because when you bare your everything you offer will sell out.
Magic is real. Money is sacred. FEBRUARY ISSUE 2016
Marketing is sweet.
CONTENTS Magic is real. Money is sacred. Marketing is sweet. Jessica Wilde shares how to overcome writer ' s block . Story on p . 20
3 SOULED OUT MANIFESTO #2 by Kris Oster, Ph.D 4 R.A.W. by Kris Oster, Ph.D 5 MONTHLY MANTRA by Kris Oster, Ph.D 6 INTERVIEW: MELISSA CASSERA A snippet from our interview about the using PLEASURE as a biz archetype 8 THE BROTHERS OF PLEASURE 3 Greek Gods who have lots to teach us about PLEASURE 10 RENAISSANCE MAN-SHAPESHIFTER An interview with Drew Rouse 12 SOUL PROPRIETOR MEMO by Theresa Reed, thetarotlady.com 14 SUBTRACTION IS SEXY by Kris Oster, Ph.D
KRIS OSTER , PH . D
I ' m a MerAngel - inspired mentor here to conjure business + marketing wisdom for a more magical world .
15 YOUR ENCHANTED LAUNCH My next class offering takes off on Feb 15! 16 LET'S CONNECT SOULED OUT MAGAZINE
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LOVE. NOW. DON'T ASK PERMISSION. FOLLOW YOUR HEART'S DESIRES. TODAY IS ALL YOU HAVE. BE BOLD. OUTRAGEOUS. BE PLEASURE. LAUGH. TOUCH. SIGH.
Sometimes I feel like Anais Nin; Hands strong as as silk. like Aphrodite is trapped inside my body. She is Sovereign. But this is not the trivial, cheap Aphrodite created by strip clubs and Vegas showgirls.
Surrendering to her heart at every turn. Ferocious as a lion and gentle as a dove.
No. This Aphrodite cannot be contained.
Intimacy. It’s where I live.
She is unbridled desire at its most eloquent. She is not a whore. She can restore her own Virginity by simply bathing. She is Intimacy. Tangled hair.
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Sometimes I'm so afraid, but still I open up wider. If I don't, no one can see my Soul. And that frightens me even more.
In life + biz be RAW. Show up naked and open like the LOVER. Create with abandon. Live on fire. www.krisoster.com | 4
monthly mantra
"BEAUTY DRIPS FROM EVERY PORE OF MY BEING. I AM LOVE." ~KRIS OSTER
Here's a snippet of an interview I did with Melissa Cassera, PR expert and Guilty Pleasure advocate, in my book, Return to Enchantment: Your Guide to Creating a Magical Livelihood, available now on Amazon.com. Your brand and all of your offerings are all centered around “guilty pleasure.” How did you come upon this as your unique brand archetype? I’ve always enjoyed guilty pleasures with wild abandon, including 3pm breaks to watch episodes of Gossip Girl (that sometimes turned into 3-hour marathons). I used to feel incredibly guilty indulging when I was supposed to be “working” until I realized: a) I’m the boss, and I make the rules, and b) I’m actually more productive when I take mandatory guilty pleasure breaks throughout the day. This led to my unique brand archetype, both because it was an authentic way I run my own business and because I knew it was something I could teach other people: how to infuse more pleasure into your business. Tell us about a few of your favorite characters and stories from childhood + how their essences have appeared in your work and brand. So, this might seem out of the norm of “childhood” but I grew up watching soap operas. All My Children, Falcon Crest, General Hospital... this was my everything. Cartoons? Not when Erica Kane was marrying her 14th husband.
