The Eden Magazine September 2019

EDEN T h e

September 2019

©

Magazine

BEING A LEADING LADY IN LIFE'S SECOND ACT

Maeve Quinlan ANIMAL ACTIVISM HAS NO BORDER

Healing your ego

By Sasha Gary

How one weekend in Mexico made a huge impact for animal welfare

WHAT IS IMPOSTER SYNDROME

By Dr. Sandi Mann

Table of Contents 6

MAEVE QUINLAN

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14

WHAT IS "LIVING IN FLOW"?

By Kate Kendall

18

TALKING TO YOUR DOCTOR

By Amy Orr

20

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT WITH RUTH KING

24

38 6 44 72 60

ANIMAL ACTIVISM HAS NO BORDERS

38

HEALING YOUR EGO

By Sasha Gary

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ONE & FIVE MINUTES MINDFULNESS PRACTICES FOR EFF THIS! MEDITATION

By Liza Kindred

52

WHAT IS IMPOSTER SYNDROME

By Dr. Sandi Mann

60

ON BEING A MAKER

By Ellie Beck

72

FOLLOWING

By Michael White Ryan

76

A NEW JOURNEY BEGINS

By Jan Diana

Cover Photo

by DILIANA FLORENTIN

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DINA MORRONE

Maryam Morrison

ALEXIA MELOCCHI

MARIA ELENA INFANTINO

EDWARD HAKOPIAN

GREG DOHERTY

TARA-JENELLE WALSCH

ISABELLE RUEN

NANCY E. YEAROUT

SHERI DETERMAN

MICHAEL WHITE RYAN

ANGELA DUNNING

JAN DIANA

GLORIA KISEL-HOLLIS

JOE SANTOS, JR.

SASHA GARY

MARCO NUNZIO ALATI

BRENDA SAINT HILAIRE

MARGARET TOMASZEWIC

JAYITA BHATTACHARJEE

MEET OUR TEAM

Photo by Artin Mardirosian

Spreading Compassion to all Sentient Beings and Living in healing and peaceful world

EDEN T

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MAGAZINE

Since 2010

The Eden Magazine is a free Online magazine focuses on spreading compassion to all sentient beings Living in a healing and peaceful world FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MARYAM MORRISON EXECUTIVE EDITOR/ CONTRIBUTING WRITER DINA MORRONE COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR CONTRIBUTING WRITER ALEXIA MELOCCHI

BRAND AMBASSADOR MARIA ELENA INFANTINO COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST GLORIA KISEL-HOLLIS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS JAN DIANA SASHA GARY JOE SANTOS, JR. NANCY E. YEAROUT

ANGELA DUNNING MICHAEL WHITE RYAN MARCO NUNZIO ALATI JAYITA BHATTACHARJEE TARA-JENELLE WALSCH MARGARET TOMASZEWIC CONTRIBUTING STYLISTS + MAKEUP ARTIST EDWARD HAKOPIAN GRAPHICS & PHOTOGRAPHY ISABELLE RUEN SHERI DETERMAN GREG DOHERTY BRENDA SAINT HILAIRE WEBSITE

www.theedenmagazine.com 325 N. Maple Dr. Po Box 5132 Beverly Hills, CA 90209 To purchase a copy visit us in www.magcloud.com Eden Magazine is an non-profit & independent monthly online magazine.

Our aim is to create a better environment where we live among other living being in peace and harmony. We support artists that their work match our criteria. If you would like to submit your artwork, article or/and your Photography For our future issues please contact Maryam Morrison at; maryammorrison@theedenmagazine.com 5 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e September 2019

M Q

aeve

uinlan

BEING A LEADING LADY IN LIFE’S SECOND ACT

BY ALEXIA MELOCCHI Edited by Dina Morrone

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M

aeve Quinlan is an American actress with Irish roots. She is a former professional tennis player who attended Northwestern University and USC on tennis scholarships. Maeve played Wimbledon, the French Open, and was a world-class tennis player who made many friendships on the court, including Chris Evert.

As a successful actress, Maeve is best known for starring as Megan Conley, for over a decade, in the soap opera, The Bold and The Beautiful.

I met Maeve over a decade ago when I cast her in my first feature film as a producer, THE DRONE VIRUS. A lover of animals, she would bring her Golden Retriever Labrador on set with her. I recently reconnected with Maeve, who is about to get married to the love of her life. She is also enjoying a different approach to her presence in the Entertainment Industry. While still acting, she is now also producing and about to launch a blog web site to inspire women to embrace their age and the second act of life. Ten years ago, Maeve's life was very different. She was coming out of an abusive marriage and a painful divorce from actor Tom Sizemore. She had to do a lot of soul-searching about her participation in co-dependent relationships, to arrive at a place where her opinion of herself is now untarnished by the baggage of others, and she is looking forward to thoroughly enjoying her 50s.

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What was it like to be a female professional tennis player back in the day?

Truth be told, I wanted to be an actress practically coming out of the womb. My parents came over from Ireland and were extremely into sports. My mother attended at a boarding school where she was the head of Sports and the head of Field Hockey. Therefore she had different ideas for me and signed me up for tennis lessons. I realized, "oh no, I don't want to do this." But at age 11, I won a tournament, and then I was like, "I am into this winning thing."

When I played tennis, it was the incredible golden era of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, who drew large crowds in Tournaments, but it was Billie Jean King that we have to thank for all of that. It was a different time in tennis. They were playing with wooden rackets. Now there's a lot more power in the tennis rackets, and so much power in the girls, they are so impressive. Although I did play all the majors and I was top 100 in the world at one point, but as a top junior player for the US, the money we won went to the US Tennis Association.

I played as a professional for one year only because at USC, I was able to study my real love, which was acting.

How has your diet transitioned from athlete to actress to middle age?

It's interesting because when I was on tour, there was not the emphasis on weight training and nutrition to the degree that it is now. When I was growing up, my metabolism was so fast I didn't think much about the nutrition aspect of it. For fitness, I would get five hours on the court and running and maybe a few weights, but it's a different program now. I see now that kids are on a whole different regime. Even millennial's as a whole are so much healthier than how we were growing up.

I took my health for granted, and now as a fifty-fouryear-old woman, I've already started becoming healthier as I didn't realize for women's' bone density how important it is to be strong and healthy. Exercise has given me a purpose for my second half, and I’m not taking anything for granted. I do think about what I put into my mouth. I do think about if I've gotten in my exercise for the day. I do think about my skincare, and is it good for my skin, or is it just a quick fix? I don't do Botox anymore.

How are you navigating being an actress in Hollywood over fifty?

I love this question because there was a time when I didn't give my age. So when I was in my forties, I was still playing characters in their thirties. It was career suicide to give my age. Then there came this little thing called IMDb. I was so petrified of turning forty to the point I left out a lot of Hollywood people from my for-

tieth birthday party so they would not know my age. I spent twelve years on the soap THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, which was international. It was such a fantastic experience with longevity. I was so blessed in my late thirties to do films as well, like your film THE DRONE VIRUS. My career was on fire, and I loved it. At forty, I thought work would drop off significantly. But it did not. I did a feature film called NOT EASILY BROKEN. I was on a series for four years called SOUTH OF NOWHERE. I was on 90210 and did a Lifetime movie per year. I thought to myself, "what the heck was I so fearful about?" Now I have started to get into producing because as I was closing in on fifty, the industry wasn't as 'excited' about that because they didn't know what to do with me.

So you are saying there were no longer enough roles available for you?

In this industry, it doesn't matter what age you are if you look the way you do, and your name is famous as long as you're going to add value to the project. Unfortunately, I'm caught in between being a name known to my fans and the industry, but I'm not that household name, such as Courtney Cox and Sandra Bullock, who are beautiful and both my age. I feel that for all the others, like myself, they don't know what to do with you. Are you a grandma or what? I still play high school moms. I was so fearful about turning forty that my forties disproved that fear. So when fifty was coming up, I decided, "you know what? I can't wait to be fifty." Why don't I try to be the 'best fifty' that I can be? So now, instead of hiding my age, I am very vocal about it because I want to help other friends embrace moving into your fifties because there is so much value in it. You're so much more relaxed in yourself. You have the knowledge that you're not going to look twenty any longer, but you're going to look the best you can. It's a really positive time if you look at it that way. You know yourself better. You don't sweat the small stuff..

But then you realize it is also the time to come to terms with our parents being in the last act of their lives.

That's right, one of the many things we face at this age is taking care of our parents.

Life becomes challenging with elderly parents. I think what's great about being in your fifties is that your character is stronger, and you have been through a lot. I do feel that women are helping women in this day in age.With E-Commerce companies, women are doing incredible business right out of their own homes, and they're also able to rear their families. I think it's a great time and that's why I'm so honest about my age. I do E-Commerce, so I can support women instead of supporting the millions of dollars spent in advertising to women.

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Tell me about your website and your new E-Commerce venture?

My new website is called "Maeve Intoxicating Beauty." It's a website where you can buy the products I use. I get asked all the time what I use, and so now they can buy it from me. I came up with the name because my name [Maeve] means intoxicating in old Irish culture. My last name [Quinlan] means strength. I'm trying to promote to women, to not have that fear at forty. I think we all have intoxicating beauty within us, and I want to help everybody find their most inner beauty. I am also developing a fragrance line that would take a percentage of the proceeds and give it to ovarian cancer awareness and research because my mom is a twentyone-year survivor.

I remember your special bond with dogs and that all your dogs were Labradors.

My last Golden Retriever died around the same time my dad did, which broke my heart. I made a pact with myself that I wouldn't get another Golden Retriever until I met the man of my dreams. So now I'm engaged, and I don't have my golden, but we've adopted my mom's dog. I am very involved with rescues, and I've fostered several dogs.

How did being in a problematic marriage lead to your spiritual growth?

Spiritual growth is so significant, and I think things are going so well you forget about it. Then when times are challenging, and you're going through the low parts of your life, we all magically get spiritual. I think we have to remind ourselves to be spiritual during the good times, not just asking for help.

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I feel honored that you feel safe enough with me to also talk about a dark moment in your life, which affected the way you interacted with me, prior to your current fiancĂŠ.

Spiritual growth is so significant, and I think things are going so well you forget about it. Then when times are challenging, and you're going through the low parts of your life, we all magically get spiritual. I think we have to remind ourselves to be spiritual during the good times, not just asking for help.

I am finally ready to say this and make it public, that I am a survivor of domestic abuse, and that's something I intend to bring awareness to in my fifties. I didn't like to talk about it earlier because I was just grateful to be out of that marriage and out of harms' way. I grew up in an Irish Catholic household, so religion was important, but what that marriage taught me is that it's not just the church, it is really about connecting and knowing there's a higher power. To get me through those tough times, I took hikes in Runyon Canyon with my dog and talked to God. What brought me from there to here is knowing that there is truly no right way to practice religion.

There is a right way for you. I think it has much more to do with strength in spirituality. I dated for a long time, had relationships, but when it came down to getting married again, there was fear around that. I met somebody who is equally spiritual and religious, but we connect on a level that it's not just praying, but putting that into action. Being kind to others.

We have a sign in our house that says, "what good shall I do today?" I think it's about knowing and connecting and being the best you that you can be because it could be your last day or the last time you speak to someone.

Do you regret not having had children?

I never had kids, and now I'm about to be a step-mom to three amazing kids. It's about knowing that there is a plan for you.

I think all of my experiences leading up to this has helped me with that. I have been a devoted aunt to my nieces and nephews, and for all my best friends' kids who call me aunt Maeve.

I think it's my calling to be a step-mom. I am sure that this happened to other women. I did not meet the right person at the right time to have kids. My fiancĂŠ is in another phase of 12 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e September 2019

his life, and I don't need a baby to unify my love for him when he already has three amazing boys. I hope to be someone they look and know that I'm kind and that I love and care for them.

I love their father, but that's something going back to faith.

Do you feel faith has played a role in where you are today?

I always questioned, "Why didn't I meet the right person?"

I always felt that if I did view that person as someone who could be someone's father forever, then it would be right, but now I met somebody with children, and so I hope I can have a positive impact on their life. I don't think you can have any of those good feelings if you don't have spirituality on some level.

What message do you want to give the fame-seeking generation now that you've been through all your phases?

Sadly, we live in a world in which we obsess if you didn't get enough 'likes’ on your post and the selfies are out of control.

How do you fight that now when everything is so instantaneous? It has to go back to the parents limiting cell phone use.

When the picture is better than the experience itself, I see this as one of the most significant problems. I think that the more kids can be involved in sports or theater or something that drives them personally, the more they will have to put down the selfies because they are too busy following their passion to be concerned about what Susy down the street is doing.

"May the road rise up to meet you" - is an Irish saying. It feels like Maeve is exactly on the path she's supposed to be on, and that path is filled with a lot of confetti.

Special Thanks to Maeve Quinlan Alexia Melocchi; Interview Dina Morrone; Story Editor Diliana Florentin; Photography Art Seitz; Photography

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Photography by Yingchou-han

WHAT IS ‘LIVING IN FLOW’?

By Kate Kendall

And how it took a big mess for me to find it.

Living in flow reminds me to choose dates with mates who give me belly laughs over deadlines that don’t mean much; to be fierce but flexible in my pursuit of my goals; and that the greatest gift we can give to others is connection and presence.

Living in flow means that you (the always on-the-go, busy, stretched in a million different directions kind of person) can reap the benefits of slowing down, savoring experiences and creating more meaningful connections. After all, I believe that’s why we’re here. Connection.

And it’s why there’s a whole chapter dedicated to it in this book.

And when we live in flow for long enough, we observe the world around us change.

When we’re respecting ourselves and others, we’re vibrant and wide awake, the right people and relationships show up and doors open wide to opportunities that we might imagine only in our wildest of dreams.

Sure – things still happen to throw us out of alignment, but once we’ve tasted ‘flow’, the incentive to get back to that nurturing state is more than enough.

What is life if we’re merely existing and skimming over experiences? Let’s live, dive deep and be curious of the world around us.

GROUNDING Grounded. It’s a term used often by yoga teachers and meditation teachers alike. And... it can sound downright clichéd and trite when over-used and under-explained.

So what is it? And why is grounding so integral to our health, productivity and fulfilment?

In the simplest of terms, it’s a felt sense of slowing down

and being ‘in your body’, or inhabiting the whole space that is your physical body. It teaches us to savor the moment and live it fully. And when we live at this pace and in that state, we’re less reactive, more clear-headed, calm and creative.

JOY RIDING Joy was the very secret ingredient to that feeling of expansion and lightness.

But why has it become such a secret?

Perhaps it’s because we try so hard to find it when really, it’s always there. Maybe we just cover it up.

The Buddhists would say so. They believe that joy is our nature and they simply call it ‘Buddha Nature’. They believe that we are born this way.

And I believe it to be so. I believe we’re all born joyous but somewhere along the path of development, amid external influences and the general baggage we decide to pick up and carry as our own, it gets suppressed, sometimes never retrieved, but often found in the unlikeliest of places.

• A belly laughs with a good friend.

• The savoring of a fine glass of shiraz on a cold evening by the fire.

• In the eyes of a newborn.

• Doing what you were born to do.

• In the giving of a gift.

• In a good book that touches your heart in just the right way.

• During a yoga class.

• Running as the sun rises.

Joy is everywhere. And there are two ways in which it happens.

Let’s look at this a little later on in this chapter. For now, believe that it’s right there inside of you and just wants to bust open.

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CONNECTION It’s why we’re here. It’s what warms the heart.

It’s the foundation of family, loyalty and togetherness.

It challenges you and makes you a better human.

It’s what scares you, lights you up and totally pulls you down.

Real connection. Deep-down, authentic spirit-to-spirit connection is what teaches us that there is no separation between you and me.

That we’re all made up of the same stuff. We all hurt, we all love and we all go through things.

Connection has the capacity to blow your heart wide open and fear of connection can close your heart right down.

