet in stature, able to cut the huge stones with lunar rays passing through their bodies into their fingers; and the Incan practice of alchemy and how they dominated the laws of electromagnetism and levitation by drawing upon this energy While this information was very interesting, we were particularly attentive as he began speaking of the manner in which we transcend earthly laws and grow spiritually through a process of involution. In the Incan culture spiritual evolution is achieved in a three-step process of dying to the ego, gaining wisdom and then sharing it. Gaining wisdom is something that happens as we experience life and better know ourselves, life and the universe. It allows us to see ourselves as an integral part of something greater. “All accumulated knowledge or wisdom, once gained is sacred and must be shared,” he offered. “We come to Earth to live and gain wisdom and then come back to teach and serve but must do so in free will. Wisdom is our goal and we do not receive more wisdom until we give away that which we have gained."

Good or bad, life experience is cumulative, and sharing whatever wisdom is gained in the process is valuable. However, in order to be fully self-actualized, the first step of dying to the ego is not only the most important but makes the other two components much easier. So what exactly does dying to the ego mean? In the Incan culture this process is referred to as cleaning the temple and is symbolized by the condor (God, Source, Universe) swallowing the snake (the human ego). In other words surrender. I don’t know about you, but for me this simple word has been an incredible stumbling block. Until recently, I understood surrender or surrender of the ego as cutting off, disclaiming, squashing or otherwise expunging our ego from ourselves. How is that possible since the ego is who we are, distinguishing us from everyone else?

While struggling with this question, I heard a song by the Highwaymen. Listening to the lyrics I realized that we really don’t see ourselves in a true light; that our ego is not necessarily a true depiction of who we are. The song goes: I was a highwayman.

Along the coach roads I did ride – sword and pistol at my side. Many a young maid lost her baubles to my trade. Many a soldier shed his lifeblood on my blade. The bastards hung me in the spring of 25, but I am still alive. The highwayman, insulted by the idea of being hanged, couldn’t honestly see anything about his trade or behavior that would warrant his execution. It made me aware of justified errors, omissions and misconceptions that had clouded my own sense of reality. My crimes were not as great as the highwayman – at least not in this lifetime – but, as a result of this awareness, the illusion of who I thought I was developed a few cracks.

Illusions allow us to believe what we want to, gerrymandering facts and events, ignoring our emotions, in order to cling to a version of ourselves that we want to think we are while avoiding reality. While it is comfortable and safe, it keeps us in dysfunction and makes life more difficult. Dying to the ego requires involution, a process of self-discovery that enables us to face the condor; the reality of ourselves. By dispelling the illusions we bring the ego into balance, merge our male and female aspects and become whole or self-actualized. Once self-actualized, we become able to fully develop our abilities and manifest our ambitions. So how is this process accomplished?

This, the Incans call cleaning the temple, dying to the ego or facing the condor, Jung refers to as a brutal analysis or recognition of self; a process of releasing the complexes, the twists and turns of illusion, that keep us blocked and in dysfunction.

Freeing ourselves necessitates a willingness to look in the mirror and not turn away from situations or glimpses that are uncomfortable, distasteful or that we see as negative. It means acknowledging our emotions as the tool they are; using every experience, positive or negative, as an opportunity to know ourselves better; to observe from within our reactions; to face our fears and any other emotions that surface – and look at them honestly. By being truly present in our lives, moment to moment observing our emotions, we can learn to respond instead of react. Free of illusion, self-actualized, life becomes easier. There are still challenges but we see them as opportunities to grow instead of impossible obstacles to our happiness. We move away from the damage and pain of our past and create for ourselves not only the life that we want but the joy that is our birthright.

Dreams can assist with this process, bringing into our awareness the issues hidden in our subconscious that need resolution, helping to release them and showing us the progress we’re making on our journey to wholeness. Keeping a dream journal sends a message to the subconscious that you want to remember your dreams. By recording them, the subconscious will begin creating dreams that are instructive in revealing your illusions and the issues with which you struggle. Brought into your awareness, you are then able to release them, face the condor and the reality of who you truly are; important steps on the road to self-actualization. Additionally, dreams can serve as barometers, letting you know how you’re progressing. While there are many books on dream symbols, and using one is a good place to start, eventually compiling your own, personalized list of symbols is important. Lucid dreaming, being fully aware of the dream as you’re dreaming it and being able to control it, allows access to the subconscious thus expediting the process – and can also be great fun.

Miriam Nesset is a Reiki Master, Hypnotherapist, Huna Therapist and writer. She works with individuals and conducts workshops in self-actualization using the text and study guide from her book Facing the Condor, the first book of Dream Trilogy; A Journey to Wholeness. For more information you can contact her at (207) 781-5898, (608) 347-4305 or at miriamnesset@yahoo.com.

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The Death of Courage H

by Laurie McCammon

ow many times have we referred to people who have preformed spontaneous acts of heroism as “courageous,” only to have them respond to our attention by saying, “Anyone in my shoes would’ve done the same thing.” Or, “I didn’t think about it. I just did it.” If false modesty were all that was at work, we’d expect only a portion of these heroes to respond with such humility and matter-of-factness. Since this response is the norm, however, something else must be at work. Perhaps when called into action by extraordinary circumstances, there is something that naturally lifts us into extraordinary action, a potential we weren’t aware exists within us until it takes us over.

The problem with courage is that we assume it is a quality that only some people possess. If we feel we aren’t inherently courageous, we tend to use this as an excuse to stay stuck in the life we’ve settled for rather than pursue the life of our dreams.

When faced with a choice to believe in ourselves or to doubt ourselves, most of us stay mired in doubts, which cloud our optimism and self-confidence. When we believe that courage is the “magic ingredient” that separates extraordinary people from the rest of us, we view courage as something outside of ourselves. We relate to courage through our own sense of lack. We feel diminished and disempowered, and in no emotional state to take a risk.

On Oprah’s “Spirituality 101” series aired earlier this season, Michael Beckwith told the story of how he left a lucrative and stable job to start his ministry on a shoestring. All his friends thought he was making a big mistake. They couldn’t believe he’d give up all he had worked for and put his family at risk to enter a field in which he had no prior experience or track record. People assumed he must have needed a great deal of courage to take such a risk. His response to them was that it required no courage at all. His vision and calling were so strong, that he could not possibly make any other choice for his life.

What do Michael Beckwith and spontaneous heroes have in common? In the moment of great risk or decision, they bypassed their rational minds. Heroes don’t have the time. They must act quickly and instinctively. Michael Beckwith was deeply in touch with a soul calling he couldn’t possibly deny. If he had looked at his bank account, rationalized what was best for his family, he wouldn’t have taken the irrational risk which eventually radically improved his life. For both, something more fundamental was leading him into appropriate action – an inner knowing and sense of alignment with what was presenting itself in the moment. When tuned to this inner certainty, courage is not needed because knowing and faith replaces courage as the primary source of strength and resolve. Despite all outer signs to the contrary, we find ourselves anchored in a sense of inner security – we feel that we’re in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.

Surrender offers something very important that courage doesn’t. Surrender invites us to merge with our intention, to submit to it and be guided by it. We don’t need courage because we aren’t taking the leap all at once and we aren’t taking it alone.

We are pursuing our goal one tiny, manageable step at a time. We are present in its unfolding. We cease to be self-conscious because we realize what we are pursuing is not isolated, but is part of a larger flow. In being connected to this flow, we aren’t so afraid of failing. Living within the flow of our lives is exhilarating, giving us momentum and staying power for the long haul. Our goal is growing along with us. We are our goal unfolding one step at a time. Surrender means that we let go of controlling the ultimate end place and stay focused on the step we are taking right now. We live in a place of trust that the next step will present itself when the time is right. When it does, we trust ourselves to take action, which is in alignment with our intention. We don’t need to wait for gratification because we are living our goal today by moving forward in it now. We get to experience the joy right now.

Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., in his book, The Biology of Belief points out that in humans, the growth response and the protection response cannot both operate optimally in

As a matter of habit and training, we tend to rely primarily on our rational minds to make the “big” decisions in our lives. These largely programmed and often unconscious thoughts are laced with fear and limiting beliefs, many of which are completely inaccurate. If we don’t also pay attention to our intuition and our physical and emotional responses, we are missing a great deal of data available to us, which could guide us to making a better decision. These more basic responses often provide far more accurate data than our mental programming does. But since the rational mind tends to dominate, we must consciously choose to listen to the subtler signals of the heart and spirit.

Recently, I was offered what I considered an ideal business partnership proposal. At first I was elated, but within twenty-four hours my stomach was constantly in knots and I had trouble sleeping and concentrating.

This offer was a dream come true, so why did I feel so horrible? I meditated on what these cues were trying to tell me until I felt a sense of calm and clarity return. Even though it seemed on the surface that the deal was ideal everyone involved, my intuition told me it was not. I had to pull out, risking friendships I valued and the probability that I would be resented for abruptly changing my mind.

I remember feeling strongly compelled to follow my intuition and heart. It didn’t take courage, just a shift to trusting an inner compass, which already knew what I needed to do. It was as if I had no choice at all. I moved into surrender to the more elegant plan I could not yet see but trusted would unfold not just for me but also for those who had offered me the partnership.

"Just close your eyes and take the leap!"

When we use lack of courage as an excuse for not stepping into the flow of our lives, the whole world suffers the loss of who we could have become. Conversely, when we summon courage to take a step we are not yet ready for or which is not ready for us, (“Just close your eyes and take the leap!”) courage may provide a short-term adrenaline rush, but ultimately takes us out of the flow of our lives, often leading to blind alleys, failures, and disappointments in the long run. Courage is a tool of the ego self, a way to prod us into leaving our comfort zone in order to achieve. Courage makes us feel alone and separate when we don’t ever need to be.

(Ever wonder why superheroes wear disguises which further depersonalizes them and sets them apart?) Courage completely loses relevance when we operate instead from the authentic self. Achievement arises without prodding, a natural result of trusting in a supportive world and in our own inherent potentiality.

It is time to “out” courage for the outmoded, overrated concept it truly is, and to replace it with its polar opposite, surrender. I think this is what the expression “take a leap of faith” has been trying to tell us all along. When we have faith, the kind that comes from surrendering to what is (including to our own inherent limitlessness), the sense of taking a scary, big leap simply vanishes into thin air. Julia Cameron, Author of The Artist’s Way, advises us to “leap and the net will appear.” As we move into surrender, perhaps we’ll discover that the net doesn’t only appear when we leap. We find that it was there for us all along.

Laurie McCammon has a Masters in Adult Education (MSAEd), and is a Bates College Dirigo Scholar. She has been happily married for 19 years and has an elevenyear old son. Formerly an adult education manager in a large nonprofit organization, Laurie has taught both as a USM adjunct faculty member and nationally in the nonprofit sector, and has written for and served as Editor for the International Journal of Volunteer Administration. She has served on the board at Meadow Wind Holistic Learning Center in Falmouth, and is currently working on a spiritual novel for women entitled, “Gift of the Compass Rose.” She is the founding director of The Women’s Institute of Maine (www.womensinstituteme.org), where she uses her interest in writing, planning and hosting to bring women together for self-development and positive change.

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What if courage isn’t the magic ingredient we thought it was? What if what we need isn’t courage at all? Heroes aren’t the only ones to point out that courage is not necessary to achieve great things. Many successful and famous people describe a different process by which they muster the resolve to do the seemingly insurmountable.

Surprisingly, this process involves not courage, but its polar opposite: surrender. Surrender to what, you might ask?

Surrender to a deeper calling, a purpose larger than oneself.

When we get in touch with something profound that we truly believe in, and we say an inward “yes” to supporting it, our focused intention can be unstoppable.

our bodies at the same time. The protection response is associated with fear, with closing down, defending, conserving, with maintaining the status quo. The growth response is associated with expansion and connection. Because the growth response also generates life-sustaining energy, a prolonged protection response saps our vitality and health. Courage is a protection response because it is rooted in fear and self-preservation. We sense a threat and summon courage to deal with it. Surrender is a growth response. It invites us to relax into what is and to treat it with love and regard. When taking a risk, we have a choice. We can either choose a protection response or a growth response. It is pretty clear which offers more potential for getting us to where we want to go.

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lov ing e ar th

A Vision of Equality Moving forward with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

by Pat Foley

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n September of the year 2007, after twenty-five years of sustained effort on the parts of both Indigenous Peoples and cooperating NGOs (non-governmental organizations), the United Nations General Assembly passed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The vote for passage was 144 to 4, with 11 abstentions. This exceptional act is on a par with the 1948 passage of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. The non-binding act sets a standard humanity can be proud of.

But do you remember hearing about it? Perhaps not, for neither this bold declaration, nor the fierce debates leading up to its passage received attention in the mainstream press in either the United States or Canada.

In truth the Canzus block; the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand fought strongly against certain sections of the Declaration as potentially undermining their authority to develop resources wherever and whenever they chose to do so. Despite this, wisdom and justice prevailed, and the Declaration was passed.

This document affirms the positive importance of human diversity. In its entirety, the Declaration is a reasoned piece of work, which reconciles with painful past histories and addresses the future from a unified position of support for human rights. In addition it is, according to Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the only Declaration of the UN, that was drafted in partnership with the rightsholders themselves, the Indigenous Peoples.

Protecting Ecologies

From an ecological perspective there are articles in this document of particular interest. They are important because they set a baseline for minimum international environmental standards on Indigenous lands that reflect native input.

Many Indigenous societies have developed the wisdom to live within their particular territories for thousands of years without inducing environmental collapse. The industrial world, supported by a mistaken belief that perpetual expansion on a finite planet is possible, operates on a less sustainable standard. As the industrialized peoples of the planet deplete resources within their own territories, they look elsewhere for materials to “mine.” Historically countries, states, corporations and their various agents have, with impunity, accessed Indigenous lands to remove resources.

Generally this “mining,” which continues even today, is engaged in without appropriate permission.

A contemporary example of “mining” involves the privatization of water. Water is a vital resource. We cannot live without it. Yet water privatization is a required condition of many World Bank loans, even though there are no existing independent studies indicating that privatization improves water conditions for either people or the environment. Once removed from the commons, water becomes a commodity. It is “mined,” often exported and the “owner” entity charges for the use of this water which once was free. Indigenous cultures often cannot afford to pay for the water they need to survive.

Citizens in South Africa are trying to overturn a water privatization contract forced upon them by the World Bank. After privatization, those too poor to pay the fees charged had their water shut off and were forced to obtain 8 Inner Tapestry Oct/Nov 2009

their drinking water from polluted rivers. This resulted in an outbreak of cholera that killed more than 30 people.

The government of British Colombia contracted with Sun Belt Water, a California company, allowing the company to export water to California. This was done without sufficient public input and without an environmental or social impact assessment to determine the impact on the extraction area. The people prevailed in this case and forced their government to cancel the contract. Sun Belt Water is now suing Canada for not only the money lost when the contract was canceled, but also for future profits it might have made.

These examples are typical. Extraction is generally done with very little concern for the continued health of a particular environment or for the peoples whose very survival depends upon the integrity of that environment.

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples offers us a different vision of how things might be in this world when we hold the welfare of all at heart and act cooperatively.

Often there is little public objection to these unsustainable “mining” practices for the simple reason we the people don’t know about them in full. They happen in out-of-the-way places and do not receive attention in the mainstream press; or, if they are noticed, the Indigenous point of view about what is happening is given little or no coverage. Thus we have inadequate information from which to form our opinions.

The UN Declaration affirms that these acts of resource removal are not acceptable. The existence of the Declaration in itself provides a mechanism for focusing attention on violations. It states specific Indigenous rights, including the following: Article 20: Indigenous peoples deprived of their means of subsistence and development are entitled to just and fair redress.

Article 24: Indigenous peoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices, including conservation of their vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals.

Article 29: Indigenous peoples have the right to the conservation and protection of the environment and the productive capacity of their lands or territories and resources…. States shall take effective measures to ensure that no storage or disposal of hazardous materials shall take place in lands or territories of indigenous peoples without their free, prior and informed consent…

Offering a Better Vision

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples offers us a different vision of how things might be in this world when we hold the welfare of all at

heart and act cooperatively. The next steps for steering this vision fully into ordinary reality are the steps of implementation. For the Declaration to have the greatest impact, its provisions need to be commonly known and applied as widely as possible.

In October of 2008, the International Forum on Globalization of California and the Tebtebba Foundation of the Philippines jointly sponsored a meeting to discuss the principles of the Declaration and to find ways to actualize its full potential. The major outcome of this gathering was a mandate to form a wider network of NGOs, working in close consultation with international Indigenous leaders, to encourage and help coordinate efforts to support implementation. The International Forum on Globalization agreed to serve as secretariat of this effort, beginning in the year 2009.

What We Each Can Do

Beyond organizational effort, there is room for personal action. A good place to begin is with self-education. As we understand the issues at hand more thoroughly, we can better respond to them appropriately. Paradigm Wars: Indigenous Peoples’ Resistance to Globalization, a book edited

by Jerry Mander and Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, explores globalization and its ongoing assaults on Indigenous resources. It offers excellent background material on the issues from Indigenous perspectives. The book presents us with a side of our Western consumerism and corporate behavior we may not have been previously aware of. In addition, the websites listed under "sources" at the end of this article all provide information not usually available in mainstream media.

In order to understand the issues, which are global in scope, involving not only the world’s 350 million Indigenous Peoples, but also the consumerism of the industrialized world that supports much of globalization, it is important to understand as many sides of each situation as possible and to see their commonalities. Although the problems are often huge and difficult to address, only when we gain a bigger picture of our world can we move forward in a balanced way. It is when we humans reconcile our many different truths that we can successfully address issues in their entirety. The Declaration offers us an ethical baseline for guiding future action.

Sources include: Paradigm Wars, www.sierraclub.org/books.

"Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples," International Forum on Globalization, www.ifg.org, www.pachamama.org, www.earthrights.org, www.econjustice.net, www.cs.org, www.tebtebba.org © Pat Foley, 2009 Pat Foley attempts to live a green/sustainable life just outside of Cornish, Maine. She is the owner of Earthrest, a retreat center operating on solar power, which offers gathering space for groups and individuals. The underlying focus of Earthrest is on following Gandhi’s advice to be the change we wish to see in the world. You may contact Pat at earthrest@psouth or (207) 625-4179.

Fear is not a natural state of any living being!

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m od ern s ham an ic l i v i n g

New Visions: Dreaming a New Dream

by Evelyn C. Rysdyk

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he New Physics reminds us that we continually dream the world into being with our thoughts and feelings. Up until now, our human collective has been doing this largely unconsciously. As a result, we have dreamed an existence that is fraught with poverty, conflict and fear.

On the other hand, there is a sacred kind of dreaming that shamans throughout time have known and practiced. It involves aligning with compassionate spirits in Nature and learning to look through the lens of the heart. When a person remembers herself or himself back into the fabric of All That Is, she or he is much more likely to “see” a solution that can benefit the whole.

There are many other studies that have been done that prove the power of having an “attitude of gratitude” and I’ve listed a few resources at the end of this column to assist you in developing you own gratitude practice.

Generating these new feelings can be accomplished best by generating feelings of gratitude first... ..It is your feelings that become your tool for manifestation.

Feelings are the prayer!

The path of becoming a co-creator begins by first by dreaming a new dream for yourself. The steps include the following: • Developing a gratitude practice.* • Observing limiting perceptions without judgment of the self.

• Changing your mind/heart.

• Affirmative feelings make the difference.

• Repeating this process everyday!

The practice of gratitude Gratitude has the power to transform both your inner and outer environments. In a study of organ transplant recipients, researchers from UC Davis and the Mississippi University for Women found that patients who keep “gratitude journals” scored better on measures of mental health, general health and vitality than those who keep only routine notes about their days. Test subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group kept routine daily notes about medication side-effects, how they felt about life overall, how connected they were to others and how they felt about the upcoming day. Patients in the other group answered the same questions but were also asked to list five things or people they were grateful for each day and why they were grateful for them.

They were asked to reflect on what they wrote as well.

After 21 days, mental health and general well-being scores had risen for patients in the gratitude group but declined for those in the control group. This is particularly important as feeling better emotionally has been proven to actually translate into becoming more physically well! It may seem counter-intuitive, but if you can feel better first, you will be more likely to get better!

