January/February 2010
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Inside Look THE WORLD WIDE WEB’S CONSCIOUS magazine
Relationships Homeless in LA Toxic Cosmetics
Channeling 2010
Lexa Finley on the Year Ahead
Between the Cracks
A Different View on Living Green
Exclusive Interviews
With Conscious Life Expo Speakers, Eric Pearl and Judith Orloff www.insidelookmagazine.com
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INSIDE LOOK THE WORLD WIDE WEB’S CONSCIOUS MAGAZINE
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 January/February 2010
Contents 4 Beauty and the Beast Sally Leachko
6 Between the Cracks
Mustafa Mutabaruka
8 Relationships Gib Whitney
9 Eric Pearl Interview Inside Look
12 Spirit Looks at the Year Ahead Lexa Finley
13 Judith Orloff Interview Inside Look
16 January/February Horoscope Judy Hevenly
17 Keeping Faith - Aiding the Homeless Kevin Hunter
Inside Look Magazine January/February
Publisher’s Note Happy New Year Inside Look readers! We hope you had a safe and joyous Holiday Season. Change is powerful. We all find comfort in what is familiar. But sometimes life happens and tries to shake things up a bit, attempting to jog us out of our routine, out of our rut. And while it can be difficult to change, and sometimes even painful, it’s necessary. Doing something different changes your perspective, challenges your mindset, and helps you to rediscover yourself. It’s also exciting if you accept that change is an inevitable part of life. We hope that you find all the inspiration you need to start the year off right, improve your relationships, and continue to discover your inner self.
“Nothing endures but change.” ~ Heraclitus Publisher Michael Williams Executive Editor: Jennifer Smith Staff Editors: Cheryl Snyder, Jackie Aubrey Contributing Writers: Lexa Finley, Judy Hevenly, Kevin Hunter, Sally Leachko, Mustafa Mutabaruka, Gib Whitney Design: Scott Gregory Advertising: 310-363-0456
Inside Look Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 1, is published six times a year - January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December - by Creative Media Arts, PO BOX 1306, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. Inside Look Magazine is free at www.insidelookmagazine.com. © 2009 Creative Media Arts (CMA). All rights reserved. No part of Inside Look Magazine may be reproduced without specific written permission. Inside Look magazine, as a publication of CMA, assumes no responsibility for the opinions of our contributors and is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photos, which must be accompanied by return postage. Publication of the name or photo of any person or organization in Inside Look Magazine should not be construed as an indication of that person’s expressed opinion. Advertisers and their agencies assume responsibility and liability for the content of their advertisement in Inside Look Magazine. Photographers whose work is published in any advertising or editorial content within Inside Look Magazine agrees to indemnify and save harmless the publishers from all liability, loss, and expense due to a photographer’s failure to gain a model release. Title pending at U.S. Patent Office, Washington D.C.
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Beauty and
By Sally J. Leachko
The Beast It’s hard to ignore. Green is everywhere. Concerns over toxic environmental chemicals are constantly grabbing headlines.
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cosmetic, by definition, is anything you put on your body. Many believe that today’s body care products are filled to the brim with a toxic brew that just may cost you your health, or your life. Why all the alarm? One look at the statistics will get even the most die hard toiletry junky to take pause. Before the average person leaves the house, they have already applied 100 to 200 synthetic chemicals to their body, and that’s before a splash of their favorite fragrance. Many of these chemicals have been linked to serious health 4
Are you aware of how many of these chemicals are found in cosmetics?
threats including cancer, infertility and birth defects. Even worse, studies show that children, young adults, unborn children, and nursing babies may be the most vulnerable. In case you doubt the legitimacy of these claims, concerns are being raised by some pretty credible organizations like the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for starters. Not surprisingly, the beauty industry disagrees. Keep in mind that they’ve built a massive empire that relies on synthetic chemicals that come in every shape, color, consistency,
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and fruit-a-licious scent. They are one of the largest and most profitable of all industries spending more on advertising alone than any other industry on earth. So, as one might anticipate, when an industry rep from their leading trade association was questioned about the safety of today’s cosmetics he said that not only are they generally safe, they are the safest of all the products that the FDA regulates. Let’s stop there for a moment. He did say “regulates,” didn’t he? If you’re like most of us, you assumed that cosmetics are scrutinized under the ever watchful eye of the FDA. Under the Federal Food, Drug www.InsideLookNetwork.com
and Cosmetic Act cosmetics are not subject to any pre-market approval. That would be none. In addition, companies are not required to substantiate performance claims or conduct safety testing. Cosmetics simply must be “safe when used as directed in the labeling or under usual customary conditions of use.” Is that regulation? When we look at the amount of revenue generated within this industry, has it proved prudent to handle them with such a laissez-faire approach? A review of some facts should answer that.
Formaldehyde: Formaldehyde has a long list of adverse health effects, including immunesystem toxicity, respiratory irritation, and cancer in humans. It’s found in baby bath soap, nail polish, and hair dyes as a contaminant.
sodium methylparaben is banned in cosmetics by the E.U. Parabens break down in the body into p-Hydroxybenzoic Acid, which has estrogenic activity in human breast cancer cell cultures.
Petroleum Distillates: Petroleum Distillates are human carcinogens and appear on the laFragrances: The term “fragrance” may mask bel as “petroleum” or “liquid paraffin.” phthalates, which act as endocrine disruptors and may cause obesity, reproductive and de- Triclosan: Triclosan which is widely used in soaps, toothpastes, and deodorants, has been velopmental harm. detected in breast milk and found to interfere with testosterone activity in cells. This list is only the tip of the iceberg. Even more worrisome is the fact that we don’t know the cumulative effects of these chemicals, nor has the synergistic effects been studied. While the cosmetic industry does not deny the presence of chemicals with a harmful profile, they claim the ingredients are present in such a small amount, the concerns are unwarranted. It is unlikely they will acknowledge harmful effects any time soon. So what can you do? When choosing personal care products stick to those containing natural ingredients. We evolved alongside these substances and consequently they do not possess the risks. Beware of “green washing” as you’ll find many of the products that are labeled “natural or organic” actually contain only one or two natural ingredients, or they are a natural base but the rest consists of the same old toxic brew. A good rule of thumb, if you can’t pronounce an ingredient that appears on the label, don’t buy it. Poison, even in tiny amounts, is poison you don’t need.
~ In 2004, the European Union banned the use of all chemicals that are known to cause, or strongly suspected of causing cancer, mutations, or birth defects in cosmetic or personal care formulations. These are the same ingredients identified by the World Health Organization, the CDC and others as known or potential health threats. The list is frightfully long, but some of the worst offenders are:
Lead: Lead is one of the ingredients in many types of toothpaste. Lead acetate is found in some brands of men’s hair dye. It is a neuro- Sally J. Leachko holds a Bachelor of Science in toxin, a toxin that acts specifically on nerve Nursing, dual degrees in Architectural and Concells. struction Design plus a vocational education in
DEA: A hormone disruptor and carcinogen that also depletes the body of choline needed for fetal brain development. DEA can show up alone in products or as a contaminant like Cocamide DEA.
