The Eden Magazine August 2023

THE POWER TO FEEL BETTER IS IN YOUR HANDS

by JULIE POTIKER

THE ECONOMICS OF SPIRITUALITY

by PHYLLIS KING

A DEEPER LOOK AT FORGIVENESS

by TJ WOODWARD

Asha

WEAVES SPIRITUAL TEACHING INTO DAILY ORDINARY LIFE

Photo by Jess Bailey

Discover the path to a peaceful life among other living beings. We are all made of vibration and light in the universe to manifest our energy around all livingness.

MEET OUR TEAM

PHYLLIS KING

SHERI DETERMAN

ZEE

JOE SANTOS, JR.

ISABELLE RUEN GREG DOHERTY

ARTIN MARDIROSIAN

EDWARD HAKOPIAN ALEXIA MELOCCHI

Maryam Morrison

GRETA PAZZAGLIA

SHERRI CORTLAND

DINA MORRONE

BEN ROLLINS

PHILIP SMITH

LISA JOY WALTON JOE MAGNANI & JARED SCHLACHET JSQUARED PHOTOGRAPHY

BRAD WALLACE

Polly Wirum Susie Schroadter

EDEN

Since 2010

The Eden Magazine is a free online publication 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

PHYLLIS KING

ALEXIA MELOCCHI

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

ZEE

POLLY WIRUM

JOE SANTOS, JR. SHERRI CORTLAND SUSIE SCHROADTER

GUEST WRITER

PHILIP SMITH

CONTRIBUTING STYLISTS + MAKEUP ARTIST

EDWARD HAKOPIAN

LISA JOY WALTON

GRAPHICS & PHOTOGRAPHY

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BEN ROLLINS

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To purchase a copy visit us in www.theedenmagazine.com

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THE POWER TO FEEL BETTER IS IN YOUR OWN HANDS by Julie Potiker

14

ASHA

An interview by Phyllis King

26

THE TIME IS NOW by Isha Foundation

32

THE AURA COLORS YOU WANT, COLORS YOU DON'T WANT, AND HOW TO BRING NEW COLORS IN! by Barbara Y. Martin & Dimitri Moraitis

36

HOW MY DREAM VISION CHANGED EVERYTHING by Sue Frederick

44 IS COFFEINE RUINING YOUR BODY by TotalShape

46 U MURDER U (SUICDE) by Gladyse Lawson

56 OPENING THE DOORS OF FAITH by Nikki Pattillos

66

THE SEARCH TO BE COMPLETE by Susie Schroadter

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A MIRROR SMUDGED, NOT CRACKED by Joe Santos Jr.

Life is Essential, Feel it

by Polly Wirum

The Power to Feel Better Is in Your

OWN HANDS

By Julie Potiker

Did you know there's something you can do anytime, anywhere, to get calm and restore a sense of peace when you feel under stress?

Being touched in a comforting way by others helps us cope with stress, and it turns out we can give ourselves the same kind of comfort through self-soothing touch.

Research shows that placing our hands over our hearts, or wherever it feels comforting, reduces the stress hormone cortisol that our bodies produce when we feel threatened. It also prompts our body to release feel-good hormones like oxytocin and endorphins to begin helping us calm down.

"When we soothe our painful feelings with the healing balm of self-compassion, not only are we changing our mental and emotional experience, we're also changing our body chemistry," says Dr. Kristen Neff, author of Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. "An effective aspect of self-compassion practice, therefore, is to tap into our body's self-healing system through physical sensations."

Dr. Neff is a pioneering researcher in the field of self-compassion and co-founder of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion with Christopher K. Germer, Ph.D., a leader in the integration of mindfulness and psychotherapy and author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion. They created the curriculum for Mindful Self-Compassion, under which I am trained as a certified MSC Teacher.

People who treat themselves with compassion are less likely to be depressed, anxious, and stressed and more likely to be happy, resilient, and optimistic, she says. Touch-

ing ourselves in a soothing way is an easy way to practice mindful self-compassion.

Gentle and supportive touch works by activating our mammalian caregiver response, which evolved to keep infants safe and calm our nervous system.

When an infant cries and is cuddled or soothed by a caregiver, a cascade of feel-good hormones (including oxytocin) and endorphins get released in the infant and the caregiver.

This counteracts the threatdefense system that Paul Gilbert, the creator of Compassion-Focused Therapy, explains happens when we criticize ourselves or when we feel under attack. When we feel attacked by others or by our own self-critical thoughts and words, it triggers the primitive part of our brains, the amygdala, to release cortisol and adrenaline to get us ready to fight, fight, or freeze. Touching ourselves in a soothing way when we feel stress, worry, anxiety, or sadness is an effective way to stem the flow of those stress hormones.

Some people tend to do this instinctively. I recently saw this article titled "Pedro Pascal Has a Great Tip for Managing Anxiety – Here's Why It Works." It describes how Pascal, star of the hit TV series "The Last of Us," puts his hand on his heart when he is feeling social anxiety.

The article quotes James Milford, head of behavioral sciences at Wellbeing Partners in the UK, which delivers courses for anxiety management. He explains one reason why comforting yourself in this way is effective: It's acknowledging that you feel vulnerable while at the same time supporting yourself.

The beauty of SNAP is that you can tailor it to any situation, including the form of soothing touch you choose and the mindful action you take to help you in the moment.

"The hand over the heart is allowing the anxiety, not seeing it as an enemy to defeat, and it is also a physical manifestation of support," he says. He goes on to advocate a couple more of my favorite forms of mindful self-compassion: a "grounding object" (I recommend carrying a "Here and Now Stone" that you can rub when you feel anxious or agitated) and mindful breathing — taking deep, slow breaths and focusing on each inhale and exhale to calm your fightor-flight reflex.

Soothing touch doesn't always involve placing your hand over your heart. Try different forms to find what works best for you, such as:

• Cradling your face in your hands

• Placing one hand on your heart and one on your belly

• Lacing your fingers with both hands on your belly or over your chest

• Holding one hand to your cheek

• Gently rubbing your chest

If you are in the workplace or otherwise feel self-conscious doing this around others, you might choose a stealthy form of supportive touch placement like holding one hand in the other or crossing your arms so that your lower arms are applying gentle pressure on your ribcage with your palms and fingers giving yourself a low hug.

Supportive, soothing touch is the "S" in my four-step SNAP method:

1) Soothing Touch: Place your hand over your heart or wherever it feels most comforting. Oxytocin and endorphins will be released, helping your nervous system calm down.

2) Name the Emotion: Label the emotion, such as "I am feeling

worry" or "I am having anger." Locate it in your body. The mere act of labeling the emotion helps you to step back from it.

3) Act: Ask yourself these two questions: 1) What do I need to hear right now? Then tell it to yourself! Examples might be "I love you; you'll get through this," or "It's tough to feel this way, but you are not alone." 2) What do I need to do right now to shift my mindset? Choose the appropriate mindfulness tool from your toolbox and do it! You could start with a breathing exercise, breathing in for a count of four and out for a count of six, doing this for three to five breath cycles. After that, your body will be in a calmer state for you to choose another Mindful Method tool, such as taking a walk outside for a few minutes, having a cup of tea, spending a few minutes listening to a guided meditation, etc.

4) Praise: Pat yourself on the back for managing your emotions! Thank your practice, your teachers, and your deity of choice. When you feel a positive mental state, like the love is working, let it fill you up for a breath or two. Doing this will help you wire a new neural bridge in your brain.

The beauty of SNAP is that you can tailor it to any situation, including the form of soothing touch you choose and the mindful action you take to help you in the moment. The P (praise) is usually the same for me — thinking about and feeling gratitude for my practice, my teachers, and my life.

So the next time you feel tension, anxiety, worry, or unrest in your body or mind, try practicing SNAP. Start by supporting yourself with comforting, soothing touch, just as you would for anyone you love, and see what a difference it can make.

Julie Potiker is a mindfulness expert with extensive certifications and teacher training in a variety of tools and methods, including Mindful Self-Compassion.

Her new book is "SNAP! From Chaos to Calm." Through her Mindful Methods for Life program offerings, Julie helps others bring more peace and wellness into their lives.

Julie's first book, Life Falls Apart, but You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos, is now available on audiobook.

Learn more at MindfulMethodsForLife.com

Asha means “hope” in Sanskrit. Asha has been a Spiritual seeker since her early youth. Today she travels around the world teaching those seeking inspiration and support from her. She is a spiritual director of Ananda Sangha of Palo Alto.

By Phyllis King

With warmth and wisdom, Asha weaves spiritual teaching into daily ordinary life. She is a master teacher, considered by many to be one of the most nuanced and clear teachers of Yoga in the world today. Asha is a lifelong disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda.

She studied and worked closely with his direct disciple, Swami Kriyananda, for 45 years. Her teachings are non-sectarian-sharing truths that underlie the great religions. She draws freely from both the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita. She has video talks on YouTube and audio recordings, which are a spiritual lifeline for people of all faiths around the world. Her unusual insight and clarity have immeasurably helped thousands of students.

How did you come to the spiritual path?

I was always an extremely serious-minded person. Our family is Jewish in heritage, intellectual by orientation. It was a strong moral and ethical upbringing. I was good in school, and in our society, all doors can open for you. I was in the difficult position of knowing I had the opportunity to do anything I wanted, but I didn't want to do any of it.

I never felt I would be satisfied if I became a doctor, a lawyer, a professor, a business person, or any of those things. I was, in a very quiet way, absolutely desperate. By the grace of God, when I was 18 years old, I was given a book by Swami Vivekananda, the great disciple of the master Ramakrishna from India. I read a few pages and knew, "This is what I've been looking for." For the next several years, I avidly read books about spirituality. I was convinced that the spiritual life was the true life.

I have to add this was the 60s. This was Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert, LSD. This was when the whole idea of consciousness was just breaking into the American scene, and I was part of that scene. I never liked drugs, though, because I liked my brain. I didn't want to mess it up. But the whole message of the times told me, "Change your consciousness, and you can change everything." I started reading the life stories of various masters. It's quite impactful when you read about the extraordinary things that have been done by Christian missionaries, Christian saints, Yogis in the Himalayas, and Tibetan Yogis.