Gratitude combined with time spent in Nature is a special salve to the soul that can’t be matched. I find that each time I spend time in the natural world offers me more rich fodder for my gratitude practice. The heron that passes just feet overhead, the ripples of a giant snapping turtle swimming past me, the puff of

Thoughts and perceptions The next step in transforming your inner reality is to begin looking at your limiting perceptions and the unpleasant feelings that they produce. This can start with simply observing your thoughts. Please remember to do this with compassion! If you are like most people, your thoughts are bound by limiting assumptions about who you are and what you are capable of achieving. They were passed to you by your family and the culture as well as through the misperceptions you developed about yourself and the nature of reality when you were still a tiny child.

Even though these old ways of being have been with you for a while, it is useful to remember that they can be replaced by new more accurate ways of looking at yourself and the world!

Sometimes these thoughts are no more than excuses.

Twelve-step programs refer to these as “stinking thinking” or basically distorted thinking built on incorrect beliefs.

Oversimplifying, amplifying, minimizing, justifying, and blaming are a few examples of classic stinking thinking that can keep you in the old, outmoded dream of yourself.

Thoughts like these often come up when you start focusing your future and the idea of change.

They include a litany of “reasons” why something can’t be different than it is now, “I can’t because...”, “Nothing good will happen for me...” or even “That’s not possible...” Arising swiftly in the mind, these paralyzing old beliefs restrict you. When you give them power, they can shrink your new vision of yourself even before you’ve given a new idea a chance to fly.

These erroneous patterns of thought were learned through your earliest interactions with other people.

These people, in their turn, were playing out their own unconscious messages about reality. In most cases, they did not intend to limit you, but simply passed on their own misperceptions. In some cases they may have also felt so poorly about themselves, they sought to gain power by making you feel even worse. In either case, since the perceptions that were created are learned information— you can learn something new to replace them!

Creating a change of mind/heart It is clear that these kinds of limiting beliefs and perceptions hold you back from your most marvelous potential and that they are part of a group of human mind “computer viruses” that have restricted your perceptions.

Once you have observed yourself for a time, you will gain awareness of the thinking patterns that need to be changed. The next step is to uncover the feelings that underlie the thoughts. When you find yourself thinking limiting thoughts, ask yourself “What am I feeling?” It may be that you are feeling that you “aren’t good enough,” “I’ll never have enough” or that you feel some other kind of fear. Holding the utmost compassion for yourself, identify those unbeneficial and limiting feelings.

You may find that journaling can be very beneficial in this process. Using the page as a sounding board for your feelings can help you to become more clear.

For some people, a short course of psychotherapy or other counseling can help to further identify and untangle your feelings. You may be one who needs to understand where the feeling come from in order to better release them. Follow your own guidance about the particular support that you might require.

Once you have a clear sense of the underlying feelings that are part of your limiting perceptions/beliefs it is time to create an antidote for them. If, for instance, your particular belief is that “I’ll never have enough,” then you need to generate feelings of being fully satisfied in your life.

Feelings are your prayers Generating these new feelings can be accomplished best by generating feelings of gratitude first. Once you are feeling really full of gratitude, use your brilliant imagination to create a scenario that produces feelings of your desire being already fulfilled. Remember: the imagery you bring to mind is whatever you need to generate the feelings. It is your feelings that become your tool for manifestation. Feelings are the prayer!

Using the above example, you would imagine ways in which you feel that you have more than enough.

You may imagine being able to effortlessly provide for your family’s needs. You may imagine yourself sitting with a loved one in a beautiful place feeling perfectly at ease. Simple affirmations often fail because the underlying feelings haven’t changed. By transforming the feelings, you actually begin transforming your reality. Once you have had this change of heart/mind,

Continued on Page 45 Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 9

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This is not a one-time vision of what is possible, rather it is a kind of dreaming that is done continually to weave the world. Up until now, you may have envisioned yourself and the world in a certain way and so have produced the life that you see around you.

The idea of transforming that may, at first, sound very difficult as it does require developing relationships with nature and taking responsibility for your thoughts and feelings. In truth, however, you are already dreaming your reality right now, so why not learn to do it more consciously and with more pleasing results?

vapor around a deer’s muzzle on a chilly morning or the garish splashes of a vibrant sunset all get added to my catalog of things, people and experiences for which I feel grateful. This “list” is something I use to help me to re-experience the feelings of gratitude. If one memory doesn’t produce the feeling I desire, I move to the next until I am filled with gratitude and appreciation for my life once again.

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Self Awakening Healing Groups

with Ron and Joan

Unwind... Body & Mind

269 Church St. (Rte 85), Hebron, CT

Tuesdays $20 6:30pm - 8:00pm September 22nd ~ October 6th, 20th November 3rd, 17th

10 Inner Tapestry Oct/Nov 2009

Reservations & Information

Call 860-655-5500

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

visit: www.ronandjoan.com

11

Living Visions With Your Pets

by Donald and Sara Hassler

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hat exactly does it mean to be living visions, to have a living vision, and how can we have living visions with our pets? The answers all lead to finding the inner spirit within ourselves, and our pets, and then linking the two mystical elements together as one. In order to discover our inner spirit, we must first set our spirit free.

For most of us, we live within a boundary system made up of human standards that are either acceptable or unacceptable. Some people find it hard to imagine their lives “living their vision” because many of us don’t know how to find our vision. By taking a closer look at the way our animal companions live, we will see their inner spirit, and then allow them to unlock ours.

Animals instinctively live freely day to day and moment to moment. Even though they remember past loves, losses or traumas, they strive to live in the present of each day. Pets also live with an unbounded fullness and give themselves to life. They don’t hold back and don’t have barriers standing around them. They are ready to love completely, unconditionally and without hesitation. For these reasons, they are wonderful teachers of how we as humans can live with vision.

Pet Tip #1 Live in the Present — Moment to Moment

Pet Tip #2 Live Life Fully — Give Yourself to Life Pets live with a lighthearted fullness and because they give themselves to life, they take nothing from it. If we learn to live by giving ourselves to our lives, then we automatically become givers to life. We will feel the fullness of life because we are a part of it. If we are donating or contributing to life we are less likely to find ourselves standing on the outside looking into our life. We are also not going to be only taking from life. We will be full participants in our life.

Pet Tip #3 Lower the Outer Walls — Tear Down the Barriers Pets tend to invite others into their life, easily and without hesitation because they don’t have the same prefabricated walls or barriers set up as a means of protection.

For animals, they come into this world without barriers. They don’t create them, and do not hide behind them. If we as humans could open our lives up to the world without predetermined ideas and thoughts, we would be able to engage the world freely, like our animal friends do. Pets are able to be re-homed again, with and without the aide of positive social training at times, because they do not create walls and barriers to their world. They don’t hold back and we can learn to do the same.

We often find it easier to block love than to either offer it, or receive it. The fear of losing something or someone we cherish, makes blocking an automatic and natural response. We came into this world without fear—wanting to be loved and wanting to love. Think of a newborn infant or baby animal. They entered this world, needing love and wanting to love. It’s a widely known fact that babies, animals or human, will die without love (i.e. touch, warmth, food, cuddling, all of which are primal acts of love). Our pets love without hesitation and they love unconditionally. This type of love is an open door to their hearts. Their unconditional love opens the door to the hearts of those they love. Since we know strength is in numbers, when we combine our hearts with others, we and our pets become stronger.

By connecting to the lifestyle our animal friends live by, we can open up our own world and learn what’s inside of our inner spirit. We can unlock our inner spirit by unlocking our inhibitions. If we live life freely and give ourselves to life, if we don’t create barriers that surround us and if we open ourselves up giving love and receiving love—we make it possible to begin the process of living with vision.

But what is living with vision? Living with vision is not just some kind of spiritual spitter-spatter nonsensical idea. It is practical and scientifically based. Living with Vision is the re-tooled term that describes the early and very influential school of psychology developed in the 1950’s and '60’s by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.

Their theory was known as the Humanistic Theory, which asserts that people will make rational and conscious decisions regarding their lives. It optimistically suggests that individuals will be drawn to reach toward their greatest potential.

Living with Vision, is rising to Your Self to what you know you can do. It is living with the empowerment of the gifts that are inside of each one of us.

So… how can we live with vision with our pets? By following their mantra and their lifestyle, we can open our life up to their free world. For our animal friends, words and language are only a small part of the communication process. Animals pick up on the energy behind others. They listen for the intentions of another person, beast or situation. If we stop, listen and find our energy source, we can reach inside it to find our deepest life intentions and we will by default, pull out from within, our own life vision. Take some time out and connect with your own inner spirit through an animal companion’s freedom of spirit. Enjoy learning what your gifts are and what your visions might be. Once identified take pleasure in working towards living with visions with your faithful companions by your side.

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.

Lots of People talk to animals...

Not very many listen, though... that's the problem." ... Benjamin Hoff Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 11

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As humans, we’ve learned to live either in the past, the future, or a combination of the two, and often avoid living in the present. By striving to live in the present like our animal counterparts we allow ourselves to embody our experiences, feel them and better understand them for what they are, not what we may think they are. We can live with a greater sense of worth if we choose to live moment to moment like our pets do.

Pet Tip #4 Allow Yourself to Love — Without Hesitation & Unconditionally

12

ON THE COVER

Creativity, Spirituality and Recovery

by Arla Patch

I would like to welcome Arla Patch as this issue's cover artist. This issue's theme, Living Visions, brings to us an artist who creates just that, a living vision for those who have experienced intense trauma in their lives. I asked Arla to share her story with you, along with her process and that of the women she has worked with.

Thank you Arla for sharing this special way of connection; and to the women whose pictures we present, our gratitude and love.

Four hundred years ago I would have been burned at the stake, as I have visions and hear voices. But today I am safe to admit that I woke one morning with the vision of a woman made out of ferns.

As an artist, I knew this vision was a gift that could not be ignored. I set out to create it by photographing ferns with slide film, projecting that on to a black surface, getting in front of that with the slide focused on me and then taking a photo of that projection with a camera on a tripod.

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This idea led to the creation of my first book A Body Story in 2005, which was nominated for Outstanding Book of the Year by the Independent Publishers in 2006. As a woman with a trauma history, the process was so healing for me – projecting nature onto my body, fusing with it and thereby reframing how I saw and felt about myself – that I wanted to share it.

The Nature Fusion Process™ was the result of this desire. It is a workshop that uses "photofusion" with group work, movement, writing, guided imagery and making a life-sized cast shadow drawing. I have been fortunate to share this process with women in prison at Mission Creek Correctional Center for Women in Washington State as well as with “troubled girls” in a therapeutic boarding school in Arizona.

These experiences provided the material for my newest book Finding Ground: Girls and Women in Recovery. It contains the nature fusion images generated from the workshops, along with the writing created by each girl or women, as well as the context of her story.

Just being a woman on this planet can create a need to reframe our sense of self. Of particular interest to me, as an artist and facilitator of healing, are “troubled girls” and incarcerated women. Their wounds have been particularly intense and traumatizing. I have been inspired by how art can dramatically change our perception.

As an art teacher since 1972, I have repeatedly witnessed the power of shifting into our right brain hemisphere. When there is a history of trauma involved, the right brain – the visual, perceiving, intuitive world of our imagination – holds particularly potent possibilities for personal transformation. This was further validated by a talk given by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a Harvard brain scientist who actually experienced a purely right brain reality during a stroke. (www.ted.com/talks/view/id/229) Whenever we access our right hemisphere, we have the opportunity to experience ourselves as more expansive and connected to everything around us. Our left hemisphere is the one that tells us we are separate. Through imagery we can see ourselves in this entirely new and beautiful way. We can access an understanding of ourselves that takes away judgment and replaces it with peacefulness and belonging.

Here lies the seed of the Nature Fusion Process™.

It is said that imagery is the language of the soul. Our science is bearing that out. In Bessel van der Kolk’s book The Body Keeps the Score, the idea is presented that verbal therapies often can’t address memories that are stored in the body.

Neuroimaging of the brain has shown that when people remember a traumatic event, the left frontal cortex – the centers of speech and language – shuts down.

The right hemisphere lights up, especially the amygdala, which is associated with emotional states. It also showed that when people recount the trauma, frontal lobes become impaired and individuals have trouble thinking and speaking.

12 Inner Tapestry Oct/Nov 2009

Doris Banowsky Arrington pointed out in Art, Angst and Trauma: Right Brain Interventions with Developmental Issues that “creative activity literally changes the traumatized topography of the brain.” The rational and verbal left-brain has usually constructed a matrix of protection and minimization about what needs to be healed. Creating images using the body opens the door to the emotions and spirit – that “place of no words” – allowing access to what might really be down deep in our inner well. Then we have the opportunity to love what we find there.

My experience with the teenage girls and women struggling to heal from the traumas of their past, has been deeply moving and rewarding. It’s also a comfort to know that the science supports what I have observed in how well this creative process works.

When I returned to the prison six months after the workshop, it was very encouraging to learn that the “shifts” that had occurred were still very much alive and operating for the women. During the workshop I had given them each a print of their photograph, which they were allowed to have on the wall in their cell, so they could constantly be reminded of this new way of seeing themselves.

"Just being a woman on this planet can create a need to reframe our sense of self."

One woman told me that she had always seen herself as a logical, analytical and controlled person. After my workshop, she realized that she was actually intuitive and creative. She has since had the chance to take a painting class in prison and has realized she has natural talent. Once she is released, she is determined to attend Art and Design School. She said she now realizes this more rigid and intellectual self-concept was a coping mechanism that masked her true nature.

With Nature as the physician and a prescription of creativity, beauty, and the individual’s own body, the Nature Fusion Process™ is a powerful tool for transformation.

It proved especially useful in reframing the shame and self-loathing that comes with being a “troubled girl” or a prison inmate.

This unique photographic process has given women and girls, working to reclaim their value, a visual anchor. When they lay eyes on themselves in this new transformed way there is a sense of coming home to who they really are. There is also the truth that a photograph doesn’t lie. These concrete images help them recognize their innate beauty and reclaim their fundamental value.

The positive results from the Nature Fusion Process™ work also springs from our heritage of living on this earth. We seem to carry a genetic memory of a time when our lives were completely intertwined with the conditions of nature. Our lives were in tune with its rhythms. That kind of grounding supports a sense of belonging, purpose and spiritual connection. It is the loss of this relationship with our ground – loosing our inborn compass – that creates the conditions for our lives to fall apart. Our identity is fragmented and we become disconnected from our true nature. We then try to find our ground in the wrong places and with endless substitutions. Our fusion with Nature has an authenticity and a wholeness that those in recovery are seeking.

One woman inmate who told me that she knew she had purposely returned to “God’s Hotel” (prison) for her second time in order to get clean from drug addiction and straightened out, said she saw a part of herself she had never seen before in the photograph I took. She had always seen herself as a tomboy growing up but when she saw herself made of flowers, she saw the feminine self she didn’t know that well. She said it was “the spirit in me wanting to blossom.” She told me she carries that image of herself around in her mind’s eye and it is really important to her now. She has an expanded sense of who she really is.

Another woman in prison said she realized that she deserved to be free of the resentment she carried toward her father, a heroin addict, who had sexually molested her from age 12-16. She decided to write him a letter forgiving him for what he had done. By some stroke of fate she had been moved back to another

13 prison facility and assigned a new roommate. This new roommate knew her father. She gave her roommate the letter to give to her father.

A few years had passed since first working with one girl at the boarding school who is now 18. When we spoke on the phone she explained to me that her wilderness experience in recovery was where she first made the turn toward finding her “hope and inner power.” Being able to become one with nature in the photograph was an important symbol of that change. She is now working toward getting her high school diploma and is an apprentice to a massage therapist. She wants to study bodywork and massage.

“Change is certain, growth is optional,” is how a young woman serving a sevenand-a-half year sentence started her response on how she felt about the effects of the workshop.

She said the image confirmed who she has become during her incarceration.

Even in her “worst state” she tries to be positive, because “you are what you think you are.” She said that who she really is, is not her crime. Prison may have “stagnated her potential but it will not stop her from succeeding.” She loves art and it is how she sees her spirit - creative and artistic. She felt the experience with me fanned the flame of the artist within her. It helped that part become more real. The photograph gave her the visual for what it looks like.

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One woman who has been released from prison wrote me this in an email: “What I gained from the workshop was: it gave me an outlet to get back in touch with the creative life force inside of me. Something I lost in my addiction. I became one with the medium I was using and realized what I thought was lost was very much alive.”

The last essential piece of this process that needs mention is the community building. In the dark, having changed into skin tone colored leotards or tank tops, both girls and women face the anxiety of focusing on being in their bodies, standing up in front of the group, and having to trust the rest of us to care for and guide them. All seem to struggle with the internal messages that flood most of us about our unworthiness.

What they experience in this loving container of empathy is a shower of appreciation and spontaneous exclamations of their beauty. Bathing in the positivity of their peers is one of the most powerful parts of the healing in the workshop. The limitless creative possibilities of these fusions of nature with the beauty of the female form are infectious. With beauty as the seducer, we all enter into a creative gestalt with palpable excitement. I usually try three different slides and sometimes up to a total of 9-10 poses in all. This gives each person the chance to choose from a fairly large selection.

Especially for women, and particularly for those who have been violated, our bodies take the brunt. Whether from internalized loathing due to the cultural norms or a more powerful abusive incident, this toxicity so easily becomes our loathing directed inward. Our bodies are never good enough. But when we open to this fusion with the beauty of Nature, wearing her as our skin, we can recognize that the same life force she possesses also runs through our veins. We come to an elevated understanding of ourselves. We can begin to honor our own miraculousness.

Societal standards no longer count. There is a higher order involved.

Arla Patch is an artist, educator, and facilitator of healing. For over thirty years she has taught others to find their own inner artist, acting as a “creativity midwife” for the purpose of transformation. She works with individuals, groups and teaches classes. Visit www.arlapatch.com. She is represented by www.VoxPhotographs.com. Her books A Body Story and Finding Ground: Girls and Women in Recovery are available on her website.

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Washington, ME 04574 Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 13

14

t he 2 1 s t c e ntu ry b o h e m i a n

A Conversation with Shakti Gawain Celebrating a Creative Visualization Milestone

by Teresa Piccari

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ast fall, Shakti Gawain’s independent publishing firm New World Library released a handsome gift edition of Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life complete with a slipcase, ribbon marker and a CD, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the spiritual and creative classic. The CD features Shakti describing the principles of creative visualization in guided meditations, exercises and affirmations that are also featured in her book.

I recently spoke with the inspirational Shakti Gawain by phone from her California home about her first book, penned in 1978 (at the age of 30, half her lifetime ago) and her perspective on the ensuing journey.

TP: You have been called a spiritual teacher and pioneer of personal development and consciousness. How do you view yourself?

SG: In terms of my role in the world? I would have to say I consider myself a teacher of consciousness. People often use the term spiritual teacher. I don’t feel like I’m a spiritual teacher because to me that wouldn’t include enough. The spiritual part of ourselves is one very important part but we have many other parts as well. What I have found fascinating, and necessary in my own life, is to really embrace all aspects of ourselves and become more conscious of how we’re living our lives on all levels – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. To me that’s what my life has been about. Learning how to make my life fuller and deeper and more meaningful and to be able to contribute as much as possible toward making change in the world. I love it when I can learn something myself and put it into action in my life and then seeing how it can help others. Watching that process happen for people, how they take something new in, learn it and use it.

Becoming more conscious is my path and my work is sharing with others what I have learned. I happen to be a pretty good writer and am good at explaining things. The feedback I have gotten is that people think I can make things understandable.

TP: Can you describe the sensation you have had of realizing your writing was coming from a higher source within you?

SG: As I really was getting into the process of writing I discovered there were thoughts and ideas coming to me that I didn’t plan. In kind of a spontaneous way, things would come to me and as I would write, more things would come. It’s also especially true with speaking, during talks and lectures, and teaching workshops. I feel each of us has a deep connection to our inner wisdom and when we can get connected to that, it’s really like life is blowing through us and life is guiding us. My second book Living in the Light is all about learning to get in touch with your inner guidance.

TP: Speaking of anniversaries, this summer marked the 40th anniversary of Woodstock and Americans walking on the moon. Where were you in the summer of 1969, were you by any chance at Woodstock?

SG: No I wasn’t. I was on the West coast but I was very much involved in that whole era and everything that was happening at that time. I was actually living near San Francisco.

TP: This period we are in now has often been compared to the sixties. What parallels do you see between what that generation was trying to accomplish and the phase that we are in now?