Nano-particles: Nano-particles may penetrate the skin and damage brain cells. The most problematic are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nano-particles, used in sunscreens to make them transparent.
1,4-Dioxane: A known carcinogen that can appear as a contaminant in products containing sodium laureth sulfate and ingredients that include the terms “PEG,” “-xynol,” “ceteareth,” “oleth,” and most other ethoxylated “eth” ingredients.
Parabens (methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl-, isobutyl-): Parabens which have weak estrogenic effects are common preservatives that appear in a wide array of toiletries. A study found that butyl paraben damaged sperm formation in the testes of mice, and a relative
Inside Look Magazine January/February
Horticultural Science. Long before organics and
Mercury: Mercury is found in the preserva- sustainability came into vogue she established tive thimerosol, is used in some mascaras. It is Meadowlake Farm Honeybee Products LLC, also a neurotoxin. driven by her dedication to a healthy lifestyle, her
love of science and commitment to environmental and ecological concerns. Meadowlake Farm is a historic, sustainable American farm with a focus on preservation of the honeybee and endangered medicinal plant species. It is certified through Certified Naturally Grown, a non-profit program for small scale organic farms and a member of the National Resource Defense Council, United Plant Savers, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and the American Botanical Council. After founding Meadowlake Farm Products she was invited to become a member of the prestigious Society of Cosmetic Chemists. 5
By Mustafa Mutabaruka
L
os Angeles is a dirty city. Not as dirty as some cities but, from the sky on down to the streets, it’s one of the dirtiest in which I’ve ever been. I’m originally from Canada, though. Every American city seems dirty to me. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not complaining. I’m not criticizing. Just by living in L.A., after all, I have in my own way contributed to its pollution. And even if I haven’t littered here, I’ve littered elsewhere. I’m not proud of my littering. Really, though, I’m not ashamed, either. It’s just what I do. Or, rather, what I don’t do; I don’t care. I used to care. I didn’t litter, I recycled, I ate organic foods. I avoided Wal-Mart and fast food. I didn’t own a car; I either walked or rode public transport. If it was yellow, I let it mellow. If it was brown, I flushed it down. Footprints? I had none. About three years ago, though, it changed. I changed. I was driving with my sister, Rebecca, along a secluded stretch of highway in southern Alberta. Unrolling the window, she discarded a cellophane wrapper. I looked at her. “Did you just litter?” I asked. “It would’ve taken longer to decompose in
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a landfill,” she casually explained, “than it will in the ditch.” I thought about it. “Really?” “Yes,” she replied. “Really.” Not one to believe anything I’m told, I decided, later, to research the subject. She was right. To decompose rapidly, refuse needs help: wind, snow, rain, sunlight. That’s why we live indoors. We want to live longer. A piece of paper in a ditch, then, returns to organic form within, roughly, a month or two. In a landfill, it can take as long, if not longer, than a century. Not all litter, however, is paper or cellophane. Nor are car batteries and beer cans and dead cats. Each, however, effects its environment in a decidedly different manner. A cigarette butt, depending on where it’s discarded, takes at least a year to decompose. Cotton rags, a minimum of a month. Pop bottles? Never. Still, littering isn’t just an offense against the environment. It’s an offense against our community. After all, who wants to see garbage everywhere? I know I don’t. Or do I? My parents owned thoroughbred race horses. As a boy, traveling each summer from racetrack to racetrack, we drove across much of America. In the backseat, staring out the window, there was plenty of time for con-
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templation. What a dirty country, I remember thinking. Garbage was everywhere: in the ditch; fluttering in the desert; sitting, as if waiting, on the side of the freeway were plastic bags, dirty diapers, fast food wrappers, tires, stained mattresses, beer cans, bottles of urine. Years later, as an adult, my opinion changed—a bit. Instead of noticing the garbage, I wondered, instead, where most of it had gone. There was still a lot of it, of course. Just not as much. I soon realized, however, that there wasn’t any less trash. Nay, we were producing more than ever. More, as we all know, than any other nation on Earth. So where did it go? Quite simply, we had learned, as a nation, to separate it, to hide it. Recycling bins started appearing. Tougher pollution laws were passed. Organic this. Organic that. Carpool lanes. People magazine goes here. Plastic milk jugs go there. Cardboard boxes get flattened, then stacked. Recycle what’s recyclable. Discard the rest. Used condoms? Chicken bones? A broken Barbie doll? Put it with the rest of your trash in a plastic trash bag, which, in turn, is left on the curb, or in a dumpster, for someone else to deal with. Who? www.InsideLookNetwork.com
We like to hide things. Especially, it seems, what we can’t eradicate: wrinkles, body odor, blemishes, human waste. Like cats in a litter box we do what we must and, then, neatly, quickly, hide it. Years ago, living in New York City, I often rode the subway to Coney Island. I loved it there, even the Stilwell Avenue subway station. Old, and dark, it remained a perfect entranceway to the ghostly neighborhood outside. One early, winter morning, with a friend, after the long train ride from Flatbush, I entered the men’s room. Instead of urinals, I was surprised to discover a huge, rusted trough. Turning, I looked at my friend. “I guess men weren’t as self-conscious in the old days,” he remarked, stepping up to the trough. Nowadays, in all but the rankest of restrooms, a partition separates individual urinals, for privacy, apparently. Each, affixed with a motion sensor, automatically flushes away any evidence of what has just happened, and will, soon enough, happen again. Hiding something, however, doesn’t get rid of it. Just ask Freud. Even if you can’t see the filth it’s still there. Between the cracks. There is an inherent, if subtle, dishonesty in neatness. Only in the messiness and muck lay the reality, the honesty, of our existence. Birth, death, life: it’s messy. If we like to hide some things we like even more to destroy others, or at least try to: slavery, polio, second-hand smoke. An ingenious lot, we are fairly adept at combating what could, potentially, destroy us. And, ironically, what could save us. Nearly thirty years ago René Dubos remarked, “Man will survive as a species for one reason. He can adapt to the destructive effects of...the dirt, pollution and noise of a New York or Tokyo. And that is the tragedy. It is not man the ecological crisis threatens to destroy but the quality of human life.” Waste is a fact of life. Birds do it. Bees do it. Even in death we are no more, nor less, than a remnant. There are over six billion people on this planet we call home. Soon we will have seven billion. Too much junk? I’m surprised there isn’t more. Elephants, being elephants, will destroy an entire grove of trees in search of foliage. Hippopotami, attempting to cool themselves, will quickly render the clear, cool water of a pond into mud. Humans, being human, well... Packaging isn’t our problem, consumption is. Everything, in its way, is just something else to consume. Air, water, trees, blueberries, shark fins, spirulina. Cows. Is there anything we don’t consume? A fundamental way to lessen the toxic effects of waste, then, and what to do with it, is to lessen its production. How? It’s simple: consume less. Inside Look Magazine January/February