By that time, I'm a nice Jewish girl living in California. I can't be a Christian missionary or a Christian saint. The idea of going to a cave in India seemed really hard and uncomfortable. I was now 22, It was 1969. I was living in Palo Alto, California — which, as it happens, is where I still live. Swami Kriyananda was invited to give a program at nearby Stanford University. I had been a student there but dropped out after just one year.

Swami Kriyananda was an American disciple of the Indian Guru Paramhansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi. Kriyananda, at that time, was in his early forties, twice my age. He walked into the room, and I felt his consciousness before he spoke even one word. It had no boundaries. His vibration was pure joy. My inner voice said, to my total surprise, "He has what I want." It was the first time in my life I had ever seen anything I really wanted.

That was that. Here I am, more than 50 years later. I have never deviated. I have done my best to follow what he taught me up to this very minute.

People want to understand why there is so much suffering in the world.

To understand suffering and what's happening in this world, you must look at the big picture. Does God exist? And if so, what is God? Many in the West have to look to the East, especially India, to find satisfactory answers to these questions. In the truest ancient tradition of India, it is called Sanaatan Dharma, which means simply" That which is." It's the way we are made. Human beings find happiness in certain ways, and other ways bring suffering. It isn't dogma. It isn't even really religion. It is "That which is." Everything is interrelated. The idea that the ego self is a separate, independent entity disconnected from the rest of cre-

ation is a profound misunderstanding. We have to start with the nature of creation itself. Where does creation come from? This is where we get into words like God, consciousness, universal energy, and even science. When did consciousness begin? How long have we existed? Is death the end? Does the baby come in as a blank slate? Or are we on a very long journey, much longer than just one lifetime? All these questions lead to the answers to the most important questions: "What brings happiness? What causes suffering?" Every difficult experience that any human being goes through is because there is something we have to learn about what brings happiness and what causes suffering.

Through meditation, we can step back a little from emotional reactions, fears and worries, physical discomfort or pain. We discover an inner dimension of self that is always at peace.

More deeply than mere outer events — many of which are self-evidently joyous or painful — what we have to develop is our inner consciousness. We are one with infinite spirit. We have the opportunity at any moment to perceive not only the limited reality of the individual body but the infinite reality, which is our true nature.

Every apparent suffering is a challenge for us to expand our awareness so that we can be simultaneously conscious of both the infinite and the finite. That may sound very complicated, even confusing. But that's what makes the spiritual path so fascinating. It takes us far beyond the obvious into an open-ended awareness of our own potential.

How do we know if the choice we're making is the right choice or a good one and if it will take us to happiness instead of suffering? We make lots of terrible choices. We always do. We can only do the best we can do at the time. Pay attention to what happens afterward to know if you are making the right decision. Do your sincere best to tune in to higher principles, to overcome selfishly based ideas. But you also have to be realistic about your own capabilities. You have to be authentic and have the self-honesty to know your limits.

When we pay attention to how decisions feel on a vibrational level, we will know when we're holding anger, revenge, hatred, and selfishness. Those vibrations don't work out well. The next time we can be more aware and try to choose differently.

I have a couple of made-up mantras that I use. One is, "If I could have done better, I would have done better." "If I could have been wiser, I would have been wiser." Then the corollary to that is, "It seemed like a good idea at the time." "No matter how it turned out, it always seemed like a good idea at the time, or else I

wouldn't have done it!" That's how we learn.

How do we heal from a broken heart?

Very slowly. Heartbreak changes us. It makes us different. But different can be better. Kinder. More compassionate. More grateful. If your heart has been broken, it means that something you felt was essential to your happiness isn't going to be there anymore because of death, time, or change. You must find other ways to bring back the joy that has been taken away. Reality may be hard to accept, but reality always wins. Better to cooperate with what is. Otherwise, you will be sad forever, which is very unfortunate.

Here is an interesting principle of Sanaatan Dharma: We learn from being disappointed, but we learn more from being fulfilled. We long for that which we believe will give us happiness. When our desires are fulfilled, we get to drink that cup of happiness to the last drop. And that experience can be beautiful. But we find that nothing external to our consciousness is ever enough. The great Christian mystic, Saint Augustine, said, "Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee."

A broken heart is always there, an unchangeable fact. What we have to do is become bigger in relation to it. That's how we heal.

What is the point of meditation?

One of the reasons we suffer in this world is because we don't understand "Who and What I Am." We define ourselves by our limited characteristics, which begin with having a physical body. We think of our physical body as the first reality, but we are an inverted pyramid. The physical body is our most contracted self. When we meditate, we expand into the non-physical portion of that inverted pyramid, which keeps on expanding to infinity.

I used to be quite discouraged by all the injustice the world. My heart still breaks from it, but I'm not at all discouraged anymore. I’ve come to see that there are many, many great light workers on the planet now, doing really good work.

We can step back a little from emotional reactions, fears, worries, physical discomfort, or pain through meditation. We discover an inner dimension of self that is always at peace. When we learn to take that inner calmness into the tumult of life, we are much more likely to make good decisions. Meditation enables us to stand closer to our calm center, making everything different.

Why do some people have wealth and abundance and others do not?

Karma always plays a role. If you are doing everything right, and it still isn't bringing the results you want, it is because you have built up momentum from the past, pulling in another direction. That is what karma is: momentum, not yet re-directed. If you unplug an electric fan with a spinning propeller, it will keep spinning for a while. But if you cut off the electricity, eventually it will stop. Sometimes, even after your intentions are set and your actions are aligned, it still takes time to shift the momentum from the past. Don't give up! Keep on, and eventually, things will change. What we are is an energy pattern. It is completely within our power to shift that pattern. But we have to put out energy to make the change.

Whatever abundance you are seeking — emotional, monetary, talent, or love — one of the foremost laws is to appreciate what you have. When you are careless with the abundance you have or ungrateful for what has been given to you, you are not setting up a magnetic force to attract more.

Let's say a friend gives you a present. And you say, "I hate it. It's not what I wanted!"

How likely is it that they will go shopping for you again? Too often, instead of being grateful, we rebel against what has been given to us.

We mistreat it, abuse it, and thus dissipate the little abundance we have.

Or we are irresponsible in our thinking. We take credit for it ourselves rather than thanking our Divine Mother for Her generosity. We think of ourselves as powerful prosperity generators. Which we are, but it is still a misunderstanding. Everything that comes to us is a gift from the Divine. Even the opportunity to learn and practice the principles of prosperity is a gift from a higher reality. When someone gives you a gift, you should be very appreciative of it. Find a way to be grateful.

There's a lot of cruelty in the world, including to animals. Why is that? Is there something we can do to make it better for animals and all living beings? The level of consciousness on this planet is not particularly high. It used to be much worse. Looking back even a few centuries, you can see we're moving upward. Being on a planet like this provides many opportunities to build righteousness in a rather unrighteous society.

If people are being cruel, they're cruel because they are suffering. They inflict pain because they mistakenly think it will lessen the pain they feel inside.

In 1986, I went to India for the first time. I'd never seen poverty as I saw it there — beggars, diseases, people living on the sidewalk. I thought, "We have all the resources to fix this. What we lack is the collective will to do it." It isn't a matter of technology or money. It is a problem of the human heart. We have to awaken human hearts to our unity with all creation. We must awaken in people to the desire, the capacity, and the courage to be instruments of light.

If people are being cruel, they’re cruel because they themselves are suffering. They inflict pain because they think, mistakenly, that it will lessen the pain they feel inside.

On a planet like this one, at a time like this, many of Divine Mother's naughty children have incarnated with us. I call them the shadow people. I prefer the word "shadow" to the word "dark." Shadow merely blocks the light. It cannot destroy it. Shadow depends on light. God equally loves every human being. Divine Mother loves her naughty children as much as her good ones. It is hard to understand, but it is true. And the naughty children have an equal divine right to learn the lessons they need to learn.

Part of what makes a world like this so difficult is that such an enormous spectrum of light and shadow exists simultaneously. Many very light souls are incarnating, but there are also many shadowy souls coming here because it is a good place for them to find out if being in the shadow is going to fulfill them or not.

Planet Earth is at a point where a higher age is replacing a lower age. But a lot of people prefer the lower age of fixed material realities — religions, races, and ethnicities all held distinct and separate. And those shadow people are trying as hard as possible to make the future look like the past. The forces of light are too strong for the shadow to win, but the shadow is not going to go away without a struggle. So it is a great opportunity for light workers to become courageous and strong. And for shadow people to learn what they came to learn.

This is a very big perspective, extremely hard to hold onto when you see cruelty inflicted on humans, animals, or Nature itself. Extremely hard to hold. But that's one of the reasons we're here. To face something very hard and to be victorious within ourselves - to stay in the light.

And in the process, we can do

a tremendous amount of good. Every revolution in history starts with a few committed souls. Consider Jesus Christ. Crucified. He was thrown into a cave. Most of his disciples ran away. Everyone expected that was the end of the story. But it was just the beginning.

We should do what we can to bring more light onto the material plane. To work for positive change in the causes that we believe in. But in all these efforts, we have to be faithful to the high ideals that motivate us. We have to act with the consciousness and the vibrations that we are trying to bring into manifestation. Even our thoughts have great power.

I used to be quite discouraged by all the injustice in the world. My heart still breaks from it, but I'm not discouraged anymore. I've come to see that there are many, many great light workers on the planet now, doing really good work. We're all learning our lessons, doing what we came here to do. The shadow, in some form, will always be with us. This planet is a school. It will never be perfect. But as we work to uplift the planet, we are also changing ourselves, lifting our vibration to uplift others.

What's next for you?

I'm closer to the end of my incarnation than to the beginning. I love being older. Older is better. I hope that what I feel now is wisdom, not just old age! And that if I have another body in another incarnation, even when I'm young, I'll be old in the sense of wisdom.