SG: I was actually thinking about this the other day. I think what happened was the sixties were a breakthrough. We were, in the forties and fifties, and of course after the war (World War Two) wound down, we were breaking though a time that had gotten very uptight, prim and proper in a way. I think a lot was being expressed through the music. I know if really affected me. I have always been very deeply connected to music. I think the music was reflective of what was happening during those times. A great time of exploration and trying new things. I feel like I was definitely part of that.

Call me a hippie for sure.

TP: What might we need to do differently now than we did in the sixties?

SG: I feel in the sixties we opened up a lot and took chances and tried new things.

At the time it was fun, exciting and fascinating. We were discovering a lot of things.

But eventually things went underground or we collectively tried to figure out how to integrate things. We learn things but then we have to integrate them. Learning 14 Inner Tapestry Oct/Nov 2009

something isn’t enough, you then have to integrate it into your life. I think with some of the influences from the Eastern spiritual tradition mixing with a lot of new ideas in the psychological realm, at least for me, it was a combination of all that. And it was exciting and fun but eventually it began to – like with the drug issue, psychedelic type drugs I think helped people open up on another level. But then it was time to let that go and find a path that didn’t depend on drugs. And I think we’ve been working on that and I think in the process, especially now within this new (Obama) administration and with people beginning to understand about climate change and so forth, I think we’re coming around to that cycle again but we have to integrate more. And we have to look at everything that we’ve swept under the rug or denied or disowned both in ourselves and in our culture. I definitely think Obama represents this visionary who also knows how to get things accomplished in the world. I think there is a lot of old stuff there that needs to come out and it is. We’re actually looking at becoming much more conscious of how things are being run and handled in our world and we want to do it differently.

TP: When you talk about things in the culture being swept under the rug are you also making a parallel about the shadow part of ourselves on a personal level?

SG: Yes, it’s both what is happening to each of us individually and our collective culture. I feel we’re always operating collectively and individually. To me it feels like a lot is being revealed about how this world has functioned and how our culture has functioned or hasn’t. It’s kind of shocking to see how huge corporations run things. So anyway, I think it’s a time of sort of circling back and reconnecting with some of the idealism that we had before that we couldn’t go any further with until we did some more work.

TP: How are you incorporating the shadow work you talk about?

SG: Well interesting that you would ask that because that’s certainly what’s been happening. I have always been pretty strong. I’ve been comfortable with power and been an innovator.

But what’s happened in my life I have been getting messages that it’s time to pay more attention to myself and my own needs in my own life. I’ve had an amazing life. I mean my life has been absolutely blessed with the work I have been able to do, not only helping others but also because its been fascinating to me. And especially that part about finding out about the disowned parts of ourselves, the shadow side of ourselves.

That’s so crucial because if we don’t embrace those aspects of ourselves, they turn into something difficult to deal with. In my case I have had some health issues come up which has not been my path before. I’ve always been super healthy. I believe it’s part of my process right now to keep me from continuing to do so much. And learning to acknowledge my own emotional and physical needs more because I have had to.

TP: Are you teaching right now?

SG: Not right now. I’ve actually taken a break for a couple of years from writing and teaching. I’m doing more inward process.

TP: So you are not working on another book?

SG: Actually I’m kind of working on one a little bit. We’ll see if it happens.

TP: When you first wrote Creative Visualization in 1978, you said that you were not an expert but a student of the process. I wondered how you feel about that today and what you might be learning now in life? And I was wondering if you still consider yourself a student?

SG: I will always consider myself a student because you never get to a place in life when you know it all. And if you do then you better watch out because you’re in dangerous waters.

TP: Is there something new you’re learning?

Continued on Page 41

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The Magic of Hot Stone

by Karen M. Rider

Griswold, Connecticut

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or millennia, across a spectrum of cultures, people have used some form of massage and heat (thermotherapy) as a therapeutic tool.

Chinese, Native American and Hawaiian cultures are believed to have the strongest influence on modern-day massage treatments that incorporate touch, heat and medicinal stones. The ancient Chinese regularly used sharpened stones, known as Bian Stones, in an early form of acupuncture to treat disease. Heat was added by pulverizing the herb mugwort and forming it into a cigar-shaped cylinder that was burned at one end and applied to the body.

pain, insomnia, over-worked muscles, repetitive joint injuries, and muscle tension associated with other medical conditions—including arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and MS.

Native Americans, believe that stones are their oldest living relative, referring to the stones as “grandfather rocks.”

Well known for the sweat lodge, Native Americans heated grandfather rocks until white hot before pouring water over them to create steam. Heated stones were applied to the lower abdomen to relieve cramps.

Hot stones, shaking and dancing were combined in ritual dances for healing and to call upon ancestors and the Great Spirit for the health and prosperity of the tribe.

Alternating applications of cold and hot, a sort of “vascular gymnastics” of the circulatory system, supports the body in healing in another important way—it promotes the relaxation response. According to the American Massage Therapy Association, the most common reason for a person to get a massage is for stress reduction, particularly to manage mental/emotional symptoms such as anxiety, depression, irritability, and worry.

Ancient Hawaiian massage techniques are credited with the origins of hot stone massage. Customary uses included wrapping hot stones in leaves with certain therapeutic properties (ti leaves) and placing them on sore muscles to reduce pain – like using a heat pack or poultice. Hot stones were placed in shallow pits and covered with the ti leaves. The “patient” would then lie on top of this stone bed, allowing the healing properties to infuse into the body. Early Hawaiians rubbed volcanic stones over the body after a traditional Kahuna/Lomi-Lomi massage, which is more like an exfoliation treatment due to the coarseness of the stones. Modern-day Hot Stone Massage, a truly unique and powerful style of massage, is attributed to licensed massage therapist, Mary Nelson, a native of Tucson, Arizona. She trademarked her style, called LaStone Therapy (See Sidebar).

Hot stone bodywork involves the use of heated and cooled stones to bring relief to tense and sore muscles. This treatment results in relief of chronic and acute problems that are familiar to many people such as headache, back

16 Inner Tapestry Oct/Nov 2009

“The physiological benefits of massage and the application of hot and cold treatments are scientifically and medically valid. For an acute injury, cold therapy can reduce swelling and lessen pain. For chronic injury, heat increases circulation, which brings nutrients into an injured area and can help flush out toxins,” explained Gerrianne Dickinson, LMT, owner of Body Wellness Massage Therapy located in Cromwell, CT.

The stones are conduits for delivering effective tissue and muscle massage at a pressure level comfortable to the client.

An authentic hot stone massage is not a simple process of “gliding” stones across the surface of the skin. The stones are conduits for delivering effective tissue and muscle massage at a pressure level comfortable to the client.

“For the client, hot stone therapy offers tremendous therapeutic benefit that is not common to traditional massage. Heat from the stones penetrates into the muscles as the therapist massages the body while holding warm stones in her hands. The hardness of the stone allows the therapist to work effectively through problem areas, especially deep tissue tension. The smoothness of the stones allow for a very

soothing experience,” Gerri said of the technique.

No ordinary rocks are used for this type of massage.

Stones are selected for the capacity to retain heat without burning the skin. Gerri pointed out that, “Primarily, heated basalt stones are used. The stones are heated between 120 – 150 degrees and can be cooled quickly if they are too warm for the client.”

Basalt stone is modified igneous rock formed by volcanic and sedimentary action. The stones form when gabbroic magma erupts as lava flows or intrudes at shallow depths to form dikes and sills.

Vesicular structure is prominent at the top of the lava flow. Gasses trapped in the cooling lava form vesicles; after solidification, secondary minerals like quartz and zeolites fill these cavities. The hardness is seven on the Mohs’ Scale of 1–10, a diamond being a ten. The stones eventually wash along an ocean shore or riverbed, resulting in the smooth polish and oval shape.

Another stone that may be used during hot stone massage is jade—the stone of Heaven. Jade takes a high polish and is quite popular in jewelry, ornaments and sculpture. Jadestone boasts two variations of crystalline structure and chemical composition. Jadeite is a silicate of sodium and aluminum while Nephrite is a silicate of calcium and magnesium. Both jadestone types may be white or colorless, but may occur in hues of red, green, brown, purple, yellow or gray due to the presence of iron, chromium or manganese. There are also wide variations of translucency in both minerals.

The Moh’s Scale hardness is 6.5 – 7.

A select number of companies specialize in harvesting and preparing the stones for massage therapists. Since therapists use different sizes of stone on various areas of the body, to create a complete stone set is a meticulous process. After harvesting, stones are sanitized through a sort of exfoliation process that smoothes surface imperfections. Next, stones are evaluated for their size, texture, and chemical composition.

The energetic properties of stones are another important factor. “Stones may be placed on specific meridians, according to the tenets of Chinese Medicine.

They may also be placed along the chakras, which is probably the most common approach,” Gerri elaborated.

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Living Visions of the Future by Kevin Pennell Bethel, Maine

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became critical elements of yoga as implemented through Buddhist teachings. The teachings of Swami Sivananda indicate that modern yoga is based on five basic principles: Proper relaxation – Proper exercise – Proper breathing – Proper diet – Positive thinking and meditation.

YoKids shares several positive results from practicing yoga. Those that practice yoga are found to possess increased attention spans and self-control, greater communication skills, and a reduction of anxiety. They often have better memories and motor skill performance.

Yoga students are more muscularly fit coupled with a decreased heart rate. They also have better postures.

These are just a few of the positive results from the regular practice of yoga.

According to Lily Goodale, “All these benefits are achieved by utilizing yoga based techniques such as conscious breathing, basic yoga poses, and simple movement games and visualizations.”

YoKids’ Lily Goodale and Lynette Moore have sought to introduce yoga to students and teachers in Maine including Glen Cove, Camden, Belfast, North Haven, Islesboro, Rockport, and Brunswick. Other YoKids instructors have worked in Bangor, Mount Desert, Liberty, South Bristol, and Searsmont.

YoKids offers yoga classes for students and teachers taught by a certified lead yoga instructor and a support teacher. Classes include: blankets, mats, and other supportive materials, and the set-up and break down of the classroom or gym. Yoga classes for children teach the anatomical aspects of poses which help to relieve children of stress, tension, and worries as they learn to focus on minute and intricate movements of the body.

The Thirteenth Moon

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

Lily says, “YoKids has also been providing instruction to teachers. Sessions conducted in Nobleboro, Sugarloaf, and Hope was funded by the University of Maine, the Department of Education, and Maine Community Foundation. Additional sessions have been held throughout Maine including North Haven, Portland, Freeport, Rockland, and in 2009 Falmouth and Ellsworth.”

YoKids has various levels of training for teachers available. YoKids Teacher Training for Preschool through 2nd grade is a three-hour course of study where teachers are introduced to various books and materials that they can use for everyday teaching. Some of the materials include stationary works, games, yoga cards, yoga theme posters, and story-time yoga.

Then, there’s YogaEd Tools for Teachers Training, also a three-hour course. This course of study is an introduction and practice of the four yoga tools: time in, postures, games, and relaxation. This workshop uses YogaEd, as a curriculum to equip schoolteachers with yoga tools that can be used in the classroom for 5-10 minute sessions. It instructs teachers on how to incorporate yoga into their everyday teaching. Students and teachers will learn poses that can be used at their desks, sitting or standing, as well as in limited space classrooms. Teachers also learn the four yoga tools, as well as aims and focuses of yoga postures and breathing exercises in this course.

YogaEd also offers a full day in-school Teacher Training, which is typically scheduled for six hours of training. This

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

ART from the heART

Art Therapy & Shamanism Studio

This method of teaching yoga helps children think from the inside out as they connect and become familiar with their bodies. Classes concentrate on posture, aims, goals, and how to choose specific poses to reach desirable levels of calmness, energy, focus and concentration.

• Shamanic journeys and healings • Soul retrieval • Individuals • Groups • Classes (207) 589-3063 moonarts@gmail.com

INNER TAPESTRY 5 Laurel Ridge Road Scarborough, ME 04074 207-799-7995 info@innertapestry.org www.innertapestry.org

Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 17

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t was the famed French romantic, poet, novelist, and dramatist, Victor Hugo who said, “There is nothing like a dream to create the future.” Visions are often referenced as dreams and those “dreams” create the future. When those dreams create the future they become alive, Living Visions.

Some time ago, Lily Goodale had such a dream – a vision if you will – that focused on her “passion for working with children” and “making yoga available for children.” Lynette Moore shared Lily’s vision and together, they organized the non-profit organization, YoKids (www.yokids.org). Their mission is to offer yoga in local schools, teaching children to reduce stress, support health and well-being, and help children “become comfortable in their own bodies by teaching them awareness, self control, strength, and flexibility through different (yoga) poses.”

Yoga is usually associated with adults, but some are recognizing the importance of training youth in Yoga not only in the west, but in the east as well. Former Indian Health Minister Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss shared plans to introduce yoga in schools during a medical professionals workshop in New Delhi in 2006. Ramadoss wished to encourage school students to adopt a healthy lifestyle and saw yoga as one of the methods to promote that healthy lifestyle. Dr. Ramadoss considers yoga as a “good friend” and a way to lead a healthy life cost-effectively.

The exact history or origin of yoga is uncertain, but there are some points of information that may contribute to a better understanding of the practice. In short, yoga has its origins in the Eastern traditions that address traditional physical and mental disciplines for the student. Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism suggest the meaning of the term yoga as “spiritual discipline.” Most think of yoga because of the physical application of activities associated with various postures, stances, and poses. Yet, deeper examination reveals several additional qualities that are also associated with the practice of yoga. It’s known that yoga has been practiced for thousands of years. Over the centuries, yoga has evolved and changed, with some of the earliest evidence found in ancient Shamanism including some artifacts dating back 5,000 years. The “Rig-Veda,” a compendium of hymns covering topics like prayer, divine harmony, and higher states of being, contains evidence of the practice of Yoga.

Yoga first focused on the application and better understanding of the world altogether, but over the years the attention shifted to focus on a deeper understanding of the “self.” Around the sixth century B.C., poses and meditation

18

Bridging The Healed Past To Our Destiny

by Debra Rainbow Heart e are living in times of great shifts and extraordinary opportunities for deep transformation as human beings. We stand at a doorway, where we can co-create a new paradigm for humanity, our planet and the universe. Our collective vision (or lack thereof) will determine much about our own future as a species, while deeply impacting our planet. As we approach the year 2012, we are stepping into a time of the “living prophecies,” as well as a time of chaos and turmoil on the earth, a time of “pachakuti,” the world turned upside down; yet also a time of incredible possibilities.

Our ancestors lived with deep respect and understanding of our interconnectedness with all that is, and collaborated with the innate wisdom and intelligence of creation.

Today, quantum physics is just beginning to uncover this deep wisdom we already carry in our DNA. This core “knowing” was deeply wounded and nearly lost, as forces of power came into being that denied the Sacred Truths and Spiritual Laws of the Universe and deeply violated the sacred feminine. This continues today as we recognize that economic greed and the striving for excessive power are the forces behind much of the suffering in our world today.

Amidst all the pain and chaos however, there are (and have always been) those who are holding a different vision in their hearts and minds, and in their actions. This “living vision” recognizes an intelligent holographic universe, where all creation is humming with the vibration of love; a timeless, endless love that is ever present – although often hidden from us through our frequently limited human perspective, based in fear… and grounded in artificial linear time. But as we heal and release the old stories that define “who we are,” we reclaim our true spiritual power as beings of Love and Light… and as co-creators of our world.

Many indigenous elders have come forward to share the sacred ceremonies, rituals, rites and practices with those who feel this spiritual call of our time. Sacred mystery teachings kept hidden for centuries are emerging and being shared with us... the generation of souls who will be on the Earth to help usher in the next age of enlightenment spoken of by many ancient traditions. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the elders and medicine women and men, who have kept these sacred ways alive, often at great peril, and with great sacrifice across many generations.

The Q’ero shamans of Peru are such wisdom keepers, whose ancestors, upon the arrival of the Spaniards, fled from the golden Inca temples to the sacred mountains.

The Q’ero are among the most respected medicine men and women of the Americas. Descendants of the Inca high priests, and their ancestors the Laika, they are keepers of a set of prophecies, sacred rites and spiritual technologies. For five hundred years they lived in virtual isolation in the 16,000-foot plus glacial regions of the Andes. There they continue to live out their spiritual and cultural traditions of “ayni” – reciprocity and living in balance and harmony; and that of “munay,” unconditional love. About 25 years ago, the Q’ero descended from their hidden mountain villages, to participate in the annual Spring Equinox festival in the Andes.

Wearing resplendent robes with the emblem of the Sun, they were the prophesized returning Inca—the living vision and prophecy of the people—come to life.

In recent years, the living prophecy has continued to unfold with the reunion of the Eagle and the Condor (representing the coming together of the people of the Americas), and the emergence in 2006 of the Ninth Munay-Ki rite of enlightenment on the Andean sacred path. The Q’ero elders have also initiated many spiritual seekers, including well-known shamans from the “west,” such as Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D., who has recounted his personal experiences and the wisdom teachings of the Q’ero in his many books, teaching seminars and through his shamanic training school, The Four Winds Society, (www.thefourwinds.com). Recently, the sacred “karpays” or shamanic rites, formerly only available directly from spirit/nature, or through rigorous shamanic training, have been offered to us with open hearts by the Q’ero elders. As keepers of the living prophesies, they release these rites to us as guided in their sacred relationship with the “apus” or mountain spirits, “pachamamma” earth mother and the lineages of luminous ones who offer assistance from the spirit world.

The nine Munay-Ki Rites (pronounced moon-eye-key) are nine energetic transmissions to awaken the enlightened being of Love and Light within. Each is received as a “seed” which the individual must cultivate with fire. Fire not only helps the rites to grow, but supports us in ceremony by transmuting the heavier energies of our luminous body. The rites are received in a prescribed order, each building on the next: The Healer’s Rite launches our own personal healing on a deep energetic, soul level.

When we receive this rite, we begin to recognize the impact we have on others and take conscious responsibility for our words and actions. Over time, we step into all our grace and power as healers.

The Bands of Power are five energetic bands of colored light, woven into our luminous body – each connecting us to one of the elements – earth, water, fire, air and Spirit, and forming a rainbow fountain of light around our physical body. The bands serve as a powerful form of protection, supporting our energetic connection to the natural world.

The Harmony Rites are seven powerful archetypal energies transmitted as seeds into

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each of our seven chakras. This rite supports our chakras to shine with their original light as we acquire a rainbow body. It helps us to shed our past the way the serpent sheds her skin and to step fully into our personal/spiritual power and grace.

The Seer Rites installs filaments of light extending from the third eye and pathways above the ears to the visual cortex in the back of the head; these are connected to the heart by a luminous necklace of light. This rite helps us to perceive energy in new ways, and to see others and ourselves with the eyes of compassion.

The Bands of Power, the Harmony Rites and the Seer Rites are the “foundation rites.” They prepare our luminous energy field to receive and hold the vibrations of the next five lineage rites: The Daykeeper Rite is the rite of the Divine Feminine. Whether we are women or men, this rite helps us heal and balance our feminine energies, and aligns us with the sacred feminine powers, rhythms and cycles of the earth in relation to the cosmos. As we join the lineage of Daykeepers, we awaken to our roles as ceremonialists, keepers of sacred altars, attendants to life’s milestones and passages.

The Wisdomkeeper Rite connects us to the Divine Masculine. The job of the Wisdomkeeper is to protect the medicine teachings and share them with others when appropriate. This rite helps us to step outside of time and taste infinity and to come into balance with the sacred feminine energies.

The Earthkeeper Rite connects us to a lineage of archangels that are guardians of our galaxy. The rite of the Earthkeepers helps us learn the ways of the seer, and to dream the world into being. From this rite we experience the earth as we see her from space, feeling a kinship will all peoples, all life and seeking to serve the good of all.

The Starkeeper Rite anchors us safely to the time after the great change that is said will occur on or around the year 2012. According to lore, when we receive this rite, our physical body begins to evolve into that of Homo luminous. When we receive this rite, we accept our role in the stewardship of the time to come and for all future generations.

The Creator Rite is the final rite in this process of human enlightenment. To hold the energy of this rite, we need to have prepared and grown all the seeds of the previous rites in our luminous body, as well as our physical and mental bodies. This initiation awakens the God-light within.