Now that’s the kind of connection I want to experience.

Often.

In an era where we have more than enough ways (perhaps too many) to connect, why is it that we feel so disconnected? Why don’t we experience that deep-down, heart-felt connection with more of the people around us?

I truly believe that it’s possible. I don’t believe we were designed to personally (in a one-on-one kind of way) connect with every human on the planet and there’s both science and ancestral reasons for that, which I’d love you to read about later in this chapter, but I do believe that we can have connection with those around us and in particular, those closest to us more often.

And when we’re really living this devotion, we realize that even though the effort is being made in order to give to something or someone ‘else’, there’s no separation between you and that thing you’re giving service to. You and that thing become one.

In giving to other – you’re giving to self.

This theory can’t simply be ‘understood’ intellectually. It must be fully felt. Fully experienced. And the only way to do that is through giving.

I wanted Life in Flow: Inspiration, Sequences and Poses to Bring Yoga into Your Everyday Life to be both beautiful and truly useful.

As such, I recommend reading Life in Flow in its entirety.

Choose a chapter a week, repeating the Moving Meditation three to four times during the week and exploring the concepts and philosophies of the chapter, then move on to the next chapter.

After completing the book, let the universal life force or flow do its magic. Pick up the book any time you feel the urge and randomly choose a page. No doubt something will ‘hit’ you in just the right way on that exact day. Or choose the Moving Meditation that appeals most to your mood at that time.

Sip. Savour. Slow down and thoroughly enjoy.

When we choose to live in flow, we arouse a vibration within ourselves that makes us more open, alert, alive and appreciative of the world around us – including the people. When we’re insular, closed off and disconnected from others, there’s little chance of a heart spark or the genuine connection you get when looking into a stranger’s eyes.

DEVOTION What we give, we get back. Only always.

It’s a universal law. A universal truth and a guiding principle for anyone striving to live a purpose-FULL, productive and potent life.

Some of us are devoted to Gods or Goddesses. Some devote themselves to a worldly cause while others are devoted to the tiny humans they’ve brought into this world. I’m surrounded by people who devote their life to a career that lights them up and makes them feel connected and fully alive.

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Kate Kendall The co-founder of Flow Athletic in Sydney's Paddington and host of the podcast The Space Between, Kate Kendall is one of Australia's most well-respected yoga teachers.

On the fast track to success when she crashed and burned both physically and mentally, Kate managed to turn her life around through yoga and meditation. Kate shares her a dvice and experiences here about the vast benefits of "living in the flow."

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Talking to Your Doctor

By Amy Orr

Talking to your doctor about, well, anything, can be tough.

Embarrassing, strained, rushed, complicated. Even the simplest problem can be difficult to talk about with someone who may well be almost a stranger. But here's the thing: you cannot afford to treat your doctor as a stranger. Yes, you may have only met him/ her a few times. Yes, you may not like them very much. But you need to be able to give them detailed, personal information so they can help you as best they can. There is no avoiding this. No one can do it for you and if you don't do it, it won't get done. A doctor will not magically guess the right treatment for you. It's up to you to give them all of the relevant information.

We know that pain is not infallible. Well, guess what? Neither is your doctor. Unless you are reading this from an incredibly privileged position of wealth, the overwhelming likelihood is that your doctor is overworked, underpaid, stretched across too many patients and with not enough sleep, support or resources to properly help their patients. Appointment time varies by country, but the average is just over ten minutes–significantly less for more than half of the world's population (eighteen countries have appointment times of less than five minutes), and a little more for wealthier nations (twenty minutes in U.S.A.). Imagine that. Ten minutes–including pre-screening by a nurse or medical assistant–to have an in-depth discussion with your doctor about your symptoms, possible causes, treatment options and to think of and ask intelligent follow-up questions. That's a tall order even for the most self-assured, articulate person.

SO WHAT CAN I DO?

1. Be prepared.

This is the one single, practical thing you can do to best ensure your appointment is productive and your healthcare provider is put in the best position to help you. Before you attend your appointment, write down everything you need to say. List your symptoms (and this is where the pain profile you have worked on from the last chapter can help) clearly and simply. Include specifics such as nature of the pain, duration, intensity, location, associated factors–even if you are not sure if they are relevant.

If you are not a doctor you may not know which factors are relevant and which not, so let your doctor make that judgment call. List your medications and include any over-the-counter pain meds you take, how often and what dosage, how effective they are. List any therapies you have tried and their efficacy. If serious, include effect on your mood, routine, ability to work, sex drive, appetite, exercise etc. You are the person experiencing the problem, the onus is on you to properly describe it.

2. Be direct.

Neither your or your doctor have time to waste. Be clear and direct about why you have come in, what the problem is, and what you are hoping to achieve from the appointment. Have a goal in mind: a new medication, suggestions for alternative therapies, a referral to a specialist. This may or may not end up being the result but if you do not have an intent forthe appointment, you risk leaving having got no further.

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3. Do not take your doctor's harried nature or brusque attitude personally.

Do not interpret their attitude as a commentary on your medical situation. Your healthcare provider is a person, just like you, not a magical all-knowing being with endless capacity for patience and kindness. We might want them to be that, but they're not. If they're having a crappy day, they may well show it. Don't personalize that. If it's bad, if you feel they're not listening to you, say so. You are allowed to do that! You have come in with a potentially tricky, difficult to diagnose or treat problem, and you should have their full attention.

4. Consider asking for more time.

Pain is a complicated issue and it is reasonable to expect discussion of it to take longer than that of a cold or a sprained ankle.

When making your appointment (especially if with a general practitioner) consider asking for a longer appointment or an appointment at the end of the day–tell the receptionist you feel you need more time to speak with your doctor. They may not be able to help you, but most will appreciate your desire not to mess up their schedule by running long in the middle of the day.

5. Ask for a referral.

You may not be able to get the help you need from your family doctor or a specialist for a specific illness. Chronic pain specialists exist and focus purely on the understanding and treatment of physical pain. They have a wealth of knowledge your regular doctor does not and can be valuable resources. Consider asking your doctor for a referral, if this is an option near you.

6. Take notes during your appointment.

This may feel silly, but you probably have a lot of doctors appointments, regularly, and keeping track of it all can be an important diagnostic and treatment tool. Writing down your doctors suggestions, medication advice and thoughts prevents you from forgetting anything, helps clear confusion about instructions, and will strengthen the dialogue between you.

7. Take suggestions seriously.

Your doctor may suggest a medication or treatment that you are uncomfortable with. You are well within your right to say so at the time–but do not discount everything. Doing so will discourage your doctor from trying to problem-solve with you and leave you even more on your own. Take their advice on board and, if possible, take notes on what you have tried and its efficacy.

Your relationship with your doctor is a partnership, and should be treated as such. They are not gods who can wave their hands and solve every problem, but neither are you. You can and should demand time, attention and respect from your doctor and for your pain, but do so realizing that they, like you, may be doing their best to fix an unfixable problem. It is your responsibility to be your own advocate for your health.

Amy Orr is a passionate writer and researcher. Her writing ranges from long-form fiction to narrative nonfiction, to short educational pieces on healthcare, medical issues, and technology. Her latest work, Taming Chronic Pain, is based on over a decade of researching chronic pain and managing her own. A creative problem-solver by nature, Amy has used her scientific background to demystify many of the issues surrounding this difficult topic, and provides step-bystep guides on how to navigate even the trickiest of chronic pain issues.A Brit living in Canada with her family, she spends much of her free time volunteering with Progressive Animal Welfare Services, a Canadian non-profit, for whom she is a Board Member and Volunteer Coordinator. Her writing buddy is Pearl, a rescue greyhound who specializes in supportive, non-verbal critique of Amy's work. Check out all of Amy's work at www.amyorrbooks.com Taming Chronic Pain is available to order now!

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WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT

Ruth King

An Irish mother of three, knows how to connect and inspire children through rhyming language and colorful imagery

At only 30 years old, author Ruth King is a successful Irish mom of three young children currently living in Honduras with her husband where they are charity advocates for the local community. She is passionate about self-improvement and spirituality and is dedicated to educating children on the importance of appreciation and personal development through word and imagery. “Gilly The Grateful Superhero� is her first book.

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Please tell us about yourself, how you decided to become a writer?

Hi, it’s such an honor to be talking with Eden Magazine and your readers, thank you so much for having me!

I’m Ruth King, author of new children’s book ‘Gilly the grateful superhero’. I’m originally from Ireland but am now based in Roatan, Honduras with my three beautiful children and wonderful husband David.

Regarding your question, I wouldn’t say I ever decided to become a writer, in fact I’ll be completely honest, I never saw myself as a writer at all, I became one almost by accident!

When I couldn’t find a gratitude children’s book that I was looking for I said to myself, “well heck, if I’m looking for this book maybe others are too? Maybe I could write one!” That’s the day it happened.

You were inspired to write your book “Gilly the Grateful Superhero”, after going through a spiritual path, which showed you the power of gratitude that you wished you had learned earlier in life, can you tell us more about this experience.

Well, I began working full time straight after high school, so I never really had much time for myself, from the age of seventeen I was in management positions and fast became a cog in the busy corporate rat race. I had never heard of ‘self-care’, I thought mediation was just for gurus and the last books I had read were probably for my Art History exams. I literally worked and slept and when my beautiful kids came along our lives got even busier. That being said, a few years ago before starting into a very long journey from Copan to San Pedro, Honduras, I wanted some entertainment to pass the five-hour drive so after hearing all the rave reviews I downloaded the audio book version of “The Secret”. I finished the book before the journey ended and literally it was like a light switch went off in my head and I would say my life changed forever that day! The whole message of the power of positive thinking, surrounding yourself with positive energy and practicing gratitude was not something I ever really thought about or practiced. I would say that people who knew me would have considered me as a positive person, but that journey took it to a whole new level.

Soon after, I dove deep into self-improvement; reading, learning, meditating and literally anything else I could do to better myself. The more I studied the more I kept seeing and hearing the same thing, “I wish I learnt this sooner, I wish I learnt this younger” After hearing this over and over on podcasts and audiobooks I said to myself it’s my responsibility that my kids don’t say the same. That very moment I jumped on trusty Amazon to find some children’s books on practicing gratitude, but nothing really appealed to me. At the time my boys were just two and three and super energetic so I knew they needed something fun, enjoyable to read and super colorful to hold their attention, when I couldn’t find it, I decided to write one myself. That was the day ‘Gilly the grateful superhero’ was born!

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How does your book help children to understand the power of gratitude?

I wanted the book to really highlight to the reader how grateful they should be for everything in their life no matter how mundane. I feel that in this modern day of excess we tend to forget how lucky we all are, how lucky we are to have food, water, shelter, education and so on, and if our children began to really grasp that from a very early age imagine the adults they will become. The character Gilly is a Superhero that visits child Bobby, Gilly’s superpower is to show Bobby how to be thankful in every situation.

The concept of the book is to walk your child through a regular day with Bobby and then Gilly highlights how they can find the positive in every part of that day. From waking up, to getting breakfast to washing their teeth, Gilly teaches how they can be thankful and practice gratitude at every step.

The book is written completely in rhyme in order to make it a fun energic read to kids of all ages. Toddlers love to hear the fast pace rhyme and the younger kids love to read it. I get a lot of feedback from the adults who have read it that they also have a moment at the end when they sit back and have the realization of how grateful they should be.

It’s a book that everyone in the family can benefit from, I just love hearing feedback like this as adults are getting as much from it as the kids they are reading it to.

Just in short sentence can you tell us, what is the first step to take to be grateful in life?

Literally pause a few times a day, take some deep breaths and list in your head what you are grateful for, it’s so incredibly simple but so few actually do it.

Like the famous quote goes; ‘Its not happiness that brings us gratitude, its gratitude that brings us happiness’.

You and your husband contributing your time to the communities of Honduras with donations, building schools and many other ways, could you please tell us more about this charity.

I live in Roatan, Honduras. Roatan is one of the most stunning places you will ever see, and I am so proud to live here. It is an amazing Island but has some very poverty-stricken areas. When David and I moved here back in 2012 we were made aware of this and began to see it regularly firsthand. As we run a large retail operation here with over 60 staff, our great company Diamonds International kindly let us take our employees out of the stores every week so we could start giving back to the people of Honduras. Our projects started small with groups feeding the homeless, environmental projects, sorting emergency medical supplies and so on but as the years went by we kept taking on bigger and bigger projects. In 2017 we build and funded seven homes for seven families who were living in extreme dire conditions, conditions you couldn’t even fathom especially for young children and babies.

Last year we rebuilt and completely refurbished two entire schools, both are now flourishing. Now all the children who were turned away in previous years have begun their educational journey as these schools can now accommodate them.

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It is something we are incredibly proud of and something we will continue to do for years to come. As we do all the building with our own dedicated team, we generally fund these projects both personally and by generous donations. In order to keep taking on new projects proceeds from the book are going directly to our rebuild of our next school which is being worked on as we speak.

How people can contribute to your charity?

For anyone who would like to contribute we would be so incredibly grateful, they can simply contact me via our books website or email me directly on ruthkingauthor@hotmail.com A little goes a long way here so every little helps. We simply receive the donation, spend 100% of that donation on materials and continue the project until completion. Donations can also be in many forms including books, educational materials etc.

For those that would like to donate we can make sure to update them regularly on exactly where their donation went with updates and pictures.

Where our readers can find more information about your book and purchase it.

You can learn about the book, our charity work, myself and an excerpt from the book on our website; www.gillythegratefulsuperhero.com The book can be purchased on our website or any major online bookstore like Lulu.com, Amazon etc. We would be so grateful for people to order via the website as we can donate 100% of the purchase price to our projects. I hope for whomever gets the book that they enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing it and reading it to kids all over the world.

I recently met author Jack Canfield, co-author of “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series and motivational speaker after sending him a copy of my book to which he provided the following endorsement: “Wonderful book, I am sure it will help so many kids and families around the world.”

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Animal

Activism

Has No Borders

How one weekend in Mexico made a huge impact for animal welfare

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Dr. Michael Good pictured with a street dog and other animals waiting to be spayed and neutered in Ensenada, Mexico.

Marietta, GA (July 10, 2019) — An animal activist named Janice Overbeck who is based out of Atlanta, Georgia recently traveled to Mexico in April with her husband and children in hopes of creating the first Homeless Pets Club internationally. Instead of finding pet homelessness and overcrowding in animal shelters like we see in the United States, she found an over populationissue in the impoverished areas of Ensenada and Tijuana where residents do not have the incometo spay or neuter their pets.

Janice became connected with locals and other Americans who work tirelessly to alleviate the population issue of pets and street dogs and cats by offering free spay and neuter clinics to the town locals. She went back to her nonprofit, JO Gives, Inc. in Atlanta and started fundraising and planning for a return trip that would make a big impact on raising awareness for this crisis that many knew nothing about. Janice immediately began outreach efforts, gathering supply donations of collars and leashes, and fundraising events for the next round of clinics. In 10 short weeks, she raised $5,000 and collected over 500 leashes, collars, andharnesses for the working poor and their pets.

She returned in June with her marketing director,

Kathryn Ruff, friend and local veterinarian, Michael Good, and teamed up with Johnny Gearhart of BirdHouse/DogHouse Rescue Foundation, based out of L.A. California. They were also accompanied by Winnie Goh, a photographer from Kong Veterinary Products (KVP) International, who donated veterinary supplies for the events, to document the crisis. During the four day trip across the border, two full days were spent holding spay and neuter clinics in Ensenada and Tijuana, Mexico.

Between the two events, 495 dogs and cats were successfully spayed and neutered. Studies have shown that an unaltered female dog can produce 67,000 puppies over the course of six years through her lineage. For cats, that number is a staggering 317,000 kittens over the course of six years.