Swamiji was extraordinarily generous in his teaching and training. I feel it as a debt that must be balanced by generosity of heart. In the last year of Swamiji's life — he passed in 2013 — he gave me my instructions: to travel as much as possible, sharing all I have learned from him. In many ways, the whole world is the same to me.

I still have a home in the Ananda community in Palo Alto, where I have lived for more than three decades. I have deep and wonderful friendships here and many equally dear friends elsewhere. I am a Sanyasi, a renunciate. Wherever I can serve best is where I want to be.

Right now, that means traveling around the world, meeting devotees of Paramhansa Yogananda or others interested in hearing what Swamiji taught me about this excellent teaching of Self-Realization. I go where I am invited. It is a privilege and a blessing to serve.

You've written many books, is there one you want THE EDEN MAGAZINE readers to consider?

The foundation book behind everything I do is Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda. That book helped launch and continues to inspire a worldwide spiritual revolution.

My teacher, Swami Kriyananda, was his direct disciple. His autobiography, The New Path: My Life With Paramhansa Yogananda, is mostly about what it was like to be with the great Guru.

My small contribution is a book about my life with Swamiji. It is called Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer.

Special Thank you to:

Asha

Ananda Sangha

Dina Morrone

JSquared Photography @j2pix

The Time

Is Now

Impact over Profit

As human beings, we can do so many different activities. But whatever the nature of our activity, in today’s world, even hard-nosed businessmen are talking about impact, not profit. “Impact” is a crude way of saying, “We want to touch someone’s life.” Whether business people are talking about the impact or you are forming a personal relationship with someone, essentially, somewhere, you want to break the boundaries with someone for some time.

To be a Yogi means to be determined to obliterate the boundaries of your individuality. In some way, you want to erase the lines that separate you from the rest of the universe. Yoga means to approach it in a scientific way. You do not have to do any great amount of activity; you do not have to indulge in sexuality; you do not have to get entangled in anything. If you consciously erase your boundaries, simply sitting here, you can experience a trillion times more than with any activity, and it is just fantastic. Yoga means to obliterate your boundaries.

Desperate Attempts

All the human nonsense that you see on the planet is only because of concretized boundaries. They have just concretized their boundaries so rigidly that if two people meet, they will clash. Yoga does not mean twisting and turning; it is not a weight loss program or stress relief program. It means you understood the stupidity of “me versus the universe.” It is absolutely idiotic to be in competition with that which is the source of your life. When you realize that, you are moving towards Yoga.

It does not matter how you do it. You can call it impact; you can call it service; you can call it whatever you want. Essentially, when you realize this me vs. the rest of the universe is a stupid competition to get into, you

start relaxing your boundaries – this is Yoga. That means approaching it in a fail-safe way. When two people fall in love or get married, they think they are in Yoga, and they break their boundaries, but after some time, you will see it is not fail-safe.

Not necessarily do two people have to turn against each other after some time. Maybe comfort will happen. In rare moments, they might have erased boundaries. The rest of the time, it is a mutual benefit scheme. Whatever form it is, Yoga essentially means this: the first thing is you are interested in erasing your own boundaries. And if you know the joy of what it means, then you want it to happen all around you.

The Irony of Life

The fundamental irony of life is – the very instruments of life turn against us. Without this body, we do not know how to live here. Without this mind, we do not know how to live here. Body and mind are the two most basic instruments of life, but it is these two which have turned against people. You can call it suffering, misery, disease, or any number of names. Essentially, two basic instruments of life have turned against you.

Keeping these two things for you, not against you, is our most basic responsibility. If the body and mind turn against us, the human potential will not be realized. Let us say you have a headache; nothing big, no cancer – just a headache will ruin your life. Or let us say your nostrils are stuffed all the time – nothing big, just a cold. First, you will say, “What’s the big deal?” But suppose it lasts for a few years; you will see life is lost. Not because of cancer, not because your heart broke, just a cold – life is lost. If this body, if this mind turns against you, then you cannot explore the full depth and dimension of what it means to be human.

The fundamental irony of life is – the very instruments of life turn against us. Without this body, we do not know how to live here. Without this mind, we do not know how to live here. Body and mind are the two most basic instruments of life, but it is these two which have turned against people.

Making Everything Work for You

Some people have this issue – the very universe is against them simply because of the way they exist. When you have that kind of opposition, you cannot live. Yoga means to keep everything – body, mind, existence – working with us, or better, we are working with it. Now, if something happens, it is wonderful; if nothing happens, it is too fantastic. Something important to do today – wonderful! Nothing to do – fantastic! But for most people, if something happens, it is a problem; if nothing happens, it is a super problem.

Yoga means you become a part of everything. You still have an individual existence but with open, porous boundaries. Because of this, in some way, we have become everything, and we are okay with anything. If you really open up your boundaries and existence and its source are working with you, what needs to happen will happen. This is what Yoga means –to be in tune with everything simply because you loosened your boundaries. You make the boundaries porous so that life seeps in, so you are not a prisoner in your own body and your mind.

Prisoner of Your Own Making

Most people are prisoners of their own body and mind. Instead of your body and mind being platforms upon which life is housed, they become the prison walls for life within. You always have to keep it up to feel like it is worth living, and not just you; you expect a few other people to cooperate. Yogis just stayed alone, not because they did not care, but simply because they were just fine by themselves. If the society of the times had shown the right kind of interest, they probably would have stepped in. We are at a time in history where...

For example, in my father’s generation – whatever personal things were happening in their lives, they never spoke about it to anyone; they just managed it within themselves and carried on with their life. Then my generation came. When I was in university, I just sat outside in the garden. Every day, someone came and told their whole life story to me. Not an interesting life, but they want to tell. All stupid stuff – how they suffered from their parents, their education, their poverty, their girlfriend or boyfriend – endlessly. At that time, I just heard all these things – everyone had a problem. It looked like I was some kind of a freak – I did not have any problem.

Most people are prisoners of their own body and mind. Instead of your body and mind being platforms upon which life is housed, they become the prison walls for life within. You always have to keep it up to feel like it is worth living, and not just you; you expect a few other people to cooperate.

The Belly-Up Generation

My father’s generation used to write journals. Even in my generation, a lot of people wrote journals about all aspects of their life, and they didn’t want anyone to see it. If anyone ever opened as much as a cover page, they would be terribly upset. “Without me knowing, you opened my journal” – it was like a crime. But today’s generation puts every aspect of their life on Facebook, and they will be terribly upset if no one sees it. Like, “I’m eating my breakfast,” – picture! “I’m licking my ice cream” – picture. Just anything and everything…

In a way, this is a belly-up generation. When a generation is belly-up like this, it is time for transformation – the best time. There are various things that I cannot articulate right now. If we really have to transform human beings on this planet, they are available to you in a big way only for another fifteen to a maximum of thirty years. After that, it will be very hard to touch them. Of course, there will always be people who are willing and others who are not willing, but generally, the larger population will be super-willing for these fifteen to thirty years. Beyond that, it will be difficult for a variety of reasons.

A Possibility for a Limited Time Only

So, we are here at an appropriate time. If we do the right things, we can touch a maximum number of people. But if time passes, if this generation passes, and once they are off Facebook and everything, it will be difficult. Above all, if we do not strongly enough impart Yoga in the world, in another twenty-five to thirty years, more than ninety percent of the world’s population will be on some kind of chemical. Once they are on chemicals, you cannot talk to them. The world is rapidly getting there. If you do not show them another way to take away the boundary simply sitting here, they will get there

in a way that is not for keeps. It is only for a few minutes or a few hours – afterward, it will get them.

This is just the right time, and it is our time on the planet. If we are committed and determined, we can make this the best time ever in the history of humanity because we are empowered like never before. Survival is taken care of like never before – for human beings, at least, not for the other creatures, unfortunately. Never before did human beings have so much comfort and convenience. If we do not do the right things now, later, it will be too late; because later, situations will be very different. It is estimated that with the rise of Artificial Intelligence, probably in seventy years’ time, anywhere between forty to fifty percent of the population may commit suicide. Simply because if there is nothing to do, they will see no worth in their life.

Yoga: Transformative Catalyst

It is very much possible that we will go that way. So imparting Yoga is not just another chore that you do in the world – it is a very significant activity. Everyone may not understand this right now. But if we all do the right thing, with enough intensity, in another five to seven years’ time, you will see how important Yoga will become in the world. Already the demand has become significantly more today than it was five years ago. The only thing is, when something is in so much demand, all of a sudden, all kinds of spurious stuff will come up because there is a market. If there is no quality product, people make up and do all kinds of things.

The classical system of Yoga is unique… Maybe it is not as entertaining as doing Zumba or something else, but if people give themselves to the Yogic process, they will do things that they have not imagined possible.

AU RA

Colors You Want, Colors You Don’t Want,

HOW TO BRING NEW COLORS IN! AND

By Barbara Y. Martin and Dimitri Moraitis

The aura is a vibratory essence that encompasses and surrounds all living things. Everything you think, feel and do vibrates an energy that comes through in different spiritual colors and hues depending on the quality of your thoughts and feelings. If you are excited and happy, those energies show up in your aura. If you are angry or depressed, those energies show up in the aura as well. The goal is to release unhealthy energies and build up your auric power. You accomplish this by calling on the Divine Light you need to strengthen your aura and enhance your life.

For example, say you are feeling sad and lonely. Sadness would show itself in the aura as a depressing gray energy. To change that energy around, you can call upon the spiritual power of love, which comes through in a vibrant rose-pink light. As this energy enters your aura, it has a wonderful uplifting quality bringing you into a consciousness of love. Then as you apply this loving power in your life, you will feel more joy and motivation.

Spiritual colors of the aura fall into two categories: enlightened and unenlightened. Enlightened colors are spiritual energies imbued with their divine essence and being expressed in the aura as they were intended to be. Unenlightened colors are spiritual energies that have been corrupted. They started as divine energy but, through misuse, lost their spiritual vitality and degraded to an unenlightened status.

Enlightened Colors

Enlightened colors are spiritual energies we have attracted and earned as a result of our positive

thoughts, actions, and deeds. Here are some examples of uplifting spiritual powers to attract more of.