The Munay-Ki Rites offer an accelerated transformational path rooted in the living prophecies of the Americas. These rites are a Bridge of Light providing the energetic and spiritual resources to attain our highest human destiny. A world of Beauty, Love, Light, Spiritual Grace and Compassion already exists energetically because we have dreamed it!

Now, may we join hands, hearts, and our healed souls with clear intent to fully manifest a new living vision – one infused with spirit and deep wisdom, and one that serves life and all creation? And so it is. Aho! With Deep Munay Blessings, Debra Rainbow Heart Debra Rainbow Heart is a medicine woman, shamanic and energy medicine practitioner, ceremonialist, musician and visionary artist. She is a Full Mesa Carrier in the Andean shamanic tradition, and a mentor and steward of the Munay-Ki Rites. Her professional training includes three years of study with The Four Winds Society, founded by Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D., core shamanism, and study with indigenous elders of the Americas – including the Q’ero shamans of Peru. She offers the Munay-Ki Rites in a variety of formats and settings in Maine, New England, and the Southwest and where she is “called” to bring her healing work. She can be reached at www.rainbowheartshaman.com, info@rainbowheartshaman.com, or 59 Salmon Falls Road, Buxton, ME 04093, (207) 929-6776.

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Does Enlightenment Exist In The 21st Century?

by Tim Miejan

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s enlightenment possible in this day and age? Or is enlightenment a phenomenon relegated to the realm of the ancients? If it were offered to you, would you accept? How much would you have to change? How much would it change you?

Having been a spiritual seeker for two decades, Dave Oshana says that in the early morning hours of June 19, 2000, his life changed completely. What occurred, he says, was spontaneous enlightenment.

What did you experience at 5 a.m. on June 19, 2000?

Enlightenment. It is still resonating through my being like a roaring tsunami wave of energy.

Before I opened my eyes I could see the room and all the particles inside my body. Each had its own source of illumination. There were no dark corners. I knew something was different but could not immediately identify it. It seemed normal and familiar, but at the same time hugely different from my previous life. I could see my life’s mission flash before my eyes.

I could not remember what it was like to have been “me” the night before.

My lifelong search was completely over.

I couldn’t find problems in my mind. I experienced the space outside my mind: as I walked up a local road, the dramatic stories which normally would spring up and branch out like trees failed to appear. I was surrounded by tree stumps! I wandered through a grim part of London, the Valley of Death, and I feared no evil.

I could see how others were trapped in their mental illusions. I felt bliss all of the time even in dreams or during physical pain. I was overjoyed to wait in a long line. I could feel the energy streaming through my cells. These experiences are still ongoing and have been continuous since they started.

How did you know it was enlightenment?

I didn’t know what it was! I didn’t know what to say or think. I was incredibly amused by this. Until then I had been provocatively challenging my spiritual peers with the statement, “Enlightenment does not exist!” I had not stopped seeking; I had simply stopped believing everything that I thought I heard. I had been assuming that all spiritual teachers were talking about the same thing. Suddenly, I wasn’t sure about that.

I instinctively knew that my incessant lifelong search was over. Whatever it was, and it seemed to be Enlightenment, it was good enough for me! My mind was flooded with random quotes about Enlightenment, which I had previously completely misunderstood and now I saw what they meant.

Now I knew that enlightenment did exist, I not only had to apologize to my spiritual peers but I had to offer it to them. Overnight, I went from being a doubting person to one who could accept the possibility of anything (after inspection, of course).

Why did the enlightenment experience happen to you?

I don’t know, but I am glad that it did! Why does your lover love you? You don’t know but you are mighty glad that she does – even humble, perhaps?

After talking through it, sharing it and expanding it with others, it started to make sense. But I never needed it to make sense intellectually. It makes sense on an altogether different level.

All my life I didn’t want anything as much as enlightenment. I was willing to give up my life – but it

I never felt that this life was being lived by me until now. Now I am alive!

Was it your cumulative practices over the years that enabled you to be receptive to such a transformation?

My answer today would be “yes,” but it used to be “no.” When I first got enlightened, I considered it an irrelevant question; a person did not need to copy me. The awakened state was available here and now; I could lead anyone into it. But typically it was temporary – even if it lasted for many months.

Eventually a breakthrough came in my practices when I started to drop my awareness out of mind and go on fantastic journeys within my body.

There have been gurus and seekers for ages, but it seems only few people actually become enlightened.

What type of preparation or personal responsibility makes the likelihood for enlightenment more possible?

The biggest ability required is the ability to encounter the unknown and go forward into it.

Responsibility includes the “ability to respond appropriately.” For the spiritual person, the best response to an initially confusing situation is to do nothing (where practical). When the mind avoids entanglement, then true guidance can take over. This is what Jesus and Buddha did before their enlightenment: extensively hanging out and doing nothing in the wilderness or sitting under the bodhi tree waiting for true inspiration to strike, so the story says.

When you are willing to encounter the unknown, then you have Zen mind. You could fall in love with the beauty of a single cherry blossom or face your death unflinchingly. Master that, and you will have all the other necessary qualities. A healthy body and mind helps, too.

Getting it right requires discrimination, getting it wrong could burn several lifetimes (without burning karma). The guidance or presence of an enlightened person is strongly recommended; don’t practice this at home without supervision.

Full enlightenment is full responsibility for everything.

Forget yourself and everything is now yours to take care of. Remember yourself and you will lose absolutely everything, including your own mind.

Start by facing your fears.

If a seeker really wants Truth above all else, they will arrive eventually. If they secretly want something else, they need to discover what it is and then either complete it or drop it.

Enlightenment is the natural state. It should be sought with the help of an enlightened guide to avoid getting lost. Christopher Columbus’ miscalculations meant that he discovered the potato and not yoga.

Must we be truly ready before we can slip into that experience, and is that why we don’t hear about people becoming enlightened very often?

People slip into awakening all the time but it often closes down because they cannot accept it.

I am not only talking about in my group, I mean out there on the street, in the trailer park or the Beverly Hills mansion.

Awakening is not enlightenment but God’s tickle.

Enlightenment is the climax, the point of no return. For some, the tickle is too much. I have met individuals who wondered if they were mad – until a spiritual teacher helped them make sense of their awakening experiences.

You can prepare yourself by becoming more flexible, by loosening your self-limiting beliefs about reality.

The new wine will only find a permanent home in new skins, thus sayeth the Lord. Enlightenment transmission is the new wine.

What does it take for someone to be truly ready to become enlightened?

Face everything and avoid nothing.

What effect has the enlightenment experience had on your life, personally?

I don’t know my old life anymore. I don’t know what it was like to have been me anymore. It’s like an old dream.

I now live for others – 24 hours a day.

I used to be a confused, private individual who thought he was a nobody and all the time planned how he could be a helpful somebody. I am now a public individual who actually helps others by some mysterious means and does not know what a somebody is.

I feel compelled to help others even if I temporarily take on their symptoms. Miracles now happen so frequently that they are normal, everyday events. © 2009 Tim Miejan. All Rights Reserved.

Tim Miejan is editor and publisher of The Edge magazine, based in Minneapolis, MN and manages their website. Tim lives in Woodbury, MN, with his wife Rachel, his basenji, Ghandi and his two cats, Sunti and Cleo.

He can be reached at editor@soulofthecities.net, www.souldofthecities.net or on Facebook:Profile/Page.

Dave Oshana will be in Maine at The Landing, 353 Pine Point Rd., Scarborough, ME, October 8th 7:00-9:00pm. FMI: (207) 772-6757.

Private sessions will follow for more information (612) 210-7936.

Be a skeptic; don’t get attached to any beliefs. Notice what it is to be a seeker. Go outside your comfort zone five days a week.

Is enlightenment for everyone?

Enlightenment exists already, but it is not noticed. It is The Witness of your life. It’s yours already. Your life becomes enlightened when you notice it.

The identity has to get out of the way for enlightenment to permanently establish itself. It’s painful for a person to give up their identity. It does not even make sense.

The false identity (ego) resists enlightenment like the Israelite captives resisted freedom from slavery. Moses had to first take them through the wilderness (emptiness). They liked it for the first day; then they got bored.

The ego is like a rock holding down a sunflower.

When the rock is removed the sunflower faces the sun. The sunflower is human awareness, the sun is consciousness.

An ego-free state is completely open to life.

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What was different for you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually after this experience?

still did not come – because I was not fully participating in life. I had to be in the world but not of it.

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The Distraction of Everything Aya Itagaki

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by Aaron Hoopes

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id you ever have a thought deep in the back of your mind, way back amidst the antique memories of childhood and the vague echoes from tales long forgotten, that there just might possibly be a better way of living than the way that is forced upon us by the hectic, stress-filled technological society in which we live today? Alan Watts, the renowned Zen scholar, called that thought hintegedanke, which is a German word describing something just at the edge of consciousness. It is a hint of something greater. Perhaps it is a feeling of being linked to the Earth, or an emotion that bubbles up when you see a small animal. It may be a wonderful peace that pervades your body when watching the sunset or the moonrise. Somewhere deep within, a part of you recognizes it as a connection to the life-force energy that pervades all things.

For most, that feeling stays back in the shadows of the mind. It simply cannot compete with all the other information coming in on the blackberry, cell phone, computer and television. We drink our double lattés or energy drinks, drive our SUVs or pick-up trucks, and live our lives between the increasingly stressful noises bombarding us from every angle.

What might this hintegedanke be trying to tell us?

How could we forget something so important?

How did we stray from the path?

Over the past five thousand years or so, we have forgotten some very important knowledge we were not supposed to forget. Specifically, this knowledge is of living in harmony with the Earth, and how to feel that connection.

Now, as we find we are on the verge of collectively destroying ourselves… and the planet, the time has come to stop digging this hole and look around.

In the ancient myths of the antediluvian world and the long–lost stories of indigenous populations, the Earth was different. Those who lived on the Earth were different. They lived in harmony and peace with the world around them, connected to it. Their ancestors, the Mayans, the Egyptians, the ancient Chinese, the Vedic Indians, the Australian aborigines, the Celtic druids and the Native Americans all tried to maintain the traditions in their own way. But as the population grew and the human race became more and more greedy and selfish, mechanical and technological advances exponentially increased our ability to exploit the planet. We began to think of ourselves as more important than the other species on the Earth. Indeed, more important that the Earth itself.

It has taken a while. The resilience of the Earth to tolerate our exploitation is amazing, yet that resilience warps our perception of the damage we are causing. Things still seem to look relatively okay. This won’t remain so for much longer. Yet we still aren’t paying attention. We have become so scattered, our attention sliced and diced with an ever-increasing barrage of irrelevant information. There are too many options, too many choices, and not enough attention is being paid to what is truly important. The way forward seems more and more obscure as we stumble foolishly along the edge of a cliff.

We have strayed far from the path.

And now we are caught up in something I call "the distraction of everything."

We have severed our connection to the natural world and become dependent on technology which we believe makes life easier, happier and more fulfilling. And, while life may indeed have become easier to some degree, happiness and fulfillment are proving to be more elusive. Instead of seeing ourselves as integral parts of the Earth, the natural world, and indeed of the universe, we revel in accumulating stuff and lording it over whoever or whatever we can subject to our domination. The more stuff we have the more we want, until we eventually become no more than the accumulation of all our stuff, shallow vessels of wants and desires. We drive cars that burn our natural resources and cause unfathomable problems with the atmosphere and climate. Obliviously watching a television that keeps our brains filled with irrelevant babble, we remain docile and afraid of the world outside. We use poisonous fertilizers to keep our lawns green, and eat chemically-treated, over-processed food that has hardly seen a moment in the depleted soil. We take pills for all of the problems caused by the other pills we’ve been taking. Our contact with the animals of the planet is primarily in zoos where the animals live like inmates in prison, or as house pets; or animals appear on our plates at meal time, unrecognizable. And not the least by far, we are systematically destroying the trees and forests that keep the Earth habitable. Are we insane?

20 Inner Tapestry Oct/Nov 2009

No longer are we living in harmony with the natural environment. We, as a species, have become disconnected, spiritually adrift in a dark and lonely world. We have strayed from the path and are lost in a world gone wrong. And now we find ourselves hurrying towards some sort of undefined spiritual evolution before we plunge over the edge of a great chasm.

We must do something different. No longer do we have the luxury of believing that technological advances make us more advanced. No matter what modern mistranslations of ancient religious texts allege, we are not the masters of the Earth. It was not intended for us to use the resources at our discretion until they are gone. We are not meant to dominate weaker rivals and subjugate all other species. No, we are a part of an infinite interconnected web of existence. If we continue to assume we can do whatever we want without care and ignore the consequences on the Earth and its inhabitants, we will become extinct.

We need a different way of life. A life dedicated not to accumulating stuff, chasing money and power, or conquering the world we live in and dominating the other living beings on this planet. We need a life without anger, hate, jealousy and fear. We need to get away from all of the distractions.

We ought to be concerned with living, experiencing and caring about this precious gift we have and the once-abundant world that we exist in.

Life is a holistic experience for the body, mind and spirit.

It is time to begin recognizing, sensing and exchanging energy with the natural world around us… immediately!

If you start to support and care for the natural world, it will begin to support and care for you. Live your life consciously. Learn to embrace the present moment.

Breathe! Let us go back to existing in harmony with the Earth. Turn inwards and use your intrinsic common sense of what is right and wrong. Leave personal wants and desires out of the equation. Be part of the web of existence.

Don’t be distracted.

Today many people are beginning to rediscover the joy and happiness that comes from being connected to the natural world. The simple fact that you are reading this demonstrates that you have a desire to be different. The more we take the opportunity to discover the rich benefits the natural world has to offer us the more profound that change becomes. When we open up to the energy of the world we begin to align with the flow of the universe. We can see the distractions for what they are and begin the process of letting them go.

Anyone can make this change within. It is an open door for all to step through. By becoming aware of a few guiding principles that govern existence and by choosing to live in harmony with them, it is possible to wake up to the natural world and experience the life-force energy that flows through all things. If you can quiet the other distractions of your mind you can begin to tap into that hintegedanke and discover a deeper purpose to life as you become a part of something greater than yourself.

This is not some mystical power, nor is it a magic wand to solve all of your problems. It is a way, instead of simplifying the world around you and realizing your connection to it.

It starts very simply.

Go outside to a place where the natural world is strong.

Breathe deep of the precious air.

Look around. Allow your gaze to draw you into the environment.

Stay in the present moment. Do not be distracted by the thoughts your mind may come up with as a way to divert your attention.

This may seem overly simple, but the truth is that it really is that easy to begin.

We all need to commit to our own personal practice if we are to move forward into the future that awaits. This is but another step along that journey to remembering who we are. Wishing you much peace, Aaron 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

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

by Jen Deraspe

There Are Two Ways To Die

T

Nurture Through Nat ure Let Us Guide You Home...

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.

Pleasant Mountain, Denmark, ME

Enjoy reading this issue of Inner Tapestry!

Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 21

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

he summer rains came. And came again. And then some more.

Then one mildewing day in July, the sun shone down upon the wet woodlands and the moldy people. Ahhhh… summer sun in Maine. The good life. The way life should be.

Multiple laundry loads stretched out upon the clothesline. A second rope hung between two trees for the sheets. Everything feels right and good.

Meanwhile, the saturated water table was spilling up and over into the lowlands. The wetlands became lakes, the rivers pregnant and dark with silt.

And then it happened; a fresh crop of mutant mosquitoes came. And then more came. They were special, very friendly beasts, persistently resistant to any concoction of earth – and body-friendly bug dope I could gather. Garlic spray, garlic pills, Skin So Soft, Passamaquody essential oils, green this, citronella that. Not for this special group of visitors. I heard their mocking laughter as they penetrated into clothing, skin, and even breath surrounding this vulnerable blood donor.

My Zen approach to bug season is to first honor the little critters by remembering how they are such an essential part of the web of life, feeding birds, bats, frogs, snakes and who eats those critters and who eats them. My little affirmation is to remember (and share with any flailing visitors) how birds are an indicator species and when they die we die. Eliminate bugs and the birds die. We would be pushing up daisies shortly thereafter once the birds are gone. So, bugs, you are welcome here.

That mantra went to hell in a basket this summer. I resorted to direct topical pesticide application (Off!), turning away from the local and global impact of supporting and introducing such petrochemicals into my largest organ, a semi-permeable membrane protecting me from such onslaught. This organic being was going chemical.

Eco -travelers came here to retreat in their cabin in the Maine woods. I warned them. They did not listen. They did not take me seriously. They did not prepare, showing up in dark, urban clothing, bare skin, flip flops, fresh with layers of scented skin and hair product. Like the rains, the visitors, too, came and went.

Meanwhile, yoga students came to the studio for summer classes. As soon as they stepped out of their vehicles, a swarm gathered around them. I watched from the upstairs studio window with empathy and concern. The cloud followed them into the yoga studio. Some yelled. Others cried and left.

I was horrified in between bouts of peace knowing there was nothing more I could do. We dowsed the outside area with garlic spray. We tried to smoke them out with Reny’s bug products. We provided bug dope to participants during class. And we prayed for the second coming of the dragonflies.

Forgive them for they know not what they do.

And then, one magical day, there appeared the dragonfly. And then another. Or was it the same one? No, I was going with two, a pair of parents.

Another came. They filled the skies in the open areas and multiplied, working their way up the hillside. Ten, fifteen, twenty darting left and right, filling themselves with my blood.

According to Jamie Sams, in her book Medicine Cards, the dragonfly is the essence of the winds of change, the messages of wisdom and enlightenment.

I am again enlightened to how humbling nature (and mind) can be, how easily agitation arises, how I still argue with what is.

In the back of my mind, I saw the second coming of the mosquito as another sign proving that climate change is real and is here, now. I see this happening as a result of extreme weather patterns. It happened last September as well. I cannot specifically know or prove my theory. Whether it is a sign or not still leaves me here, now, living life the best way I know how, traveling as gently as I am able, in the face of whatever is unfolding beyond my little speck on the planet I call home. In the end there are two ways to die; with a smile or a grimace, with peace or resistance. Here on the southwestern side of Pleasant Mountain, where the Upper Saco River Valley meets Mount Washington Valley, I watch, and breathe, and sometimes flail and sometimes praise what is.

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23

a b rea th o f he alin g

VISION

The Creative Power of Initiative

by Donna Amrita Davidge “What is initiative?

\

Donna Amrita Davidge and her husband Kent Bonham own and operate Sewall House Yoga Retreat in Island Falls, Maine. Small and personalized, the retreat center was established in 1997, built in 1860.

Donna and Kent have watched their vision unfold with all its rewards and challenges. Sewall House operates May through October, Italy yoga trip scheduled October 27th – November 2nd, off-season retreats by special arrangement for parties of 3 or more. www.sewallhouse.com 888-235-2395. Inquire about teacher training beginning October 10th for three 9 day retreats/February/May.

Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 23

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It is a creative faculty within you, a spark of the Infinite Creator. It may give you the power to create something no one else has ever created. It urges you to do things in new ways. The accomplishments of the person of initiative may be as spectacular as a shooting star. Apparently creating something from nothing, he demonstrates that the seemingly impossible may become possible by one’s employment of the great inventive power of the spirit. Initiative enables you to stand on your own feet, free and independent.” (Paramahansa Yogananda) This past May when the venerable Patabhis Jois, creator of the Ashtanga Yoga system, passed away, a statement he had made that came to me through e-mail: “Our life is like a lightning bolt.” Our time on earth is a relative thing. In that time we have a choice. As Helen Keller put it (one of my favorite mantras) "Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all."

In exploring this adventure called life I immersed myself from age 30 to 40 especially (and still up to the present) in the teachings of Yogi Bhajan, the Master of Kundalini Yoga in the West. From him I learned many things that made sense to apply to my own life and, when translated into action, helped me decide how to live.

Our motivation to discover our own destiny and truly live it to the fullest can only come ultimately from within. I have always loved biographies, learning from the lives of others how they lived. Yet each of us has an interesting map of our life to create, too. Even in that bolt of lightning, which is our life, we are given the relativity of time to evolve. As the thunder warns us of the oncoming lightning and rain, it does not all happen at once, so it is with our lives. Our personal vision can unfold like the blossoming of a flower.

In yoga we have many certain practices to help us with our unfoldment. One of these, mantra, or sound, is like a seed. As a seed resonates with the earth, mantra resonates within us and plants seeds in our consciousness that is nurtured by our words and actions as a plant is nurtured by air and water. In mantra and other forms of meditation we can really listen and if we do our vision may be more easily heard and discovered.