Basically, we’re pigs. Gluttons. Surely I’m not the first person to notice this. Still, who needs to choose from 75 sorts of cereal, or 90 different chocolate bars? Apparently, we do. Orange juice? Let’s see: with pulp or no pulp, or extra pulp, with calcium or, perhaps, added vitamin C? Blended with banana? Or pineapple? Oh, there’s one with cranberry juice! Let’s make it organic. I wonder. What would happen if, instead of daily or weekly garbage collection, we were forced, for even one month, to store our waste in our homes? Or, even, in our back yards? I know what would happen. Unable to avoid, on a daily basis, exactly how much waste we are producing we would decide, very quickly, to at least try to produce less. “Maybe reusable diapers aren’t so bad, after all,” would become a frequent refrain. “Re-useable sanitary napkins, too,” someone would add. Or maybe not. As a teen, at home with my two sisters, we alternated nightly dishwashing duties. If it was my turn at the sink, I remember, I was quite conscious of how many dishes, throughout the day, were being dirtied and by whom. “You don’t need a clean glass every time you have a drink of water, you know?” I often complained. “Oh, stop whining,” one of my sisters always replied. Then, as often as not, they’d use another. The world is changing, has changed. Fewer and fewer people are in touch, literally and otherwise, with the dirt from which we rise. Our lives, how we live, have become a transaction: car repair, sadness, garbage collection. All are confronted or, rather, avoided with money. If we can’t fix it, someone else can. If we pay them. This isn’t, in itself, a minus. Society evolves and progresses. It changes. Only a fool bemoans the march of time. Unlike building one’s home, however, or hauling water from a nearby creek (instead of Trader Joe’s), certain cultural standards should, ideally, remain constant and universal: good manners, for example. Or curiosity. “I used to like eggs,” a friend once remarked, “until I learned where they came from.” “Where did you think they came from?” I asked. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I was a kid. I thought they came from the store.” As a farm boy, I took for granted the basic knowledge of where not only eggs, and all food, but life itself, comes from. And where, in the end, it goes. That’s why I’ve never owned a house or even a television. It’s why everything I do own fits in a duffel bag and, for my books and papers, a few boxes. It’s also why I litter. Let me explain. I don’t throw plutonium out the window. Or plastic bottles or used batteries or Styrofoam cups. My consumption is
minimal. Really, the main thing I ever toss is paper: napkins, speeding tickets, love letters. Nonetheless, littering is selfish. I accept this. I know this. But life itself is a selfish act. The air I breathe. The water I drink. The food I eat. It’s all for me. “Nature provides a free lunch,” William Ruckelshaus once remarked, “but only if we control our appetites.” The planet, however, is for all of us. I accept this, too. Thus, I try to control my appetite. Earth may not belong to us, but, in a way, we belong to it. The two are one. As a writer, it is often a struggle, I suppose, to live in the present. I am drawn as much to the future as I am to the past, mine, as well as ours. Within each are stories, lessons, warnings: hints of things gone, things to come. As such, my mind’s wanderings are mixed with equal parts curiosity and fear. And more than a hint of awe. What next? I wonder. The most accurate prediction of one’s future behavior, it’s been said, is one’s past behavior. This is a sad thought. Our past behavior, not only as a city and as a nation, but as a global community, is one of waste, rape, and bloodshed. This is nature. Nothing is unnatural. We are nature. Contrary to popular opinion, the earth is not fragile. It existed before us and it will exist when we are inevitably gone. It is man who is weak and replaceable. Butterflies will take our place. “Human destiny is bound to remain a gamble,” Dubos wrote, in 1959, “because at some unpredictable time and in some unforeseeable manner nature will strike back.” A gamble? No. The game is fixed. We lose. Recently, on a morning walk through Angelino Heights, I passed a neighbor’s perfectly manicured and flowered yard. A sprinkler twirled. Nearby, lying in the narrow driveway, a brown dog lazily, silently, watched me pass. Imagining its thoughts, I smiled. Was it sad? Content? Bored? Or, turning its head, watching me, did it think what all animals think? Can I eat it?
Mustafa Mutabaruka resides in Los Angeles and is the author of Seed (best of fiction 2002, Washington Post, etc.) and shorter pieces in a variety of international publications (The Grapevine, Iceland, Beatroute, Canada, etc.).
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Relationships
How to find true love and stay involved in a healthy relationship is one of life’s lessons that would be invaluable to know from an early age, but unfortunately we are left to figure it out on our own. The fundamentals are not difficult to grasp and while they don’t remove the need for trial, the information can definitely help to cut down on the broken hearts. Many of the reasons relationships go sour ties to the fact that many people don’t know the true meaning of love.
If you ask someone how they define love, they will look at you with a funny expression and say something like, “Do you mean romantic love?” Love is essentially love no matter how you slice it. The best definition I have heard is: “It is the will to extend oneself for the purpose of helping another to grow emotionally, intellectually, or spiritually.”
by Gib Whitney
But so often we can forget this and expect more It is easy to imagine that a relationship will autofrom love than we are willing to give. matically make one happy and will take care of itself. But the truth is that fulfilling relationSome people go from relationship to relation- ships need continuous input, and as we change ship, as if they cannot function unless they are as people, so must the relationship continue to involved with someone at all times. However, it grow with both people committing to it and givis so important to take time out for yourself and ing to it. work on the areas that need improving, which would just make you more prepared for the next It is easy to be attracted to someone for the wrong love opportunity that will eventually come along. reasons and get caught up in the physical aspect When we invest in ourselves and truly feel good of the person, rather than learning of their true about who we are as people, certain unwritten essence. If you ask anyone who has been involved laws of attraction take effect and quality people in a long-lasting relationship or marriage, the will magically find us. first thing they usually will say is that being best friends is key. Everything builds off friendship, Once we find that certain someone, the key to and when this ingredient is present, anything is keeping the relationship on track is communica- possible and most likely will come to be. tion and the willingness to love unconditionally. One must also be happy with oneself and It’s also important to define what we want out of the importance of this cannot be overstated. the relationship and establish it early on, because often people who seem like they would be a good match are looking for different things.
As humans we are made to love - in the end it’s all that really matters.
Star of Hope Look for a bright new ‘star’– visible both night and day around the world – heralding the imminent appearance on national television of the World Teacher for all humanity. He has come now to point the way out of our global crises and inspire a brilliant new civilization. Watch for a man calling for: * SHARING, to create justice, and therefore peace * Provision of food, shelter, health care and education for all as basic human rights
For pictures of the ‘star’ and further information about the emergence of the World Teacher and his group, the Masters of Wisdom, visit www.share-international.org or call 888-242-8272.