Ruby Red — Ruby Red signifies life energy, physical vitality, and/ or endurance.

Lemon Yellow — This energy brings in powers of concentration. It deals with the intellect. Lemon yellow shows mental vigor in all fields of creative endeavors.

Emerald Green — Emerald green expresses balance in an individual. It is also the color of harmony. A person with this energy is steady on their feet and can take the ups and downs of life in stride.

Turquoise — Turquoise is the energy of prosperity. It’s a “good luck” energy. Turquoise holds us in the consciousness of wealth and freedom from limitations and restrictions.

Violet — The person who has violet possesses an aura that is serene and calm. He or she expresses inner and outer poise.

Silver — Silver is the energy of spiritual intelligence. It shows a person with keen powers of perception and a quick, alert mind.

Gold — Gold is the energy of wisdom, illumination, self-confidence, faith, and courage. It is a very strong, protective energy. If we have gold in our aura, we have the confidence to know who and what we are.

White — Along with gold, white in an aura is considered one of the highest colors. It means purity. This energy, in any degree in the aura, unquestionably indicates a spiritual, often visionary, soul.

Unenlightened Colors

Unenlightened colors are divine energies that have somehow been misused. The thing to remember about unenlightened energies is that they are not part of your true, divine nature. Do not claim these negative energies as your own. Just clear them out and avoid creating any new destructive vibrations.

Vitiated Red — This energy comes through in the dark, dirty, maroon red. It shows lustfulness. People with this energy can be intoxicated by sex and have an insatiable appetite for more.

Cocoa Brown — Brown, especially cocoa brown, shows someone who is cruel and petty. This energy stimulates selfishness and selfish desires for power.

Mustard Yellow — This energy reveals lethargy or laziness. It can also show confusion and disorientation. A person with this energy in their aura would have trouble concentrating.

Avocado Green — This energy reveals deceit in an individual. This is someone who is out to cheat and take advantage of people. It shows a person who is greedy.

Gray — Gray is associated with fear and depression. A chronic worrier will have gray in their aura. Gray appears in people who can’t presently see their way out of whatever dark cloud they’ve fallen into.

Black — Black is void of any spiritual vitality. It indicates someone

who is open to dark influences and may be prone to murder.

How to Bring New Colors In You may not all be able to see the aura, but it’s there! The goal is to get started working with your aura to uplift it. Meditation is key. Reflective meditation is a wonderful and simple way to work with the Divine Light to uplift your aura. It involves focusing your attention on a colorful image that’s pleasing and uplifting, thereby attracting the energy of the color you’re envisioning into your aura. Here are two simple reflection meditations to begin drawing in Divine Light and changing your life for the better:

1) Flower Meditation to Strengthen Powers of Concentration — Envision yourself running through a field of bright yellow flowers. Put your attention on the beauty and vibrancy of that yellow color. Connecting with that image and really feeling those yellow flowers will draw in the lemon-yellow ray of concentration energy, focusing your mind, and strengthening your consciousness!

2) Waterfall Meditation for Healing — Envision yourself in a soothing, invigorating sapphire blue waterfall showering your entire body. Let the healing power of the blue waterfall heal any troubled or distressed areas of your body, mind, and emotions. See it touching into every part of your being, soaking in through the pores of your skin, relaxing and uplifting you.

Barbara Y. Martin and Dimitri Moraitis are cofounders of the renowned Spiritual Arts Institute. With over 50 years of clairvoyant experience, they have taught thousands to better themselves by working with the aura and spiritual energy.

Their award-winning books include the international bestseller Change Your Aura, Change Your Life, Karma and Reincarnation, The Healing Power of Your Aura, Communing With the Divine, and their newest book, Heaven and Your Spiritual Evolution: A Mystic’s Guide to the Afterlife and Reaching Your Highest Potential www.spiritualarts.org.

© 2023 Barbara Y. Martin & Dimitri Moraitis

Changed

My Dream Vision How Everything

By Sue Frederick

Photo by Sergii MostovyiAdobeStock

I’ve been knocked flat, in bed with a 103-degree fever and a scary cough that leaves me nauseous and unable to eat. This potent combination of high fever and days without food has cleansed my body, shaken my brain, and broken me wide open. Between bouts of fever, I feel like a newborn baby, joyful and grateful to be alive. Yet it will take weeks in bed for my ego mind to fully understand that I’ve been knocked flat so I can surrender, let go of old patterns, and embrace new realizations downloaded from the Divine and that these transmissions will take my soul and my work to the next level.

During one memorable night when my fever rose above 103, the thin veil lifted, and I had a vision of our planet on its evolutionary journey of consciousness-awakening. There was a moving river of light spreading around the globe, one light sparking another and another, until bands of illumination circled the entire planet, enlightening all the dark crevices. Suddenly I realized that this is the story of human evolution, sparking from one light of divine con-

sciousness into billions of such sparks of light, which gradually overcome the darkness. It was clear how much more light there is in our world than darkness, and I felt assured that the light is winning, no matter how tragic the news may seem or what new events may unfold in the future.

This fever-fueled vision inspired me with new ideas and concepts to write about. Much of what I dreamt and understood that night, I couldn’t remember when I first woke up. I did remember my sense of knowing that all is well with the world, which is moving in the right direction. I felt transformed by this out-ofbody experience, and for days I struggled to articulate these ideas to family and friends.

The experience of feeling reborn led me to a new level of work, which began to solidify into specific ideas over the next few weeks until I was consumed with the concept of the divine lens versus the ego lens as the two primary ways we perceive events in our lives. This new concept and how to reap the benefits of divine lens viewing is what this book is all about.

When I guide a client’s soul regression, they’re the ones receiving the guidance, and I ask them to speak it out loud as they receive it; this way, they can hear their own voice sharing this wisdom whenever they listen to the audio recording I make.

So how does this work?

As you can see from the vision described above, many things can precipitate an out-of-body experience that can reveal the divine realms, including illness and fever. From the time I was little, I’ve had precognitive dreams and clairaudient and clairvoyant experiences. More often than not, my nighttime dreams were outof-body experiences, journeys into mysterious realms or states of consciousness where I saw sacred beings and extraordinary landscapes and met with departed loved ones. I always awakened from these dreams feeling exalted, uplifted, and eager to return there.

When I began claiming these gifts and using them to create my life’s work and inspire my books, I longed for a way to help clients experience these states of higher consciousness themselves. I knew their healing and insights would have more sticking power if they had the experience themselves. Several years ago, I gratefully received training in soul regression from Dr. Linda Backman, founder of the Ravenheart Center, so that I could do exactly that: guide others into the realms that I knew and loved so well from my own journeys.

As a certified Past Life and Between Lives Soul Regression therapist, I have had the great blessing of guiding clients through meditative journeys into the divine realms for therapeutic soul healing. In these intensive sessions, the client ]experiences a significant past lifetime and a return to the divine realms to meet their spirit guides and Council of Elders for advice and guidance. These sessions are a complete immersion into the soul’s story, a way of seeing life through the di-

vine lens. The experience brings a new and empowering perspective to whatever challenges the client is facing, such as the pain of grief or physical illness.

For more than two decades, I’ve also done intuitive numerology coaching sessions with thousands of clients. This work has helped many of my clients understand their soul mission and soul agreements for their current lifetime. When they follow these numerology sessions with an intensive soul regression (like the ones you’ll read in this book), they get a completely immersive experience of merging with their divine essence. That perspective is a transformative divine lens shift.

From my personal experiences and those of my clients, as well as from conversations and visions with my beloved departed, here’s what I have learned: We leave our bodies easily during certain brain-wave states of deep relaxation, such as meditation or deep sleep. During those times when the mind quiets, the soul travels. And we can learn to be conscious of the experience and remember it when we return to the body.

Slipping into that exalted state has always been easy for me, almost too easy, in this lifetime. It’s a painless, exalted state of awareness where our everyday concerns disappear. We know everything we need to know in those moments. In that state, we meet souls we’ve loved for many lifetimes, who wrap us in unconditional love and compassion; they’ve returned to their greatest divine potential after crossing over at the end of life. These souls are marinating in the loving consciousness of divinity, where forgiveness is effortless and eternal.

During these journeys, our primary spirit guides usually step for- ward. These are the evolved beings who have guided us throughout each lifetime and have helped us manifest our life plans for evolutionary purposes, for the highest good. We have intuitive knowingness conversations with these beings and can ask them how we’ve been doing in our many Earth journeys and what we need to know in order to do better.

For example, a guide may tell you to request their help more often because they’re always available to lift you into a higher state of consciousness, even during your moments of deepest pain. Yet they can’t step in unless we request their help, so our participation is required. And our requests are always answered.

If we desire, our guides will take us to meet the group of highest evolved beings known as the Council of Elders. It’s their job to oversee the growth and learning of all souls reincarnating on Earth. And yes, they also help individual souls whenever help is requested. We experience a higher vibration, a sacred presence, as soon as we step into their meeting space. We often feel a bit humbled and grateful to be in their presence while asking for insight and guidance about whatever challenges we’re facing; they will answer every question in a way that serves our inner growth.

If we so desire, we can visit the Library of Souls to study and learn more. This is a place in the divine realms that I’ve visited so many times in this lifetime. I love the calm energy, wisdom, and knowledge that permeates this library. It’s like stepping into the most beautiful space of

learning you’ve ever experienced. It’s called the Library of Souls because every piece of knowledge about incarnations on Earth and elsewhere is contained there, as well as higher knowledge about why we chose Earth as a place of learning. We have access to all knowledge when we visit this place of higher learning, even if we sometimes can’t consciously bring all of that knowledge back to Earth with us. One of my beloved departed, my best childhood girlfriend, Crissie, who was brilliant in her human lifetime on Earth, is one of the workers and teachers in this library; I often get to see her when I visit there.

There is another place that I’ve visited occasionally where we can learn why we chose our particular body for this lifetime and how it is perfectly designed to help us learn what we came here to learn. This place is similar to a pavilion where we can study and absorb the lessons and gifts inherent in each body type we may pick for a lifetime. Much healing is gained here about why we’ve struggled with certain health issues or poor body image and the purpose of it all. As we return to the earthly realms, we carry the love, wisdom, and insight we’ve gained in those realms.