There is something in the near silence of nature, the vibration of mantra and the movement of the body saluting the sun that can help us listen and discover.

Yogi Bhajan, and other yogis as well, believed that happiness is our birthright, that by living our own personal vision we are able to withstand the pressures and sacrifices that commitment to our personal vision brings, with the result being happiness. In his book The Art Of Happiness the Dalai Lama writes about coming to the West, where people have so many things, and how people think that brings happiness. Yet when he opened the medicine cabinet of the smiling people who were entertaining him in their beautiful luxurious home he was surprised to find anti-depressants and painkillers on the shelves.

My personal vision has evolved through the trial and error of life experience.

Long ago I knew that a “regular” job would not fit my temperament and did not make me happy. Experiencing life meant rejecting much of what family and society felt and insinuated would make me happy. Security is good and it is helpful.

Security can be very helpful and comforting, but it is not guaranteed even when you have it now, and it is not what makes you happy. Recently there was an article in the NY Times about how laid-off corporate executives are flocking to yoga retreats/ashrams, committing to as much as a year of their lives to being there.

They are reassessing what they thought was their life vision in these changing times, as many of us are. The principles of yoga do help us become content and happy. Even with the external circumstances we cannot control the mental aspect of yoga, which can be the most challenging yet the most useful. In yoga, a process that is a lifelong practice, we can attain.

“The wealth of purification, including beauty, gracefulness, strength and the extraordinary durability of a diamond.” ( Sutra lll: 47).

In recently released, beautifully presented Kundlaini Yoga book Waves of Healing D. Siri Atma Singh Khalsa on page 24 says: “I see people spending a tremendous amount of time and energy trying to change who they are, instead of learning to love and accept their strengths and weaknesses.

This is a life of polarity, there’s no doubt about it. Your greatest strengths can come

out of your weaknesses. If you just focus on eliminating your weakness you may miss the lotus flower growing out of the mud."

This is a beautiful image. As we live our vision, realizing along the way how to use our strengths and weaknesses to our advantage with acceptance, we can direct our energies in a way that works for us. It may not work for someone else, but if it works for you that is enough that is good. No one else can be in your skin and know what excites you like you do. One of the experiences that we share with our guests at Sewall House is called Yoga Nidra, or yoga sleep. On the recording that we play the woman’s voice says, “ This time is very precious. Think, do not waste it.”

Yogi Bhajan gave us steps to happiness that start with commitment but do not stop there. There will be sacrifices, character-building experiences, laughter, tears and obstacles. The whole equation leads to dignity and grace in our lives.

In her book Faith in the Valley Ayanla Vanzant sums it all up very well with these words on Dedication and Purpose: "There is one sure was to know that you are doing exactly what God wants you to do: you will be at peace. Not every day. Not all the time, but even in the midst of hard times and confusion you will feel good about what you are doing. Even when it seems like you are going nowhere, you will know there is absolutely nothing else on earth that you can do than what you are doing. It”s called being on purpose.

"There will be times when you want to walk away—but you won’t. You can’t.

Perhaps the money will not show up fast enough. You will figure out what you can do with the money you have. Maybe things you think you need, will not be there when you think you need them. You will figure out how to do without them.

"You may even convince yourself there is something bigger, better, more rewarding, you can be doing with your time.

"Just when you are about to give up, you will get a second wind, some muchneeded help that will keep you going just a little longer.

"When you are doing what God wants you to do, the money will not matter. You will be willing to stick it out in the bad times. You will ignore the people who tell you, you can’t or that you are crazy. You will be so intent on finding the happiness and success you know you deserve, you will be at peace. In peace, you find God’s purpose for you."

And finally, another meditation from Paramahansa Yogananda to conclude: "After you have repaired your mental radio and calmly attuned to constructive vibrations, how may you use it to reach God? The right method of meditation is the way.

“By the power of concentration and meditation you can direct the inexhaustible power of your mind to accomplish what you desire and to guard every door against failure. All successful men and women devote much time to concentration. They are able to dive deeply into their minds and to find the pearls of right solution for the problems that confront them. If you learn to withdraw your attention from all objects of distraction and to place it on one object of concentration, you too will know how to attract at will whatever you need.

"Before embarking on important undertakings, sit quietly, calm your senses and thoughts, and meditate deeply. You will then be guided by the great creative power of Spirit. After that you should utilize all necessary material means to achieve your goal.

"The things you need in life are those that will help to fulfill your dominant purpose. Things you may want but not need may lead you aside from that purpose.

It is only by making everything serve your main objective that success is attained.”

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Community 6:30 PM Spiritual $7.50 Cinema At Leapin' Lizards This Fall!

October 6th ~The

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Living Matrix October 24th ~ Living Luminaries November 6th ~ Infinity The Ultimate Trip FMI: www.leapinlizards.biz

Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 25

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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, My brother and I are six years apart. I’m fortyseven and he’s fifty-three.

He’s the only core family member I have left as our father died twelve years ago and our mom died in 2008. I’d love to be able to say we’re close but the truth is we couldn’t be more unalike and this is causing problems.

It’s as if we were raised by different parents. I loved and respected my father, a man who drank too much but had a heart of gold. A guy who worked hard. My mother, on the other hand, never had a good word to say about me and treated me like dirt.

But my brother doesn’t see it that way. To him our dad was nothing more than a drunk and our mother was the loving, long-suffering woman who kept everyone going. Even granting our age difference and his being my mom’s obvious favorite, I can’t accept that he won’t acknowledge the truth.

I know I shouldn’t care what my brother thinks. I’m a grown man, pretty successful at work, have my own wife and kids.

I work hard at being a better person. For example, years ago, when I realized I drank a bit too much, I stopped cold turkey.

In the last couple of years, I’ve begun to see some of my mom’s traits in me such as her impatience and critical comments. I’m determined to avoid being anything like her and part of my self-improvement means taking a hard look at how I was raised.

It’s important to me to understand as much as I can about the dynamics of my life as possible. I believe in facing whatever it is I’m dealing with straight on. Why can’t my brother do that?

It won’t change the past but it would be pretty validating to be able to talk to my brother honestly about our childhood. But whenever I’ve tried bringing it up, he absolutely denies everything, making me feel idiotic at the least, a down-right liar at the worst.

When we do manage to agree on the actual events, his take on it is so completely opposite to mine that we both get angry. He gets belligerent and I get defensive. Now even at get-togethers with extended family and friends we barely speak. We just nod and then avoid each other like the plague.

I’d like us to at least be friends. How can I get him to see things the way they really were?

Signed, Hoping for Help Dear Hoping, At a family gathering in New Orleans, my sisters and brother and I reminisced about childhood adventures and misadventures, and fondly recalled a country upbringing where we pretty much had the run of the fields, creeks and woods around us. While we agreed that it was a bit of a miracle we got through unscathed, we were surprised at how differently we remembered the same events, and how some of us recalled a childhood prank that another couldn’t.. We teased each other and then paused as our mother finally spoke up and said, with a tone of exasperation, “I don’t remember any of this! Where was I?” We’re each unique beings, comprised both of the specific traits and learnings of our inextinguishable and ever evolving souls, and the experiences we undergo in this life.

Making it even more complex, our soul’s uniqueness— our personality if you will—influences how we experience and view the events in our own life. It colors how we see 26 Inner Tapestry Oct/Nov 2009

the world, others in it, and our place in the whole. We’re driven to find meaning, but each of us seeks it through our own process and pace according to where we are on our journey.

I’m sure you can identify this in your own life. Most of us can recall a situation when we behaved in a way that seemed quite appropriate at the time but that in retrospect was either too narrow or even downright wrong. We acted from limited awareness and, later, with more experience and wisdom we viewed those previous events with a greater perspective and understanding.

We perceive through the lens of who we are at that moment, the sum total of our experiences combined and influenced by our never-ending and always evolving soul.

You and I could look at the very same leaf and what stands out to me as riveting and important might be something you completely overlook. What profoundly touches you might be a detail I don’t even see.

Truth can be a dangerous word. Not because it doesn’t exist but because one person’s truth is another’s lie.

It presupposes that any one of us has a full grasp of all truth and that, therefore, if an individual, a group, a nation or a country disagrees, they’re wrong. And if they’re wrong and I’m right it’s a single small sway into believing I’m better. Separation results and the chasm breeds fear and its offspring, hate.

It’s unavoidable, it’s normal, for us to see our experiences through our perspective, colored by who we are in that moment. A child first learns her own world, exploring through her humanness. As she grows she learns that because she feels good when someone shares their toy with her, it’s also important that she shares in return. Our ability to perceive is a necessary part of living in the world, a tool helping us to identify the thoughts, behaviors and actions we choose and the subsequent consequences. It helps us to live, not only as an individual, but as part of a global community Our experiences, our emotional responses, our search for meaning and the integration of it all is the genesis for understanding ourselves and others, for developing compassion, for expanding our capacity to love and be loved. In essence, it helps us to see ourselves in others, and others in ourselves. You are not right, you are not wrong in what you recall of your childhood. Your brother is neither wrong nor right in his recollections.

It’s important to ask yourself what you’re hoping to achieve in getting your brother to agree with you. Do you doubt the things you’ve recalled and feel the need for his validation? Do you want sympathy, the comfort of two people sharing common experiences? Do you desire an objective clarification so you can have an expanded understanding of what you went through? Do you want him to recant his opinions of your parents? Are you protective of your father? Does your brother’s view of your mother feel like an approval of her behavior, as if her treatment of you was okay?

What is your goal, hoping? And how can you be in true service to that desired outcome? It sounds to me as if what you’re really longing for is a way to find peace in your life, a way of understanding the things that have happened to you in order to be more loving and finding more happiness and healing. Forgiveness is a necessary

part of this. While I won’t go into the intricacies here, know forgiveness doesn’t entail an acceptance or agreement with the actions of the person who hurt you.

Nor should it erase the consequences of their actions.

What it does is free you from the anger that keeps you tied to the original wounding.

Yet, in order to forgive, it’s important to identify the transgression, to allow yourself to feel your emotions, to honor your right to have those responses. It’s your experience, and it’s your personal perspective of those experiences, and in that light there’s no right way to feel something, and there isn’t a wrong way. It’s what you do with those feelings that make all the difference in achieving peace and equanimity.

What you recall of your childhood is different from your brother’s because you’re different individuals.

Forcing him to see things your way is an invalidation of his truth. You can’t know his mind, his heart, or his path. His soul purpose is not yours, his earthly walk is his alone. Just as yours is for you. Hopefully we each love and support each other in our journey, but while we can—and should—express our need to be respected and valued, we can’t force anyone to offer either.

Your brother can’t take away your pain—only you can do that through understanding and forgiveness. His agreement with your personal truth won’t erase the reality of your history, nor can he provide you with peace and happiness. Insisting on it merely inflames a wound you’re seeking to heal. In pushing him to agree, you are—at least in part—enlivening the very thing you seek to destroy, which is the feeling of rejection, the sense of abandonment and judgment.

Perhaps you would feel comforted if your brother saw things your way, but right now he’s unwilling and he may never do so. Accepting him as he is means you leave an open space for him to accept you as well. You can’t forge a close, loving relationship with your brother alone, but you can do your part and this doesn’t mean you should agree with him, nor passively allow unkindness to go unaddressed.

Be the love you seek. It’s a powerful message and paves the way for joy and healing. May you, your brother, and your families be united in love and kindness.

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

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f e ng shu i & ge op a t h ol o g y

If A House Doesn't Sell

by Werner Brandmaier

F

all has arrived and the real estate market is showing signs of recovery. Many homeowners had waited for the summer to put their house on the market.

While some homes move quickly, others feel as if they’re stuck, especially in a market with lots of inventory. Here are some tips to help your home sell.

•

How long have the owners been there? Is there a special attachment? Once in a while it seems that owners have taken such good care of a house, it does not want to let them go.

In Feng Shui we evaluate a house and its property for sufficient Qi (pronounced “chee“). Qi is the living energy of all beings but also for the land and even a house.

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Long-lasting memories connected with the house can also block the letting-go process and hold things back.

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We have also found cases where the energies of former owners or people who died there disturb the sales process.

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In some cases the land had been used for sacred ceremonies; e.g., as a burial ground. These are the most difficult situations. As a practitioner, I always seek permission to deal with these issues first, before imposing any other changes.

If a house does not sell something is wrong with the Qi of the house:

partners is not ready or willing to move.

1. There is simply not enough Qi: If one comes home after an exhausting day at work, the house is hopefully a source of energy and rejuvenation. After a good night’s sleep one should feel rested and fresh, geared up for new challenges. However, if one feels tired or beaten-up, a deficiency of Qi is likely.

Not enough Qi means the whole land energy is low or depressed. Just as the owner feels tired and uninspired this energetic impression easily influences visitors and potential buyers. This might happen on a dead end street or bottleneck shaped property.

Whatever the reason for a house not selling might be, here are some ideas beyond the rules of common sense, such as cleaning up the place, trimming bushes and trees, painting the porch and hiding the garbage in the garage: •

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On a larger scale, the property itself and the surrounding landscape carry significant patterns of Qi. In Traditional Feng Shui the surrounding characteristics are described in terms of 4 animals: the Tortoise giving protection from the back, the Dragon and Tiger offering support from the sides and the Phoenix opening the view in the front. Additional water in the front optimizes the appearance of the Phoenix.

In this context a slow-moving river is seen as an optimal source of renewing energy, not rushing by too quickly, yet not stagnant either.

Similar effects can be observed with streets.

Slowly moving traffic is beneficial, whereas dead end streets lack the ongoing energy exchange.

•

...the property itself and the surrounding landscape carry significant patterns of Qi.

Anything increasing the attention to a house helps. That’s why there are colorful “For Sale“ signs in front of the house. Moving objects like kites and flags whirling in the wind draw the attention and pull in with it more Qi. (By the way, there are recommendations within Feng Shui circles that the “For Sale“ signs are more effective when placed on the right side of the front door (approaching the door). An explanation might be that the Qi naturally moves about 3/5 towards the right, to the Yang side, the more active side of a space.)

Try to find out what the amount of Qi the house has. Do people feel exhausted in the house, what are the sleeping patterns? Are the plants doing well? I use specific house energy tools developed in Germany to shield a whole building from Qi drains in general, but also to bring in additional energy in cases of low Qi levels.

2. The set-up or Qi flow violates some major Feng Shui principles: •

Clearing the space is always a good start. The same way a house is cleaned and set up neatly before put on the market, an energetic cleanse with sage is warmly recommended.

Violations of major Qi principles are in the line of: Clutter in front of the house.

•

•

High obstacles in front of the house (overgrown bushes or trees, garages) blocking the Qi flow from the street.

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Abandonment of the front door as the main entry point i.e. no path to the front entrance.

Important: Make sure the owners are ready to sell. The process is much easier when the people are truly ready to let go and move on.

•

•

Property opposite graveyards, hospitals, police and fire stations, and churches, especially those with tall steeples. All these places are often are carrying major amounts of heavy energy; of sorrow and pain and radiate the pattern in the vicinity.

Dowsing instruments such as pendulums or European tensors can help to identify obstacles and find the right procedure to overcome them.

•

•

Houses at T-crossings with accelerated energy running against them.

Use flower essences to enhance the process of separation. “Honeysuckle,” one of the Bach Flowers, is a remedy to support letting former attachment go. We also use South American and Australian essences, which have a number of special flowers addressing stagnation and disturbed energy situations. Put a few drops in a room fountain or spray a water bottle infused with the chosen remedy around the house. A few days of application are usually sufficient to change the patterns.

•

Check out the surrounding environment for major blockages due to any recent changes. Major projects such as repair of power lines, roadwork, or large construction sites create ruptures through natural earth meridians, traumatize the land and may upset nature and its energetic inhabitants, the elementals.

Use dowsing tools to find out details.

•

A tricky topic, but I’d still like to address it: Check for spiritual energies of people who either might have lived in the house, might have died in it or might be connected otherwise with the location. Just recently I had two cases of 400 m grid lines through a house. This grid is also known as “the ghost highway” and pulls in unwanted visitors. In this case it is necessary to block this grid before any other clearing is performed, otherwise the created vacuum just pulls more of

A few days ago I passed a house we had looked at years ago ourselves here in Portland.

It is a John Calvin Stevens home, a beautiful house itself, but next to a high building, very close without an appropriate minimum distance. This house is on the market for the fourth time within recent years and always seems to take a while until it finally finds a new owner. However, as long as the invasion of the neighbor building's energy and its threat is not resolved, this cycle of unsatisfying ownerships will go on.

3. The Qi is weak because it is drained: Drained Qi means that even though there seems to be sufficient energy, it is taken away again. Reasons might be Geopathic stress (Geo = the earth, pathology = study of illness, Geopathic stress = stress caused by degenerating earth energies), either of the property or of the house itself. These can be major energy grids as well as blockages of the energy flow within the landscape.

4. There are other obstacles hindering the sale: When a house does not sell we should ask a number of questions: •

Why is the house being sold in the first place? Is it a financially motivated decision, a move for private reasons, etc?

•

Do all involved parties agree on this step? We sometimes find that one of the

28 Inner Tapestry Oct/Nov 2009

Continued on Page 45

29

I

Wi-Fi: FRIEND OR FOE?

Herbology Today Caution When Mixing Herbs And Drugs

by Christopher J. Bashaw, RN

by Phyllis Light, Ph.D.

n our ever-expanding world of technology, there is a new advancement called Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity). With the right equipment (a card in your computer), you can connect to the Internet anywhere you are, without needing a physical hook-up. Convenient? Certainly. Yet, how is Wi-Fi is affecting us energetically?

We human beings not only have a physical body, but a “subtle energy body” as well—a field of energy that both surrounds the physical body and provides a specific blueprint for it. A good clairvoyant can look at a person’s energy field and see what will manifest soon in the physical body, if the person doesn’t first resolve the problem energetically—in his mind or emotions.

Normally, when you shut off your computer and walk away from it, you are no longer bombarded by the intense electromagnetic frequencies that the computer generates. However, with Wi-Fi, you are now at risk of being bombarded by such frequencies anywhere you go where Wi-Fi is present. In other words, you may be exposed to the damaging frequencies of WIFI, whether you are aware of it or not.

What few people realize is that everyone exposed to Wi-Fi is feeling the negative effect of the frequencies bombarding their subtle energy field and weakening their physical body over time. In our high-tech world, we are already getting blasted by cell phone, TV, radio, microwave, and satellite frequencies 24/7, and now, we are adding the energy of “wireless Internet” to that “negative soup” of frequencies in which we live.

Many illnesses have been linked to exposure to electromagnetic fields: particularly weakened endocrine and immune systems which, in turn, lead to more allergies, asthma, cancer, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, headaches, fibromyalgia, sleep disorders, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), Autism, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Environmental Illness, and a speeded-up aging process (Becker, 1990). The German government has officially condemned the use of Wi-Fi, pulling it out of all schools, due to potential health hazards.

With the advent of Wi-Fi transmissions from our friendly neighborhood coffee shops and grocery stores, and even from our neighbor’s house (allowing us to be bombarded by the frequencies at no extra charge), it is unbelievable what the human energy field is being asked to withstand. And if that’s not enough, there is a new version of WIFI that is currently being installed in U.S. cities, called WiMAX. WiMAX, is an even more powerful wireless internet system, which some have likened to “Wi-Fi on steroids.” The industry plans a nationwide rollout of WIMAX, and intends to make the entire U.S. into “one huge hotspot.”

This system was tested in a small town in Sweden a year and a half ago, and once the system was powered up, people started reporting to hospitals with blurred vision, dizziness, and nausea; and there were a couple of cases of heart arrhythmia as well. All symptoms disappeared once the people were out of range of the frequencies.

Turning the whole U.S. into one huge hotspot would make life here energetically intolerable, especially for sensitive people. Everyone’s health will be adversely affected regardless of their sensitivity; however, not everyone will be able to feel what is happening to them.

You might liken our ability to send information via frequencies in the air to the use of lead pipes in Roman times. Lead pipes allowed the Romans to bring water to their homes, which revolutionized their way of living. Yet, because of lead’s toxicity, it was also the worst thing they could have possibly done from a health perspective. Some historians speculate that this could ultimately have been a major cause of the decline of the Roman Empire. Technological advancements have their price.