In just two days, the 495 spay and neuters that were completed will prevent a whopping 20,033,000 dogs and 63,717,000 cats from contributing to the overpopulation issue over the course of six years. Janice is planning a return trip to Mexico for another weekend of clinics this September. In the meantime, she is raising awareness of the overpopulation issue and urging animal activists in both Mexico and the United States to get involved. To learn more about this project and follow along on social media, visit www.JOgives.com .

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SOUL COURAGE

By Tara-jenelle Walsch

Life isn’t easy. That’s the truth.

No one tells us this when we’re young. No one wants to admit this because they think it sounds negative. And some people don’t even want to say it out loud, for fear they will be seen as unspiritual or lacking faith.

But life isn’t always easy.

We work hard. We eat well. We’re kind, honest and fair. We exercise our body, mind and spirit. We live with gratitude. And we love…the best that we can.

But sometimes, and invariably so, we’ve seen better days and breathe longer sighs. Born are natural moments of disappointment, defeat, discouragement, and despair; all creating emotional speed bumps that turn into hills of unexpected hardship.

For the most part, though, we take it on the chin.

After all, we’re adults now. Life doesn’t always compose sunsets on the horizon. We know there will be choppy winds and deplorable hills along the way.

This puts our faith to the task by facing troubles and misfortunes head-on, with hopes that peace is just around the corner.

But every so often, that incline keeps going and going with no relief in sight, as we trudge onward and upward with stubbed toes and weary hearts, bargaining for the arrival of resolve.

Why? we ask, demanding answers with our hands to the sky.

Why did this happen? Why didn’t this happen? When will this happen?

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Our intensity may range from a whimper to a howl, but we’ve all felt this way before; some of us, many times over. This isn’t a test from God or the Universe throwing a monkey-wrench into our dreams.

This is part of the human experience.

We aren’t here merely for trophies to be pushed in our chest. We’re also here to fall to our knees, from time to time. To interrogate the great unknown until we cry ourselves to sleep. To wonder and question. To explore beyond what eyes can see. To go within.

An essential aspect of spirituality is feeling into and embracing our present experience, however joyous or painful. Reveling in a celebration of joy or hearing the soul bellow, as it may when have faced with a disheartening occurrence.

Your soul knows the hardships that await you, in as much as it put in the request to have the experiences of feeling this way and that way before you were born. It may not have been given the option to request the exact situations that would lead you to those feelings, but the desire to join its cognitive understanding with a palpable experience of those emotions in order to grow and evolve to higher consciousness—that, you put dibs on.

Be that as it may, in the physical world you have no recollection of your soul setting this up and are left feeling all of the things that hardship leaves one feeling: frustration, anger, sadness and the like. That’s because, if you knew about these hardships ahead of time you would simply avoid them, depriving the soul of feeling the emotions it knows so much about conceptually, and longs to experience.

There’s Gold in Them Thar’ Hills

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It’s helpful during times of upset to examine your journey from a bird’s eye view and recognize when you take inner detours so you can adjust navigation with frequent rest stops to gently gather yourself.

Not to be confused with pulling yourself together. By pulling yourself together, you’re pushing your feelings to the side and putting on a face for others—and also putting on a face for yourself. Trying to psych yourself into the courage to move forward, and often misusing faith as fix-it tool just to get through discomfort.

On the other hand, by gathering yourself, you breathe into your faith and call forth the courage to look at all that is, not simply at what lies at your feet. All that you’re feeling behind the scenes, all that others are feeling, and the many insightful gifts that the experience will contribute once revealed.

These gifts are like gold for your soul and your physical voyage. The emotions packed in every hardship carry immense value of wisdom and deep understanding beyond the mind’s comprehension, sharpening your intuition and elevating your soul’s consciousness.

These gifts are like gold for your soul and your physical voyage. The emotions packed in every hardship carry immense value of wisdom and deep understanding beyond the mind’s comprehension, sharpening your intuition and elevating your soul’s consciousness.

So, where do we go from here?

Nowhere.

Stay put right where you are. Resist the urge to run.

It’s a survival instinct to ‘get out fast’ when the going gets tough by resisting emotions that don’t feel good.

However, that’s a bit of a booby-trap, because resistance to feeling doesn’t remove the emotion free and clear. You’re simply putting it on-hold until a similar experience arises, giving you another opportunity to feel the emotion through.

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Try (and try again) to be thankful for the uneasy hills in life while you’re trudging up them. Bless the hardships.

This will immediately calm the struggle inside that loves to cry and moan and kick rocks. But if the urge to wallow and shout arises, surrender yourself to it. Allow your emotions to be heard.

Be present with whatever is going on and step into your hardship fully. Feel it all. When you’re present with it, you see the present in it. And gifts awaken.

Remember this: The hills and valleys are part of your Life Outline. If and how you chose to experience moving through them, is what creates your destiny.

RoadMap to Finding Gold in Emotional Hills: 1 – Life isn’t always easy; we all endure hardship 2 – We’re here to experience joy as well as pain 3 – Feeling all our emotions is an essential part of spirituality 4 – Our soul requests hardship so it can physically experience what it knows, conceptually 5 – Hills of hardship are like gold for your soul; the range of felt emotion gifts you with deep insight 6 – Bless the hardships & surrender to feeling the emotions they produce

Tara-jenelle Walsch is a monthly columnist for the Eden Magazine. She is the author of the book, Soul Courage, and the founder and spirit behindthe Soulebrate greeting card company. You will also find her speaking publicly about emotional and energetic awareness, and a sacred formula which she believes has the ability to enrich the world at large. Tara-jenelle was raised in Annapolis, Maryland and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Towson University in Baltimore. She currently lives in the beautiful hills of Ashland, Oregon. www.soulcourage.com

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THE WAY I SEE IT

Photography by Diana Simumpande

By Joe Santos, Jr.

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What is going on in this world lately? Each day becomes more desperate. Desperate to be heard, protected. The signs are obvious. So many people seem to be going mad by losing their ability to care, garner, and foster hope. False Prophets are posing as leaders and turning their backs on our earth, its' people, animals, creation, Universe, beauty, and wonder by ignoring the signs of peril and demise ahead. What is to become of us? Our Children, our future? What happened to a time when people listened, prepared, cared, found a solution?

Has our society become so desensitized to the painfully obvious, or brainwashed into believing that everything is simply going to become "Great Again"? Or did we stop caring either way?

Who are we listening to? Are we listening? Do we still pray?

Dear God

And, for what? Money, fame, romance? And who are we praying to for these superficial things? Please tell me which God listens to them, let alone grants them?

It's time to pray in humility and gratitude - to pray for hope, strength, and clarity. Pray for those who have forgotten its' and their own power. Pray for those of us that may hear but not listen, those of us who speak without thinking, travel without direction or destination.

Now more than ever is the time to re-think and remind ourselves and each other what we were put here for, so we can start to re-build with purpose and conscience.

Turn down the noise in our heads and hearts. I know you speak softly God. I’m always reminded of these three things to remember when I falter. "The whisper, the voice, the scream."

The “Whisper' ( our instinct ) where I believe, you, Dear God speaks clear and loud. The “Voice” ( someone else's ) with a reminder of the whisper that we ignored. And most of all, The "Scream." The sound of the looming tragedy that occurs the second before its too late!

If we can remember these three things and base our decisions for our future accordingly, live authentically with intention, honesty, and grace, we may, in fact, find a way to ensure it.

In the meantime, "Dear God," please bless us all.

Joe Santos, Jr. is a Celebrity Chef and Life-Stylist. He joins The Eden Magazine as a writer sharing his unique view on life, death, love, and the avoidance of mediocrity.

Follow Joey on Instagram @jojoboy13

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Photography by Analise Benevides 34 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e September 2019

Abundance Solved

By Phyllis King

Master the Inside Game and Succeed in the Outside World

We live in a time when automation, technology and tools of convenience dominate our lives. As such, we are constantly looking for ways we can expedite our schedule and our circumstances. How quickly can I get from point A to point B? How soon can I get the money? Can I get WIFI on the train going to work? How quickly can I sleep with my new partner? How soon can we move in together? When will he/she commit to me? The list goes on. We are driving our lives rather than allowing our lives to flow with abundant life force energy.

We are rapidly becoming a culture that cannot tolerate any down time or space in our existence. Space and downtime make us feel out of control or bored. Increasingly we are becoming unskilled at being with ourselves. Yet, space is where all the potential for joy, connection, success and inspiration lives. We are opting out of space in exchange for stimulation. The result is we drive blindfolded as we create our lives. The poor quality of our life experience reflects that blindness. Abundance does not come to us no matter how hard we try to get it to come.

Stimulation via technology is a modern phenomenon. Society has always had some form of drug to soothe or escape. Now we have a method of avoidance that has become integral to navigating the day to day responsibilities of our lives. We need the very thing that we are abusing. As I write this article I have accessed four means of technology in two hours. I have needed every one of them. The problem comes when the need to function effectively crosses the line into stimulation addiction. Many of us do not know where the line is or when it has been crossed.

Therein lies the problem.

Our lives have become repeating cycles of how much we can get or do and how fast we can get it or do it. When our life results do not match our expectations, rather than embrace our moment wholly, we reject our moment wholly. From there we become sad or frustrated and revel in self-doubt. We tune-out the very wisdom that wants to emerge and direct us out of our misery. We disconnect from the abundant flow.

Using stimulation as a response to life we are losing the ability to understand the value of life itself. We do not understand the concept of “allowing” life to expand. We only understand “make it happen.” In that push-it energy we sabotage our ability to receive the very abundance life wants to give to us.

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This is why it can be difficult for people to change. We get proof of our beliefs daily. Our beliefs and perceptions show up in our tangible results. Thought creates matter.

We forget that we can change our beliefs to mirror a reality that reflect benevolence, abundance and love. We accept negative outcomes because we forget we are powerful.

When we master the inside game, the outside world lands at our feet.

It’s a lot like the movie the Matrix.

In the first installment, at the end of the movie Keanu Reeves finally “gets it”, and suddenly the Matrix is at his control. His vibration is so much more rapid than that of the Matrix that he actually has to slow down to work within it.

When planted, the seeds of an apple will always become an apple tree. Even the apple tree must go through stages of growth to become a fruit bearing tree. There is no expediting the natural course of it’s evolution.

Our human lives are not so different. We must learn to honor our experience for what it is rather than lament for what it is not. We will realize our fullest and happiest life if we allow it happen. When our mind tells us we should be somewhere or be something we are not, that is a rejection, a resistance to our very life. We impede the abundant flow from entering our experience.

Abundance is something you tune into. When we resist moments of our life, we deny access to the abundance life can offer us. Rather we must be grateful and appreciative for every moment. We must remember that even our most painful experiences have something in them for us. We cannot be given a learning experience we do not need.

The divine is not inefficient in that manner. Nor does she single out individuals for negative experiences.

Without the ability to listen to our inner wisdom and observe the markers that show up in the “space” of our existence, many of us find ourselves confused wondering what went wrong when disappointment occurs over and over again. The truth of the matter is there is no swipe right solution to connection, intimacy or inner turmoil.

Quantum physics proves that thought precedes matter.

What we think about something, or better said, what we perceive to be true, becomes true on a tangible level.

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REMEMBER who you are. Remember the true matrix you are living in. You are a divine being with dignity, purpose, power and intention that is greater than just you. You are part of a greater whole.

Divine consciousness is in your DNA. Take intentional breaks from your devices. Navigate your life from your inner wisdom and voice. This is the path to abundance in all forms.

Known as the Common Sense Psychic (tm), Phyllis King has worked with tens of thousands of people in 25 countries. She is known for her practical and down to earth approach. She has been featured on, ABC, CBS and NBC TV, radio programs across the country, and has been published in over 70 print and online publications. She has four books, including Bouncing Back, Thriving in Changing Times, with Dr. Wayne Dyer. Her latest book The Energy of Abundance is available in bookstores now. Phyllis holds a B.A. in Sociology. www.phyllisking.com

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Healing Your Ego

By Sasha Gary

I’m not sure when I first noticed my ego was out of control. Moving to Hollywood at a young age had a lot to do with it. The entertainment industry has a way of inflating your ego for no reason at all. I was surrounded by other young actors, tv stars, going to parties, and “competing” with other actors for parts.

It is a cycle that you can become swept up in and can stay in as an adult.

Photography by Andrey Zvyagintsev

I began to become aware of my ego more when it was brought to my attention in yoga class. I drove multiple days a week to Santa Monica for Brian Kest’s Power Yoga class on 5th street. If you have ever been in Brian’s class you know he talks about the ego and letting it go. That’s when I became self aware of how out of control my ego was. Have you experienced that moment? I battled with it for the longest time thinking I needed my ego because of the business I was in. I am forever grateful to my yoga practice on my mat and Brian’s guidance on the journey of healing my ego. You think it is confidence but really it’s just insecurity. The hard part is admitting to yourself that you have a big ego.

What is your ego? The ego is the psychological component of your personality. It is represented by our conscious decision making. Ego is the way a person wants to feel important. That is what I see in most in people today. But who doesn’t want to feel important, right? It’s a double edged sword. After many years of self growth and self awareness, tons of yoga sessions, and meditation I have been able to recognize my ego, let it go and I actually became more humble, more grateful, and well let’s face it, less of an asshole.

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How can you serve others? I ask myself how can I be of service? When I walk onset I say how can I best serve this production. When I work with my team I ask myself how can I help them achieve their goals? My goals will be reached in the process. It’s all in how you look at things and stop making it about yourself all the time.

I even began to attract men with big egos, as it was a mirror image of myself, and I needed to learn a lesson. For the longest time I thought it was normal that I was attracting that guy. It made me take a closer look at myself and why was I attracting them. Once I recognized this pattern I chose not to attract that anymore. Then I began to attract men who were confident, spiritual and more depth. Once you decide this no longer serves you, it goes away.

Affirmations are a great way to deflate the ego.

Instead of thinking that I am the best! Try I can do it! It’s a twist on being confident in yourself and letting go of, no one is better than me attitude. You can do it too! It just takes practice and self love. There is nothing sexier than a person who is confident, humble and self aware.

How did I do it? I became a student and learned Healing your ego will lead you to being the best from other people realizing that I do not know version of yourself! everything. I sat down and figured out what my three highest values in life are. It was not easy to do, as I began to cross off things I really value in life but I narrowed it down to 1. Love 2. Success 3. Travel. I aligned my life with working toward these values and people and situations that align with me.

Lately, I have been hearing about the ego again in my favorite podcasts with speakers like Oprah and Marianne Williamson so it has been at the forefront of my mind. My ego still pops up but I recognize it now faster and I can embrace it, and let it go faster than before. You can do this too!

Sasha Gary is an actress, writer, and Wellness Coach at www.balancedbellasonline.com a 16 week online health program for women that shows you how to implement small sustainable changes one by one to help Meditating will help you to become present in you with whole food nutrition, self-love and your life, which allows you to be conscious and a conscious movement.

I began to live a life in service of other people. I volunteer with a couple of amazing organizations.

I teach kids about writing their own scripts and acting in them at the end of the year. There is nothing more humbling than going into a classroom after not booking an acting job, which is all about me, me, and more me. To sitting down with a child who has a vision of their story. It’s never really about you. I am just the facilitator of someone’s else’s dream.

aware. This will put your ego in check. Over time you will develop a sense of presence throughout your daily life, and when your ego pops up, which it will, you are more self aware of it and can choose to deflate it.

Sasha is a yogi of 25 years, a crystal healer, and an avid sound bowl meditation participant and lives in Venice California!

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RECLAMING YOUR TRUE SELF

By Angela Dunning

Navigating the Crossroads in Life

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Photography by Ryoji Iwata 41 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e August 2019

Many times in our life we reach a crossroads. Sometimes these are the crossroads of major life decisions which carry great implications for the direction our life will take. At other times there are minor crossroads that we come across several times a day when we make small decisions and choices. In either case, we need to learn which inner resources we are going to draw upon to help us make a decision so that it is in our best interests.