Inside Look Interview with
ERIC PEARL Inside Look caught up with Eric Pearl, Founder of The Reconnection, this month in an eye-opening conversation. Eric is a world-renowned healer and international bestselling author. He is also involved with film projects promoting healing, such as The Living Matrix, and a key speaker at the upcomming Conscious Life Expo in February. Find him online at: www.thereconnection.com
INSIDE LOOK MAGAZINE: Let’s start off at the beginning of your career and paint a picture for our readers. How did all of this start? ERIC PEARL: I was awakened in the middle of the night by a bright light. My eyes opened to see what it was, and it wasn’t anything that seemed metaphysical or spiritual – it was just the lamp next to my bed, and it had turned itself on. At the same time, however, it felt like there were people in my house. I can’t explain what an uncomfortable feeling it is to wake up and feel as if someone is in your home. So I walked around my house, but was unable to find anyone else there. About 20 minutes later I went back to sleep. When I went into my office the next day, seven of my patients (independently of each other) told me that they felt like there was someone in the room with us, like I felt someone in my room the night before. At the same time they were telling me that they could feel my hands. I had them close their eyes, and I held my hands at angles toward them at various distances – 8 to 10 inches, four feet, three to four yards. They were telling me that they felt my hands – on their feet, shoulders, etc., without me touching them. Now, at the time I had already been in practice for twelve years and no one had ever said anything like that to me before. So I decided to play with it and as I played with it that day, and the following day, my palms blistered a couple of times, and actually bled once. Not like the stigmata or anything, but more as if I had accidentally pricked my hand with a needle. And the next thing I knew, people were having healings: cancers were vanishing, their hearing and vision were returning, they were getting out of their wheelchairs, and children with epilepsy and cerebral palsy were able to run and play and speak normally – not all of them, but a lot of them. So I knew that something real and subInside Look Magazine January/February
stantial was occurring. Of course, it wasn’t long instantly, and these healings appear to last for a lifetime – not like energy techniques where you after that people were asking me to teach this. have to go back to the practitioner again and IL: Had you practiced any energetic healing again. With Reconnective Healing, the healings are shockingly instantaneous, which is what you methods prior to this? saw in “The Living Matrix,” where a variety of energy healing techniques were showcased. All EP: No. I never did. It wasn’t my background. of these other methods are wonderful for people IL: How did you begin teaching Reconnective who feel that they still need to be in an area of energy healing where they’re controlling, directHealing? ing, diagnosing, and determining what is best EP: Many people were going home after their for the person, and trying to be a medical intuisessions with me, finding that their lamps and tive for the person. Reconnective Healing is not televisions were turning off and on by them- for everyone. It is a challenge for a lot of people selves. They felt sensations in their hands and because we are transcending energy healing and found that when they would hold their hands accessing much, much more. The challenge is near a family member, healing started to take whether or not our ego is willing to let go of the place. One grandmother was able to walk af- performance of the technique. The reward is that ter her stroke and one grandfather was able to we are able to demystify the healing process. speak again. These people were experiencing the same things that were going on in our office to IL: How many people have you taught this some degree. So I was asked to teach a group of technique to? people at the Learning Annex in Los Angeles, and gave them the background and history of EP: About 60,000 people in 70 countries. the work, and showed them how to feel it more clearly. And somehow once you interact with IL: How many people that you teach reach the it, it allows you to access it, facilitating healings level of effectiveness that you’ve attained with for yourself and for others. Now the interest- Reconnective Healing? ing thing is, it doesn’t fit into the new age egosystem of saying, “It’s all God, it’s all love, it’s all EP: Once you access this, you can do anything the same, and I have a right to it because it’s here and everything that I can in the way of healing. and I can have it come to me in a dream.” It is all That’s the reward. But the challenge is that you God, it is all love, it is the entire universe, but have to transcend energy healing and its myriad science has demonstrated to us that it is much techniques. The moment that you implement more, and we have access to it – much more “technique” of any kind, you reduce yourself than anything we’ve had access to with energy from that comprehensive spectrum of energy, healing before. Whether it’s Reiki, Chi Gong, light, and information. XYZ, Quantum this and Alpha Beta Delta that – it makes no difference what we name it IL: Why do you think you were given this fre– anytime we utilize a technique, we’re only able quency first, Eric? to bring through a portion of energy. These are subsets of energy, and that’s why they feel dif- EP: (laughs). Probably because I have a big ferent, and this is all we’ve had access to before. mouth and they knew I would talk about it. But suddenly, it appears in scientific research, And probably because I’m not afraid to step on that what we have now is not just the spectrum anyone’s toes. It’s not my intention to do that, of energy any longer, because this allows us to but it’s not my intention not to either. My intentranscend technique. Energy is just one portion tion is to tell the truth. This is the truth of what of it – it continues into light and information, is being discovered today and science is now and this turns the laws of physics upside down verifying this. and inside out. It brings about healing quite 9
Note: Quantum physicist and renowned researcher, Konstantin Korotkov, Ph.D., is now verifying Eric Pearl’s talent with Gas Discharge Visualization technique (GDV), a breakthrough beyond Kirlian photography. IL: What was happening with you and Demitrios in “The Living Matrix?” It seemed as if you were massaging his energetic field. EP: Massage is for muscles. We only understand things today according to energy healing that’s been here, and according to the terminology and teachings that we’ve had so far. This is why, when Reconnective Healing first came onto the planet, I went looking for answers, and no one could really give me valid answers. I would speak to gurus and people all over the world in different fields, and what was really interesting was that everyone tried to explain what was happening with these healings by attempting to reduce it and squeeze it into a box in terms of what they already knew, and, of course, it didn’t fit. Suddenly what we began to recognize was that this is so huge that we don’t know how huge this is. This doesn’t work by massaging the energy field or straightening out the chakras or having them spin in their natural direction. Those things just happen anyway as a side effect of working with
this larger field. What you saw was pretty much what would happen with Reconnective Healing. Once you learn how to access it, you simply, if you were working with your hands as I was, bring your hands into that space and feel. You are listening with a different sense, observing and paying attention to what you are seeing and feeling. You observe the person’s body go into what we call “registers,” or involuntary, physical movements that you can correlate with the sensations that you’re feeling. Just like when you are driving a car, you can feel how the engine is revving. Your feedback system with this work is to simply notice what you feel and notice how it affects the person’s body lying there on the table in front of you. It is not to attempt to work with a symptom, or to diagnose, or get a certain type of result. Healing is about balance, listening, and becoming the observer. IL: Your approach is so different; it must be difficult to accept for a lot of people. EP: What we find is quite interesting. 20 percent of the people we’ve taught are practicing medical health care practitioners: doctors, nurses, physical therapists, etc. Another 30 percent or so are people who are master and grandmaster teachers in the various energy healing techniques because