Phyllis Light, Ph.D., is an author, expert in “Telepathic Healing,” pioneer in subtle energy protection, and creator of Rejuvenizers® a protective and healing devices designed to combat the ills of life in a high-tech world. She has spent 35 years researching how to heal, repair, and normalize the physical and subtle bodies, in order to bring greater health, well-being, and spiritual awareness to all people. For more information: (512) 301-2999 or www.lighthealing.com.

Christopher Bashaw, RN is an independent herbalist and healing arts practitioner in the NH Seacoast region and can be contacted at master_tenbu@yahoo.com, http://1karate.webs.com.

Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 29

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Many places of business have installed Wi-Fi for their customers. Entire cities, like San Francisco, are now broadcasting Wi-Fi frequencies to everyone in their entire city—as a public service. State parks in Texas offer Internet access via Wi-Fi, so visitors can surf the web without having to plug cables into a network. Wi-Fi has also been installed on many college campuses as a convenience to the students.

W

ith the increased use of herbals in America, so increases the risks of contraindications and drug interactions with these same botanicals. I recall a conference I attended about ten years ago where the speaker was noting a patient he had come into contact with who was bleeding from each and every needle site from their acupuncture treatment. Now for those unfamiliar with acupuncture, bleeding from the needle sticks is not an expected outcome. Upon further investigation it was determined that it was not the technique of the acupuncturist but the fact that the patient was taking, simultaneously, ginger, garlic, ginko and a few other popular herbs.

When asked why she was taking these her reply was, “they’re all natural and supposed to be good for me;” unfortunately each herb had an anticoagulant (blood thinner) effect and the dosages were well beyond therapeutic dose ranges. Regrettably this unawareness of dosing and safety is not limited to laypersons. A nurse practitioner that I work with came up to me just the other day complaining of a tight chest and tachycardia (rapid heartbeat).

Upon further investigation he was taking three common herbs which all increase blood pressure and the heart rate similar to the effect of caffeine. When I inquired why he was taking them all at once he said, “I heard they were good for you!” If nothing else remember that herbs, like their pharmaceutical grandchildren, can have allergic reactions, side effects, contraindications, and not only drug reactions but reactions with other herbs.

Unfortunately many drug/herb interactions have not been fully studied and recorded, but many have. We cannot always rely on our medical providers to have information related to herbal safety, so as consumers we must all understand that combining herbs and pharmaceuticals should only be done after consulting with a knowledgeable provider of both modalities so that safety as well as the desired medical outcome can be achieved in maintaining or enhancing one’s health.

I have listed some common herbs used today to treat a variety of problems and the concerns associated with them.

Aloe ~ is contraindicated with profuse menstruation or bleeding between periods since it will increase blood flow to the uterus; it is also contra indicated for use with children less than 12 years of age due to the potential for depletion of water and electrolytes; extended use longer than 8-10 days should be avoided due to a loss of peristalsis from intestinal smooth muscle; and caution when used with kidney disorders because excessive doses can lead to nephritis (acute or chronic inflammations of the kidneys).

Aloe can also aggravate potassium loss caused by diuretics like Lasix.

Angelica ~ root is contra indicated in peptic ulcer disease due to its stimulation of gastric acid secretion.

Black pepper ~ needs to be used with caution in pregnancy due to its abortifacient potential.

Garlic ~ should be used with great caution with those with a low thyroid function because it can cause these individuals to experience a reduced iodine uptake by the thyroid.

Ginger ~ in large amounts during pregnancy can be detrimental due to its abortifacient effect.

Hawthorn ~ can react with medications like digoxin and other cardio glycosides affecting coronary vasodilation and arrhythmic effects of the heart.

Horsetail ~ needs to be used with caution with digoxin and cardio glycosides which may show toxicity due to potassium loss from its diuretic result.

If you have hypertension licorice can possibly elevate the blood pressure further.

Caution should also be exercised with licorice when combined corticosteroids since prolonging half-life effects of the drug have been found.

Saw Palmetto ~ may interfere with hormonal cancer therapy. And if a breast cancer patient is on tamoxifen (used to treat some types of breast cancer by blocking estrogen) or aromatase (inhibitors decrease blood and tumor levels of estrogen in postmenopausal women) they should avoid using red clover, dong quai or licorice because of their estrogen stimulating components.

For many of us, use of natural herbals is common practice in our personal healthcare regimes. Many of us likewise, combine pharmaceuticals and herbal approaches to the issues that plague us. What we all must do is educate ourselves with literature from reputable sources such as Francis Brinker, ND’s book, Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions, ISBN 0-9659135-0-3; and this may mean also educating our family, peers, physician and herbalist alike.

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ex p lori ng the wo r l d r el i g i o n s The Reality and Not The Illusion of Having A Guru Part One

by James Bean

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ot long ago I was reading an announcement about a series of public events being held for almost a month in a couple of different US cities. Then at the end of the email was this fascinating bombshell of a sentence: “No interviews or personal meetings will be scheduled during this time period.”

This is referring to what used to be the practice (in this particular group) of individual followers being able to schedule some personal, private face-time with the guru. During the “personal interview” one could have the opportunity to talk to one’s spiritual master about the spiritual or mundane affairs of life. The teacher would set a certain amount of time aside for this purpose of meeting with souls and offering spiritual direction and guidance being the guru, in other words.

The role of being a guru and working with others is still on the to-do list apparently, just somewhat further down the list. Personal contact with the teacher, and group meditation, are just the first of many spiritual principles to be abandoned when a group experiences growth beyond the threshold of manageability.

What happens when a group with a belief-system that there can only be “one” valid guru on Earth at a time, desires to promote, grow, expand, market some more, and swell their ranks, to the degree that it is no longer possible for everyone to have at least some opportunity for one-on-one encounters with the master? No more personal interviews? A friend of mine, who also read the same email announcement with the devastating “No Personal Interviews” clause attached at the end, said something quite profound and authoritative: “Maybe you can recommend a good book for me please, maybe another lesser-known Teacher?

Big names don’t have time for small people anymore.”

I find that to be such a powerful observation. After reading it, I knew it would be something I would quote for many years to come.

And, in groups where gurus have an overwhelmingly large numbers of followers, letter writing may not necessarily provide one with an avenue of communication either. One may still not actually make genuine contact with the master or receive back any real, direct, personal guidance. Often, with some large Eastern paths, there is an approach of having on file many pre-authored, standardized letters in anticipation of people writing, asking for guidance or blessings.

Such are the predictable vicissitudes of life that standardized replies can be written in anticipation of people’s future letters voicing concerns about deaths in families, marriages, divorces, career choices, questions about success in business, and so on! By churning out these ready-made replies, it’s possible for guru-helpers to process large amounts of mail. Good for them I suppose, but what about the needs of the people!?

Thus, assuming you receive a reply at all, and there is even some doubt about that, there is a likelihood of ending up with something to the effect of Standardized Reply Letter # 47, signed, Yours Truly, Autopen (Signature Signing Machine), not an actual reply to specifically your sincere attempt at writing a letter.

One may find that their questions remain unanswered.

The notion of the inaccessible teacher is very much at odds with the traditional concept of living masters and their role in the lives of their students 30 Inner Tapestry Oct/Nov 2009

as “Light-givers.” Light-giver is the classic meaning of the word guru. Mystical or contemplative paths, East and West, usually advocate some direct contact between teacher and student in person, or at the very least encourage communication via letter or phone, and these days we can add email and online chat to the list as well. What would be the point of having a guru you can hardly ever, or perhaps maybe even never, communicate with? Might as well turn to past holy books, opening a page randomly for guidance.

For mystical or esoteric paths with an advanced meditation practice and ethical system however, old scriptures written on cuneiform tablets, scrolls or parchments are not enough. The illusion of guidance provided by photocopied letters signed by signature machines, or the illusion of intimacy, waving at a someone in a motorcade that passes you by, is also not enough, is not adequate, can not honestly be called guidance from a living teacher, is not an encounter with a Satguru, is not discipleship, is not personal contact or spiritual direction.

The Notion of the inaccessible teacher is very much at odds with the traditional concept of living masters...

Empire Builders vs. Original Source Groups There are pluses and minuses with both approaches to spiritual paths. Big groups have millions of followers. Their “golden arches,” if you will, are visible in many cities. They act as corporate chains, spreading around standardized creeds and recipes, sharing with humanity at least some ideas that emanate from a traditional school of spirituality. With their visibility they do introduce many people to concepts and practices they may not have been aware of or exposed to previously, and that’s generally a good thing.

I put the Apostle Paul’s version of Christianity in this category of Empire Building or Corporate Chain Religions. Paul vs. the Essene-Ebionite or Gnostic remnant is a useful analogy here. If one were alive during the First Century in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus on the west coast of Anatolia, it is most likely that you would have heard about the message of Jesus from a representative of Paul’s branch of Christianity. You would receive a version of the gospel edited from a Pauline perspective. At the time it might even seem like the one-and-only perspective. One probably would not even think of Paul’s movement as a distinct “branch” of Christianity. One might assume

there is only one group, a single church universal and triumphant. Only after being informed by that tradition for a period of time would there be a possibility or likelihood that one might eventually learn of other branches or versions of Christianity independent of Paul’s “brand,” if you will. One might even at some point be attracted to one of those other “branches,” perhaps with a different apostolic succession linked to Thomas, James the Just, or Mary Magdalene, finding in it much more wisdom, depth and satisfaction, a rich spiritual heritage with genuine Aramaic roots, closer to the original unvarnished message and vision of the historic Jesus, in one’s estimation. Without your encounter with the Big Name Empire Building path, you might have never had the luxury of digging deeper and unearthing other possibilities, discovering a more mystical spiritual community to join… or defect to. Thus, I observe there is a legitimate role for both the Empire Building paths as well as the lesserknown Source Communities that originally, several generations prior, gave them birth, existing in the contemplative quietude of an inner circle of disciples in Jerusalem (before 70 AD) further to the East, Qumran, Nag Hammadi, Hathras, Agra, etc.

It’s always quite liberating to have choices when it comes to the thorny subject of spiritual paths. It’s very, very, very unhealthy to be trapped in an imaginary matrix where there is only one true guru on Planet Earth, only one option. If one has been indoctrinated into thinking there is only one path on Earth for this lifetime, only one choice and no place to run, there is the danger that one could rationalize all their concerns away in the name of protecting their own spiritual condition. Living in a multi-verse where there are multiple options, however, makes one bold and daring, willing to ask the tough questions come-what-may, allowing one to view things fearlessly, free of worry.

One develops a wisdom-eye blessed with discernment and high standards.

Learn New Things – Ascend and Discover A New World!

“Cut off have been My people for lack of Knowledge.”

(Hosea 4: 6, Young’s Literal Translation Bible) That verse from the prophet Hosea sums up the human condition quite nicely. Being cut off without full access to Knowledge or Gnosis, without even knowing what it is we might be missing, with heredity and environment working against us, sometimes mislead by others, sometimes mislead by our very own ego-dominated self, who is there who is free of this labyrinth of ego, mind, and matter, and therefore can help us escape, too? Who can we trust to be a worthy Sherpa guide on this unfamiliar path of ascension?

I find this passage from the Corpus Hermeticum to be one of the most eloquent descriptions of the awakened soul, trapped somewhere in time, seeking to begin its search for a competent and qualified teacher, spiritual path and initiation into the Inward Life: “People, where are you rushing, so intoxicated

Continued on Page 45

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

A New Consciousness of Life as Organism:

A Living Vision Changing The Worldview And Conversation Of What Is Life?

by Skye Hirst, Ph.D.

A

s Norm and I focus on how the Consciousness is shifting daily, we recognize the need for having conversations that matter that can help in understanding the changing worldview of what is life – a living vision of ourselves as living organisms, functioning with awareness of epi-organizing laws, connected to other living organisms, all made from the same bio-energy matrix of life-itself. It seems particularly relevant to the conversations about health and health care that are so loud with politicized rhetoric, and which leave out what really matters... health, aliveness.

The old worldview consciousness is moving aside more each day. The underpinnings of thought which have entrapped us are shifting as we can see here: Old Consciousness → New Consciousness Discrete individuality → autonomy and connectedness, interactive relatedness Separateness, thing/fact oriented → wholeness, cooperation, functioning as unicept, processes of becoming Fixity of nature, consistent → fluidity, creating new realities, coherence valuedriven, allows oscillation

Subject-Predicate logics → Logics of acts, theory of acts, how one becomes, evolves chooses acts

In the analytic picture offered by the cognitive sciences, the world consists of separate objects and states of affairs, the human mind is a determinate machine which, in order to know, isolates and identifies those objects and events, finds the simplest possible predictive contingencies between them, stores the results through time in memory, relates the items in memory to each other such that they form a coherent but indirect representation of the world and oneself, and retrieves those representations in order to fulfill the only originating value, which is to survive and reproduce in an evolutionarily successful manner.

Here are some of characteristics of these organizing epi-laws of organisms and the living domain. To see a more complete list visit our website: www.autognomics.org under theory/life-itself characteristics.

Organisms are self-creating, i.e., antipoietic – autopoiesis requires self-creation, self-correction & self-reference. Autopoiesis requires autonomy. It rejects allonomy leading to informational closure.

Living organisms are holistic. There are no parts and no states. Organisms are created as a single whole. It seems as if there are parts.

We have hearts, brains, kidneys, livers, etc. But they are not truly parts as in machines.

...we recognize the need for having conversations that matter that can help in understanding the changing worldview of what is life...

As she describes Primary Knowing we can see the new consciousness: “Primary knowing” arises by means of “interconnected wholes, rather than isolated contingent parts and by means of time-less, direct, presentation” rather than through stored “re-presentation.” “Such knowing is open rather than determinate, and a sense of unconditional value, rather than conditional usefulness, is an inherent part of the act of knowing itself..." Acting from such awareness is “spontaneous, rather than the result of decision making,” and it is “compassionate… since it is based on wholes larger than the self."

Alfred North Whitehead in what he called the Philosophy of Organism laid the foundations of today’s process philosophy. Here he speaks about the old paradigm entrapments that have controlled science, as we know it today.

There persists …the fixed scientific cosmology, which presupposes the ultimate fact of an irreducible brute matter, or material, spread throughout space in a flux of configurations. In itself such a material is senseless, valueless and purposeless. It just does what it does do, following a fixed routine imposed by external relations which do not spring from the nature of its being.

This is called scientific materialism. It is not a scientific requirement. It is a metaphysical assumption based on “substance metaphysics.” Logic has been developed to be compatible with substance metaphysics.

What is organism? Organisms may include the cells in our bodies, you and me, or you and me as cells in society, the ecosystem, the economy, or Planet Earth as a cell in the universe. It is being said today that the cosmos is an organism; what used to seem an outrageous claim that the cosmos is living. We know that the Gaia hypothesis claims the earth is a living organism; the cells in our bodies are organisms, now, by

Life works by creating new realities, novelties, and variety. It is life itself that produces evolution, not random processes or survival of the fittest. Living processes are vibratory, oscillating between both poles of categorical contrasts to find effective acts in its creation process. This is why, for thinking about life, we reject consistency and truth preservation inference.

Organisms are autonomous. Autonomous means self-law. Everything they know and can do is developed within by processes only now being discovered. They are not like any processes a machine view would imagine.

There are no computations. There are societies of living entities, cells in humans, societies of molecules in the cells and so on down to particles. At each level the societies permit maximum freedom subject only to coherence conditions, some of which are values and value processes. And we, as human beings are cells in a higher order society. The role of values and the valuation process that philosopher, Robert Hartman (see www.HartmanInstitute.org) put forth now becomes incredibly important. Strictly speaking I believe it is valuation processes that are important to living entities. The necessary autonomy of living entities prevents their having any informational inputs. Yet they do need to discover what works in their living context. They do that by acting, to find effective acts. Acts that produce the organism’s intentions are effective acts.

Applications and Implications: Health and Health Care In health and health care we see that organisms don’t form themselves by machine structures that are fixed, and unchanging, but they are ever oscillating to find effective action. Health requires self-recognition of the organizing identity and dynamic creativity of creating realities, novelty. And it does so by the vast enormous variety of ways it stores bio-energy to access as needed for different contextual experiences. It functions as a unity, a unicept. Each cell is making decisions for itself while working collaboratively with the other 75 trillion or so cells (human organism) to keep the identity coherent and sustaining. Each organism must function by its own self-law (identity plus history of acts and inherent value intelligence) it cannot be or act out of “coherence” with itself. If it tries to,

Continued on Page 45 Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 31

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Classificatory stability → stretching for novelty, creative, dynamic, paradoxical, finding effective acts

Psychologist, Eleanor Rosch characterized the old consciousness as follows:

What is life and life-itself as we mean it here? Life means structures of energy in the Sea of Dirac (pre-space), a primordial matrix that creates the physical universe as a living entity/organism. Within this living entity (infinite because there is no other) are many hierarchal societies of organisms, all connected and interacting.

Life is primordial activity, which, physicist David Bohm called the implicate order.

Living entities exhibit invariant organization and structural plasticity. Self-making requires self-knowing and self-reference. These requirements destroy the applicability of logic, as we have known it. Also life is di-polar requiring the assertion of both poles of categorical contrasts, a paradox resolved by time and oscillation. That which appears as illogical about a living organism may well have a rationale to be discovered. Meanwhile, give up the notion of need for consistency as it is normal to ebb and flow with oscillation in the learning and self-making processes.

Passivity (being acted upon) → self-aware, self-knowing, self-law, selfinitiating, producing

Notice how the following descriptions of old and new consciousness feel as you read them. What is the “felt sense” they create in your “organism energy field?“

high-tech observation, we know that the molecules in the cells are living organisms.

And they all seem to obey the same organizing epi-laws. They have been “out of awareness” laws till recently and they have not reached mainstream thinking by far.

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INNER TAPESTRY's Directory of Resources Holistic Practitioners, Products and Resources Each category contains practitioners from various states. a l t e r n a t i ve livin g

counseling & the rapy- cont.

Maine Greensward Hamlet

Alternative Living .................................................. page 32 Counseling & Therapy ................................... pages 32-33 Creative Healing Arts ............................................page 33 Evolutionary Consciousness................................. page 34 Health Publications .............................................. page 34 Holistic Healing Centers ...................................... page 34 Hypnotherapy ...................................................... page 34 Integrative Healing ........................................ pages 35-36 Life Mastery ..........................................................page 36 Meditation ............................................................ page 36 Psychic & Spiritual Mediumship .......................... page 37 Reflexology & Healing Massage .......................... page 37 Retreats ............................................................... page 37 Sacred Space .......................................................page 38 Salons & Spas ..................................................... page 38 Schools & Trainings ...................................... pages 38-39 Shamanic Healing ................................................ page 39 Writing Services..................................................... page 40 Yoga, Tai Chi, Aikido ............................................. page 40

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

We have been told that in prayer one and one = infinite possibilities.

I am one and you are one; together our visions and prayers hold the key to these infinite possibilities.

32 Inner Tapestry Oct/Nov 2009

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

creative healing arts

Gestalt Your Life

Maine

Angela Hassenpflug Personal Development/Gestalt Work

Surry Music Therapy Center: Alan Wittenberg M.A., CMT

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.

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.

Music therapy opens new channels of communication and contact through the creative and interactive use of music towards self-expression and self-discovery. It goes beyond

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

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

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

Art Therapy & Shamanism

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.

Vermont

Mark Nakell, LCPC 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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Certified Music Therapist, (AMTA) American Music Therapy Association

34 evolutionary consciousness

holistic healing centers-cont.

M a i ne 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.

health publications

M a i ne The Maine Directory of Complementary & Alternative Health Practitioners Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

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

M a i ne 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.

34 Inner Tapestry Oct/Nov 2009

Gardens of Atlantis Healing Arts Center The Vision I have for Gardens of Atlantis is of a supportive and heart-centered community of many and

varied individuals. The intent is to allow people to step out of their everyday

lives, to relax, renew and get in touch with their own Energy and Spirit. We encourage a focus on creating a more positive lifestyle, finding a healthy purpose that will in turn create a happier, more harmonious community. We offer events that are fun and enriching for your journey on this path. Come take a walk in the Gardens! (207) 929-5088, www.gardensofatlantis.org.

hypnotherapy

Main e 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.

"For I Dipped into the future, far as human eye could see, Saw the vision of the world, and all the wonder that would be" Alfred Lord Tennyson

35 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.