When I guide a client’s soul regression, they’re the ones receiving the guidance, and I ask them to speak it out loud as they receive it; this way, they can hear their own voice sharing this wisdom whenever they listen to the audio recording I make.

Clients find those recordings extremely helpful because, as time goes by, the conscious mind begins to forget parts of that profound experience.

Sue Frederick is a lifelong intuitive, an ordained Unity minister, a certified past-life and between-lives soul regression therapist, a certified creative arts therapist, an intuitive career coach, a grief intuitive coach, and a master numerologist. She’s the author of Bridges to Heaven: True Stories of Loved Ones on the Other Side, I See Your Soul Mate: An Intuitive’s Guide to Finding and Keeping Love, and I See Your Dream Job: A Career Intuitive Shows You How to Discover What You Were Put on Earth to Do, and the memoir Water Oak: The Happiness of Longing

Photo by By golubovy/ AdobeStock

• Too much caffeine can cause various side effects, mostly related to the digestive system and brain.

• Caffeine can have many health benefits if used within the accepted dose, including preventing diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.

• The amount of caffeine you should consume can vary depending on factors such as your body weight and whether you take medication.

Caffeine. It's a part of most adults' daily routines. Studies show that 80% of Americans consume caffeine every single day. But how is caffeine affecting the way our bodies work?

Fitness experts at totalshape.com have conducted research to reveal how often people should consume caffeine to help them see the benefits of caffeine and avoid its unpleasant side effects.

How Much Caffeine Should You Consume?

The amount of caffeine you should consume can vary depending on factors such as your body weight and whether you take medication. Caffeine affects your body by inhibiting the effects of a substance in the central nervous system called adenosine, which leads to feeling less sleepy and tired for up to twelve hours. When

consumed in moderation, caffeine can help you feel concentrated and refreshed.

How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?

Too much caffeine is more than 400 mg daily for healthy adults, as determined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the safe upper limit. This equates to about four cups of coffee and around five cans of energy drinks. It's important to note that pregnant or breastfeeding women should limit their caffeine intake to 200 mg. However, you should consume less than the recommended amount of caffeine if you are sensitive to caffeine!

Can Caffeine Harm Your Health?

Caffeine can harm your health if you exceed the recommended dose400mg a day. Too much caffeine can cause problems such as insomnia, heart palpitations, increased heart rate, nausea, and anxiety. However, experts warn that quitting caffeine-containing beverages cold turkey can cause withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety, headaches, and fatigue. Therefore, it's all about finding that balance!

The research was conducted by totalshape.com, a comprehensive online resource dedicated to health, fitness, and nutrition advice.

U MURDER

R E D R U M

U SUICIDE

By Gladys Lawson

For two weeks, I cut my arms with a dirty razor blade because I hoped I would get an infection and die. One day I ended up in the hospital with septicemia and nearly died. The funny thing was when I was faced with the possibility of death. I didn’t want to die. When the doctors discovered all the cuts on my arms, they told my parents, who contacted TTS, and a counselor came to see me in the hospital. It was weird; it was a bit like in the Matrix movie, where Neo was told to choose a pill. I was told to choose life over death and that in order for me to get over my own problems, I should try and help other people. My counselor took me to the children’s cancer unit in the hospital and showed me some children who had various types and stages of cancer.

Suddenly, my trying to kill myself because my boyfriend had dumped me seemed so pathetic and incomprehensible. My TTS counselor kept in touch with me every day for weeks. She checked that I was going to school and spoke to my parents about any concerns for me they might have. She still calls me and still makes sure that I focus on my dreams and work toward them. I want to become a Clinical Research Scientist and help people with cancer get better. I go to the cancer ward every week, and I love talking to the children there and taking them on trips with the hospital staff. I love that they are fighters and want to live, and I thank God every day for the man who talked to my mom at her job days before I nearly died and gave her and her work colleagues the TTS card with their emergency number on it. You know what’s strange, my mom said he was a Black man, but one of her work colleagues insists he was an

Oriental man while another said he was a White man. My mom says she has never seen him before and has not seen him since. She thinks his name is P. Hollister, but she isn’t sure. I know he was a Godsend, and I now see that life is precious, and when I was faced with death, I didn’t really want to die.”

“Boys don’t cry, boys slug it out and don’t go crying to mama. Boys become men in the playground. No one actually says these words to you when you’re fifteen, but by the time you get to fifteen, you’ve heard them so many times that you feel if you don’t get brave and live up to them, then you’re not a real boy, you’re a wimp. My family moved because my dad got an excellent job, and I had to change schools. Changing schools meant leaving the security of my friends and going to a foreign territory where I had to make new friends. My dad said that the new school would be better as it was higher up the league table than my old school. The first day I went there, I hated it.

There was a group of boys who seemed to run the school, and I hated them. One day they were hitting this boy two years their junior, and no one stood up for him, so I did. They waited for me after school that day and kicked the shit out of me. I went home and said that I had been hit several times during rugby, and no one questioned me. My dad said, ‘That’s my boy!’ He was so proud of my bruises. They bullied me for weeks until I couldn’t take it anymore. I remember waking up, getting dressed, and the next thing I was at the train station, standing on the platform waiting to jump in front of the fast train from Euston to Northampton.

I was told to choose life over death and that in order for me to get over my own problems, I should try and help other people.

,,

The automated voice warned people to move away from the edge of the platform as the fast train would not be stopping at this station. Eyes closed. I waited.

The train didn’t come. I waited some more then I heard shouting and running. I turned and saw the boy I had helped at school running towards me with this woman right behind him. The boy grabbed my arm and pulled me back from the edge of the platform. He told me he used to come here when he thought of ending things, but then he had talked to someone, and they had put him in touch with TTS. He introduced me to the woman who he said was his counselor. He said he had just come to show her the platform he used to stand on waiting for the fast train. He said he would come ten minutes earlier, and by the time the train was a few minutes away, he would chicken out and go home. He also said that the train was never late…..

I work with TTS as a youth support worker, and I talk to other

kids and tell them my story, and they listen. I tell them what TTS has told me, ‘Bullies want to make you a victim, but you don’t have to be a victim.’ I believe that by Talking To Someone, you can save your life!”

The screen went black.

Anna turned and looked at Sergeant Kelleher. She saw him blink several times then look away. “Sergeant Kelleher, the aims of TTS are as follows:

- To stop people from killing themselves.

- To make people want to choose life.

- To shut down suicide chat rooms and self-harming sites.

-To replace every one of those evil sites with sites containing our message and connect people to other people or like-minded groups who can help them. I’m talking about organizations like the Samaritans, NSPCC, Kidscape, ChildLine, Centre Point, the Prince’s Trust in short anywhere these people can contact or go to and get help….

"TTS?" Sergeant Kelleher asked.

"It stands for Talk To Someone," Anna answered.

Suddenly it clicked, "I thought I recognized you! You're the lady I read about in the newspaper the other day. It was an article written by Chris Plummer in the Sunday Newspaper. The article said that you don't see dead people; you just talk to them in your sleep!"

" Sergeant Kelleher, what will it take for you to believe in me?"

“Tell me something that no one else knows?” He joked.

“Okay, but when you’re freaking out, remember you asked me to do this.”

“Believe me, one thing I do not do is freak out Mrs. Lewis-”

“Call me Anna.”

“Okay, Anna, tell me something no one else knows?”

Anna studied his handsome face for a few moments, “The last thing your father said to you before he died was, Johnny, make every minute of your life count, help those who can’t help themselves, and enjoy your life. He called you Johnny, the nickname he’s used for you since you were nearly 5 years old, and fell off the bike he was teaching you to ride.

He says he had taken his eyes off you for mere seconds to light a cigarette, and you went riding off by yourself and landed in a rose bush.

He was upset because he was not supposed to be smoking and had told your mom that he had quit but would take you to the park and sneak a cigarette. Even after all these years, you still blame yourself.

You feel that if you hadn’t kept your father’s secret and told your mom, he would have quit smoking and wouldn’t have died from lung cancer. He says to tell you that you were the child, and he was the adult; you shouldn’t blame yourself for his actions and his bad choices.”

Blood rushed to Sergeant Kelleher’s head, and he found that he couldn’t breathe. Fear manifested itself as a strong pressure in his chest.

His blood went cold, and he felt sick, “How did you . . . How the hell did you know that?” He whispered.

“How the hell did you know that?” Shock etched itself into his being and resonated on his face. Fear engulfed him – it paralyzed him as he stared at her different-colored eyes.

“He just told me-”

“My father just spoke to you!” Scared, he looked around the room for the sign of a presence, “what the are you doing?” He asked Anna; his eyes scanned the room again, and a trembling hand ran through his hair.

“Why would you do this to me?”

“I’m telling you something that no one else knows,” Anna answered, concerned at his response, “Just like you asked me to, Sergeant Kelleher.”

“Are you a psychic? I don’t understand what the . . . My late father just spoke to you. My dead dad just told you all that?” His voice broke as tears rushed into his eyes. He tried to compose himself but (in Anna's words) he was freaking out.

Gladys Lawson is a pathology manager, author, and volunteers as an inspirational mentor with an education charity that works with teenagers to inspire them to reach their full potential.

Gladys has written a number of books over the years and has a passion for taking important issues, doing a lot of research, and producing stories that people can relate to and characters that people remember. She also writes poems and songs, many of which can be found in her books. She says jokingly that her first poem was about a Spider, which she wrote when she was about 6 years old; it won her a prize and gave her the writing bug she has today.

U Murder U (Suicide) is available on Amazon in paperback (£9.99) and Kindle format (£8.39 or free via app) on Amazon at paperback –red cover https://bit.ly/3VO1mOz / Kindle format – black coverhttps://bit.ly/3UwYCEr

Boxed Water Turns 15: A Retrospective on America’s Plastic Addiction and the State of Waste

It was a bit of a novelty at the time. In 2009, packaged water in square-shaped cartons started hitting select grocery shelves and bodegas. If you were wondering what it was – or why it was –you didn’t have to look far for answers. In big black letters on the side of the carton, Boxed Water is Better® was prominently displayed, literal in its brand name, and overt in its consumer call to action.