they recognize that it is their technique itself that is the glass ceiling of limitation, and they recognize that it’s time to try to transcend the technique. But the other 50 percent are mainstream people like you and me who come with various backgrounds, who have simply not been introduced to any healing technique at all, who recognize there is something new here that is extraordinary – this is where we get to make the change. The people who I thought would be the most open to this, were the least. And the people who I thought would be the least open, were the most. The ones who I thought would be the most open were the energy teachers, but they have a hard time because it challenges their comfort zone in the way that it deals with their income. So it’s a double challenge for them. The teachers tell you to come back to learn more, write them another check, and they will teach you more techniques. Energy techniques are like training wheels. When people master these techniques, it’s like they’ve mastered the bicycle with twelve sets of training wheels, but they haven’t mastered the bicycle. We take the training wheels off of the child’s bicycle. Our responsibility is to transcend a technique that the masters have known throughout time: the true gift of any technique comes in its transcendence. Now, again, the masters have known this, but the teachers today either don’t know this or don’t seem to want us to know this. But the time is here for us to now become the teachers of the teachers. IL: Do you have any comments or predictions for 2012? EP: 2012 is probably more real than Y2K. We’re probably going to wake up December 22, 2012 and not notice anything different because there’s been a time shift happening since about 1987 during the harmonic convergence. As science explains that time is moving faster because the universe is expanding in all directions at once and allowing access to expanded parts of the universe, including this expanded continuum of healing, and probably unfolding into a very large opening in 2012. I don’t think we’re going to notice it right then. I think we’re going to look back ten to fifteen years later and observe a huge shift in human consciousness that happened around 2012. IL: What’s coming up next for you? EP: I will be speaking at noon on Saturday, February 13, at the Los Angeles Conscious Life Expo [February 12 – February 15 www.consciouslifeexpo.com]. I am also teaching on a seven day Mexican Riviera cruise with Dannion Brinkley and his wife Kathryn from May 9 – May 16, called Reconnecting to the Light – The Journey of Insight and Celebration [www.dannion.com]. IL
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Spirit Looks at the Year Ahead Channeled by Lexa Finley
The following guidance Lexa received from her spirit guides - spirits whose sole purpose is to help those of us on earth along our path. 2010 is going to be a big year for almost everyone. There is a new consciousness that is coming into play, the pinnacle being what a lot of you call 2012. This coming year will prove to open up that consciousness even more - to let truth be seen and not covered. There have been far too many people in high places getting away with things that cannot be allowed any longer. Their karma has caught up with them. They are, and will continue to be, brought to the attention of the public.
need it most and for those who support them. What we are doing is similar to how Mother Nature works when she creates a fire to burn off old vegetation, making room for new growth. This new consciousness is causing many people to shift how they see money and possessions, and decreasing their importance. With the lack of jobs, people have to depend more on family and community. People need people; it is how humanity is set up. You cannot learn the lessons you came here to learn without others. The more that people move into a place of community and help others, the sooner this state of affairs will change. Many people have become fearful and worry because of the state of the economy. If, instead, they would move to a place of feeling supported and being grateful for what is coming, they would be able to get out of the “muck” much more quickly.
If we could leave you with one thought, it’s this: When you put out negative feelings of fear and worry, the consciousness of the world picks them up and multiplies them. When you put out positive feelings, those are also picked up by the world and multiplied. Simply by having positive thoughts and feelings, you can make a difference in changing lack to abundance. In addition to a positive attitude, taking time to meditate and exercise are the best things a human being can do right now to allow movement into the new consciousness with ease and grace. Lexa Finley is an intuitive healer, clairvoyant, and spiritual teacher, whose mission is to empower others to find their inner strength, truth, and passion via in-person workshops, tele-classes and audio guided meditations, which are available at bookstores, gift shops, and online at JourneyIntoTheSpirit.com.
Photo GDFL: Crepuscular Ray sunset - Telstra Tower, Canberra by Fir0002/Flagstaffotos
There are a few more things that will be uncovered regarding big business, before things start to turn around. The United States of America needed a wakeup call and has been getting one. Whenever situations get too much out of balance, like the economy has, and people start asking for help, Spirit steps in and shakes things up. People will no longer accept being taken advantage of, especially in the area of money. They have had enough of banks and lenders taking advantage of them. Health care has become a crisis in America. Insurance companies have played a significant role in the skyrocketing prices of medical care. Something drastic will occur to shake up that profession. Be sure to know that we are pushing for the necessary steps to wake up the health care and insurance communities so that they will be forced to make health care more affordable. Keep in mind that Spirit cannot do anything to combat free will. As more people get on board by saying no to how things are going, we will change. We have heard everyone’s pleas for help on all of these issues and we are helping. We know that many jobs have been lost and we want you to keep in mind that more creative and interesting jobs are coming. We know that once health care becomes affordable, life will be easier for those who 12
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Inside Look Interview with
Judith Orloff
The Editors of Inside Look are pleased to publish this conversation with Second Sight author, Judith Orloff, M.D. In our increasingly aware world, Judith’s message is important as we become a more healthy society, not only medicinally, but spiritually. She synthesizes the pearls of traditional medicine with cutting edge knowledge of intuition, energy, and spirituality to achieve physical and emotional healing. Judith is an assistant clinical professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and author of the New York Times and international bestseller Emotional Freedom upon which a public television special is based. She is also a key speaker at the upcoming Conscious Life Expo in February. Visit her at: www.drjudithorloff.com INSIDE LOOK MAGAZINE: What made a beautiful gift. Second Sight was really my description of growing up as an intuitive child and you decide to re-release Second Sight? having my ability squashed. My path has really JUDITH ORLOFF: Second Sight was my first been about embracing and awakening my intuand favorite book of any book I’ve written. It ition, and how I use it as a psychiatrist and as a was originally published by Warner Books, and human being. then I changed publishers. Now I’m with Random House, and they’re publishing all my other IL: You have an incredible story, one that books. They really love and support my work so every spiritual seeker should read because of much they wanted to bring Second Sight back as your unique experiences. What have the hardpart of the group of books that they’re publish- est challenges been in bringing together the psychiatric and intuitive worlds in your work? ing and give it a brand new life. IL: It’s a fantastic book. We really appreciate the work you’re doing. I guess intuitive abilities are innate in us all.
There’s a spectrum of intuition- there’s the gut feeling, where something feels right in your gut or doesn’t feel right in your gut, there’s getting the goose bumps when you’re excited and you’re moved about things, it could come through as images, impressions, knowings, or it can really amp up to predicting the future and sensing into the afterlife. - Everything from gut feelings to communicating with the afterlife.