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I think I always knew from a young age that watching soap operas was salacious. I was hooked. I even penned soap-opera worthy stories about my 5th grade classmates, until I got in trouble for the gratuitous content (hey - I was a budding erotica writer, after all!). Being hopelessly addicted to soap operas led to my current day brand. I became obsessed with “obsession.” Why are people addicted to Twilight, or Game of Thrones, or Benedict Cumberbatch? And how can we model this in our businesses to create our own Obsessed audience? I adore that in your spare time you pen scandalous erotica novels and are working on a TV series about the supernatural. What’s one (or two) pieces of advice you’d like to give to your entrepreneur fans that will help them create space for more passions and less promotion? 1. Remove distractions. This sounds easy but it’s very difficult to be honest with yourself and admit you’re spending too much time on Facebook or worrying about inconsequential things like how many Instagram likes your latest post received. I’m a fan of time blocking with no distractions. So, to get a work project completed, I will go to a coffee shop for a few hours and do it with no email, phone, social media, etc. That same task would normally take me days with distractions. Remove them, and you’ll be amazed how much time you have left over to pursue your passions. 2. Find a way to infuse your passions into your work. This is something I call the “Swirl Effect.” If I’m completely lit up over erotic fiction, I’ll make my latest blog post about how to get clients to behave like Christian Grey. Once I had to give a speech that I wasn’t super excited about, until I changed the entire thing to talk about Game of Thrones. There’s often a connecting thread between your work and your passions, which makes your life and work entirely pleasurable.
Melissa Cassera is an award-winning PR and Personal Branding Expert. When it comes to turning business owners into celebrities, she’s the real McCoy. Melissa has 10+ years of experience as a PR strategist, marketing + communication virtuoso — and has led multimillion dollar campaigns for companies + start-ups in the US, Canada, the UK, Japan, and France. Her clients regularly score national media attention, book deals (with bidding wars), paid speaking gigs — and sometimes, 6-figure spokesperson deals + reality TV show pilots. Her advice has been featured on NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox News as well as glossy magazines + web portals like Huffington Post, INC , AMEX Open and Forbes.
Check out Melissa Cassera's amazing courses like OBSESSSED + SWIRL EFFECT on her website: www.melissacassera.com
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THE BROTHERS OF PLEASURE The sons of the Olympian high god, Zeus; Apollo, Dionysus and Hermes are masters of pleasure that can rival Aphrodite’s sensual delights. For Dionysus pleasure is a moonlit night of unbridled passion; for Apollo it’s a temple of balance and harmony; for Hermes it’s an opportunity to cross boundaries, acts of trickery and discovering new frontiers. No matter what our gender, we need both feminine and masculine archetypal energies to feel fulfilled and to fulfill our destinies … and especially to experience full out pleasure. The God of the Sun, or “Son of God,” Apollo is known for his masculine form: physical balance and strength, symmetry and order. We find the pleasures of Apollo in the love of our physical strength. The discipline of practice in all forms of exercise: from sit ups and cross-training, to yoga and dance, Apollo is grace in action. To honor your light and confidence, and to focus on everything you do with excellence is a great way to venerate + activate your inner Apollo. Apollo’s half brother Dionysus can be the antidote to too much symmetry and order. There are times when we need to let loose, or otherwise go insane with the rules, regulations and restrictions placed upon us by society.
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When you’ve been following the rules and have been a “good” girl or boy for wayyyy too long, it’s time to follow Dionysus’ ecstatic and shamanic lead … or … be overtaken by madness and insanity! Pleasure yourself with Dionysian delights like a lusty meal, eaten with bare hands … then lick every finger clean. Get tipsy on your springtime sangria. Dance naked in the moonlight, alone or with your lover. This will keep that inner, ax-wielding Jack Nicholson at bay. Scorching orgasms don’t hurt either. Hermes has been known as a trickster as well as the consummate messenger and communicator. But did you know that Hermes has also been credited with inventing masturbation? (The Greeks referred to it as thrypsis, which means “the rubbing.”) Need to come up with something quickly? Do you grasp that last minute opportunity thrust upon you? After a pleasurable thrypsis-ing, get to it and allow the air of innovation to flow through you. There are a myriad of ways that you can allow the gods of myth to move you. We can see that each of the three brothers (btw, I do know there are other Olympian brothers, just had to pick my 3 faves) has his own flavor of healing and way of moving through the world. Apollo rides a chariot and gets to where he’s going swiftly––think majestic swift, no manic speed. His movement is deliberate like the sun itself and he follows the same pattern each day. At times he is accompanied by the Muses. Soothing and harmonizing. Dionysus appears out of nowhere with his retinue of satyrs and maenads, the wild women and men of the forests. They are usually dancing and playing music at first … later it becomes an orgy. He seems to show up where folks are wound up just a bit too tightly. He is homeless, yet he belongs wherever he goes. He’s the Wanderer. Hermes has many means of travel, hence his association with those sacred fools who take up any journey or pilgrimage. He has winged sandals that enable him to fly anywhere he wishes and can wear his invisibility hat so he can come and go unseen. What a luxury. He can move like a swift storm or as gentle as a breeze. He brings messages from the gods to the humans and can carry newly departed souls to the afterlife. Do you wish to be visible or invisible as you move through life? Hermes will help you either way.