Boxed Water™ was the first to offer a water package alternative to single-use plastic. Sourced from sustainably harvested trees, 92% of the carton (including the cap) is plant-based, the highest ratio in the category. The cartons are also 100% recyclable in most U.S. municipalities.

As Boxed Water™ approaches its 15th anniversary, it’s a good opportunity to look back and assess what kind of progress - or lack thereof - has been made in America’s plastic addiction.

“At the time, we thought consumption of single-use plastic water bottles was at an apex – and we needed to offer something in the interim that offset our plastic waste,” said Daryn Kuipers, CEO and Co-founder of Boxed Water. “ We believed more consumers would begin to adapt to refill, purified water networks would be built out in public spaces, and the demand for packaged water would drop. We thought that our niche category would be temporary. Unfortunately, we were wrong.”

The single-use plastic water bottle has become the ultimate symbol of needless waste. Used for approximately 42 minutes on average, they remain on the earth for 700+ years, never fully breaking down.

It all began with the popularity of water brands like Fiji and Evian hitting the scene in the 1980s. At the time, Americans were widely parodied for creating a commodity from something that comes from their faucets for free. Nevertheless, healthy hydration became a widespread trend, with experts recommending an 8-glasses-of-watera-day wellness prescription. Water bottles were a new jazzercise class accessory, while sample analyses of municipal tap water started to show traces of forever chemicals.

So it seems bottled water was not a fleeting trend.

The proliferation of bottled water hit an entirely new stratum with the introduc-

tion of purified waters by PepsiCo (Aquafina) in 1994 and Coca-Cola (Dasani) in 1999. Perhaps a prophetic move by Big Soda, bottled water oversold soda for the first time in history in 2016.

The rise didn’t stop there. In 2021, according to data from the Beverage Marketing Corp, bottled water set a total volume record of 15.7 billion gallons. That high-level mark for bottled water eclipsed carbonated soft drinks’ all-time peak of 15.3 billion gallons in 2004. (Bottled water was only 7 billion gallons at that time.)

What is happening on the other side of this bottled water consumption trajectory?

Plastic waste. Lots of it. Approximately 75% of the 50 billion single-use plastic water bottles Americans consume each year are going to landfills or (worse) waterways.

“Since our inception, the plastic waste picture has only gotten worse,” added Kuipers. “Other countries have stopped taking our plastic trash exports, and the U.S. is simply unable to keep up with our consumption. The real truth on recycling is finally starting to be revealed, and it’s alarming, to say the least.”

Alarming indeed.

With all the talk of recycling, people think that the issue is being resolved; it’s not. According to a recently released Post-consumer Plastic Recycling Data Report, 4.8 billion pounds of post-consumer plastics were recycled in 2020, which is 5.7% lower than in 2019. This decline alone represents 290 million pounds of plastic being added to landfills each year.

In particular, plastic bottles - although increasing in demand - are decreasing in recycling rates. The combined bottle recycling rate, which includes PET, HDPE, PP, and other polymers, was 27.2% in 2020, down from 28.7% in 2019. The decline is related to the fact that other countries, like China and Turkey, have stopped taking our garbage.

Paying no mind to the “where it goes” crisis, the plastic industry recently forecasted a tripling of plastic production in the next decade.

Consumers are starting to demand some change - and some beverage brands are trying to respond with an environmental “shiny object” in the form of aluminum. It

turns out all that glitters isn’t eco.

“Aluminum is a cheaper material than plant-based cartons, so it has become a goto for beverage brands,” said Chief Revenue Officer Robert Koenen. “At Boxed Water™ we are all about progress over perfection. However, the benefits of aluminum over plastic aren’t substantiated when assessing a full life cycle analysis.”

Aluminum has enjoyed the halo effect due to its recycling potential. However, aluminum recycling rates are going in the wrong direction like its plastic counterpart. According to the Containers Recycling Institute, recycling rates for aluminum cans are at 45%, down from 54.5% in 2020 – while demand is spiking.

Aluminum production is also a dirty business.

The source material of aluminum is bauxite, which is a metal that is strip-mined from rock sediment in subtropical regions (primarily Australia, Africa, India, and South America). In Porto Trombetas, Brazil, a rainforest area the size of 250 football fields is cleared every year for bauxite mining. The process requires a great deal of energy, which creates vegetation loss, forest fragmentation, air pollution, biodiversity damage, and negative impacts on water resources. And while the aluminum industry touts the “infinite recyclability” aspect of aluminum, the fact is that 60% of cans are made from virgin aluminum.

So here we are. Americans are drinking more packaged water than ever and recycling the least amount of plastic and aluminum than ever. What does that mean for Boxed Water™ today?

“We are more necessary today than ever. By focusing on channels where refill isn’t readily available, like airlines, hospitality, sports arenas, theme parks, catering, etc., we solve an unmet need,” noted Koenen. “Companies like Alaska Airlines are stepping up and making big strides to mitigate their waste. With our Alaska partnership, we are offsetting 1.8 million pounds of plastic per year. That’s a big needle move.”

Boxed Water’s marketing dollars have been invested in revealing plastic and aluminum trends, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by lobbyists and big oil money. Plastic is, after all, petroleum. Oil, chemical, and water companies all have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

One of Boxed Water’s biggest detractors is The Center for Accountability in Science.

The platform has levied “greenwashing” tropes against the brand using false data while pushing SEO traction. Some reputable media organizations have sourced The Center in their own environmental reporting. Turns out, The Center is a front group for notorious plastic lobbyist Richard Berman, known as Dr. Evil, for his attacks against other cause-related organizations, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, Humane Society, and Moth-

ers Against Drunk Driving.

“We have a big enough ship to right without these special interest groups sewing seeds of confusion,” asserts Koenen. “However, if we are on their radar, we know we are doing something right.”

This year, Boxed Water™ achieved CarbonNeutral® Certification for its top-selling 500 ml carton and continues to push R&D to stay at the helm as the most renewable water brand (as verified by an ISO-certified, independent life cycle analysis). Rather than spending dollars on celebrity spokespeople, the brand is investing in trees. So far, they have funded the planting of 1.4 million trees with the National Forest Foundation and are embarking on other urban planting initiatives with One Tree Planted, bringing trees to underserved communities. They’re also committed to cleaning 3000 miles of beaches with the Ocean Blue Project.

The brand acknowledges that while Boxed Water is Better®, refill is best.

“We fully embrace the fact that most drinking water shouldn’t be packaged. Those who have access to clean municipal water should always prioritize refill – and we will continue to push that as part of our own message agenda,” adds Kuipers. “However, with approximately 38 billion plastic water bottles going into our landfill every year, we need to hold tight as the next best thing – for now.”

Opening the Doors

OF FAITH

By Nikki Pattillo

In Buddhism, faith refers to a serene commitment to the practice of the Buddha's teaching and trust in enlightened, highly developed beings. Faith also may not only be devotion to a person but can exist in relation to concepts like karma and the possibility of enlightenment— an awakening to the true nature of reality.

Faith in early Buddhism focused on teaching and seeking wisdom and enlightenment. A faithful devotee was called an upāsaka or upāsika, a status for which no formal initiation was required. As important as faith was, it was merely a first step on the path to this wisdom and enlightenment. Faith was given a much more important role in the later years of Buddhist history. Buddhists defined faith as a state similar to enlightenment, with a sense of propriety and humility.

In Pali, the language of the original Buddhist texts, the word for faith is saddha. While sometimes translated as "confidence" or "trust," the literal meaning of saddha is "to place your heart upon." According to the Pali, giving our hearts over to spiritual practice is a sign of faith or confidence in the practice of faith.

Practicing faith opens us to concepts beyond our usual, limited, self-centered concerns. In Buddhist psychology, it is considered the gateway to all good things because faith sparks our initial inspiration to practice meditation, a mindfulness practice. It also sustains our ongoing efforts in this practice.

The concept of faith can be

difficult for some. The concept of faith is sometimes associated with mindless beliefs, or it may imply the need to proclaim allegiance to a specific train of thought, and their fear may be associated with being judged for a degree of compliance with these specific thoughts.

To have faith does not mean to have rigid beliefs in something and then be defensive about opening up to new ideas. It doesn't mean using the knowledge or concept we have faith in as a way of feeling separate from or superior to others. When talking about saddha and the "place the heart upon" concept, this concept is about the possibility of our awakening.

We experience faith on many spiritual levels. In a Buddhist text entitled "The Questions of King Milinda," a monk named Nagasena uses a parable to illustrate these levels. The parable states that a group of people gathered on the edge of a flooding stream want to go to the far shore but are afraid. They don't know what to do until one wise person comes along, assesses the situation, takes a running leap, and jumps to the other side. Seeing the example of that person, the others say, "Yes, it can be done." Then they also jump. In this story, the near shore is a confused condition, and the far shore is the awakened mind. Inspired by witnessing another person overcoming a problem, we say, "Yes, it can be done." That is one level of faith. After we have jumped ourselves, we can say, "Yes, it can be done," that is quite another level of faith. One is a thought, the other a practice.

Faith involves a transformation of one's approach to life and one's awareness of the truth of one's life. Faith awakens us to our deep obligation to life while energizing our commitment to the welfare of others as the foundation for living.

The opposite of faith is doubt. There are many sides to doubt. There is a kind of doubt that is very positive. It is an edge of investigation that says, "I'm not going to accept this just because somebody else says it's so. I really want to know these things more truthfully by my own investigations." And this is the cutting edge of wisdom, the voice that says, "I want to know for myself, not just because you say so."

Faith has the quality of allowing us to open, draw near, and to go forth and harness our energy to pursue a goal or an aspiration. But faith has to be carefully balanced with wisdom. If we have too much faith without enough wisdom, then it becomes what we ordinarily call "blind faith."