It is indeed the case that we can vacillate for long periods of time on the approach to and at the crossroads. And yet, there is a voice deep inside that really does know which road we need to go down next. But, it can be a torturous process sifting out that voice from among all of the others inside of our own head, and maybe also coming from those people around us who all like to give their opinion about what might be good for us.

Michael Meade says that “each crossroad in life is an opportunity to awaken further to the deep gifts and precise mission of our souls.” Yet, he also says that the crossroad can symbolise the place where we often get stuck, in other words, where we are “nailed to the cross”, so to speak. Meade adds that “we can be sure that whenever we are stuck and unable to make and enact a decision that we are being called to change”.

Humans instinctively resist change and depending on our own personal life experiences from childhood onwards, making decisions and embracing change can be very scary and even traumatic. It is also the case that if we have undergone sudden and dramatic changes previously that the energy of this remains in our nervous system and our memory at a deep cellular level, which can further inhibit our ability to make a decision and move forward in a different direction.

It can also be the case that if there are people in our lives who are controlling, that they will exert pressure on us to make a particular choice, one which is usually more beneficial to them in some way than to us, and particularly to our soul’s development. Even if no such a person exists in our current life we may well have a powerful inner-critic which has firmly set-up home in our personality and which likes to cast doubt on those times when we are trying to listen to our soul’s voice. This is the voice that asks us FEAR repeatedly: “Are you sure?” “What if it goes wrong?” “What if you make a mistake?” “What if it is worse than where you presently are?” And so on… This is the voice HAPPINESS of self-doubt which always wants things to stay the same and greatly fears any change. Hence, it is vital to learn exactly which voice we are listening to.

Many people I know, myself included, really struggle to make decisions. This seems to be particularly so for women and I believe that this is due both to our experiences in childhood and the culture in which we live, which vastly over emphasises using logic, reasoning and intellect to make decisions. This comes at the cost of a greatly diminished valuing of intuition; that vital inner-guiding and support system which women have relied on down the ages. If for example, our personal mother had also lost her connection and trust to her own intuitive guidance because of her own upbringing and wounded mother, then she will also pass this wound down to her daughters, and they in turn will need to learn to listen to and honour their intuition once again. It is often the case too that we have to go through many wrong turns and painful experiences in order to reclaim this vital inner resource.

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A very valuable fairy tale for women to digest is the old Russian tale “Vasalisa the Wise”. In her book Women Who Run With The Wolves, Clarissa Pinkola Estés draws out this story and its essential tasks for modern women to do in order to rekindle their connection to their intuition. In the story, Vasalisa learns how to do this by trusting the little doll in her pocket which signals to her when she tries to override her intuition and go in a different direction. We all need to learn how to listen to ‘the little doll in our pocket’ and trust its instinctive knowing. Estés says: “Rather than defining intuition as some unreasoned faulty quirk, it is defined as truly the soul-voice speaking. Intuition senses the directions to go in for most benefit. It is self-preserving, has a grasp of underlying motive and intention, and it chooses what will cause the least amount of fragmenting in the psyche.”

Sadly such fragmentation of the psyche is rife in modern humans compared to that of our ancient ancestors and indigenous peoples. In my many years of working with women and horses I have lost count of the number of times one of them has said “I wish I had listened to my intuition and not got in the saddle that day”. For sure enough, some incident happened usually involving a physical injury to the woman and almost always ended up creating further fear in her psyche leading to even greater difficulty making decisions.

We know when a decision is the wrong one and likely to have an adverse outcome, and yet, we override our intuition many times, preferring to listen to reason, practical and financial considerations, or an ongoing need for security and comfort which invariably restricts the growth of our soul. Yet, it is through listening to and acting upon our “deep intuitive self ” that we learn to feed our intuition and strengthen our relationship to it.

As Estés reminds us: “We, like Vasalisa, strengthen our bond with our intuitive nature by listening inwardly at every turn in the road.”

In addition to fear and doubt and a poor relationship to our gut instinct, another aspect of our tendency for getting stuck and difficulty in making decisions is that inevitably, choosing one road means not choosing another. This means that there is also some loss and grief involved in making any decision as we will then need to mourn the path not chosen. Again, this is something that our modern world does not support us to do, so we must learn to give ourselves permission and time and space to grieve and to accept that there may be some unhappiness which we need to experience, even when the decision really is in our best interest and seems like a positive move forwards.

Furthermore, there is the necessity to mourn and grieve that which we have left behind and that which we have sacrificed in order to go forward in a different direction.

We may need to have let go of a home or community; a relationship or a job in order to take the new direction our life is calling us to. All of which involves a loss of some sort and so grief is the appropriate response to this, which our psyche and our body both know. Which is why often in the immediate aftermath of making a choice and committing to a new path we may be struck down with a cold, exhaustion or depression which forces us to rest and go inwards for a period as our body and psyche lets go and so we can process and adjust to the

change on a number of levels.

Giving ourselves time to go through this period is vital as it enables us to shed the old and create the new life which we are now embarking on. Such resting and processing enables our body and our psyche to do exactly that: to let go of the old; to shed the past and to make space for the new life which is yet to take form.

Finally, going through change involves dealing with regret and mistakes. We may well end up making a bad decision and we can never know this in advance of course. Therefore, we also have to become adept at facing regret and learning to navigate these painful waters so that they don’t overwhelm us and keep us stuck all over again. And, so that we learn that taking wrong turns is a natural part of life; something we share with all other species in fact. Standing at the crossroads therefore, involves an array of different emotions and energies pushing and pulling us in many directions. I guess all any of us can do is take each junction at a time; try to learn the lessons of our past, and be brave enough in heart to embrace all of the above, as we take that first step down the unknown road towards the future of our soul’s unfolding…

References: Michael Meade, Podcast: Wise Woman at the Crossroads, www.mosaicvoices.org Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With The Wolves

Angela Dunning is a regular contributor to The Eden Magazine. She is the author of ‘The Horse Leads the Way: Honoring the True Role of the Horse in Equine Facilitated Practice’, and she writes regularly on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thehorsestruth/ and Patreon: www.patreon.com/angeladunning You can learn more about Angela and her work helping people and horses at: www.thehorsestruth. co.uk

43 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e September 2019

Photography by Ben_Kerckx

44 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COMe August 2019

One and Five Minute Mindfulness Practices from Eff This!

Meditation

By Liza Kindred

Eff This! Meditation might seem like an unlikely name, but I created this style of meditation two years ago in an effort to be as authentic as possible; after a decade of practicing meditation and studying Buddhism with highly-respected teachers, I found that I still, well, get fed up sometimes! We frequently see a version of meditation that is whitewashed (it started in the Eastern world, after all) and is all visions of bliss and enlightenment and very flexible people with perfect skin.

That just doesn’t jive with my personal experience.

In a meditation or self-care practice, there are moments of pure peace–that’s what we’re going for! But mixed into that there are messy emotions and second-guessing and pets climbing on you. This is all fine, because it’s real life. When we add the rough edges of the path toward enlightenment to the chaos of the world we’re living in, it’s enough to make anyone want to scream, “Eff this!”

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We’re often holed up inside, hunched over our devices, overscheduled and undernourished. We hold our breath while we send emails and we zone out while we scroll through social media. We exercise because we feel bad about our bodies, or we don’t work out and feel bad for that. What we try to get done in a day is literally impossible, yet somehow we beat ourselves up for not getting through it all. If you can relate to any of this, let me assure you: these are not personal character flaws, or things for you to beat into submission. This is the fabric of modern life! Technology is designed to be addictive, our modern food system has scientists in labs trying to make junk food more addictive, and entire industries are centered around making us feel too fat or short or poor. Darling, it’s not you!

Feelings can be physical, emotional, or energetic. Take a deep breath and re-engage, more fully present.

And because we are all living in that craziness every day, you will find some key threads woven through these exercises. These are specific paths toward true wellness that work because they directly address what’s driving us all mad.

The heart has a really strong electromagnetic field (its electrical activity is what an electrocardiogram measures) and because it often works the way it’s supposed to, we tend to forget about the incredible amount of energy and life force it is constantly creating for us.

These are: • Meditation • Nature • Movement • Breathing • Balancing creation with consumption • Creating space • More mindful use of technology

By putting our hands near its energy field and closing our eyes, we can tune into our hearts in a really powerful way.

Try some of each category. It will pay off!

Take three deep, long, beautiful breaths—and then drink a glass of water.

One Minute Practices Sometimes we literally only have a minute. That’s okay!

Just sixty seconds, when spent with intention, can ground us, bring us back into connection with our body, reset our point of view, or put us back in touch with what matters most.

Helpful Tip: Try to do this without judgement, of yourself or your surroundings. Don’t rush through this. Really noticing what’s happening is how this works.

Hand over heart Put your hand over your heart, close your eyes, and take ten very slow, very deep breaths. Notice how it feels.

Doing this can connect you to your body, it can help to connect you to the emotions you are experiencing, and it can remind you of the power of your physical heart.

Helpful Tip: Many ancient traditions believe that the heart chakra is where empathy, love, warmth, and compassion emanate from. What do you feel when you tune in?

3 + h20

This can be done anytime, anywhere. Don’t look at a screen while you do it; close your eyes or look outside. The key is to disconnect from what’s outside of your body so that you can reconnect to your most basic physical needs: water and air.

Many of these practices can be done privately, even when we’re with other people. Whether you’re standing in line, sitting in a stressful meeting, or spinning out with anxious thoughts, these practices offer a quick reset when you need it most.

So often we hold our breath without knowing it (lots of people do this while checking email or scrolling through social media), and many of us also unwittingly clench our jaws. Many people also walk through life in a dehydrated state.

There will always be times when you “need a minute,” and this section offers a variety of ways in which you can take that quick time out.

So, unclench, breathe deep, and give the 60 percent or so of your body that is water a little boost.

Repeat as needed.

See-Hear-Feel A.K.A. 3-3-3 This is a quick trick to connect you to the present moment.

Take a deep breath and just notice: • three things you see; • three things you hear; • three things you feel.

Five Minute Practices Carving out a little niche in your day can pay off for you in a big way. In just five minutes you can cause a drastic shift in your perspective. You can change the day’s trajectory (or even that of your whole life!), ground down into a feeling of peace, shift up into a higher state of vibration, or really feel the love around and inside of you.

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Whether you spend the five minutes disconnecting, reconnecting, or trying something new, it can be time truly well spent. When you are ready for something new, take five.

Mini declutter Spend five minutes decluttering something that’s been bugging you.

Clean out your gym bag, car trunk, or clear and organize your desk. Wipe down your gross electronics, or finally organize your sock drawer. It doesn’t need to turn into a big project; just dive in and declutter. Repeat as desired.

Make a gratitude list Everything does not suck.

Make a list of things that are truly good in your life.

Don’t overcomplicate it; easy does it. Weather, people, pets, food, you made it to work on time, whatever—if you feel good about it, it’s all fair game. See how many you can come up with once you get started. (Even one helps! Hey, you woke up this morning.)

Open the windows. Or go outside and breathe deeply.

Drive with the car windows rolled down. If you are lucky enough to live where the fresh air is abundant, soak it up!

Or if you are stuck inside (or live in a polluted place), take the five minutes to order a HEPA air filter, or to explore natural air filters (such as activated charcoal, plants, beeswax candles, or salt lamps).

Changing the air we breathe for the better will change your health (mental and physical!) for the better, too.

By doing these exercises—by taking care of ourselves—we are actually doing the work to make the world a better place. If you can’t take care of yourself for you, do it for the rest of us. We deserve the best of you.

This, right here, is your permission to be gentle with yourself, no matter what. This is your permission to make taking care of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health a top priority.

No one deserves happiness more than you.

I have a journal that I use just for this, but I also sometimes use a scrap of paper, or a note on my phone. There are a whole host of apps that are designed for this; check some out in the app store if that sounds interesting.

Helpful Tip: Make it a daily practice.

Change the actual air Many of us spend the majority of our days (both the waking and the sleeping hours) breathing indoor air. Indoor air, in many parts of the world, is less healthy for us than outdoor air. According to the Environment Protection Agency, in the US indoor air is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air.

Breathing clean, fresh air can boost your immune system, the higher concentrations of oxygen can improve our brain health, and it helps our lungs to dilate more fully.

Fresh air is filled with negative ions, which naturally clean the air. (Think of the awesome feeling in the air near a big waterfall or after a storm—that’s negative ions, and they are so good for us that people buy ionizers for the home.) Just the smell of nature has been shown to help us feel calmer, while fresh oxygen actually energizes us. Calm energy—we could all use more of that! If you live in an urban area, breathing fresh air— especially that around nature (trees clean the air naturally)—can be especially important. If you live or work in a crowded place you are probably contending with a lot of germs, too.

So, ready for something new?

Liza Kindred is the creator of EFF THIS! Meditation, where she offers mindfulness practices to cynics, skeptics, and busy people. She is also the founder of Mindful Technology™ where she teaches companies how to build tech that values humans more than machines. Liza is a licensed minister, a level two reiki practitioner, and a terrible but passionate surfer. Learn more at lizakindred.com and effthismeditation.com.

Eff This! Meditation: 108 Tips, Tricks, and Ideas for When You're Stressed Out, Anxious, or Overwhelmed by Liza Kindred publishes in October 2019 from Rock Point, an imprint of The Quarto Group.

Learn more at quartoknows.com.

47 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e September 2019

Photography by Melan Cholia

LOOKING GOOD & FEELING GREAT

The Importanceof Making Lifestyle Choices That Supports a Healthy Complexion

By Margaret Tomaszewicz

W

e know how important it is to have a clear and healthy complexion. However, healthy skin is far more important than just putting your best face forward at work, when out with friends or on a date. Your skin is one of the largest organs in the body. It can protect your internal organs from different outside threats like UV rays, microorganisms, pollution, dust, dander, etc. If you can maintain a healthy complexion, then you are helping your body stay protected. Healthy skin also allows your body to stay more hydrated throughout the day, which is very beneficial for your body. To achieve this healthy complexion, you should make healthy lifestyle choices. Let's look more closely at the importance of making lifestyle choices that will support your skin and complexion.

48 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e September 2019

Reducing Stress Almost everyone could benefit from reducing the amount of stress that they experience each day.

Not only is stress harmful to your mind and body, but it can do a number on your skin. If you're experiencing high levels of stress daily, this can lead to circles and bags under your eyes, acne breakouts, a flare-up of eczema, dry skin, rashes, hives and much more. When you reduce the amount of stress that you're dealing with, this allows your skin to heal and glow. You must find ways to destress or minimize your stress. Some common ways include: • Exercising regularly • Practicing yoga regularly • Spending time with friends and family • Getting enough sleep at night •Taking time to yourself even when you're extremely busy

greasy and processed foods, you'll almost surely experience oily skin, breakouts and a dull complexion. People who make sure that they are eating a diet that focuses on plenty of fruits, veggies, lean protein, and whole grains will have the nutrients needed to have healthy skin. For people who are dealing with an unhealthy complexion, some foods tend to be very common triggers for people.

This includes: • Gluten • Dairy • Refined sugars • Processed foods If you're having trouble with your skin and you think it's because of your diet, start a food journal to help you narrow down what the problem may be. Write down everything that you're eating.

Right down any issues that you're having with your skin during that time. You might be able to figure out what you should be avoided to prevent skin issues from taking place.

Getting Enough Sleep at Night Most people simply aren't getting enough sleep at night. Your average adult should be sleeping for about 8 to 9 hours each night at least. Your skin utilizes this time at night to heal and repair itself.

If you're skimping on the sleep, your skin won't have the time it needs to become rejuvenated.