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RENAISSANCE MAN-SHAPESHIFTER SERIES I’d love to introduce to you one of my new friends that I met over Facebook, Drew Rouse. He’s living a life and weaving a new story that many of us can draw inspiration from. Drew can help you gather your courage to be your RAW + beautiful self, no matter what the world is telling you. This is a snippet of what's on my website - please check out the whole interview, it's THAT GOOD! Click HERE. Who were your favorite characters from stories, myths, films, etc when you were growing up? First Nations characters always captured my imagination. I was always the Native while playing as a child. Didn’t like the “cowboy” vibes at all. I also enjoyed the Norse myths and Viking sagas. Why did you love them? I’ve seen their connection to the land and the forces of nature that were and are usually rejected by the usual “heroes or heroines” for those other more dogmatic and disconnected myths.
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Soooo, you’re an eco-advocate (“Green Publisher”, etc), Bikram Hot + Therapeutic “Flying” yoga teacher, RAW food chef, musician/songwriter, sword-wielding horseman and documentary creator (did I miss anything?). A unique and intriguing blend of passions. Do you find it difficult to express all of them, or do you switch back and forth? What drives you to focus on one aspect of yourself rather than the others? I have many passions and disciplines. I find time to practise and express them all and yes sometimes all at once. It is not a focus on one’s self, but a widening and emptying of the self. Each has a unique way of helping me empty and enter into that pervasive animating energy stream or allow it to pass through me. Call it zen, meditation, Godhead, spirit, prana… whatever it is, I commune with it in some way while practising these disciplines and passions. About Drew Rouse Drew is an active environmentalist, documentary filmmaker, yogi, writer and musician. Drew works closely with culturally intact First Nations who are dedicated to protecting their lands from exploitation and who wish to preserve these lands and all its wild inhabitants for future generations. Drew wrote and produced a documentary on Canada’s wild horses and the Xeni Gwet’in of the Tsilhqotin Nation called “Cayuse: In the Valley of the Wild Horses”. Drew built one of the first “eco-friendly” Bikram yoga studios in the world, as well as, numerous other green building projects. Drew was raised on an organic farm in Canada and is extremely knowledgeable on organic farming methods. He is a tireless supporter of small, local, organic farming practices and farmers. Not just a songwriter, Drew is a constant writer with over 150 songs, two film scripts, numerous poems and half a dozen short stories under his belt. Drew enjoys acting, but is extremely selective about film projects. Although if a role entails riding horses, playing with swords and guitars plus has a conscious story-line, he may be interested. Drew is an advanced yoga practitioner and a senior Bikram yoga teacher. Amongst numerous other activities, Drew is an avid horseman (Guided horseback trips to the top of Whistler Mt. in B.C.), skier (cross-country, downhill & trekking) enjoys sword play and traditional archery. Follow Drew Online + On Tour! Visit his website for up-to-date Freedom to Roam tour information: http://www.drewrouse.com
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by Theresa Reed, thetarotlady.com I have a friend who is a talented yoga teacher. She can bend in ways my body never could. She’s super fit like that. And charismatic? Beyond. Everyone loves her. Back in the day, she often talked about branching out on her own and starting her own studio. She had tons of talent so I always encouraged her. But when we talked about her business plans the enthusiasm was there…but so were the excuses. I can’t start it now because I’m too busy. I just had a baby. And you know how it is when you have a baby. I’m still trying to figure out a name for my studio. My car broke down.... And on. And on. And on. Every single time we talked, it was always something. For a few years, this was the spiel. Nothing ever got done. You can’t build a business on excuses. Because business requires effort + focus, no matter what is happening in your life. If you are constantly finding justifications for no-action, you need to ask yourself this: do I want this bad enough? If you can truly answer yes to that question, you’ll find your detour around your self-sabotage (yes, making excuses is self-sabotage). . When you are ready to do that, you’re ready to commit to running a business. Until then, you’re only running your mouth. “At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations, no regrets.” ― Steve Maraboli