Human beings can be very gullible. With blind faith, we can hear somebody and their impressions of life. This can move us and make our hearts sing, and we can then experience an extraordinary feeling of inspiration.

But the next day, we can hear somebody else say a different thing, and we can feel inspired by them. This is mere belief— faith without enough wisdom.

Belief and faith often go to-

gether. They are not mutually exclusive as we can believe in something and also have faith in it. Belief can refer to something more in the realm of an idea about things. It can be something that we have never really examined, and therefore we don't have the quality of faith in it that comes from seeing for ourselves that it is true. It's more than just an idea that we have. Beliefs are often these assumptions that we have about so many things that are really fabrications of the mind, not based on an actual event or the personal experience of things.

Faith is a spiritual force, but it is not an isolated spiritual force. That means faith was never meant to work by itself. It must work in conjunction with other spiritual forces.

The natural and the spiritual must also function together. That is, our trifecta—body, mind, and spirit—must work together. In the human body, all of the bodily systems must function properly and work together. Even though systems such as the respiratory and digestive systems, and so on— are different and operate separately, they must also operate together in harmony to allow the body to function properl.

No matter what religion or what "faith" is in play for each of us, we must strive to "place our heart upon" something of meaning, something that is true to us, or something we believe in.

,,

That's the way faith is. It's not an isolated force that operates alone. Faith functions in harmony with the other spiritual forces that are set into motion, such as love, hope, patience, and prayer.

No matter what religion or what "faith" is in play for each of us, we must strive to "place our heart upon" something of meaning, something that is true to us, or something we believe in. The meaning of faith can vary for each individual, depending on what we put our hearts upon or the quality with which we give our hearts. We must take a step back from our conditioning, from our past, and from our belief systems and then step forward to take a profound look within ourselves in order to allow the truth to speak to us in order to present whatever might be revealed through our own experiences. Be willing to be open, be willing to explore, be willing to investigate. Work with the systems that are true to you and have faith.

In Buddhism, faith does not have God as the object or foundation of trust. It does not require belief in a personal God, as in Christianity. Faith, as trust, is not self-generated but arises out of the circumstances of one's life like the sun brings light into a dark world. Trust is the experience of the whole person and arises naturally as a dawning, a eureka experience, of the true nature of human existence, that we all depend on family, community, and nature, which support and enable our life process.

Consequently, Christians and Buddhists can use the common English word faith to discuss their religion's basis. However, it is clear that the foundation of their faith understanding differs within the respective traditions. Faith in Christianity is not identical conceptually to faith in Buddhism. Nevertheless,

the terms may be used in common in our struggle to facilitate understanding through explanation and clarification. It is here that dialogue becomes important to clarify the spirituality of each faith.

We should note here that Christianity and Buddhism have different definitions of belief and trust. Belief is an intellectual action directed at a specific object, as to whether it exists or not or is what people think it is. Belief deals with what has yet to be completely known. So, we have beliefs to fill the gap. As knowledge grows, a belief transforms into fact or knowledge. People believed that the earth was flat until it was shown to be round. A belief can be disproved by further knowledge. Beliefs play a significant role in all religions but are not to be identified with faith.

Faith involves a transformation of one's approach to life and one's awareness of the truth of one's life. Faith awakens us to our deep obligation to life while energizing our commitment to the welfare of others as the foundation for living. Faith, even when the root is different, is more holistic, involving the whole person, while belief is simply mental assent to the factuality or accuracy of a given proposition.

When we explore the meaning of faith in Christianity and Buddhism, we discover that they both speak to the whole person in order to arouse commitment to promote the welfare of all beings. At the same time, they reflect different understandings of the basis for that faith. We may use the term faith, but it is necessary that we clarify its various implications to achieve a greater understanding. He who has faith has a reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assurance that everything will be okay.

Nikki Pattillo graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas and began her clinical and molecular biologist career. As a child, Nikki was psychic, conversing regularly with her angels and guides, and it wasn't until she was in her 30s that she accepted her gift. She is now an international author with Ozark Mountain Publishing. She authored Children of the Stars: Advice for Parents and Star Children, A Spiritual Evolution, A Day in Spirit: A Spiritual Calendar for Teens, and A Golden Compass. She has been featured on BRAVO and The History Channel and writes numerous magazine and newspaper articles to help raise awareness and consciousness on environmental and spiritual issues.

Photo by Richard Jaimes

YOUR GUIDE TO A HEALTHY GUT

humantonik.com

According to data from Google Trends, searches for “gut health” has increased by 2900% in the UK over the last five years.

An unhealthy gut can contribute to several health problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and even anxiety.

With that being said, health experts at the superfood supplement store Human Tonik have revealed five foods that can contribute to a healthier gut, which may improve your overall health.

1. Ginger

Ginger is a superfood that has many surprising health benefits. It can help with congestion, reduce heartburn and even promote weight loss.

However, ginger can also be used to provide relief for an upset stomach and other digestive issues and support a healthy gut.

Gingerol, a natural compound found in fresh ginger, is packed with antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties that can help restore gut balance. Ginger also helps promote digestion, meaning food doesn’t linger around in your gut for an extended period.

There are plenty of ways to add ginger to your diet. Add chopped ginger to your tea or hot water in the mornings. You can also blend it into a smoothie. If you’d rather take supplements, ginger capsules can be taken daily to improve gut health.

2. Bananas

Bananas are another food that can contribute to improved gut health. Bananas contain a fiber called inulin, a substance that stimulates the growth of good bacteria in the gut. Inulin is a prebiotic that can help develop a microbiome and fuel good bacteria to live in your gut. Eating inulin-rich foods can help your bacteria perform activities that keep your gut healthy.

Bananas are also a rich source of fructooligosaccharides, which act as a probiotic and promote the growth of good bacteria in the digestive tract, which ultimately helps with digestion.

The carbohydrates in bananas are also easily broken down. The fruit is gentle enough to be eaten if you are suffering from stomach ailments, and it restores lost electrolytes back into the body. Eating one or two bananas a day can seriously improve gut health.

3. Yogurt Yogurt is the first food you think of for gut health. Rich in probiotics, which are live microorganisms that keep the gut microbiome healthy, yogurt can help with gut issues such as bloating.

Having a proper balance of bacteria in your gut improves digestion and can block dangerous organisms that can cause infections and boosts your immune system. Foods such as yogurt can also help your body absorb vital nutrients from food.

However, not all yogurt is live with probiotics, so be sure to read the label and search for ones that contain live bacteria. High-protein yogurt with minimal sugar is the best.

4. Lentils

Lentils are a versatile food rich in nutrients such as iron, B vitamins, magnesium, potassium, and zinc, as well as resistant starches, which are brilliant for gut health.

Resistant starches are carbohydrates that do not break down into sugar and are not absorbed by the small intestine. They pass through most of the digestive system unchanged, usually fermenting in the colon. They then decrease the pH level in the colon to help create an environment where beneficial bacteria thrive.

There are many ways to add lentils to

your diet. You can add them to your soup, pasta, and salads. You can also bake them with chicken or fish in the oven or serve them as a side dish.

5. Almonds

Almonds are high in fiber, which can increase butyrate production, a shortchain fatty acid that promotes gut health. Eating a handful of almonds daily can positively affect our overall gut health.

Gut bacteria produce butyrate and support digestive health. It promotes the growth of villi, microscopic extrusions that line the intestines and enhances the production of mucin, a gel-like substance that coats the inside of the gut and keeps it healthy.

However, it should also be noted that almonds are high fat, so while a handful of almonds a day is recommended for gut health, only eat them in moderation. Adding almonds to your breakfast smoothies or yogurt is a great way to get them into your diet.

Signs and symptoms of an unhealthy gut

If you’re wondering if you could improve your gut health, the team at Human Tonik has also revealed the signs and symptoms of an unhealthy cut.

If you regularly experience any of these symptoms, you could try adding some gut-healthy foods to your diet.

1. Upset stomach – this could include gas, bloating, and even heartburn

2. Unexplained weight changes –gaining or losing weight. An imbalanced gut can make it difficult for your body to regulate blood sugar and store fat.

3. Fatigue – Poor gut health can cause broken sleep cycles, which may cause extreme tiredness

4. Skin issues – Poor gut health can contribute to eczema, psoriasis, acne other skin conditions

By Susie Schroadter

Be Complete The Search to

We are all yearning to feel whole. Some speak of this spiritual quest as the search for our twin flame, who many believe is the other half of our soul dwelling in the body of another. When we first learn of this concept, we may become obsessed with searching for our other half, believing finding this other person will make our lives complete. It is a truly romantic concept of unconditional love, much like we find in the Fairy Tales of childhood.

Yet, as we grow, we recognize that Fairy Tales are not real. We learn the true partnership for which we search is the union of the two halves of our one soul dwelling within our own sacred vessel or our own body. The actual love story is that of the divine partnership of our masculine and of our feminine energies, the yin, and yang, or Shiva and Shakti, uniting together as one.

Reuniting the Fractured Parts of Our Soul

When we are first born, we are closest to the Divine and feel whole. As we move through the stages of life and experience the world, we experience trauma, we experience loss, and we experience heartbreak. More than likely, our internal world begins to shatter. We no longer feel whole within ourselves. We lose our essence. We lose what makes us unique.

We may become a shell of who we once were through emotional, physical, and spiritual pain. We may have forgotten our likes and dislikes and possibly even the basics of self-care and how to comfort ourselves when in pain. As we have lived our life, in order to survive each moment, we may have found that we have lost our light. We may latch onto the concept that finding another will give us an inexplicable sense of comfort and homecoming.

As I have walked this path, spiritual growth has been a necessary component of my healing. I had to believe that there was so much more than my logical and linear mind could comprehend. I found there are reasons behind every heartache. There are lessons behind the suffering. Without the pain, my own expansion could not occur. There are rea-

sons for every situation, as they allow growth and healing to occur. Without my experiences and trauma, my light could not shine. Much as when physical muscles grow, they must tear first before they may become stronger. I had to tear in order to grow, in order to rise. I had to learn to embody all of myself.