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.

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

visit www.dragonfly-llc.net.

M a i ne 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 a 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.

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.

Ron and Joan

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

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

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

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

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

Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 35

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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

Dr. Adi Philpott

36 integrative healing–cont.

Kim Egberts Holistic & Cranial Sacral Therapist Transforming the stress in your life.

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.

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

Yarmouth ME.

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

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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.

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

SpiritWings CompassionateHealing

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

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

life mastery Maine Ocean of Possibilities Life Coaching 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.

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.

meditation Maine

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

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

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

Directory of Resources Listings are easy to compose.

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

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

36 Inner Tapestry Oct/Nov 2009

37 psychic & spiritual mediumship Maine PsychicMediumship, Hypnotherapy

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

resides in Fairfield and Northport, Maine.

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

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

reflexology & healing massage

retreats

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

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

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

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

(888) 235-2395 July 3 – October.

Maine 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

Lynn call (207) 767-5776 or 207-318-0129, or visit www.handsonfeet.net.

retreats

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

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 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.

Maine This land is a living resource! The 47 blessed

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.

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

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

For all graphic and text material November 5th

Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 37

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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

Nurture Through Nature

38 sacred space

salons & spas–cont.

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!

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

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

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 is proud to offer non-toxic, super conditioning hair color with essential oils and a soy base. You will also find homemade soap and unique pieces of jewelry at Roots. Contact Steph at beautyheals@aol.com or (207) 838-9535.

HAIR BEAUTY GRACE

Because you are... a living vision; "BE" the "CAUSE" of its expression.

38 Inner Tapestry Oct/Nov 2009

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

schools & trainings Maine

Treat Your Feet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

39 schools & trainings–cont.

shamanic healing–cont.

Maine

Chaplaincy Institute of Maine

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

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

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.

shamanic healing Maine

Debra Rainbow Heart Spirit Passages Allie Knowlton, MSW, DCSW & Evelyn Rysdyk

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.

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

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

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

Pacha Works

Holding New Possibilities.

Working with traditional shamanistic practices for healing.

Eva Rose Goetz, director

Our thanks to the many who support our community.

"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."

Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others. ... Jonathan Swift

Going within means never going without!

Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 39

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

Full Mesa Carrier & Lineage Keeper In the Andean Shamanic Tradition

40 writing services Connecticut

Yoga ~ T'ai Chi Maine BRUNSWICK Human Element Center

Does your promotional material deliver results for your business? Does it align with the higher purpose of your

business? An experienced writer, Karen creates promotional copy that establishes the value your product/service offers potential customers. Karen writes content for book jackets, ads, brochures, newsletters, press releases, websites, professional bios and more. She has authored as well as ghostwritten articles, profiles, book content, reviews and local news stories. Her work appears in local, regional and national wellness and spirituality publications. Let Karen create copy that speaks directly to your target audience—with clarity, integrity and creativity. (860) 638-8140 or email Karen at KarenMRider@comcast.net.

Maine

The Village Scribe The Wellness Center, Camden, Maine

207.344.7070

TheVillageScribe@hotmail.com Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Communicate your authentic message Writing and Editing services for the Creative and Holistic communities.

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

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).

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 WholeHeart Yoga Center

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

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

Yoga ~ T'ai Chi ~ Aikido

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.

The Inner Tapestry's

\ Yoga, T'ai Chi, Aikido listing \ is an excellent resource for getting the word out for your classes & workshops!

Connecticut

If you and your group or school hold classes and workshops and would like to be listed in this Directory,

GLASTONBURY

please call: (207) 799-7995 or Email: info@innertapestry.org.

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.

40 Inner Tapestry Oct/Nov 2009

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.

41 Continued from page 14 ~ 21st century bohemian ~ A Conversation with Shakti Gawain...

SG: Overall, what I’m learning is how to embrace every part of myself, especially some of the parts of myself that haven’t been so easy to embrace. The disowned parts of ourselves are always difficult. So that’s a constant in my life, to see what’s going on with me. Seeing what parts of myself I may have been disowning and learning how to embrace them more. And in that process I have been guided into various things. And actually, one of the most fun things for me and the most powerful processes that I’ve been doing for the last few years is singing. The interesting thing is I’m not a really good singer, I don’t have a great voice or anything. But I love it so much! It makes me happier than almost anything, to be able to sing. So I’ve gone through a lot of process around what it was to have that great desire to do something and not have a great gift but still do it anyway. I’m used to being good at everything I do so there’s a vulnerability in that for me. Do you know what I mean? So that’s where my creative challenge comes in and where I have a lot of fun.

In our next issue I will continue my conversation with Shakti Gawain sharing ideas on fun, starting your spiritual journey and being our own Guru. Be Well and Walk in Peace, until then... Visit Shakti Gawain online at www.shaktigawain.com or get information on her books at www.newworldlibrary.com.

Teresa Piccari is a writer and teacher living in coastal Maine. She is the proprietor of The Village Scribe, a professional writing and editing business at The Wellness Center in Camden, Maine. Teresa teaches creative process and writing workshops including Creative Writing, Memoir and Mythic Structure. She also runs the Ducktrap Writers’ Round Table which meets monthly at the Camden Public Library. Contact Teresa at TheVillageScribe@hotmail.com or at (207) 344-7070.

Continued from page 16 ~ destination healing ~ SNE ~ The Magic Of Hot Stone Even though the basalt and jade stones are excellent for balancing the energy body, many therapists opt for a set of seven semi-precious chakra crystal stones for harmonizing body, mind and spirit. Depending on the therapist’s preferences and a client’s needs, chakra stones might include Amethyst, Sodalite, Turquoise, Rose Quartz, Tiger’s Eye, Jasper, Bloodstone, Moonstone, Citrine, Garnet, Tourmaline, Opal, Coral, and Amber.

Gerrianne described how she maintains her stones: “The stones are maintained by cleaning thoroughly between sessions using warm water and soap, and then sprayed with alcohol to eliminate bacteria.” Because Gerri recognizes the stones for the natural elements they truly are, periodically she will “charge” her stones in the sun.

“A variety of essential oils can be used to increase the effectiveness of the session, according to the client’s needs. Essential oils, derived from herbs and flowers, can enhance the relaxation effect and have medicinal properties for the relief of muscle soreness and tension,” added Gerrianne.

During my hot stone treatment, Gerrianne incorporated lavender and citrus essential oils. She placed basalt stones in my palms, the small of my back and along the chakras centers. I was amazed that a substance so hard could be so gently stimulating and soothing at the same time. The heat held by the stones is instantly relaxing while the gentle pressure created by the stone’s weight (which is not more than a few ounces) energizes the area. This combination of warmth, pressure, and movement of the therapist’s hands rapidly induced relaxation.

Not more than fifteen minutes into this ninety-minute treatment, I felt a deep cleansing wash through my body and mind.

I have a cyst behind my knee that will be removed surgically as this issue of Inner Tapestry goes to press. Before the massage, I was experiencing pain and tension deep into in my calf, foot and hip. I always have a nagging ache around my knee. As Gerrianne worked her “magic” with the stones, I could feel the heat drawing out the tension and toxins that accumulate in injured muscle tissue and joints. By the end of the session, my muscles were warm, tingly and moving as freely as lava flows. Emotionally and mentally, I felt somehow lighter, focused and creatively engaged at a higher level than usual.

That’s the '‘magic" of a hot stone massage!

Body Wellness is located in the Willowbrook Plaza on Willowbrook Road in Cromwell,

Body Wellness is a growing office always looking for ways to offer clients a more beneficial and healing experience. Each session is tailored to the unique needs of the client. Body Wellness is handicapped accessible. As we continue to grow, we look forward to offering therapeutic facials and body treatments.

Resources: http://www.lastonetherapy.com/Index.asp http://www.amlstonesource.com http://www.gemstones.org http://www.amtamassage.org (American Massage Therapy Association) Medical Footnote Precaution: Hot stone therapy is not recommended for people with high blood pressure or pregnant women as their core temperature should not be raised from the heat of the stones. This article is not intended to diagnose any medical condition or to suggest treatment for any medical condition. Please consult with your physician/health care provider before having any type of massage therapy treatment.

Side Bar: As the story goes, sometime in 1993, Mary Nelson was enjoying a sauna with a relative. She has described hearing the stones “call to her” to apply them to her skin. So, she picked up the stones and began massaging with the stones instead of just the power of her hands. Over a period of time, she had several visions and received messages through dreams about how to conduct massage with stones. After a period of study of ancient methods of stone treatments, she perfected LaStone Therapy. Now, there are a variety of massage therapy schools offering variations of hot/cold stone massage. Still, the most respected are those that are based in Hawaiian culture.

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

Continued from page 17 ~ destination healing ~ NNE ~ Living Visions of the Future is an in-depth study of the YogaEd Training manual. Lily explained, “We will look at all four chapters of the text and each teacher will have an opportunity to experience yoga in action. We will see how certain poses, games, breath work, and relaxation can gain the desired behavior for specific times of the children’s school day.”

Schedules and fees for YoKids Yoga Classes and Teacher Training can be found on line at YoKids.org or by telephone. To encourage study by others Lynnette Moore and Lily Goodale produced a Yoga DVD, and Guidebook titled “Moore Yoga,” a home room teacher’s guide to the simple application of yoga in the classroom. Copies of these instructional tools are available just contact YoKids via email at ngoodale@aol.com or telephone (207) 236-6001.

As a parent or teacher with an interest in Yoga, you may wish to contact YoKids to encourage the practice of Yoga by our youth. The concept of ensuring a fruitful and beneficial future can be realized through young people, Living Visions of the Future.

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, Herbalist, Certified Hypnotherapist, Shamanic 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.

Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 41

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There is one more element that completes a hot stone massage—the selection of essential oil blended with the massage oil or lotion.

CT. (860) 632-2639 www.gobodywellness.com e-mail: gobodywellness@yahoo.com.

42

Calendar and Classified GuidelinesAnd Advertising Rates AreLocatedon Page 44

H eart V isions

October 1st 8th Two Year Apprenticeship in Advanced Shamanism

and Shamanic Healing, For More Information and registration www.spiritpassages.org or email passages@maine.rr.com.

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

January, 2010 200-Hour Teacher Training on the Mayan Riviera

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A 24 day Immersion. FMI: Contact www.ShivaShaktiYogaSchool.com or call (207) 431-8079.

October 10th-11th Enlightenment transmission Intensive Personal One-to-One sessions with Dave Oshana also available, FMI: email usa@daveoshana.com or call (612) 210-7936.

October 16th-18th Wellness Weekend at Mahoosuc.

Practitioners offering services: massage, yoga, foot reflexology, spiritual counseling, Sapokniona Whitefeather speaking Friday & Saturday evening. FMI: (207) 824-2073 or info@mahoosuc.com.

October 18th, Sunday, 10:00am–3:00pm "Spiritual Publishing: The Heart of the Matter" With Deb Snyder, Ph.D., Doctor of Philosophy, Metaphysics @ “Forest Circles,” Topsham, Me. Join author and HeartGlow creator, Deb Snyder, PhD for a workshop exploring the tools and techniques behind spiritual publishing. She'll discuss her personal story of writing her own book, Intuitive Parenting, which is being released in the Spring of 2010 by Simon & Schuster. We'll also explore using your own intuition to get your work in magazines, newsletters and websites. Learn the "ins and outs" of networking, preparing your proposal, securing an agent, working with publicists and finding the publisher that would be a great match for you! It's time to take your spiritual work to the next level and share your special talents with the world! Visit www.heartglowparenting.com FMI. For directions and more info go to www.forestcircles.com or call Regina @ (207) 776-3152.

October 24th, 6:30pm Community Spiritual Cinema~Living Luminaries

in the U.S. Virgin Island’s renowned eco-resort Maho Bay. An enriching getaway in the Caribbean sun with Nurture Through Nature, www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.

On the serious business of happiness. Michael Beckwith, Marianne Williamson, Eckhart Tolle, Don Miguel Ruiz and more address God, Purpose and most world religious and spiritual schools of thought. Why are we here and how can we find our true purpose? FMI and reservations call Leapin' Lizards Freeport (207) 865-0900, $7.50.

March 14th-17th, 2010 Celtic Spirituality: The Wisdom of the Divine Feminine

October 24th & 25th Spirit Figures: Making A Home For Power

With Megan Don at Kripalu Institute, www.kripalu.org.

Guest Instructor, Trudy Sloan will work with Spirit Passages, Evie and Allie to help you create a figure which will be a residence for your spiritual ally! FMI and registration www. spiritpassages.org or email passages@maine.rr.com.

March 14th-21st, 2010 Women’s Holistic Yoga Meditation Eco-Retreat

May 16th-22nd, 2010 Avila, Spain: Walking with Teresa of Avila www.mysticpeace.com.

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

October~Connecticut October 28th, 7:00pm-9:00pm Massage Cupping With Anne Buchalski, LMT, 2009 Lecture Series by Windham Hospital Integrative Health Services, Bernard & Desrosier Rooms, FMI: www.windhamhospital.org.

October ~Maine September 30th - October 4th Women's Fall Foliage Holistic Paddling Retreat with Nurture Through Nature~For those seeking more long lasting peace and rest from the noise in their head! Western Maine, www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.

October – November, Thursdays, 6:30pm-8:00pm Weekly Class in Shamanic Techniques.

Deepen and strengthen your spiritual life. Contact us to register. Located in Western Maine. (207) 461-4840, www. mountainspiritjourneys.com, jamal@mountainspiritjourneys.com.

October 2nd, 6:30pm Community Spiritual Cinema ~The Living Matrix A film on the new science of healing, Lynne McTaggart and Bruce Lipton, Ph.D. How to get well and stay well. FMI and reservations call Leapin' Lizards Freeport (207) 865-0900, $7.50.

October 8th, 7:00-9:00pm Dave Oshana "Awakening the Mind's Prison" Enlightenment Transmission The Landing, 353 Pine Point Road, Scarborough, Maine. $10 donation. FMI: call Emily at 207-772-6757.

42 Inner Tapestry Oct/Nov 2009

October~Massachusetts October 17th, 10:00am-5:00pm Dr. Christiane Northrup and Cheryl Richardson An intimate conversation with Women's health pioneer Dr. Christiane Northrup and lifestyle expert Cheryl Richardson, taking your questions and discussing the pitfalls and pleasures of practicing good self-care. Learn the profound connection between health and pleasure—and leave with a practical plan to help you add more life-saving pleasure to your life right now! Back Bay Events Center, Boston. Visit www.hayhouse.com or call (800) 654-5126.

October 24th, 9:00am-5:00pm Choice Point 2012 New discoveries from the field of physics and epigenetics to quantum biophysics and fractal geometry all point to an emerging realization: civilization is poised on the threshold of a major evolutionary event. Join three visionary scholars, Gregg Braden, Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., and Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D. as they present their research on the mystery of 2012 and the end of the current World Age cycle. Back Bay Events Center, Boston. Visit www.hayhouse.com or call (800) 654-5126.

October 31st- November 1st EOL Visionary Acupressure System Level 1, Module 2 Location: The Way To Balance, 21 Water St., Amesbury, MA, 9:00am-6:00pm each day. This Visionary Acupressure System fuses ancient and modern techniques, making a quantum leap to address the direct frequencies of trauma and illness. Targets specific energy frequencies of physical and psycho-physical tension patterns throughout the body without relying solely on the traditional linear meridian flows. Results in deeper and more rapid release of cellular memory and trauma. This powerful yet easy to learn self-help workshop encourages self-awareness, body-mind connections, spiritual and emotional transformation.

Details at www.TheWayToBalance.com; (978) 834-0341.

October~NewHampshire October 2009 D Acres of New Hampshire is a non-profit, farm based service organization that promotes SustainAbility through practice, experimentation, workshops, tours, and community outreach since 1997. No one will be denied access to D Acres workshops & events due to inability to pay. Visit www.dacres.org for a full listing of October events or call (603) 786-2366.

October 9th, 4:00pm-8:00pm Sword Exhibition, Book & DVD signing Aaron Hoopes, author, instructor, founder of Zen Yoga.

Shaman’s Dream, 180 Lafayette Rd. (Rt. 1), North Hampton, NH, (603) 379-6555

October 10th, Zen Yoga Classes & Meditation 10:00am – 12:00noon Beginner Zen Yoga (no experience necessary, beginners welcome) - 1:00pm – 3:00pm Intermediate Zen Yoga - 5:00pm – 7:00pm Zen Yoga Meditation. Shaman’s Dream, 180 Lafayette Rd. (Rt. 1), North Hampton , NH, (603) 379-6555

October11th, 10:00am – 2:00pm Intro to Level 1 Zen Yoga Instructor Training For serious yoga devotees and instructors, Shaman’s Dream, 180 Lafayette Rd. (Rt. 1), North Hampton , NH, (603) 379-6555

November~Connecticut November 7th & 8th, 9:00am-5:00pm Cranial Sacral Technique and Philosophy, Part 1 Explore this fascinating manual therapy technique and expand your understanding on how structure, energy and emotions can influence function, symptoms and illness. FMI: Call Joe Belanger, PT, Belanger Physical Therapy, LLC (860) 295-0572 or (860) 372-8236.

November 18th, 7:00pm-9:00pm Living the Holidays with Meaning & Wellness With the Wellness Collaborative, 2009 Lecture Series by Windham Hospital Integrative Health Services, Bernard & Desrosier Rooms, FMI: www.windhamhospital.org.

November ~Maine November 6th, 6:30pm Community Spiritual Cinema~Infinity the Ultimate Trip!

Journey Beyond Death, Gregg Braden, John Holland, Robert Thurman, Alberto Villoldo, Neal Donald Walsh and more. What does happen after we pass from this world? FMI and reservations call Leapin' Lizards Freeport (207) 865-0900, $7.50.

November 6th-8th Partnership and the Spiritual Path A weekend retreat for couples with Julianna Pfeiffer LCPC and Rob Pfeiffer, RC in Camden Maine. Partner exercises, group process, meditation, body awareness, journaling and more. FMI (207) 236-3777 or visit www.PfeifferCounselingServices.com.

November 7th, 9:00am-3:00pm 6th Annual Spirit In Action Conference The Season of Possibilities at the Hilton Garden Inn, Freeport, $65 includes lunch call (207) 878-3899 or www.womeningod.com for more information.

Send all listings to

info@innertapestry.org

ALL EVENTS ARE LISTED ONLINE AT www.innertapestry.org

43 November 22nd, 11:00am-4:00pm Holiday Fair at Gardens of Atlantis Admission is FREE! www.gardensofatlantis.org Dayton, ME (207) 929-5088.

November~Massachusetts November 7th The Rings Of Oden: New Technology for Quantum Healing Location: The Way To Balance, 21 Water St., Amesbury, MA More powerful and versatile than a pyramid, the Rings combine Sacred Geometry, Crop Circles, Cell Microbiology, and DNA Holographic Re-Patterning to create an energy vortex of net-neutral energy particles that increase light resonance in the body. This causes denser, "stuck" areas to open and flow normally. The spiraling vortex of energy created by the Rings is adaptable to numerous healing applications for both practitioners and lay-people. Details at www.

TheWayToBalance.com; (978) 834-0341.

November 14th I.D.E.A.L. Process Module 3 Empowered Self-Healing Through Dialoguing With Your Body Location: The Way To Balance, 21 Water St., Amesbury, MA Discover EOL Process Techniques and Tools to awaken the 8th Chakra and heighten full cellular memory within the physical body. Learn to enhance intuitive flow and heighten information detail. Discover the role of the limbic system (where emotions are stored and processed in the brain) and unique ways to work with vibrational tools (Sound, Color and EOL Aromatherapy Tools for Healing.) Apply the EOL Process for self-healing of unresolved emotional patterns. Unlock your potential for self-healing and establish resources outside yourself for healing. Prerequisite: I.D.E.A.L. Process Modules 1 & 2. Details at www.TheWayToBalance.com; (978) 834-0341.

November~NewHampshire is a non-profit, farm based service organization that promotes SustainAbility through practice, experimentation, workshops, tours, and community outreach since 1997. No one will be denied access to D Acres workshops & events due to inability to pay. Visit www.dacres.org for a full listing of November events or call (603) 786-2366.