Shoot for a bedtime of about 10 P.M. Your body gets its most restful sleep before the hour of midnight. If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, see if you can't find ways to improve your sleep habits. Take some time to wind down before bed, put away the technology at bedtime, take a warm bath or drink a cup of tea. It's also a good idea to watch what you eat after a certain time. Eating sugary foods or foods that are high in carbohydrates can prevent your body from being able to fall asleep properly.

Watching What We Eat The diets that we eat each day affect the quality of our skin. If you're making a habit of eating

49 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e September 2018

Working Out Exercise is so important for our bodies to stay healthy. Working out regularly can help improve the tone of your skin. It can also minimize how oily or dry your skin is. You can even detoxify your skin by getting your sweat on. This is a great way to focus on cleansing your pores. Your skin will look younger when you are active. It's just very important that you get a good skincare routine going if you're going to be working out regularly. When you sweat, you can end up letting bacteria reside on your face and in your pores.

This leads to breakouts if you don't wash away that sweat right away. Use a high-quality cleanser from our WODA skincare line right after you're done working out. Follow that up with a toner and moisturizer to keep your skin looking as healthy as possible. Try to work out without any makeup on your face since that could clog your pores as you sweat.

50 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e September 2019

Use Sunscreen with Zinc You must protect your skin from harmful UV rays.

If you're going to be heading out for a fun day in the sun, make sure that you bring your sunscreen along with you. Even if you aren't going to be outside for an extended period, you should apply a product with sunscreen in it to prevent damage from UV rays. Make sure that the product you choose has zinc in it. Zinc is a beneficial ingredient to use on your skin.

You can utilize a WODA sunscreen product like our tinted facial moisturizer with SPF 40 in it.

This is a product that will keep your skin healthy, hydrated and protected each day. You don't want to ever allow your skin to burn in the sun. This can lead to damaged skin that can be problematic for a lifetime. Take the necessary steps to keep your skin healthy and safe.

Use Products That Are Rich in Anti-Oxidants to Fight Pollution You probably don't realize it, but your skin is coming in contact with pollution every day. This pollution comes from vehicles, nearby businesses, construction and so much more. All of these harmful chemicals can do a number on your skin.

As part of your skincare routine, you should use products that have a lot of anti-oxidants in them.

These anti-oxidants will help repair your skin and protect it from future damage. Our WODA vitamin C serums are made with gentle, calming, and all-natural ingredients that will help recreate that protective barrier on your skin. Just like how vitamin C will boost your immune system, vitamin C has the potential to boost how healthy your skin is. It will also help your skin remain healthy even after it comes into contact with pollution and other particulates that are harmful throughout the day.

Use Products That Are Rich in Anti-Oxidants to Fight Pollution You probably don't realize it, but your skin is coming in contact with pollution every day. This pollution comes from vehicles, nearby businesses, construction and so much more. All of these harmful chemicals can do a number on your skin. As part of your skincare routine, you should use products that have a lot of anti-oxidants in them. These anti-oxidants will help repair your skin and protect it from future damage. Our WODA vitamin C serums are made with gentle, calming, and allnatural ingredients that will help recreate that protective barrier on your skin. Just like how vitamin C will boost your immune system, vitamin C has the potential to boost how healthy your skin is. It will also help your skin remain healthy even after it comes into contact with pollution and other particulates that are harmful throughout the day.

At any given moment during the day, you can be exposed to as many as 9,000 different pollutants. When your skin isn't healthy, this can allow all kinds of things to absorb into your skin and body. The more compromised and unhealthy you allow you skin to get, the more sensitive it may become. You can end up having more and more flare-ups if you aren't careful. It's incredibly important that you take the necessary steps to protect your skin. Making sure that protective barrier stays intact will help you feel good about yourself, help you look younger and look more radiant. If you are looking for some high-quality products that will help you maintain a beautiful complexion for years to come, visit our WODA website for more information. We have everything from cleansers to toners and SPF moisturizers.

Ideally, you create a whole lineup of products for your skin type. It's important to remember that not all skincare products are one size fits all. Find the right products that will work with the type of skin that you have, and you can change your routine as you age or as your skin type changes.

Margaret Tomaszewicz is a licensed esthetician with over 25 years of experience.

She is the owner of European Skin and Massage Studio in Santa Monica, California and has developed the Organic WODA European Natural Skin Care Line.

Her products are available on wodaskincare.com and on Amazon.com For every product sold WODA Skin Care plants a tree.

Margaret can be reached at 424-279-9771 or europeanskinandmassagestudio@gmail.com wodaskincare.com

51 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e September 2019

WHAT IS IMPOSTER SYNDROME?

By Dr Sandi Mann

Welcome to the world of the Imposter Syndrome. It is a secret world, inhabited by successful people from all walks of life who have one thing in common – they believe that they are not really good enough. They might be men or women, young or old. And imposter beliefs are not always related to work; I have met ‘imposters’ who feel they are not good enough parents, husbands, wives, friends or even not good enough human beings. These are all variations of Imposter Syndrome, especially when there is little objective evidence to support the sufferers firmly held self-beliefs that they are frauds.

So, what is Imposter Syndrome?

The term ‘Imposter Syndrome’ or ‘Imposter Phenomenon’, was first coined in 1978 by clinical psychologists Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes in a paper entitled ‘The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention’1.

When Jess came into my clinic in Manchester, she looked every inch the successful woman. Immaculately groomed, wearing a sharp suit and sporting an equally sharp haircut, accomplishment oozed from her every pore. A 42-year-old senior executive in a large international corporation, she had the salary, the car and all the perks that spelled ‘made it’.

So, why was she at my clinic? As she sank into a comfortable chair and began to explain her problem, her demeanor underwent a transformation. Her shoulders began to slump, her voice wavered, her knees shook, and her fingers began twisting around each other as she talked. Her entire confident manner crumbled before my eyes as she ‘confessed’ that it was all fake; all of her successes were built on luck, she explained, and she was actually really bad at her job. While she had managed to pull the wool over the eyes of her colleagues and bosses for many years, she was sure they would uncover her secret soon. She stood to lose everything, but that wasn’t even the biggest problem; the greater issue was that she was struggling to live with being a ‘fake’ – she felt that she should quit her job before she was exposed, and go and do something more suited to her real abilities. It would mean less money and perks, but at least she would be being honest with herself.

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The condition was described as being ‘an internal experience of intellectual phonies’ that afflicted some high-achieving women. In their paper, Clance and Imes described their sample group of 150 women as follows, ‘despite their earned degrees, scholastic honors, high achievement on standardized tests, praise and professional recognition from colleagues and respected authorities… [they] do not experience an internal sense of success. They consider themselves to be “impostors”.’

They go on to explain that these women believe they have only achieved their success due to errors in selection processes, or because someone has over-estimated their abilities, or that it is due to some other external source.

Clance and Imes claim that there are three defining characteristics of IS: 1. The belief that others have an inflated view of your abilities or skills 2. The fear that you will be found out and exposed as a fake 3. The persistent attribution of success to external factors, such as luck or an extraordinary level of hard work.

So, do you have Imposter Syndrome?

By now you may have recognized some of the signs and symptoms of IS in yourself. It is likely that most of us will have some of the symptoms outlined above, but that does not mean we have IS. In fact, we should remember at this point that Imposter Syndrome is not a recognized mental health condition as such and thus there are no standardized professional criteria for having it.

Photography by Toni Oprea

53 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e August 2019

However, below is a self-assessment quiz that I devised in order to give you some idea if any signs and symptoms you have might be enough to qualify you as having IS. This quiz is based on the common symptoms outlined above and is not meant to be a diagnostic mental health tool, but rather a quick and simple way to ascertain to what degree you feel like you are an imposter.

1. How easy do you find it to accept praise?

Very hard

Quite hard

Quite easy

Very easy

1

2

3

4

2. When you do something well, how likely are you to dismiss it as not really much (eg it was easy, anyone could have done that, it was nothing special) Very likely

Quite likely

Not very likely

Not at all Likely

1

2

3

4

3. When you do something well, how likely are you to attribute your success to luck?

Very likely

Quite likely

Not very likely

Not at all Likely

1

2

3

4

4.When you do something less well, how likely are you to attribute your failure to luck?

Not at all Likely

Not very likely

Quite likely

Very likely

1

2

3

4

5. When you perform poorly, or fail, how likely are you to attribute your failure to your own lack of skill or not working hard enough?

Very likely

Quite likely

Not very likely

Not at all Likely

1

2

3

4

54 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e September 2019

6.When you do something well how likely are you to attribute your success to other people’s input (‘they helped me’)?

Very likely

Quite likely

Not very likely

Not at all Likely

1

2

3

4

7.When you do something poorly how likely are you to attribute your failure to other people (‘it was their fault’)?

Not at all Likely

Not very likely

Quite likely

Very likely

1

2

3

4

8. How important is it for you to be the best at something that matters to you?

Very important

Quite important

1

2

Not very important

Not at all important

3

4

9. How important is success for you?

Very important

Quite important

1

2

Not very important

Not at all important

3

4

10. How likely are you to focus on what you have not done well compared to what you have done well?

Very likely

Quite likely

Not very likely

Not at all Likely

1

2

3

4

11.How important is it to you to find a ‘hero’ to befriend and impress?

Very important

Quite important

1

2

Not very important

Not at all important

3

4

12. How often to do feel afraid to express your views lest people discover your lack of knowledge?

Very often

Quite often

1

2

Not very often 3

Not at all often 4

13. How often do you find yourself unable to start a project for fear of failing?

Very often 1

Quite often 2

Not very often

Not at all often

3

4 55 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e September 2019

14. How often do you find yourself unwilling to finish a project because it isn’t yet good enough?

Very often

Quite often

1

2

Not very often

Not at all often

3

4

15. How happy are you to live with a piece of work you have done that you know isn’t perfect?

Not at all happy

Not very happy

1

2

Quite happy 3

Very happy 4

16. How often do you find yourself thinking that you are a fraud?

Very often

Quite often

1

2

Not very often 3

Not at all often 4

17. How worried are you that your lack of skill/talent/ability will be discovered?

Very worried

Quite worried

1

2

Not very worried 3

Not at all worried 4

18. How important is validation from others to you (e.g. praise) Very important

Quite important

1

2

How to score

The score range is 18–72 and the lower the score, the MORE likely you are to suffer from IS. As a rough guide, scores lower than 36 probably indicate that you have some element of IS. Read on to see what type of imposter you may be. You will also find the rest of the book valuable for helping you understand where your imposter beliefs may have originated – and how to cope with them and build your self-confidence.

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Not very important 3

Not at all important 4

Dr Sandi Mann is a psychologist, University Lecturer and Director of The MindTraining Clinic in Manchester where much of her material for this book is derived.

She is author of over 20 psychology books, her most recent being The Science of Boredom. She has also written and researched extensively about emotional faking, culminating in her book Hiding What We Feel, Faking What We Do.

A Cat Cafe Experience

www.crumbsandwhiskers.com

Adopted: 800 | Saved from euthanasia: 1,710 | Amount donated to charity: $24.5K

WE HELP RESCUE & FIND HOMES FOR HOMELESS CATS

57 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e September 2019

Heal Headaches Naturally with Aculief

Research finds that 80% of Americans battle with headaches. Yet, there’s no magical pill on the market that miraculously cures the pain. Aside from not wanting to deal with the daunting side effects of taking medicine, people are conquering headaches in natural ways by dimming lights, consuming caffeine, using essential oils and managing diets and stress.

According to a medical journal, the number one natural remedy is acupressure. Simply pinch the webbed area between your thumb and index finger for 30 seconds to alleviate pain. To make it even easier, you can maintain consistent pressurewithout exhausting your fingers with Aculief Wearable Acupressure™.

The award-winning, doctor approved Aculief Wearable Acupressure™ works by providing pressure to the LI4 acupressure point. The LI4 has been used for thousands of years to provide natural headache and tension relief as well as promote your body's natural energy.

Aculief Wearable Acupressure™ is doctor approved and recommended by many leading acupuncturists for effective self treatment. Even the holistic system Qi Gong expert Lee Holden is a believer and an Aculief ambassador.

Becoming an award-winning product in 2013, Aculief Wearable Acupressure™ won best new product award at ExpoWest and has been featured on The Doctors, New York Times, Hallmark Channel and more. However, in the hearts of migraine sufferers, no award compares to the pain relief it provides.

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Aculief Wearable Acupressure™ is made in the USA and is available on its website, Amazon, Uncommon Goods, Pharmaca, Grommit, Zulily and VictoriaHealth.com (UK only), with FREE shipping!

Jon Doogan the founder's story begins back in college as he learned the power of acupressure could have over his bad headaches. After sharing this form of relief with others, he realized there were some drawbacks to self treatment utilizing the LI4: sore thumbs from applying pressure and being limited because both hands are in use. Completing his patented solution Aculief Wearable Acupressure, headache sufferers now have an affordable alternative available as an effective all-natural solution, to be used anytime, anywhere.

Aculief Wearable Acupressure™ provides: ·Natural headache and tension relief ·Promotes your bodies natural energy known as "Qi" ·Works fast ·Lasts forever ·Designed for active lifestyles

59 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e September 2019

ON BEING A MAKER

Photogrpahy by Annie Spratt

By Ellie Beck

60 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e August 2019

Being a maker is an innate part of our human experience, something we are born with, but many of us seem to have forgotten this. The busyness of our lives, the rush of society’s expectations and the increasing use of technology all pull us away from the work of connecting our hands with our heart.

By sitting with our practice, as a maker, and allowing our rituals and rhythms to guide us, we are able to delve into a deeper connection with being a maker, with our materials and tools, with the environment around us, and ultimately with our broader community, through a more intense sense of fulfilment and contentedness.

Our ancestors were makers, without even naming themselves as such. And we are all makers still, whether we are knitting a garment, turning wood on a lathe, hand-crafting a pair of earrings, decorating a cake or sewing a special quilt for our family. Makers aren’t necessarily artists or crafters, in the sense of what those words might mean to you.

They are simply people whotinker, design, invent, create, play, explore and make something. Makers can be artists, bakers, potters or ceramicists, jewellers, woodworkers, gardeners, sewers, tailors or dressmakers – the many creative activities that fit under the term ‘maker’ are too long to list. To be human is to be a maker.

Mindful Thoughts for Makers is a lovingly-crafted little book celebrating the meditative beauty and nature of making. In it, Ellie Beck reveals why creating with our hands is uplifting, rewarding and soothing for the mind, body, and soul. Honoring rituals, noticing the internal quiet, creating time, and finding your flow are all explored in this charmingly-illustrated collection of reflections.

The importance of making mistakes, respecting your creativity, appreciating dirty hands, and noticing the mundane moments, together form a meaningful tool every maker will cherish.

In our busy lives, we makers create many things, yet we don’t always lean into the stillness and quietness that can come from the experience of making. We rush to finish our project, to show it off on social media, to buy more materials to make something else, and the cycle of producing things continues. Yet, wouldn’t it be beautiful if we could bring ‘slow’ into our days and our lives, through the very simple act of learning how to enhance mindful moments in our making? To change our routines into a rhythm, and to replace the rush to finish a project with the quiet slowness of taking time to enjoy it. The process of making things can guide us to slow our breath and our bodies, to listen to our minds and connect with the whisper in our hearts.

Being a mindful maker can allow us to follow the curiosity of seeing where the journey might take us, to discover what we can learn about ourselves and our environment, and to change our outlook on life through the lessons that making can teach us.

My experience as a maker is so deeply ingrained in my daily life that sometimes I have to remind myself to use my making as a tool for my daily meditation, to still my mind and body, rather than simply making for making’s sake alone. I can use my needle and thread to create small pockets of quiet time and to guide me into bringing more mindfulness to my whole life – to remember the way I feel when I’m quietly stitching and bring that feeling into the hectic noise of my days.