IL: As a young woman you had the opportunity to work in Thelma Moss’ lab at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. Why was it so imJO: I have a love for both traditional medicine portant for you to be there during your develand intuition. It’s not a dichotomy for me at all, opment as a budding intuitive? they go together perfectly. But in traditional medicine, especially, I was so afraid to bring in- JO: Dr. Thelma Moss was my first mentor. She tuition into my work as a medical student, as an was the one who first recognized my intuitive intern, because anything psychic was labeled psy- abilities after I gave her a psychometry readchotic, and the only psychics I ever saw were the ing where I held her keys, and I read them, and ones who were psychotic, claiming to hear the I gave her information about herself and her voice of God, that the FBI was out to get them, house and her daughter. It was then that she inthat their food was poisoned. They’d always be vited me to work in her lab at UCLA. Having wheeled into the emergency room shot up with had my intuition squashed by my parents where drugs, and taken to a psych ward. So, that’s the I wasn’t even allowed to talk about it, going into only context that traditional medicine really has this environment, in an academia where it was for anything that’s highly intuitive. The hard- accepted and appreciated, where I didn’t have est part is dealing with linear, traditional, intel- to stifle my voice, I could develop my intuition lectual, statistical, people’s reality, and the kind in an academically acceptable environment. It of physicians who’ve never had any experiences was wild. It was very, very meaningful for me. It beyond that. They tend to not believe anything was the first expression of my intuitive voice in exists beyond that, and that’s a problem because a public way. they can’t access it in terms of direct experience. IL: In your book you say that everyone can learn IL: If we all grew up in an environment where to develop their intuition. How would you de- our individual beliefs were honored, no matter fine intuition for our readers? And how can they how outlandish they may seem, would more tap into it themselves? people develop these intuitive abilities?
JO: I wanted to write Second Sight to tell my own story and also to give people a kind of a how-to in developing their own intuition. So, the second part of the book is more how to develop it and the first part of the book is really more of my personal memoirs. What I love about the responses I’ve been getting to the book is that I’ve become this safe harbor for people to express their deepest intuitive abilities without shame, without holding back, without having to censor themselves. I’m a psychiatrist and I combine traditional medicine with intuition, so it’s all one to me. When I was a child growing up as an intuitive child, I would have premonitions about things. I would predict deaths, and illnesses, and earthquakes, and I would be able to sense what was going on in other people. I was quite overwhelmed by energies going into shopping malls and crowded places. And then finally, my parents told me never to mention another one of my premonitions again because it scared them so much. So I grew up believing JO: Intuition is the still voice inside, beneath JO: It’s a matter of parent education and how there was something wrong with me. That’s a the mind that tells you the truth about things, to encourage intuition in children. As a child terrible feeling for a child, you know, it’s such and it can come through in a variety of ways. who had my ability squashed, I feel very strongly Inside Look Magazine January/February
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about that. We need to really help children to tune in to their intuition, trust it, live by it, for them not to think that sensing energy or seeing colors is weird. I think parents need to educate their children and also not go overboard. I’ve seen parents who want their children to be intuitive too much- you just have to keep a balance. I’ve worked with various children who have gone through difficulties with their intuition and I’ve seen them get older and get very confident with it- it’s not such a big deal when you are confident with it, it’s just something you live with, it’s part of you. In Second Sight you see how my own personal development of intuition was a struggle, and something that I had to work with over a period of years in order to come into it. I know that a lot of people don’t have supportive family elements in their life, and I really want people to know that they can overcome those obstacles, and that they have to trust their inner voice and develop it, otherwise they won’t be whole. IL: Can it be a burden sometimes, too? JO: Oh yes, it has been on many occasions in the past for me. I’m an emotional “empath,” and can pick up energy and absorb it into my body. I can get quite exhausted by that. I can sense what is going on in other people’s bodies and shopping malls and crowded places. It’s much easier now, but public places used to be really, really hard for me because I’d go in feeling fine and I’d walk out so exhausted, or with some pain or ache, that I didn’t have before and get anxious or depressed. You know, I’d be absorbing everything in there and I think that’s really hard for a child- for me certainly- and for other people when they’re developing their intuition and they don’t put a name to it . The difficulty I have in my life now is that I’m so sensitive to energies and subtle changes in the world, just subtle nuances that happen, that the world feels sometimes really dense or coarse. IL: What signs can parents look for to recognize these abilities in their children? What can they do to nurture a child’s intuitive abilities? JO: Talking about dreams at the breakfast table is good. Make it fun for them to describe their dreams to you. And when children say that they don’t trust someone, instead of simply dismissing their fear like a lot of parents would seeing no reasonable explanation for it, talk to them, listen to them when they say things, and ask them what they are feeling. Often psychic children feel very, very alone and they develop a strong interior life. When I was a child I was always looking up at the sky, and the stars, and invisible places, looking for something- something to connect with. A child that’s very psychic tends to look at things differently and have a different perception than other children they’re playing with. IL: Would you recommend parents teaching their children to meditate at an early age? 14
JO: No, probably not. Children don’t like to sit around , they like to play, although meditation could certainly be used to teach a child to calm down. They could do a little bit, but meditation is more for adults. IL: What kinds of mistakes do other doctors and psychiatrists usually make in diagnosing and treating patients? Instead of automatically prescribing medication, is there an alternative to treating a child with an attention problem? JO: For children, and adults for that matter, psychiatry has become a prescription mill. The health care practitioners I train using Second Sight do develop intuition and their own sense
it’s often like you are in a theater watching a movie- there’s a sense of detachment and neutrality to it. There’s often a crispness or a clarity or a message that’s conveyed that resonates. They are much less emotional than psychological dreams which have such an emotional charge to it. In healing dreams, you literally feel energy flowing through. You may actually have a healer in your dream- I’ve had people work on me in my dreams and give me healing sessions, putting their hand on my heart or my back, and I feel better the next day. And sometimes you’ll have those heart opening, awe-inspiring dreams that just bowl you over because of the deep beauty, and the reverence, and the message of it. IL: You say that love is the universal balancer that can enable us all to heal ourselves. What is a simple healing method that we can all use?