November 14th, 12:00-12:45pm Staying Balanced in a Changing World: Simple skills to help you navigate the difficulties of a changing world. Presented by Aaron Hoopes, founder of Zen Yoga. Upper Valley Women's Expo, Fireside Inn & Conference Center, West Lebanon, NH, www.uppervalleywomensexpo.com.

Ongoing~Connecticut Dowsing For Your Health Course Fall 2009 & Winter 2010.

During 3 classes, we'll learn to use pendulums and L-rods to dowse in making daily decisions, in understanding our health, and in measuring the earth energies that surround us. This course is almost entirely hands-on, so come join the fun. For more information, visit www.newenglanddowsing.com.

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

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

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

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

Classes are offered in Westbrook, Bridgton, Brownfield & Blue Hill. FMI: (207) 591-5332, www.portland.me@taoist.org.

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,

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

Yoga Class in Windham 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.

Spiritual Horizons Maine 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.

Sharon Elaina would like you to know… 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.

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.

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.

Center for the Healing Arts in Portland on Tuesdays at 6:30pm.

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 visit www.thelandingcenter.com.

The Path of Celtic Buddhism

Qi Gong Classes with Georgi Nelson, CPT

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.

Classes ongoing, 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

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

with Astrologer Ananur Forma every Thursday, 8:00pm9:00pm, streaming online www.wrfr.org. Ananur will be playing only the music of the positive, ever-uplifting Moody Blues from past to future. Ananur will sprinkle in a little astrological information when she does 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.

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

Meditation and Buddhism:

The Birth House

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.

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

Tuesday Buddhist Meditation 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.

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.

Earthrest Discussion Series 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nia With Maggie Bokor 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.

Continued on page 44 Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 43

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November 2009 D Acres of New Hampshire

Ongo ing~ M aine

44 Reiki Works offers all levels of Reiki

Kripalu “DansKinetics”

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

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.

Dragonfly Taijiquan, Larry Ira Landau Group & Private Instruction in T’ai Chi Ch’aun (taijiquan) & Chi Kung (qigong) for beginners & experienced students.

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

SpiritWings–Workshops, Reiki Classes in Bethel ME

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.

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.

Experience the healing of Love without conditions

Doula tea, meet with doulas in person

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.

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.

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

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

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

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

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

Holistic Pathways Yoga & Healing Center, Gorham.

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

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

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

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

Calendar of Events

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

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 All levels including, Beginner, Level I, Level II, Gentle & Private classes & workshops. For more info and schedule see www.belfastyoga.com or call (207) 338-3930/338-4256.

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

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

Classified Listings 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.

HEALING PLACES

Eco-Retreat in a Solar-Powered, wood-fired cabin.

Experience deep quiet and nature's beauty in a solar-powered, wood-heated eco-cabin getaway at Nurture Through Nature Green Retreat Center in Denmark, Maine, only an hour from Portland/Freeport/Lewiston, ME and 2 hours northwest of Portsmouth. Cost $59-$65/night for one-two. Add $20 each additional person. Two cabins available, both sleep four. www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.

OFFICE RENTAL SPACE CONNECTICUT Room available in Cromwell, CT. Bring your clients to a warm, comforting environment. Nicely sized room for any type of bodywork. Check out our website at www.massageyourway.com, or call Dena Shea @ Therapeutic Alternatives: (860) 635-7335.

MAINE

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.”

SACRED RENTAL SPACE

Ongoing~NewHampshire

Space Available for Gatherings, Ceremonies, Presentations.

Tai Chi for Health

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.

Thursday, 5:30pm-6:15pm, $15 pay as you go. Zev Yoga, 16 Market Square, Portsmouth, NH. Age 14 and older.

NESHHA Educational Presentation The New England Seacoast Holistic Health Association (an organization of Healthcare Professionals), has meetings monthly, third Thursday, Potluck 6:30pm, Networking 7:00pm at the Herbal Path, 839 Central Ave., Dover, NH. www.NESHHA.org.

Eaton Satsang An informal gathering to discover and welcome the truth of one's inner nature. Eaton, NH is near the Maine/NH border.

Most Wednesday evenings. www.eatonsatsang.com or (603) 447-5401.

Ongoing~RhodeIsland

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

A Place In The Heart

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.

VACATION RENTAL SPACE WWW.MAUIVIEWSKOHALA.COM A Peaceful retreat on the northern tip of the Big Island of Hawaii. Super introductory rates and low airfares make this "suite" vacation a temptation not to be denied!

Bridge Between Two Worlds Radio Show Mediumship, Physical Phenomena and more. Contact Talk Radio Mondays 8:00pm-9:00pm EST, Listen Live www.bridgebetweentwoworlds.net. Host Pamela Marie Edmunds, (508) 273-0022.

~ Ongoing 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 Oct/Nov 2009

All Calendar and Classified Listings are listed on the Inner Tapestry Website!

45 Continued from page 9 ~ modern shamanic living ~ New Visions: Dreaming A New Dream you will find that your efforts toward your goal feel more supported. You may see opportunities that you never saw before or draw more like-minded individuals to your inner circle. These shifts are made possible by your change of mind/heart and the energetic signature that they produce in and around your body.

Changing one’s life is a warrior’s journey. It is a series of choices that you make each day, in every moment that will eventually reveal your desired results—often in an unexpected form. In making those choices, you are living your new vision of yourself right now!

One more thing: remember to feel what you desire happening now—not in some future time. If you feel it as something in the future, it will remain in the future.

Using our example it means feeling that you are fulfilled in this present moment, not feeling that you will be satisfied one day.

Let, “I am gratefully changing my perceptions, I am gratefully changing my feelings, I am gratefully changing my world” become your new mantra. Follow the steps, feel the feelings and become the transformation that you want to experience in your world!

Another pointer, don’t get locked into the idea that there is only one way of fulfilling your dreams! The spirits of All That Is may have something in mind even more glorious than you can imagine, so always focus on simply feeling it in this present moment. That is the ticket to weaving your new life. More importantly, you will already be having the feelings that you desire most in your life. Having felt them richly every day, you will have the courage to keep going forward and weaving them more and more into reality.

* Please see, the Inner Space/Outer World article in the April 2008 issue of Spirit Living (www.spiritliving.org) for more instructions about the power of gratitude and how to make it your spiritual practice. You may also wish to access other resources such as our Becoming the New Human CD found at: www.spiritpassages.com/spiritpassagesstore.html

Consistency is important This step is critical. Your limiting beliefs and the old world they created were around for a long while. To replace your old reality with a new one takes some time and patience, but even more it takes courage. You need to be willing to continue your gratitude practice and your “feeling prayers” for as long as it takes.

© 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. In joint practice with Allie Knowlton as Spirit Passages since 1991, she offers workshops in advanced experiential shamanism across the USA and Canada and offers shamanic

Continued from page 28 ~ feng shui & geopathology ~ If A House Doesn't Sell the same back in. Call a dowser or energy worker for assistance if you feel you need help.

It often helps to find a way to communicate with the house and offer appreciation and acknowledgement for its past function and service. This alone can initiate a shift.

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Always searching for technical equipment to support our efforts we also use computer technology to change the energy of a space. Our QXCI (Quantum Xerroid Consciousness Interface) biofeedback computer is a radionics device and can be used over distance to regularly send healing impulses to a building to clear it and improve the Qi.

•

The very latest device we apply in tough cases is called “Space Harmonizer,” a new tool specifically developed to enhance and match the subtle frequency

And as a last thought: Dramatic results require dramatic changes. The pace and the amount of adjustments finally determine the speed of the sale.

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.

Continued from page 30 ~ exploring the world religions ~ The Reality And Not The Illusion Of Having A Guru and having so fully drunk the strong wine of reasoning unaccompanied by acquaintance [Gnosis, Spiritual Knowledge]? Look up with the eyes of your soul—and if you cannot all do so, at least those of you who can! For the imperfection that comes from unacquaintance is flooding the entire earth, corrupting the soul along with the body that encloses it and preventing it from putting in at the Havens of Safety. Do not be swept away by the main current!

Rather, you who can must avail yourselves of a counter-current, take to the Haven of Safety, put in there, and look for a leader to show you the way to the Doors of Acquaintance [Gnosis], where there is Bright Light, pure from darkness,

where no one is intoxicated, but all are sober, fixing their eyes on that Being who wills to be seen--with the heart, for that Being cannot be heard or told of or seen by the outer eyes, only by inner spiritual vision.” (The Gnostic Scriptures, Bentley Layton) To be continued…

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.

Continued from page 31 ~ the way of life itself ~ A New Consciousness Of Life As Organism... unhealthy qualities of unsustainable nature result. This process of choosing acts is “felt/sensed” by the organism with vibratory flows only accessible from an inner “awareness” of values. The capacities for healing are amazing, but let’s get out of the way and learn the “ways” of organisms to support them.

What questions would help shift the conversation on Health and Health Care at this time? With a fully engaged community of organisms (people, ad hoc groups, organizations) where leaders on all sides of the issues are letting go of control, persuasion, and force and where they are really conversing, listening and observing, the community, however defined, will find its own effective acts. To help move these essential collaborations forward, pay attention to generosity and an exchange of everyone’s self-defined laws.

Let’s hear from you. Join our forums on this and other Conversations that Matter, Changing the worldview and conversation of what is life? www.autognomics.org.

Skye Hirst, PhD is researcher, executive/personal coach, presentation facilitator and co-founder with Norm Hirst of Transcendental Autognomics (TA); New Field of Life-Energy and Transcendental Science/ Philosophy going beyond scientific materialism to discover the emergent epi-principles within life-itself.

The mystery/the miraculous/the wisdom of life-itself is revealing herself and Skye is doing presentation/ discussions on latest revelations impacting us all during this time of transition. Her 30 years of experience as communication consultant, her love of the arts and nature inform her work as does her 30 years as energy medicine practitioner of Jin Shin Jyutsu. To receive Transcendental Autognomics email newsletter on how latest revelations are impacting us all, visit us www.autognomics.org or join us on Twitter @ autognomics for frequent tips and insights, plus see who we are following.

Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 45

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pattern of a house with its inhabitants. We are using the first prototypes and I will report in a future issue how these trials went.

46

m ix ed m e dia

Book Review

b y K ar en M. R ider

Giving With Meaning: Turn ordinary items into meaningful gifts using folklore, legends and traditions.

By Patricia Sheehy ISBN: 978-1-892343-49-5 Publisher: Oak Tree Press Giving With Meaning: Turn ordinary items into meaningful gifts using folklore, legends and traditions.

sample language to use in gift tags and cards. Your job couldn’t be easier: Select, purchase, copy and wrap! Still, Sheehy leaves you just enough room to add your own personal flare to the final product.

Are any of these gift-giving scenarios troubling you?

Your anniversary is coming up and you have no idea what to give your loved one to celebrate.

In four-color layout, each page focuses on one item. The back of the book includes a quick reference for birth gemstones, anniversary year gifts, and the medicinal and symbolic properties of herbs that you can incorporate into your gift presentation.

It’s holiday time and you’re tired of all the media hoopla pushing the latest, greatest and no doubt, meaningless gifts.

You’ve got a friend who is so hard to buy for you don’t even want to attend his party—what do you do?

If you’re like me, the answer is “all of the above.”

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DV D s S I E O V M AND F OO D

EWS R E V Iand more 46 Inner Tapestry Oct/Nov 2009

Giving with Meaning will solve all of these gift-giving dilemmas and many more. You’ll know exactly what to give that special person in your life, celebrate the holidays with gifts that truly mean something to the recipient, and you’ll undoubtedly surprise and delight picky people in your life. This book shows you how to turn usual and common items into the most unusual and meaningful of gifts.

Sheehy blends the legend and folklore of all kinds of items—from an egg to a crystal; from tea to wine; and cats to trees-- with ideas for how to select and present your gift. She also includes

Giving with Meaning is a book you’ll use year-round and it makes an excellent gift itself. I gave it as a "thank you" gift to a dear friend. A week later she told me she had used two ideas in the book – one for a memorial service and one for a birthday.

How many other books give you that kind of return on your investment?

Karen M. Rider, M.A. is a freelance writer specializing in holistic and metaphysical subjects. Her articles, profiles, book reviews and promotional copy appear in local, regional and national publications including Door Opener, Natural Nutmeg, Angels Among Us, Dream Network Journal and The Writer magazine. Karen also writes fiction centered on the awakening of human-spiritual potential. Her first novel is underway. She is co-writing Eating...

The Angel Way with intuitive medium Annie Kelleher due to publish in 2010.

Karen lives in Cromwell, CT. Learn more: KarenMRider@comcast.net or call (860) 638-8140. Blog: www.thewritingparent.blogspot.com

Book Review by Betty Close Free to Love Free to Heal ~ Heal Your Body by Healing Your Emotions By: David Simon, M.D. ISBN: 978-0-9819640-0-3 Publishers: Chopra Center Press We all have the ability to heal ourselves, to free ourselves from our past, to let go of the painful stories we each have, to forgive others and most importantly ourselves for what we perceive to have been our many transgressions. The end result is so that we may be “free to love.” That sounds almost impossible. Where to start? How do we do this? Why should we do this?

All these questions and more are answered in David Simon’s newest book Free to Love Free to Heal, Heal Your Body by Healing Your Emotions. I found the way in which he approaches these questions to be very helpful, especially as he emphasizes the need to first connect to our wounded self through "quieting the mind meditations," "heart opening yoga poses," "energizing breathwork" and "intuitive self-reflection." He helps us get beyond the drama of a specific event so we can get to the core of what is going on.

I imagine we are all toxic; not in just what we have been ingesting (food, air, water) but also we are toxic emotionally.

David shows us how to get at those poisons and he has

developed techniques to clear them up so they no longer have a stranglehold on our lives. There is a catch, however. We need to become an active participant in this process. This is not a "take two aspirins and call me in the morning" approach to healing. If you are open to getting into the muck of what I would say most people’s lives have become (mine included), you have, through this book, the tools with which to come out smelling like a rose.

It is up to you.

Dr. Simon is a board-certified neurologist and has expanded his studies to include shamanism and anthropology. He also studied meditation, yoga and holistic healing practices, all of which he brings into his books. He is also co-founder of the Chopra Center in 1996 located in Carlsbad, California and is "the driving force behind the Chopra Center’s flagship programs and workshops." For more information about the center, and Dr. Simon's work visit www.chopra.com.

Betty Close "co-stewards" Inner Tapestry and has a part-time position at O'Naturals in Falmouth. She can be reached at betty@innertapestry.org.

47

Book Review

by J o a n E mmo n s

The Secret Magicks of Maine By: Matt Watier ISBN: 978-1-4415-0269-8 Publisher: Watier Publications Orders: www.Xlibris.com Ever wonder about that magickal feeling that you get when you are crossing over the Piscataqua River Bridge from New Hampshire to Maine? For me there definitely is a feeling that is palpable as I enter the state of Maine, and I trust others are feeling it as well. Here is a book you can share with your children, The Secret Magicks of Maine.

This book will help explain the feeling that one has so much difficulty pinpointing about this magickal place we know as Maine.

Matt Watier's first published book Ants: Another Nice Tasty Sweet has been published in both English and Hebrew. His illustrations have won online awards and have been exhibited in various galleries and shows throughout the East Coast. He is now working in Washington, D.C. in web illustration and design.

In Matt's words: "A passion, a love, a curse and a calling is how I would describe my relationship with illustrated children's books." You can get a behind-the-scenes look at the stories, art and trials of his journey being a children's book writer and illustrator on his website, www.watier.org and click on Matt Waiter, or visit http://matt.watier.org.

In this review we have included some of the beautiful artwork that accompanies the stories in Matt's book.

To do them justice view them on his website or buy the book as the colors are just lovely.

All of Matt's childhood experiences led him to the very special creatures that inhabit the state of Maine, and if you are quiet, and patient, Matt suggests that we can all catch a glimpse of them. These are the worlds that we all lived in, soon forgotten but still alive in the imaginations of our children.

Through each season you will be introduced to the creatures who care for the earth; spring Farians and Mud Gremlins, summer Knitters and the Keepers of the Blue, fall Paint Pot Dwarves and the Maine Minotaur, winter Frost Angels and the Snow Cow. You will learn the secrets of Maine's wild blueberries, the flower, Queen Ann's Lace, the fall leaves and Maine's winter storms, but beware of the tricksters that lie in wait for an unsuspecting passerby.

A Summer Knitter

This book will inspire your child and rekindle your imagination as you meet these mythical creatures that Matt has awesomely illustrated.

This a beautiful book you'll find entertaining and you'll have lots of fun finding the answers to things that you didn't even know were missing in your life.

Take this field guide on a trip to the rocky coast and shadowy forests and if you're lucky you to will see and experience creatures long forgotten. Finally we can all understand the sign that greets all as we pass over the bridge into Kittery, Maine saying Maine is "worth a visit, worth a lifetime."

Matt's book can be ordered through www.Xlibris.com or by calling (888) 795-4272 ext. 7876.

by Ron Damico Deva Premal & Miten in Concert with special guest Manose CD & DVD ASIN: Boo2F3BPQ8 Label: White Swan Records www.whiteswanrecords.com Since 2004, Deva Premal & Miten, accompanied by Nepali Bansuri flutist Manose, have toured the world, offering their audiences an intimate evening of spiritual rejuvenation, high celebration and deep meditation, seeped in the richness of Sanskrit mantra. Deva Premal & Miten In Concert comes in response to the steady stream of requests for a live recording of this extraordinary encounter.

While listening to the CD and watching and listening to the DVD I began to have a greater interest in experiencing more of Deva and Miten’s music and focus. As I was playing with the content of their website I became aware of one of the many reasons people are drawn to them. In my opinion, they are a living expression of what they believe about life and human relations. They truly live their lives as an expression of love through and as their music. They have taken all they have awakened to about life, love and life as love and brought it into form. Offering others an opportunity to be in the presence of people lovingly embodying and embracing what they feel life is and all it has to offer is their gift and joy.

If someone were to ask why Deva and Miten have become a presence in the mystical/new age and yogic community, I feel it is because they create through their music an expression of Divine Love. When their music is offered into an environment, the environment and all within it cannot help but become as they are innately drawn to be. When people gather in a loving environment the base from which everyone opens expands exponentially and the invitation to embrace Divine Love becomes effortless. This opening is supported and nurtured thru their music. There is a genuineness of being that is attractive to people and music seems to be an outward as well as an inward venue that people use as a safer place to explore their openness and intimacy. The more I watched the DVD the more apparent it became that the audience settled into themselves and into a truer state of openness. One of the greatest challenges for some is finding an environment that is embracing of them as they are. It is my sense that Deva and Miten offer openings not only through the auditory sense of people, but through the visual as well. While watching the DVD it became visually apparent that Deva, Miten and Manose more fully embodied what they were feeling as they expressed the music. This additional opening creates a more expansive opportunity for people to navigate to, embrace and embody the Divine Love they are.

Deva and Miten are the love that they are when they are expressing this love as music. Both truly Love, as they Are, not as what they do. For them, I do not feel this is something they do, but a Way of Being. While listening to samples of their music on their website it was obvious they have evolved and aptly opened to welcome this truer Way of Being into all they express. As they continue to bring their Love of Truth into the world it will be a blessing to welcome these expressions into my life.

Deva Premal & Miten in Concert recorded in their “hometown” of Bryon Bay, Australia. This beautifully packaged CD/DVD exquisitely captures the spirit of the trio’s live experience. It contains many of their most inspirational mantras and songs, plus six brand new, previously unrecorded pieces, including the uplifting new anthem, “In the Light of Love/Om Shree Dhanvanrte Namaha”.

The DVD captures the magic of the evening with a full concert video and includes a personal interview with Deva and Miten, and other extras. It is also worth visiting their website www.devapremalmiten.com and their record labels www.whiteswanrecords.com to listen to samples of their musical expressions.

Oct/Nov 2009 Inner Tapestry 47

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Matt, a native Mainer, spent his childhood in Union, Maine where his parents still live and play. His younger years were spent listening to the sounds of the pond near his house, playing in the mud, exploring the rocky coast, and its tide pools and hiding in the deep woods. These places held in his heart are the never-ending inspirations he draws on for his work as an author and illustrator. In Matt's home storytelling was a norm. Each weekend family, friends and visitors to Maine gathered around a fire's magic to hear the stories told at The Golden Raven Storytelling Circle, founded by Matt's father Roland Watier. With Roland as Matt's father it's easy to see that storytelling would be a natural expression in Matt's life.

Music CD Review

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