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Theresa Reed (alias: The Tarot Lady) is an intuitive Tarot reader, astrologist, teacher, mentor & yogi with over twenty years of professional experience, industry street cred for miles, and thousands of clients in her digital rolodex. She’s devoted to helping people make better decisions & lead happier lives — using Tarot as an instigational tool for confident, bold & emotionally-intelligent action — in life, in love & in business. She is also a business mentor on a mission to help spiritual + metaphysical business owners get their sh*t together, build strong + profitable empires, and experience the freedom they want + deserve. Because running your own business is HOT — and even mystics gots to pay the bills. You can find all the goods and deets at her online hub: The Tarot Lady or follow her on Twitter @thetarotlady Not every entrepreneur wants — or needs — a multi-thousand-dollar mentoring program. Theresa offers Pick My Brain Business Mentoring: Inexpensive biz mentoring for mystical entrepreneurs on a tight budget. I've worked each month for the past year with Theresa and have had wonderful results and confirmations. With her spot on intuition and tarot readings, Theresa helped me make both big and small decisions in my business. She has helped me choose launch dates for my book tour and eCourses that truly resulted in magical sales and audience growth. She counsels me on whether to take on new partnerships or what kind of media would help me promote my offerings most effectively. I know that if we trust our intuition, we can have so much more fulfillment and ease in our businesses ... and Theresa facilitates this with her tarot biz mentoring services. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE. She is the secret magical potion behind my success! (Although, it's not much of a secret anymore!) I can't recommend working with Theresa highly enough. And I'm so grateful for all that she creates.
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Hi Love, you may be wondering what articles of clothing I’m going to ask you to remove…. alas, no. I’m not talking about a strip-tease. At least not today. The kind of subtraction I’m talking about has to do with intense, sweaty and heart-pounding … FOCUS. “Creativity is subtraction.” –Austin Kleon So, in the spirit of “less is more” … ask yourself: 1. What project/s would feel like Christmas Morning to create and deliver? 2. Is it something that I'm DYING to create/be AND my audience needs? If questions #1 and #2 = “No” or doesn’t = “Hell Yes!” the project in question will get the ax. Ruthless removal. Beautiful space for innovation to brush your bare skin. Mmmmmmm.
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YOUR ENCHANTED LAUNCH BEGINS FEB 15! Are you looking for more ease + pleasure when you launch something new in your business? This one week, super focused course can help you: 1. create more desire and “buzz” around your brand and offerings 2. compile a list of “turn on” words and phrases, aka a Sizzle or Swipe File that you can dip into to create anything from blog post titles to Facebook Ad copy. 3. write teasers and headlines BEFORE you unveil something new in your business world, so your customers can’t help but clamor to work with you and buy from you. Bring one or two projects that you’d like to launch and I’ll help you get it mapped out and ready to go … and have it feel ultra pleasurable at the same time. I'll hand you plug n' play copy templates to use for your sales page and email newsletters to make launching easy, peasy. During this divine week, we’ll have two live calls to answer your questions and deeply explore how vacation mind and sensuality makes us more productive and radiantly attractive to our customers. Your Enchanted Launch takes place February 15-19, 2016! Playshop Fee: $35 - CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!
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I would love to connect! Let me know how you enjoyed this edition of SOULED OUT. May your luscious entrepreneurial journey bring you bliss and pleasures you have yet to IMAGINE! xoxo, Kris
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