Ellie Beck is a textile artist, creative maker and teacher, finding inspiration in and from nature. She expresses her creative voice through botanical dyeing, loom weaving, slow-stitching, crochet, photography, creative writing, and basket weaving, and has taught her eco-conscious skills to thousands of students. Ellie lives a slow, simple and mindful life in the rainforest in Northern NSW, Australia, with her artist husband and three creative children. She blogs about slow creativity and living at Petalplum.com.au Insta @petalplum 61 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e September 2019

Vision Quest

My whole life, I have been somewhat aware of subtle energies and the invisible domain beyond the five senses—something just beyond my grasp. I feel a call to learn and obtain wisdom, to go deeper inside, unlocking creativity. There is something stirring me: ideas of paintings that almost have a life of their own, as though they want to use me as an instrument to move from subconscious to canvas.

I feel a strong desire to learn how to be healthier and how to maximize potential in mind, body, and spirit—a kind of coming-of-age vision quest. I think ruefully that maybe it’s a “coming-of-old-age” vision quest.

And now, there is time to understand what has been calling me. As I have started my journal, I have given myself one year. I will study my own life transition and see what I can learn.

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M

y wishes for retirement:

I want to be healthier in mind, body, and spirit.

I want to use more of my potential.

I want this to be my most fulfilling time of life.

I want to be an artist.

When I turned fifty, Rich gave me a pen and a new five-subject note-book with a red plastic cover and said, “Here is a project for you. Start thinking and planning what your retirement could be like.”

So, on and off for years, I have used the notebook to record thoughts and ideas. I’ve scribbled wishes and fantasies, pasted post-it notes of random ideas, and doodled: sketches of images for paintings that have come to me at odd times, meditation symbols, interesting shapes and patterns, and color combinations.

Emotions flood through me as I leaf through the notebook.

I highlight some things that still seem relevant and wince at a few things that were ill-considered, and now new ideas are skating through my mind. I read notes about the portfolio of hobbies and interests I have attended to sporadically over the years and feel a nugget of excitement. Could my new job title be artist?

For me, art is about expressing something spiritual. I smile as I recall one colleague who remarked, “That looks like my five-year old painted it.” But when people like my paintings, they really like them. I imagine that my art might speak soul to soul with some. It’s almost as though the art I make is generated by some inner need to create.

Images, forms, spirals, colors, and geometric patterns come into my mind and don’t let me rest until I get them down on paper or canvas.

I have always pondered big, philosophical, mysterious questions in odd spare moments: What is the meaning of existence, the purpose of life?

Do I have a “soul mission?”

What happens when we die?

Does God or spirit or oneness really exist?

If yes, what is God’s true nature? What role does she, he, or it play in our life?

What do all the different wisdom traditions believe? What do atheists believe?

Which traditions believe in reincarnation and karma?

Do we have free will, or is there a predetermined plan that the universe has for each of us?

I have a deep yearning to study, learn, experience, and understand. And yet, I also have an embarrassed sense that others know the answers to these questions, and somehow, I have been left out of the loop.

For a while, I have had a feeling that I am being called to go on an adventure—almost a vision quest. I ask myself, Why am I drawn— more like pulled almost against my will—to dive more deeply into thinking about existential things?

Paging through the notebook, I find sketches and notes for paintings that want to be born.

I pause to write down fragments of metaphysical feedback I have gotten: “You are a very old soul.”

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If reincarnation exists, aren’t all souls old? Or are some souls newer in the cycle of death and rebirth?

“You will be a spiritual late bloomer.”

“You will be coming into a transformative spiritual awakening that is very tailored to you.”

“You come reluctantly into this, but your guides are advising you to open your mind.”

“You chose the life you have. All your memories from past lives have been erased. Your job is to rediscover them.”

“You have one leg in the spiritual realm and one firmly planted on earth. You will build a bridge between the two worlds.”

“You have a specific role to play in this life. But you must develop to take advantage of that opportunity. So, the significant part of your journey may take place later in life.”

These ideas both unsettle and secretly delight me. I feel intrigued and want to be open, but I also want to be sufficiently skeptical and analytical. I don’t want to be naive or taken in by charlatans. I like the idea of a vision quest.

I imagine becoming a new-age kook dressed in a flowing tunic with long silver hair, wearing crystals, and driving a cerulean blue pickup with dogs leaning out of the back and bumper stickers that say Namaste and Visualize Whirled Peas.

I reminisce about going deeper into meditation, and beginning to see myself as an artist. Getting my personal mantra and sensing nonphysical source energy for the first time. The Soul Beliefs class, and learning about nonlocal awareness.

I review from my red notebook what I set out to do. I accomplished much of what I envisioned: to be active and healthy with daily nourishment of mind, body, and spirit; learning; laughter; love; daily pleasure; connection; great sleep; exercise; fresh air; vibrant fruits and vegetables; intimacy; travel; painting; meditating; and helping others find laughter, fulfillment, and gratitude.

My red notebook is now completely full. The daily practice of recapitulation has been therapeutic. I reflect on the events of the year.

I recall my fears in the beginning: How will we change?

Will I be happy? What do I believe in?

I remember beginning to express myself spiritually in art, stumbling to answer the existential questions, and

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yearning to find a way to get closer to God. How I struggled to let go of ego. Delving into the laws of the universe. All the books I read. Decluttering and detachment.

I reminisce about going deeper into meditation, and beginning to see myself as an artist. Getting my personal mantra and sensing nonphysical source energy for the first time. The Soul Beliefs class, and learning about nonlocal awareness.

I look back fondly on my struggle to answer the question about destiny versus free will, memorizing the Gayatri Mantra, reading the Bhagavad Gita. Studying Buddhism. Painting “City Girls.” Going to the salon at Jean Houston’s home.

Learning about archetypes and karmic lessons. Reading the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Taking the Synchro-destiny class with Deepak Chopra. Creating the Light Being paintings. Exploring past lives and learning about dharma. Using brain catalyst technology. Working on our marriage. Deciding to move to California. Learning about the Mahavakyas, karma and higher states of consciousness. Taking the Science of Happiness class. Attending the Sages and Scientists symposium. Getting certified to teach meditation at the Chopra Center. Taking the shamanic apprenticeship. My painting being selected for the AIDS fund-raiser. The Perfect Health retreat. Beginning and ending the year at Canyon Ranch.

I think with gratitude about the insights and lessons from these amazing experiences. I start a new page in the notebook. How have I changed during this pivotal year?

To be able to find the quiet days so enjoyable is a great, happy surprise. I don’t miss corporate life.

My studies have been tremendous. From Science of Happiness to the shamanic apprenticeship to Primordial Sound Meditation teacher training, I have loved learning and experiencing.

If reincarnaation exixts, aren't all souls old? Or are some souls newer in the cycle of death and rebirth?

Keeping this journal has been instructive. Every wisdom tradition says that the answers are within us.

Themes and insights are easier to see when you peer inside.

If I had to choose one thing that was most impactful for me in the last year, I would have to say meditation.

It seems that every class, every new course of study, every insight keeps coming back to the idea that making spiritual progress is an inside job; it is necessary to go within.

Meditation has helped me discover more about who I am and allowed me to get clearer on how to create life as I want it to be—to find my own path to happiness.

People are looking for meaning. As members of humanity, we are all connected; we are all part of one thing.

As a teacher, I now want to play my part in raising the vibration level and combining art and meditation to cultivate creative expression and self-actualization.

I now understand that the harder we strive to make sense of things, the more clearly we begin to see ourselves. The more we seek to find divinity outside of ourselves, the more we are allowed to see that it has always been there within.

Jane Ramsey spent thirty-six years in corporate life. Her last role was executive vice president of HR for a global retail enterprise. Upon retirement, Jane embarked on a course of study in philosophy, fitness, health, nutrition, quantum physics, happiness and spirituality.

She is now an author, artist and certified meditation teacher with the Deepak Chopra Center. She has been meditating for more than twenty years and helps clients create a strong daily meditation practice to help them feel more grateful, vital, energetic, peaceful, joyful and to develop great abundance and loving relationships in their lives.

Jane is currently developing a program combining meditation and art to help people live a more full-spectrum, creative and balanced life. She currently resides with her loving husband in Indian Wells, California.

Available on Amazon.com and bookstores.

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experience, especially at 6:30am. She was already preoccupied with the “routine-tasks” of the day: Getting ready, making breakfast, walking the dog, packing her son’s lunch, etc. Even though she needed to brush her teeth, she felt it might be more important to figure out a way to get this snake out of the restroom! And then suddenly, the serpent spoke: “My lady, why are you looking like you have never seen a snake before? Why are you worrying about putting me out in the yard? You came in to brush your teeth, so brush your teeth.”

The Serpent Spoke

By Marco Nunzio Alati & Lavandaia Lavandaia slept a sound sleep, filled with dreams she could not remember, and awoke to the morning dew and the wondrous sounds of birds, singing joyous melodies. Today would be like any other day, or so she thought. She walked down her usual long hallway leading to the bathroom as her body slowly woke up. The house started to see the first hint of dawn, the warmth of the Sun hadn’t yet made its way into the corners of the restroom.

As she brushed her teeth, she noticed something looking up at her from the corner of her eye. She knew with all certainty that it wasn’t the cat, as she was sure he was still asleep in bed when she got up. Lavandaia reached over and turned on the light and, to her complete surprise and shock, there was a garden snake staring her straight in the eye. Strangely enough, after getting startled at this unexpected situation, Lavandaia felt no fear at all. She remembers that when she was a little girl, the family property was inhabited by countless garden snakes and mice, who always would interact and play with her. This creature, however, was a bit different then all others.

Lavandaia had never before had a garden snake stare at her so intensely. She realizes that her mind,in this very moment, was not ready for this 66 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e September 2019

Communicating with animals has always been part of Lavandaia’s essence, which she considers is a natural skill that everybody can learn and develop, with discipline and compassion. So, as instructed, she finished brushing her teeth and began her day as she always did. At this point, her mind went completely blank, creating inner emptiness, a profound state of void that allows us to receive messages from Nature, if one is willing to truly listen.

“I implore you to listen, to truly hear my words.” the Serpent continued “Let them resonate as truth. They are my truth and will be of much use to you.”

“There is no such thing as a ‘goal’ in life, there is no such thing as ‘what we think we should achieve’, ‘get’, ‘desire’ or ‘become’. The only thing that is absolutely fundamental for us in every single instant, is to stay in the highest vibrational state and reach the Unified Field, the ultimate Unified Field. There are no boundaries or limitations. When you access this Quantum Field through a high perspective, life will unfold itself in the most prosperous and abundant way. The same higher intelligence that makes the Sun rise and set every single day, that life force that makes flowers bloom and birds fly, knows exactly what you want, and what you truly need. So when you face a challenge in life, for example a situation with an insensitive person, telling you how you should conduct your life, or when you find your child misbehaving, or even when you wake up to a Serpent in your restroom, choose in that instant, as the response to that reality, to completely step out of any unsettling feeling. Don’t ignore what is happening. Simply choose, through discernment, to not be part of that dualistic reality.

Photogrpahy by Emma D

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Then allow yourself to dive into a completely different frequency, a deep knowingness that -no matter what is happening out there- ease and prosperity are making their way into that situation. You might not be able to always see the thread of how that event will turn out to be a blessing, but you don’t have to, you simply need to know it’s there and just trust.

When we are living instant by instant, we are able to access the Unified Field. This Unified field does not only work on a physics or a philosophical plane, it also works on a biological level. The moment we choose to be part of the dualistic world, we produce hormones such as the stress hormone, Cortisol, which sends certain signals to our body. These signals of stress cause us to become anxious, age prematurely, and most definitely to get sick.

Yet, the moment we step out of this dualistic world, The moment we step into the Unified field there is only room for gratitude, trust and joy; and we start producing positive hormones like dopamine and oxytocin that activate powerful and beneficial pathways for our metabolism and our overall body.

So your job is very, very simple. Your job is not to figure out what to do in life, or what tasks you need to accomplish.

Your job is simply to allow your Self to trust and rejoice with every instant, and by doing that, your reality will gradually shift, it will show you completely different scenarios, more joyful and prosperous ones, events that are more in resonance with your new vibrational state.

When we fully embrace this quantum principle, we still go through the ‘check points’ of our life path and we still unwrap the presents that we are supposed to be rewarded with, but in a much smoother, abundant and easier way. So, my dear friend, start from now, the only time there is! Commit yourself, start doing only what resonates with you , what makes your heart sing in this very instant, and not what you have learned from the past would be appropriate to do or what we think is good for our future. Simply do what gives you bliss in every ‘here’ and ‘now’. This constant awareness and process of discernment is the bridge to communicate and co-create with the higher intelligence of the Life-Force itself.

Furthermore, exactly like the intricate system of communication between trees in woods , you will not only live through glorious branches of experience, but you will start to interconnect to different branches and different trees that keep flourishing and blossoming, and eventually, they will all bear fruit, fruits for you that are lush in taste and texture”.

The Serpent’s words penetrated every cell and every molecule 68 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e September 2019

of Lavandaia’s body. The tasks of today can wait, she thought, and clearly her world would not collapse by engaging this creature for another moment. Goodness gracious, she thought to herself, do we really need a Serpent to stop us in our mechanical tracks, do we really need a Serpent to slow us down just a bit? Clearly, today, she did. Her morning unfolded in the exact way it was supposed to unfold, and all the mechanical tasks to follow no longer mattered in the moment when the serpent spoke to her. She will get ready, the breakfast will be made, the dog will eventually get his morning walk, her son’s lunch will be prepared, and she will also be able to give him the gift of this wonderful story. The story of a serpent she met in the restroom while she brushed her teeth.

She cracked the restroom window open and closed the door behind her, knowing that the serpent will return to its beloved garden as its job here was done.

After graduation in Industrial Biotechnology, Marco played a key role in international research projects in Canada, Austria and Spain. He stumbled upon the Reconnection by mere chance and it enlightened him in ways he hadn't realized he needed.

Three months after that unique experience, he left his job in biotechnology and embarked on his journey to become a full time Reconnective Healing Practitioner, and one of the two Italian Mentors and Teaching Assistants of Eric Pearl’s direct Team.

He is currently living in Los Angeles and collaborating with a number of independent scientific studies that are exploring Reconnective Healing and its extraordinary benefits.

For info contact marco.alati@gmail.com 323-617-2289 “Description” is all in the eyes of that who is experiencing, thus “description” of “who” becomes irrelevant. And the truth is, that describing Lavandaia using “words” is like trying to catch a fragrance. Scent cannot be caught, it can only be enjoyed and discovered through the experience itself. Who Lavandaia “is” is her mission, Giving clarity and divine knowledge to those who are willing to move forward in life and explore how to express their highest self.

For more information visit www.lavandaia.org Or contact us at paola.seed@gmail.com

Plastic-Free, Non-Toxic and Environment Friendly Lunchboxes with Ocean-Inspired Designs

ECOlunchbox Aims to Make Lunchtime Green and Oceans Blue

Lafayette, Calif. -- With scientists warning of alarming amounts of plastic littering our oceans, a California-based company seeks to empower families to reduce their dependence on plastic by using its Blue Water Bento line of plastic-free, zero-waste, eco-friendly lunchboxes.

Hewn from non-toxic stainless steel with silicone lids, the food containers are sold as part of the company’s mission to inspire, educate and empower consumers to choose to use less plastic and be part of the plastic pollution solution.

“Tales of plastic rubbish amassing in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch have horrified all of us and it’s easy to feel helpless,” explains Sandra Ann Harris, founder and CEO of ECOlunchbox whose company has sold almost half a million plastic-free food containers since its founding in 2009. “With our products we hope to invite and inspire people everywhere to make change at lunchtime by saying no to plastic and yes to reusable, plastic-free lunchware that’s healthy for people and our planet.”

A study done over 15 years revealed the pieces of microplastic floating on the surface of the North Pacific Gyre have increased from 331,809 pieces per square kilometer in 1999 to 19,912,037 in 2014. A study completed by ECOlunchbox reveals that by packing a

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zero-waste lunchbox a typical family can avert the use and disposal of 3,240 pieces of trash, which mostly is comprised of plastic.