JO: Yes, I believe meditation is an important tool to develop intuition because it gets your mind very quiet. In meditation you connect with your heart chakra, which is in the center of your chest, the center for unconditional love. And in meditation, if you can focus on that and activate it, it creates that unconditional energy rising up from your heart to your chest, down your arms, and this is the healing energy- it’s from the heart. I teach the development of intuition along with the development of the heart. They are always together. The heart is the healing energy, the intuition is the insight. When you combine the insight with the healing energy it is very, very powerful. Some other people teach that intuition is information you pick up. I teach of energy to be able to see into people in a deeper it as a combination with the healing energy of way. I think that kind of education, also men- the heart - then it’s very powerful. toring medical students and residents, teaching them how to use their intuition to listen to pa- IL: How do you see the world changing? And tients in a different way is important. When you how can we function within this new paradigm have those skills in medicine it really helps you we seem to be entering into? to see deeper into patients, rather than just preJO: Through the development of intuition and scribing pills. by staying very centered. Not being thrown off. IL: You mention recording different types of There are enormous forces everyday that condreams in your journal but that only some of spire to throw you off in this world. It’s filled them were intuitive. How can you tell the dif- with fears, filled with darkness, violence, and ference between the different types of dreams? constant negative input. It’s important to do a And what is the most important thing to pay meditation that comes from the heart, do simple acts of kindness every day, and listen to your inattention to in dream analysis? tuition to how you can take better care of yourJO: Well there are different types of dreams, self and others around you. When you open up such as psychological dreams, predictive dreams, your heart energy and let it flow through your and healing dreams. Psychological dreams are body and develop a presence, you can let it ignite the bulk of our dreams and they help us work others. through our emotions. You might have a dream about fear, or of someone chasing you on the IL: What does your intuition tell you about the edge of a cliff, or you are taking a test but you year 2012. Since you are also a remote viewer, don’t know the answers, or you’re naked in front have you remote viewed that year? of a crowd, meaning you feel exposed. It’s the psychological dreams that are so important to JO: I don’t see a cataclysm, and I don’t see the deal with, to clear out any emotional issues that coming of peace either. I don’t see either one. you have. And that leaves more room for the in- However, I do see the accumulation of a lot of tuitive route - once the emotions are dealt with energy like a big ball rolling towards that period. a little bit then there’s more room to do other There are a lot of people developing themselves things. Otherwise you get all clogged up in now, and it’s really creating a critical mass, and I there. For a psychic dream or intuitive dream, know it’s for the good of mankind.
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CAPRICORN
December 22 – January 19 You have succeeded in everything you have taken on in the past, and this year sees you reaping the benefits. Plan carefully as bold strokes lead you to a steady financial future. Reward those loved ones who support you emotionally. February sees lucky Jupiter aligning you with someone who grants you a favor. You’ll be reaping the benefits in September.
AQUARIUS
January 20 – February 18 Keep your own counsel this January. This is an upbeat month and your self confidence is high. Work you started in 2009 completes itself in 2010. The results are very favorable, not only in freeing you from debt, but starting afresh. February sees life on your side, a great time to attract both love and fame. Dress to impress!
PISCES
February 19 – March 20 You have been very patient up to now, so this is the time to set some goals and work towards them. Although many have questioned your plans, you will find support from unexpected people. February sees you sharing your wishes with the universe, and now you can attract exactly what you want if you truly believe you deserve it.
ARIES
TAURUS
April 20 – May 20 How much do you want to take on this year? You have nothing to worry about. New people and opportunities expand your horizon and a very special ‘love’ friendship will present itself. Working out and watching your diet pays off big dividends. February is the month to add some fun to your life. Play, as the full moon February 28th highlights creativity, romance, and young people.
GEMINI
May 21 – June20 2010 ushers in a new cycle. Listen to your heart, and all will be well. Personal affairs could be up and down, and you will have no control. Romance beckons in February and an opportunity to work with someone new turns things around. Communications, in general, are slowly getting back on track, and people are more accommodating. A stranger could walk into your life and alter it forever.
CANCER
June 21 – July 22 You will be looking at two different career options. Turn inward to receive guidance. It is up to you which pathway to choose, and Jupiter- the planet of good luck- supports you. New people and new friends bring opportunities and prosperity. You will find that children surprise you with their knowledge. February has you thinking about a spring vacation. Traveling singles could make a match out of town. 16
LEO
July 23 – August 22 Resolve to make a fresh start and don’t pay attention to what others think of you. Channel your energies into work. Love-wise, think in terms of your partner and not just you. Time spent with new people generate new ideas that pay off in the future. The new moon on February 13th spotlights couples in love and some Leos move closer to a lifetime commitment. Plan a small love fest Valentine’s Day with chocolates and roses!
VIRGO
August 23 – September 22 A new cycle is ahead, but don’t make any important decisions yet. Just sit back and think clearly as a career opportunity will turn up that will make you happy. Love partners are passionate and receptive, and children excel at their school work and make you proud. February is an easygoing month for the most part as you get a jump start on spring cleaning. Networking brings trade favors.
LIBRA
September 23 – October 22 What happens in January is the forerunner to what you can expect for the rest of the year. Notice people and places. Partnerships, prosperity, and mini-getaways are highlighted. Pay attention to the written word. Love-wise, singles should take a chance on someone new; this person could be the lucky charm you’ve been waiting for. Married Librans should romance their partners on Valentine’s Day.
SCORPIO
October 23 – November 21 One long cherished dream comes true this year. In your love life don’t hold back, listen to your heart, and take that leap forward. Stick to your day-to-day routine at work and pay attention to your hunches, you could reap rich rewards. February promises to be a relatively easygoing month, but be cautious about voicing your true opinions. Deep thinking yields more answers and the full moon on the 28th reveals ‘a hidden agenda.’
SAGITTARIUS
November 22 – December 21 This will be a great month for you, as many new friends come in your life. At work, relax, and let events take their course. Soon you will have a clearer picture where you’re headed, meanwhile, see yourself traveling; it could actually become a reality. In February, you could see your career come into high focus, so snap up every opportunity to impress decision-makers. Action taken now will pay off within a few months.
Judy Hevenly, Psychic Astrologer E-mail judy@judyhevenly.com Web site: www.judyhevenly.com Tel: 310 820 7280
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Photo: NASA
March 21 – April 19 You feel good in 2010 and can look forward to many exciting things ahead. You are able to meet all the right people and now can really plan your future. Money arrives, your confidence is high, and you plan a summer vacation knowing you’ll have the money to pay for it. In February, the timing is great for organizing financial records and gathering tax information. Quotes on insurance pay off, netting a cost savings as a result.
FEBRUARY
KEEPING FAITH AIDING THE HOMELESS IN TODAY’S ECONOMY By Kevin Hunter
In the Bible in the Book of John, Chapter 12, verse 8, Jesus said that “the poor shall always be with you.” What He might have left out was just how many.