ECOlunchbox’s Blue Water Bento collection of zero-waste lunchboxes is inspired by the ocean and includes stainless lunchbox containers that feature brightly colored silicone leak-proof lids embossed with ocean-related designs.

The containers come in various sizes from the Seal Cup Mini that holds ¾ cup to the Splash Box that can hold up to 3 cups of food. The containers are all BPA, BPS, plastic and phthalate-free along with being dishwasher and oven-safe.

The Blue Bento collection also includes sturdy, organic cotton canvas lunch bags and a beach tote that feature sea creatures such as turtles, dolphins, seahorses, whales and sea urchins. The bags are reusable and machine washable.

The idea for ECOlunchbox and the Blue Water Bento collection of lunchboxes came to creator Sandra Ann Harris after she realized that change can begin at lunchtime. “I wanted to eliminate plastics from my kids’ lunchboxes to reduce their exposure to the leachy toxins commonly found in such products as well as do the right thing for Mother Earth. With our Blue Bento collection, we’re tapping into the desires of families everywhere to live healthier lives and our products empower people to choose not to use plastic and to begin a journey in other areas of their lives toward reducing their dependence on plastic overall.”

The Blue Water Bento eco-friendly lunchbox collection includes Seal Cups, Splash box, Splash Pod, replacement lids, lunch bags and a beach tote. Prices range from $3.50 for replacement lids to $55.00 for the Seal Cup Fivesome Set. The collection can be purchased from ECOlunchboxes.com ECOlunchbox is mission-based, family-owned business based in Northern California striving to save our oceans from needless plastic trash by creating products that are good for our health, protecting both people and planet. Since its inception in 2009, ECOlunchbox has worked to consistently develop best-in-class, 100% plastic-free food containers.

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Photography by Hugues de Buyer-Mimeure

LANGUAGE OF SPACE

By Michael White Ryan

FOLLOWING

Why are we so hung up on following? Our entire childhood life, we played the pied pipers game, follow, follow, mum dad cousins uncles and teachers. Today, and every day, we live out these micro creations, fashioned them into a living system.

We function a bit like a tree really, feed me a mindset, watered me down feelings, behold I deliver fruits from my la-bor-ing! When in truth, we are living pattern holders, followers of habits, mindsets, ideas, in every alive breath we take!

We know this, and yet we still follow our selfgiven-right to judge everything in sight. Whom is it, we are the judge of?

It’s the 21st century, we are a human becoming, as a singularity, as a plural community, as a multiverse nation, experiencing ourselves ripening into personal-expansion. We are poised to observe the world with new found eyes. Individually we acknowledge the power of freedom and its necessity in this fast new age of creativity. And yet, And Yet, in 2018, there are States who have passed more than a 1,000 new laws? As we the micro expands, hence the macro must also expand.

I love these words of modern wisdom it’s the complete truth for these times “There are good people in the world there are bad people in the world bad people have better tools.” it’s a self-serving consumption accountability Follow your heart, follow the trends into acceptability, follow the 7 habits of recognition, follow the systemized purpose of success. Ah, to be living the dream, laptop, sandy beach, follow the SilverBack into “where emotions equals life” for one’s complete renew.

One could ask, where are we headed? For as the wheel of time turns 180 degrees, and we look the unseen face of shadows-direction, one can foresee the incoming tides of “blind-awareness.”

Awareness, maybe that’s not the correct word to use here, it’s more like “blinded-vision”. We created the Mission-Vision for the benefit of all mankind, and now she’s turned around and is running towards us all, and she’s, did you notice, she’s coming home fast.

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My voice cries out from within to be awake, to be open! Firstly to know what being open is. What is it exactly, that we have inherited from the past, forgotten the isness of self-expression have we? We grasp at life with explanations, communication defined by separation-words. I follow in the illusory pathways of traditions manifested, a world of mindsets in repetition.

Awarenessawakens from the shadows of constructed polarities living within a consciousness of a misidentified self The famous quote “I think therefore I am”. I know I shouldn’t eat that strawberry ice cream, and once again the battle within, ravishes my soul like a demon mindset, as guilt confronts a free will of, I know better. Is it the strawberry ice cream that needs given up or the selfguilt we have talked ourselves into believing? Release the guilt, then eat the ice cream!

The only change to ever be made is the change that goes unseen. It is the release from those collected, selfmade, misguided facts, delusions growing from within as a sorcerer’s spell, which binds us to a life, limited.

How to open to our forever-nature? Collectively we have been sitting, seeking on our behind for thousands of years. The path has infinite directions contributed by various infinite sources. Look around, our war with the ego-mind requires a free-no-mind-awareness.

As of this moment, present thinking, is the one true-creator, deliverer of tomorrow’s portals?

Are we to seek evolution, will we unfold, as does a flower saluting the morning sun, or do we just sit quietly and remember how we ended up in forever-wondering.

The answers we long for are as fragmented as the infinite stars above. If connection is valid, then all fragments lead to a singular source, really? Maybe a singular source is none other than a portal, the black-whole leading to a singularity energetic form, a singularity of such an immense obscene-magnitude which never, will never come to end.

Mindless ideas cycle around, through the minds of men and women, endless thoughts chasing endless thoughts based on endless thinking from egoic minds claimed by truth, facts, science. All change exists from within one’s self! Am I this being tapping on these laptop keys,

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am I a fish swimming in oceans depths, am I the hatred I have for another. If I am just one then I am all of these, connection defined!

Indeed it requires some form of commentary by a respective self, book, teacher, experience to give meanings to one’s life. Between believing in claims and seeing how these cross the threshold of being, I confess, I turn away from most of, all methods, FOLLOWING is not my forte. I seek from what the world offers up today every day to awareness.

You are not the fish and you are the fish, we are all different, our searching will be different. What lay beyond one’s egoic mind, after brushing away the collected cobwebs of knowledge, is no longer you.

Trust and Fear are the same family. As with my students, Trust, close your eyes and walk through the shadows of your own self-made darkness.

Blessing to one and all, tis a month to forge ahead

Michael White Ryan is a co-founder with his wife Pamela Edwards of Language of Space.

They are leaders in sustainable business growth via PerformanceDesign and Performance Code. Sustainable design encompasses both Western and Easternphilosophies including advanced Feng Shui principles, Environmental Design, Buildings, Alternative Health, Business Advisory Consultants and 20 plus years as entrepreneurs.

Recognized in the top 100 globally and are Americas Leading Feng Shui Business Consultants.

They are on faculty at CEO Space International one of the oldest business organizations in America today, currently operate in 7 countries and reside in Carlsbad CA.. www.languageofspace.com

MESSAGE FROM THE GODDESS MOTHER With Jan Diana

A New Journey Begins “I welcome you today into our circle of hearts. May you be blessed with peace, joy and an abundance of your heart’s desires.

Certainly it is a time of celebration at the wonder of you. Each of you has risen to a placement on your journey where you are now ready to walk in your own power. Yes, these words fill your hearts with excitement at knowing this truth and the possibilities.

Imagine now that you have been given and accepted the keys to a brand new automobile. It is a vehicle you have longed to have, to take you on many new experiences.

As you now step into that beautiful new car, you feel it start up as you place the key into the ignition and turn it on. How exciting to hear the motor as it shifts into a glorious sound.

Where will you drive to first? What journey have you longed to take?

Who would you like to go with you?

Or perhaps you plan this first journey to be just for yourself. Whatever you choose is perfect.

As you start to drive down the roads of choice, you will begin to feel a new sense of yourself. You will have awareness that you can now experience life in a new way. It is like a whole new world has opened up for you to explore and enjoy.

You feel a sense of freedom, as well as a greater connection to your sacred self. You have coming to your mind thoughts, helping you to know where and when to make the turns on the roadways of your life.

You begin to feel a greater connection to your life purpose. You feel a sense of knowing why you are here, and what your heart desires to experience, to create, and to be.

Many have prayed for this moment, this moment of empowerment. A time when you would begin to consciously accept your true nature and all that goes with that glorious truth.

Yes, My Beloveds, you are ready to drive that shiny new vehicle. As you take your journey, you will have clearer vision, new insights inspiring you to choices that lead you to your destinations of choice.

You have been preparing for this time.

Releasing in grace what you might call road blocks that kept you from the fulfillment of your dreams.

Photography by Adrian Dascal

My Beloved Children of Heart,

Now that you have been handed the keys, you are ready to begin your life in wonderful new ways. You will feel a sense of freedom, as if you have the windows down and are feeling the cool breeze as you drive along.

Yes, there may still be some bumps along the road.

However you will be able to maneuver around these as you continue to allow the light to bless and guide you. It is for you to choose for yourself. You are ready.

You have been sleeping angels and now you are awake and awakening to your sweet truth. You are allowing the light to spark and dance upon you. It feels wonderful!

To become ready to receive these keys you have journeyed through many obstacles and moved beyond them. Yes, you have received loving assistance along the way and will continue to receive as you allow of course. You are never alone.

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However, now begins a new journey with more conscious awareness. This allows you to choose how you will flavor your life experiences.

What is it you would like to attract into your life? How can you align with those beautiful dreams so that they become your realities of choice?

Always begin with your focus from your heart. This is a new era. It is powered by love, by heart consciousness.

When you ponder anything about your life, direction, guidance, possibilities, begin with focusing from your heart.

Do this until it becomes your natural way of being.

From this perspective you will be able to access your divine gifts and abilities which are your birthright, waiting for you to recognize, claim and develop. These many gifts and blessings will help you in developing these higher states of consciousness, coming from your heart always.

Your heart contains all wisdom and knows the pathways that are ideal for you. It is always aligned with authentic truth, always speaks in peace and always offers wisdom.

It holds all the answers that you seek. As you develop your heart consciousness, you will be able to access the jewels within your heart’s treasury.

Imagine taking journeys you perhaps had forgotten were your dreams. Perhaps you had set them aside thinking they were not possible for you. Or perhaps you hold such big dreams you haven’t even entertained the concepts of them, yet.

Well now is the time to open up to the possibilities. To allow yourself to dream big dreams free of any perceived limitations. To imagine what was thought impossible as now possible.

Your keys to your new vehicle have potentials that are limitless. It is a matter of being open, learning how to work with the higher principles and systems of truth, and then applying that knowledge. Be open to the guidance of your heart and you will be lead to the answers that you seek to support your journey of choice.

Celebrate the wonder of reaching this time in your personal evolution as well as the evolution of the collective of Earth.

Your many rewards are here for you to notice and accept.

The keys have been handed to you. You have the power and freedom to drive yourself where you would like to go. All choices are honored. You are honored and celebrated.

My heart is filled with joy at your great achievement in arriving at this new place. Believe in your wonder. Accept the successes along the way. Know that you are already perfect.

Make your journey become that glorious dream you have held for this time in your life. It is your new beginning and you are ready as well as deserving of all blessings.

Walk in confidence knowing you are loved and supported.

Love yourself most. Honor your life, and bless those who share journeys with you.

May you always feel the sunshine in your heart and know of my great love for you. You are the jewels of my heart.

Shamon.”

With great love, Your Beloved Mother FREE CLASS: As a Gift I am offering you a Free Tele- Class, “Remember Who you are”.

-Restore pathways to remembering the truth of yourself using the tools of SVH, a prayer modality that can shift the old stories, old beliefs and perceptions that are not relevant to your truth.

-Receive tools that you can utilize in your life to further free yourself from the veils of forgetting -Take a journey to meet your true self and receive a priceless gift You will leave this class filled a greater vision of yourself and what is now possible for you.This class is a great joy bringer!

Jan Diana is an intuitive healer, spiritual teacher, and master practitioner.

Her mission is to assist clients & students in creating harmony, balance, heightened levels of clarity, develop innate gifts & abilities, empowering them on their personal evolution to create the dreams of their heart. She utilizes several modalities including SVH L4, Animal healing, GHM, Language of love, Reiki Master, and more.

Free meditation journeys, articles, & classes. http://www.jandiana.com

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In Honor of a Friend

By Nancy Yearout This story you are about to read happened when I was growing up in rural America.

The events that occurred in our small town are difficult for me to write but important that I share with you. We are all given free will to live the life we choose, but the choices we make determine our life path. These tragic events occurred over forty-years ago. I have changed the names to honor the family’s privacy.

It was the fall of 1973 in a small farming community in the Midwest. This was a time when everybody knew their neighbors and their names. My best friend, Chelsea, and I were two grade-school kids growing up in a rural America. We

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were like two peas in a pod, both of us had blond hair and freckles. Chelsea had freckles placed perfectly on her face with a big wide smile. I remember myself as skinny with long hair in pigtails. We were in the same class at school and inseparable. I have two older sisters and one younger, and Chelsea has a big brother and one younger. My family lived on a farm out in the country several miles from town, while Chelsea’s family lived closer in. The location difference made the phone and recess our social time. We chatted on the phone quite a bit as young ten-year-old girls will do. Mostly about cheerleading and boys, as I now recall.

Our big dream was to become cheerleaders when we reached junior high school.

Every day when recess time came around, you would find us outside practicing our moves. We worked on our cheers daily and became quite good at it. We would make up new rhymes and giggle at our own cleverness. Sometimes we used colored chalk to make a hopscotch board on the playground concrete. The game of hopping on one foot was something both of us were good at and had fun showing off our skills to the other girls in our class.

This event happened on a Thursday in early fall when the weather was turning cold. It’s hard to believe that it’s been forty years since it happened. I can still remember the smell of leaves burning in people’s yards. The aroma of burned leaves lingered in the air around the schoolyard. It’s funny how you associate life events with simple things like the time of year or a smell.

Reflecting back on that time, I recall that Chelsea and I were focused on the school pictures that had been handed out the day before by our teacher. We were busy writing cool stuff on the backs of our pictures to trade them with our classmates and each other. This is my last memory of our days together.

It’s difficult to tell you about the dreadful events that changed our lives and many others forever that fall day. It was an accident. He would never have meant to hurt his sister. They loved each other dearly.

The story told was that two of them were teasing one another and harassing each other as a brother and sister often do.

Chelsea’s parents were recently divorced, so Grandpa pitched in when he could because he lived close by. Their mom was working not too far away in town when Tom and Chelsea came home from school that fall day.

The two of them started joking around as most siblings do. At the time, Chelsea was ten and her brother was thirteen

years old. Tom said later that they were arguing over something silly and that he picked up Grandpa’s shotgun and said he was going to get her. Chelsea was a fun-loving sort of girl and played along.

She ran into her room and hid behind her pillow and some stuffed animals on her bed. What I was told by my parents and the teachers at school was that her brother pointed the gun at her and pulled the trigger. The gun fired! It was still loaded from Grandpa’s hunting trip the day before. Her brother Tom had no idea the gun was loaded. After the loud bang sounded, there was silence. They said that the poor boy confessed later that he was horrified by what he had done. He repeated many times that he would never have picked the gun up if he had known that it was loaded.

They said even though Tom was in a state of shock, he managed to call 911 to get an ambulance to the home quickly, knowing in his heart it was too late. His sister was not moving on the bed behind the stuffed toys when the ambulance arrived. The feathers and fluff had flown everywhere around the room is what they said.

Thomas was devastated with grief as he was just a boy himself. His family and the entire community knew it was an accident. Even though everyone forgave him, the choice that Tom made that day changed many families’ lives forever.

That one decision to pick up Grandpa’s gun and pull the trigger had ended his beautiful sister’s young life and, in many ways, his life too.

Folks said years later that he was never able to deal with the accident. He was in and out of trouble as a teenager and then in his adult life too. Someone said he had turned to alcohol to numb the pain.

Tom never completely recovered from his sister’s death.

Losing my best friend so young made me look at life very differently. It changed all of us in the town where we lived.

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The entire fifth-grade class went to the funeral home for visitation the following week. There was an eightby-ten picture of Chelsea carefully placed on top of the closed casket. We all walked by the casket one by one to say goodbye to our friend and fellow classmate.

I will always remember Chelsea as she was in that school picture, full of life with her beautiful blond hair, freckles, and that unforgettable smile.

I imagine that the teachers thought it would give the kids some closure by attending funeral visitation services, which in a way it did. My friend Chelsea’s death changed all of us that year. Everyone in our town felt the shock of the young girl’s passing. I know for myself that what happened made me acutely aware of guns being kept secure in the home, or anywhere else for that matter.

Most of my classmate’s fathers hunted, but they now made a conscious effort to secure their weapons if they had not done so before. We learned to never play around with firearms; we realized firsthand what could happen. We also learned that all of the choices that we make have consequences.

This was a difficult story to share with you and just as hard to write, but it’s important that we realize that the choices we make create our reality.

This was one of those times in life when you question if there is a God and ask why bad things happen to good people.

Maybe this accident prevented other accidents from occurring. All of us who knew Chelsea were extra careful around firearms, poisons, or anything that could harm someone. When something like this happens, you learn to think before you act. Life is precious—we are here and then gone in an instant. My friend’s death had a purpose—to make others think a moment before they act, to realize how fragile life truly is. Life is a gift; honor it.

A New Mind-Set: Think before you act. All our decisions have consequences. Many young adults today play computer games and watch movies where the killing of people is the norm. After a while, a person becomes numb to death, as if it is not real. The realism that when you’re dead your body is gone forever does not seem to register to some young children.

We need to instill upon others how precious each life is and that when you’re gone that there is no rewinding or going back. The choices we make create our reality.

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We are physically here, and then we are gone as quick as a blink of an eye. ~Nancy Yearout Every choice you make has an end result. ~Zig Ziglar And the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. ~Ecclesiastes 12:7

Nancy Yearout is an Psychic Reader, Intuitive Life Coach, Author and Inspirational Speaker. Her religious and spiritual work has enabled her to help many people to live the life they desire!

Her motivation and drive come from Source/God. Nancy feels inspired to share the wisdom and the messages she receives with others. Her real-life experiences are shared each week on her Radio Show/ Podcast, High Road to Humanity where insightful, spiritual guests share their story. This is Nancy’s way of each sharing new insight about raising the vibration and consciousness for all of us to create a healthy, Loving and kinder people as well as a safe harmonious place to live. My Credentials: Sales Coordinator for General Motors Corporation, Sales Manager for multiple, Owner and Qualifying Broker of The Harville Estates Real Estate & Development LLC, Owner of Energy Girl Publishing LLC., Author of, Wake Up! The Universe Is Speaking to You, Author of Monthly Contributor to Eden Magazine, Motivational/Inspirational Speaker, Intuitive Personal Coach Intuitive card reader, Energy Healer, Radio Host/Podcast High Road to Humanity.

Today she is happily married to the love of her life.

Nancy Yearout Hosts a Radio Show/ Podcast every week on Toginet radio and iTunes called High Road to Humanity. Visit her website www.NancyYearout.com or her Podcast www.Highroadtohumanity.com

Beyond the Wall

An immersive Exploration of the Music of Pink Floyd Live in Concert

EXP & Wisdome Presented Beyond the Wall An immersive exploration of the music of Pink Floyd live in concert at Wisdome Los Angeles.

The performance was featured an All-Star band including members from Pink Floyd, Scott Page, Stephen Perkins from Jane’s Addiction, Norwood Fisher from Fishbone Roberta . The performances was displayed the next generation of 3D spatial audio and a 360 visual projection in a VR dome creating a one of a kind experience.

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The concept for Beyond the Wall was to pay tribute to the original Pink Floyd while producted a futuristic exploration for where the music has evolved utilizing 360 visuals, lasers, live painting, all stage in a mind blowing 90 foot VR dome.

The show also included the opportunity to tour the amazing Samskara immersive art exhibition layed out in 3 interconnected VR domes featuring the works of the transformational artist Android Jones. The exhibition includes : A interactive art gallery displaying the works of Android Jones. Microdose VR game, an interactive photo experience and a full length 360 video viewing of Samskara!.

Wisdome LA is the world’s first dome based entertainment park. The 30,000 sq. ft location includes five fully immersive 360° domes, create a shared VR experience that combines the future of art, entertainment, andz technology. please visit www.wisdome.LA to for more information.

Photography by Tim Foster

T he

river flows again

By Jayita Bhattacharjee Grief by its very essence, goes through a pattern of contractions and expansions that repeats itself. It may overwhelm us, as to how and why we are going through a process of extremes. The two, by definition are opposites. We shrink and then expand. The shrinkage is essential for the expansion to set its foot. The shrinking, the contraction need not be controlled, neither does it need to be interfered with. Rather contraction paves the pathway for expansion. In such way, contraction is an essential part of expansion. Contraction of grief happens when all our focus, thoughts, energy and attention are pulled completely inwards. And we begin to live in our own created world. That is a world that arises from our thoughts, while we become oblivious of the world around us wanting to share our pain, so we do not have to suffer silently. We are not so much aware of the surroundings around us as we are too absorbed by grief, way too overwhelmed by it coming so hard, so intensely. As we become aware only of our thoughts, we cut the rest of the world out and through such a cutting, we exclude them all and all that we include is our own thoughts processes. We begin to contract and the emotional tightening begins to happen. All our energy and attention is conserved as we focus intently on grief. In those moments of contraction, it feels like being hit by the hardest pain ever and our very survival is in question. We may begin to feel unsafe, tumbling inside, unsteady with our every movement and so unheld in our rolling emotions. We feel unloved, fearful and vulnerable. Living becomes a daily struggle. We sense as if the emotional tightening will help to save us from whatever has struck along the path of life. Instead of forcing anything on us, if we allow the contraction to just be, in time we will see, that it will wane out, and the tightness will loosen and we will expand in the light of rising beneath the light of a new day. And how beautifully grief unfolds.

We live with our pain so at some point, we can come out and see another face of the pain--pure joy, the ultimately fulfilling emotion that glimmers on our minds. As the tightening dwells, it suffocates us but it cannot continue as at some point it explodes and results in us wanting, needing to reach out to a world out there, where we can express the inexpressible. So we burst and the cocoon breaks. In such a bursting, the agony begins to ebb as we gradually open and unfold. So beautifully, expansion sets its foot in our body, mind and soul. The contraction goes behind, expansion comes forward. As we venture out in this world and explore, we let others come close to our souls and we can open ourselves to intimacy with our surroundings, we let the universe in, as we slip out of our own thoughts. We break free of the isolated world that we created on our own. In the beginning, through an extreme tightening, we feel well supported, safely held within the cocoon that we build. But at the same time, being laden with clouds of grief, there comes a time, when the sky of our soul gets so overcase, that at some time, the clouds break and the rain pours in torrents.

We begin to develop emerging relationships with people we meet in our lives, who come across our pathways. New relationships evolve along the pathyway of life, as we meet new people and every encounter turns into something meaningful, bringing beauty to our lives, as we share our emotions, the deepest thoughts and feelings with them.

We no longer feel guilty or disloyal to the ones we loved and lost, by letting the world in our lives. And it becomes the process of coming out of the shell, where we release ourselves with the wealth of wisdom.

Through our series of emotional tightening and loosening, we discover the wealth of wisdom. So, grief intensified, brought an extreme contraction and then slowly began to wane. It became a slow, gradual and natural process, a cycle for us to break free and grow again.

We come back to ourselves, as we unfold and the light begins to rise in sky. With that expands our intimacy and connection with life and this world. We begin to shift from looking always through the eyes of grief and our lens shows a new vision.

From the eyes of grief, we shift to the eyes of compassion, hope, faith and joy restored again gradually through the process of unfolding. As we endure the tightenings, from that endurance rises the loosening.

From the contraction rises the expansion. And it is all a part of the natural cycle of loss and healing. To go through it is to get inside and come outside the other way. To feel joy in the rising sun, we come out of the haze that the rain of heart created for so long. Walking through the haze, we ultimately emerge in clarity and

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expansion. We who first became static, then became dynamic. We who disintegrated through tightening became reintegrated through loosening. Our emotions moved us from one stage to another and because they moved, their mobility finally broke our cocoons and brought us back to life again, and ultimately to ourselves. As they moved through us, between one phase to another, they brought the meaningful transition through which we allowed ourselves to feel what needed to be felt and then roll and release into something beautiful.

Jayita Bhattacharjee was born n Calcutta, India and later on pursued education from University of Houston in Economics, she had chosen her career as a trustee and teacher.

Her Indian residence is in the vicinity of the famous Belurmath. Currently, she is settled in Tampa, Florida.

Her love for writing on a journey of heart and soul was hidden all within. Looking at the moments captured in love and pain, joy and grief, the hidden tragedies of life...it was a calling of her soul to write with the ink that kept flowing from her heart. This is what gave her the fulfillment, the richness in her soul.

Her books "The Ecstatic Dance of Life', " Sacred Sanctuary", " Light of Consciousness", "Dewdrops of Compassion" are meant to shed light on what guides a person to respond to the mystical voice hidden inside, to soar in a boundless expansion with the limitless freedom of spirit.

"It is in the deepest joy that I write with every breath of mine."

From Grief to Grace Pet Bereavement Counseling Monthly Column With Pina De Rosa

The loss of a beloved pet can be the deepest heartbreak of our lives. Each month we will address and answer a key topic In our August column on Pet Grief Counseling, we looked at how to “welcome the ashes” home.

For this month’s topic, we get to look at “anticipatory grief.”

As I have been in the process of writing a book for people who want to know how they can help their loved ones who are going through pet loss, I was asked the following question (by someone who never owned a pet): “Oh so basically you are writing a book on how people grieve?” The answer was no.

As you have been reading this series of monthly articles, you know that support is available. And not just when the pet passes. Oftentimes we know that the pet is about to pass, and we don’t know that we are experiencing something called “anticipatory grief ”. I wish all bereft pet parents had access to loving/healthy processes during this most painful heartbreak.

Unfortunately most people (including myself at the time) don’t know how the support of a pet bereavement session could even help.

The other day one my clients, Kimberly, reached out to me saying her friend was having a hard time because her husky’s was scheduled to pass in a few days, and she wished to give her a gift certificate for a pet grief counseling session for “when the time would come”.

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Photography by Jake Melara

Grieving a human loss and grieving the loss of a pet is not even comparable. Our pets see the truest part of who we are.

Most pet owners will say it’s the purest form of unconditional love. They are like the angels of our souls. With our pets, we don’t need to *be* anything else. When they pass, the physical bond breaks it feels insurmountable to us. And not just the initial shock. Yes, we are grateful -so deeply grateful- to have had the gift of loving them for 3-5-8-15 years.

And yet, if our 3-5-8-15 years old child died, we would not be expected to be at work on Monday. We would not be expected to be ok with the social media “time hops” constantly reminding us of the good times we had together. But somehow, with a pet, we are supposed to soldier on. We are to keep it together and not fall apart. All the while with not much support other than “time will heal”, or “sorry for your loss” and “she had a long life” types of platitudes.

One of the things I shared with Kimberly was that her friend was likely already experiencing anticipatory grief, which makes it even harder to be present with the ailing pet. The fact is pet grief counseling is not just for “when the time comes”. When the anticipatory grief takes over and your friend feels they are drowning in sadness, guilt and other overwhelming emotions, pet grief counseling would be very helpful. The following are a couple of initial suggestions is for the Kimberly’s of the world, the caring friends who want to help when death is imminent.

Suggest to your friend that they tell their pet their adoption story - it’ll be soothing for both. Your friend can tell them their story like a bedtime story, gently sharing it with them every night. Going in all the details. Their beloved animal companion will hear that in their soul. It will be a very special time together, that deepens their bond even more.

When your friend feels overwhelmed by sadness (or any other overwhelming emotion), invite them to imagine all the love in their heart going out to their pet’s heart. And imagining all the love in their pet’s heart going out to their owner’s heart. Imagining this continuous circle of love between the two hearts will be very helpful to navigate any overwhelming emotions.

Relay this to your friend -you can put into your own words what my favorite Scott from www.AtGardensEdge.com shared so beautifully: “During your pet’s final days, just dedicate your time and energy to giving your beautiful dog all the love you can. After your pet passes, celebrate their life. Light some candles and incense...play spiritual music...invite loved ones over (and have them bring your favorite pizza and some ice cream) to say their goodbyes and grieve with you. There is no reason to rush through this deeply emotional process. If your dog passes away at home, don’t worry...Nothing is going to happen to your pet overnight. Just wrap them in an old sheet and get some rest. Call me in the morning. Keep peace and love in your heart.”

Suggest to your friend to write a loving letter to their pet - a letter they can seal and give to the pet mortician after they pass, so their pet can be either buried or cremated with it. This letter can be a testament of so much that they love about their pet; it can include what they are thankful for and what they will miss about them. In that letter/envelope, they can include a small little something that belongs to them so that it will go “with your pet” (I’d recommend staying away from any plastic or metal objects as they’d likely compromise the ashes in the cremation process, but a section of a special blanket, a lock of your hair, a photo would surely work). Then, when the pet passes, your friend can ask the mortician to please include that envelope with their dearly beloved.

Let them know there is nothing plastic or metal in it. The mortician will say yes. This is a wonderfully emotional and healing exercise before a pet is cremated or buried.

Another way to help navigate anticipatory grief is suggesting to your friend invite a few close friends over, even just 2, and you all share favorite moments of times together with your pet(s). Spending lots of time sharing hugs, cuddles, favorite treats, and more cuddles. If your friend is open to spirituality, you could remind them that death is the ultimate healing and what a most selfless gift it is to be there when they cross over. It doesn’t mean it won’t hurt, but focusing on the selflessness of the gift may make it a more peaceful experience. For both the pet and your friend too.

As shared in a previous article, if you do not already know of a trusted caring pet mortician, offer to do Yelp-research for your friend (even while the pet is still alive). You can narrow it down to 3 pet cemetery, and 3 pet cremation places, then call them to ask for details, pricing, times etc..

Once you have that information, share the salient results of your research with your friend so they can make an informed choice. It is ideal if the cremation or burial details were already in place while the pet was alive. It’s the same for people. Plan ahead. When it happens, it’s

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not the time to start making plans. It is quite likely the last thing choice they will want to make at such heartbreaking time, hence your help will be of even greater support.

For those of you in the Los Angeles area, I could not recommend more strongly the truly wonderful Scott Summerville and his www.AtGardensEdge.com - I have personally used his services twice already and I have referred friends and clients to him numerous times, each time finding solace in knowing another beloved pet was in his kind and respectful hands. In fact, with every pet I adopted after my first dog passed, I set up all the aftercare arrangements the same week they were adopted. My second dog passed away 13 months after my first one and, while certainly heartbreaking, it was a much more peaceful experience as all the details had already been taken care of while he was alive. Even when I called the vet to make the euthanasia appointment, and they offered I pay on the day of, I declined that option and gave them my credit card number over the phone, asked that I be charged that day. That way I did not get bogged down with extra logistics, and was able to be fully present in accompanying my boy on his final journey.

My heart goes out to you, and I thank you for being such a caring friend to those in your life whose hearts are breaking from the (anticipated) loss of their beloved animal companion. You make a difference even more than you know!

Pina De Rosa (APLB / AAVSB) is a two-time TEDxSpeaker and Certified Pet Grief Counselor, founder of www.PetBereavementCounseling.com. You may reach her directly for 1-1 Pet Grief Support (sliding scale available).

Her passion project is #MissionWellington and his www.TreatsForPups.com, bringing “doggie bags” of pet food, blankets and supplies to the homeless pups living out in the streets.

Follow her at or submit your questions to www.Instagram.com/LifeAccordingToWellington

Have you seen Gretchen?!

Missing since 11/11/2016 Please contact us

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