As the United States goes through one of the worst financial crisis in the nation’s history, more and more people are seeking assistance at some of the area’s missions that feed and house the homeless and those in need. On Los Angeles’ Skid Row there are as many as 84,000 people seeking food and shelter on any given night. Overall there are as many as 236,400 men, women and children alone in Los Angeles County who are homeless or in need of food and assistance. That number is larger than the entire populations of such well-known American cities as Orlando, FL., Norfolk, VA, and Scottsdale, AZ. And it’s not just hitting your typical down-and-out homeless person you see on the streets asking for a handout. Unemployment has skyrocketed causing many residents to lose their homes due to foreclosures as well as the devastating wildfires in Southern California. Unfortunately hat has caused homelessness to become almost part of the mainstream now. Some of the new homeless are middle class and come complete with college degrees and families. The number of homeless families has increased dramatically, especially among children. At some of the area’s missions, this increasing number of homeless is daunting and some are close to the point of going beyond their means to make sure people have a place to sleep and a good meal. Two of Skid Row’s oldest missions, the Union Rescue Mission and the Fred Jordan Missions see even more troubled times ahead. With donations and contributions down, each is still going out of its way to make sure no one in need is turned away. They remain steadfast, faithful and confident that this current crisis shall pass. But in the meantime, they have to figure out ways to take care and feed this new wave of homeless arriving at their doors. At the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles’ Skid Row district, organizers have tried feverishly to accommodate as many of the new arrivals as possible. The mission has been serving the homeless since 1891. It has been through several wars and a Great Depression. But they will tell you that they have never seen anything like this. The Fred Jordan Missions, which has been in existence since 1944 not only feeds the homeless in Los Angeles, but in places around the world, is also trying to figure out how to feed this latest wave of new homeless. Willie Jordan, who took over the help after her husband passed away in 1988, said that no many how many are in need, she is faithful that they will be provided with the resources to meet the needs of the homeless, but cautioning that it won’t be easy. “In recent months, we are seeing more homeless families and they have 18
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no place else to turn,” said Jordan. “We feed about 1,000 people a day giving them their daily bread and that has increased more than 10 percent in the past year.”
“We expected a drop in donations in the last quarter, which is kind of scary going into the holidays,” said Jordan. “It creates kind of a perfect storm as far as what’s to come.”
It has been reported in recent weeks that America’s auto industry is in big trouble and on the verge of collapse. In the November 17, 2008 issue of the Los Angeles Times, it was reported that if one carmaker fails, as many as 2.5 million jobs could be lost, meaning even more people, especially families could be Reverend Andy Bales, Chief Executive Officer of without food and a place to live. the Union Rescue Mission, said that the current economic times are the some of the worst he and the But in spite of the reduced giving and horrible ecoMission have seen, and doesn’t expect things to get nomic conditions, people are still contributing with whatever they have. Corporations and other large better any time soon. companies are also coming to the aid of the home“You have a lot of people who come here who have less with significant contributions. never been homeless and they are very fearful,” said Bales. “It’s a last resort for them and what we try to “Our donors have been hurt,” said Bales. “We have do is affirm their dignity by offering them a more donors who write or call everyday and tell us that they have to send less. But you’re shocked that they welcoming atmosphere. can send any donation, because they still donate even “We’re starting to see people who have never expe- when they are unemployed. And you have to marvel rienced homelessness before that are arriving at our at their faithfulness because they continue to donate doors not knowing what lies ahead. Two-parent no matter how much or how little they have.” families and single fathers with kids are increasing. So now the question is how to continue to feed and “We even had one lady who was a donor, and ended house the more and more homeless seeking help? up here. She was very afraid, but we reassured her, Many of the missions are working together to comgot her involved in volunteering to help her fit in. bine efforts and resources to meet the needs of more We let her know that it was safe inside here no mat- people. ter how dangerous it may be outdoors.” And if you are Jordan and Bales, the answer is simple If there is some sort of cloud with a silver lining, it’s – by keeping a strong faith in God that He will prothat volunteerism is up. That may make up for the vide them with everything they need and to never lack of food and cash donations, which down by as turn anyone away. much as 25 percent at some missions. “We have been shaken to core as a nation,” said “It’s just amazing how much volunteerism is up,” said Jordan. “People are filled with fear and uncerJordan. “We have an increasing number of people tainty. But we continue to try to help as many of out there now who are thinking about the homeless them as possible. At the end of 2008 is red ink, and what they can do to help. but we know we will have to go on. We have to The Union Rescue Mission houses 810 people and serves as many as 2,500 meals a day. It has a staff of 200 and has added another 40. It has opened another floor on the building that houses and additional 150-250 people per night with125 more beds.
know that God is in control and will meet our needs.”
Publisher’s Note: This article was originally published in November, 2008, but we felt it neccessary to rerun the article to keep our local community informed and reminded about the crisis that is going on in our country. On the next page you’ll find current, updated information regarding the homeless crisis in Los Angeles. To give to the Union Rescue Mission, please follow this link: https://secure3.convio.net/urm/site/Donation2?df_id=1300&1300.donation=form1
Homeless Updates and Statistics for 2009 An estimated 10,000 of Southern California’s homeless and needy turned out for the Los Angeles Rescue Mission’s 18th Annual Christmas Store event on a typically beautiful weekend in the middle of December. Mothers and fathers were assisted by volunteers to pick one toy or gift for each of their children ages infant through 17 years. They were then assisted in wrapping the gifts in the department store-like atmosphere. While parents shopped, kids experienced a visit to a Kid Zone where they enjoyed holiday crafts, games, and treats, and also shopped for their parents in their own special store.
done by the Los Angeles Homeless Authority. That’s obviously great news to those who actually buy into those numbers. However, those who dispute those numbers and findings say that the numbers are a little deceiving, and that the report could lead to fewer donations when homeless shelters need it most. The report, published on Oct. 28, says that the number of homeless families dropped dramatically from 16,643 in 2007 to 4,885 this year, and overall down from 68,808 to 42,694. In stories published by the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press in November, Bales said his shelter in downtown Los Angeles's Skid Row has been inundated with families made homeless in the ongoing economic recession.
Union Rescue Mission CEO, Andy Bales, said, “It’s our joy to provide an opportunity for a unique shopping experience to families that might otherwise miss out on the joy of personally giving gifts to their children But Bales told the Los Angeat Christmas.” les Downtown News that the Union Rescue Mission has As the unemployment rates seen an increase in homeless spiraled out of control in both families during the time the California and the United study was taken. He said that States this year, there was the numbers are up 284 to a little ray of sunshine and 493. some light at the end of the tunnel as we closed out the “Any reduction of homelessyear 2009. ness among individuals has been outpaced by families,” Homeless statistics are actually Bales said. “There’s no question down from last year. in my mind.” In Los Angeles County, home- To throw an even bigger wrench lessness is down by 38 percent into the Los Angeles Homefrom 2007, according to a study less Authority’s study, the Los
Angeles County Department of Public Social Services says its homeless families participating in its CalWorks program increased from 5,700 to 7,900 in January. However, Michael Arnold, the authority's director, backs up the numbers and says the report's numbers bear out. He says service providers are speaking anecdotally. The Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count Report estimates the numbers at 42,694 persons counted in 2009 represents a decrease of 38 percent when compared to the total number of homeless persons included in the 2007 Homeless Count. According to the report, this marks a significant decrease in the number of homeless persons in the Continuum of Care, which they say is very encouraging. Either way any decrease in the number of homeless in Southern California has to be encouraging as the economy continues to recover as we approach the second decade of the 21st century. Kevin Hunter is a freelance writer and public relations consultant who lives in Southern California. In a career that spans nearly 25 years, Hunter has written sports and features as a staff and freelance writer for numerous publications, including the Orange County Register, the Los Angeles Times Orange County Edition, L.A. Weekly, the Long Beach Press-Telegram, and the Copley Los Angeles Newspapers.