The light and the dark that resides within us all, aspects of both the divine masculine and divine feminine, reside within us all. Through the work of healing, we begin to embrace and reunite the parts of ourselves that have been lost and abused in order to survive. We begin to rediscover who we are inside.

The Sacred Dance of Masculine and Feminine Energy

All of life is about duality. Opposites are necessary not only to live but to thrive. We need the moon and the sun, the day and the night. We must inhale in order to exhale. We need both our masculine and feminine energy to be whole. Part of reuniting our light and dark understands that our own twin flame is the unique balance of the masculine and feminine energies within us; it is through unification and partnership that we can heal what life has handed us.

The twin flame journey is not a search for another being to complete you, as you are already whole. It is a journey back to your own heart.

Photo by Robert Collins

Our masculine energy is the energy of doing, of reason, of survival, and of strength. When harnessed correctly, it can be empowering, uplifting and transformative. It is our masculine essence that goes out to protect us, fight against abuse, to say no to what no longer serves us. Our masculine energy is the self-discipline we need in order to commit to our healing, even when it feels hard, especially when it feels hard.

Our feminine energy is the energy of support, intuition, and empathy. It is the energy that allows us to connect and feel deeply. The feminine nature within us is called forth to soothe our wounds, to offer our heart compassion, and to teach us self-love. Our feminine energy allows us to mother ourselves on this journey, forgive ourselves for past mistakes, and nurture our internal and external wounds.

Many of us demonstrate one energy more than the other. Simply the course our life has taken will allow or force either our masculine or our feminine energy forward. However, as we heal, we learn the strengths of each aspect of our soul and learn not to resist who we are inside.

A Path to Healing

To begin your journey for inner peace, self-love, and abundance, start by taking an inventory of where your masculine and feminine energies are, strong and weak. Learn the beauty in each of them, and begin to create your unique dance between the two of them. In this way, you begin to unite the pieces of your soul. As you do this, you learn more

about who you are and the unique individual you are inhabiting the Earth at this time. Find out what you love to do.

Suppose you love gardening, plant flowers. If you love watching the sunset, then watch it. Find out what fills your heart and make that a priority. Your fairy tale is your responsibility.

In participating in this exercise, the doing and the action-oriented motions are masculine; the enjoying and the surrender to your life are feminine.

Moreover, with this newfound awareness comes the power to heal yourself from past traumas, open up new possibilities for your life, and create more meaningful connections with others.

And in the End, There is Love

As you learn to embrace your strengths and even your weaknesses, you will fall in love with yourself. You will learn how to soothe your soul, wipe your tears, and advocate for your needs. Everything you are searching for is already within you. You are your own true love. Allow this to be true. Empower yourself to listen to your own heart, to soothe your own pain, and to stand strong in your own power.

The twin flame journey is not a search for another being to complete you, as you are already whole. It is a journey back to your own heart. It is a path back to your Divinity, which you innately knew when you were born.

Susie Schroadter, once a practicing attorney and mediator, has has turned her focus to creating Sage, a safe sanctuary to allow others to heal.

She offers consulting and strategy for those going into mediation or dealing with life altering events so that they may be empowered and advocate for themselves. Once those events have occurred, she also offers different modalities for healing such as life and spiritual guidance and energy work. www.sanctuaryforpeace.co

THE WAY I SEE IT

By Joey Santos, Jr.

Photo by 4MaxAdobeStock

MIRROR SMUDGED, NOT CRACKED A

Mirror Mirror on the wall, who's the saddest of them all?

If what I see is not quite right, it's from the lies I tell myself at night.

I woke up once. I woke up twice in the middle of the night, never asking the bright light, is that me I see causing such a fright? Or is it me, a reflection of me, really me? Which me, do I see, in spite? For if what I see I don't believe is true, then who else can I tell it to? If not to me, then not to you.

We all grow old, or so we're told. A short time bought. A "long" time sold. Maybe a time to agree and embrace what is meant to be. If I don't look, I won't see the beauty that will always be me. I will weep the deep of the seas and not seek its mysteries to find its treasures that lie still inside of me. I won't search the shells, the pebbles, the sands, to unfurl the pearls, to keep in my hands, as the ocean rushes, swirls, and twirls, will the time I'll spend fearing the inevitable meaning of the tide ..…..not remembering its' eternal ebb and flow….I will simply come. I will simply go.

I am still me. This, I will always be. If I have lost sight, I wish, I may, I wish I might see once again the

clear, the bright. For at the end of the day, it's only I who has lost his will to fight and speak what's true, to be forthright. While in my youth, I ran so quickly. From the thin to the thick, not missing a lick, I took in all that was mine to pick. Until one day, you wake up sick only to ask, is this now it?

I will make more room in my life to make life fit. I'll remember the wonder in the thunder…..the pain in the rain…..the loss in my gain, the Gin in my win, the fun in the sun, the quiet in the none.

These are my gifts in life I drop and lift. The slow and the swift. I'm trading the noise for the poise, the flaws for the awes, the stops for the goes.

As I confess, there is no more and no less. Just the best.

I Live how I will. I "will" how I live………life is brought to be shared….. not scared……but sacred.

If I wait for life to bring me old, I'll forget the truth I never told........ but, eternity will remember the lies I used to sell my soul.

Live long, live well. Love strong, love all.

Joey Santos is a Celebrity Chef, Life Stylist & Co-Host of The Two Guys

From Hollywood Podcast on iHeart Radio.

A Columnist for The Eden Magazine since 2016.

Joey was raised in NYC, Malibu, and West Hollywood. He is the son of Film & Television Actor Joe Santos, and his Grandfather is World-Renowned Latin Singer Daniel Santos. To follow Joey on IG: @jojoboy13

To contact Joey; whynotjoe@gmail.com

A Guide to High Vibrational Living

By Polly Wirum

Photo by Cavan for Adobe

Discover How Daydreaming

Can Transform Your Life

Have you ever been in a challenging life situation, really difficult, and you just want it to be over? Maybe you simply want more peace in your life. Whether the changes you desire are small or overwhelming in nature, I have something for you to try. Keep reading and discover how daydreaming can help transform your life.

What is Daydreaming

Daydreaming is found in those moments where you allow your mind and thoughts to unravel and flow in whatever direction they want. Logic and attempting to control the direction of your thinking breaks the beauty and flow of a daydreaming experience.

A Business Built on Daydreaming

I was talking about daydreaming with a good friend of mine, who never fails to make me laugh or share some completely unexpected little tidbit of information that opens up my view of the world.

On this particular day, I learned how daydreaming shifted her mindset from feeling stuck to finding hope in the early years of her marriage. Daydreaming also helped her manifest a thriving Pilates studio.

Kristin had three children under four years old, and her world felt very small as she was a full-time, stay at home parent. She fiercely loved her children; it just seemed like she lost touch with who she was before kids. Her days blurred together.

Her view of the world offered everyone else experiencing a vibrant and dynamic life. She felt like her existence had come to a screeching halt. Baby steps and chubby arms were holding her in place.

Sometimes her thoughts clunked together in her head, holding her in a tight place emotionally. When the light made it through

the slow-moving thoughts, she would dream about a life that included some of her old passions, like working out with friends. She particularly enjoyed Pilates.

While her children napped, she would run different scenarios of what her life could be like. Kristin imagined being able to help other busy moms get together and work out. Eventually, she was inspired to become a licensed Pilates instructor. This was just step one of what her daydreams promised.

With her new license, she began teaching Pilates in her garage. The limitation of one client at a time sparked her imagination again. How could she offer more to her friends and community?

Eventually, these daydreams led her to open a successful boutique Pilates studio aptly named Garage Pilates. Her clients still come together and form friendships far beyond the studio walls.

The transformation didn’t happen overnight, but the daydreaming of possibilities brought a lightness into her day. It took some of the pressure off her family life because she was able to see outside the dayto-day chores.

Photo by AdobeStock

Daydreaming inspired Kristin to take a risk on something she didn’t even know was missing in her life. A little flicker of a daydream led to the creation of a business that fulfills many parts of her life. Her husband has been by her side, and the children have grown up watching their mother create with joy.

The family celebrates the success of her studio, and in turn, she encourages them to dream big.

The long-ago daydreaming was a pressure release for a young mother. It became a tool that helped take the focus off being a perfect parent and wife. Her children have grown like wildflowers. They are all independent in nature, funny, and brilliant. She created something in her life that brought joy to her world. Of course, her entire family benefits from the creative and inspired energy that flows freely through the household.

Five Ways Daydreaming Improves Your Life

Daydreaming can help you manifest your goals. When you allow yourself to think about the things you really love in your life, you will automatically begin shifting your life to match your thoughts. It is up to each of us to pay attention to our thoughts and what we are inviting into our world.

Daydreaming is a great way to release worries and decrease stress. Allowing your mind to just gently float and think peaceful thoughts is a great way to reset your mind. It’s not that you are avoiding your workload; you are simply giving yourself some room to breathe.

Daydreaming is a great way to connect with a higher power. As your logical mind shifts, you can imagine the veil thinning. This creates an open doorway for you to communicate with the other

side. This might be the source, your angels, guides, or loved ones that have crossed over.

Daydreaming frees your thoughts to form new perspectives in a very flowing and non-judgmental way. It makes it easy to see other possibilities. You are not committing to other possibilities, but you know they are available to you.

Daydreams can be very empowering. It’s a great opportunity to see yourself winning a race or whatever other endeavor you take part in. Allow the feeling of success to fill you up with joy as it pulls you forward.

Daydreaming is like a Bridge to the other side.

Daydreaming is like slipping into an easier vibration or flow of thoughts. Your mind creates and connects with what brings you joy. Your thoughts become completely uninhibited. This awareness is very similar to meditation, where you clear your mind. It also is a vibrational match to affirmative prayer, where you give thanks for what is coming into your life. It’s easy for your mind to weave in between daydreaming, affirmative prayer, and meditation. This is a beautiful place to be for manifestation, talking with God, or just enjoying life.

Make a date to Day Dream.

It may seem counterintuitive to plan a daydream experience, but if it’s not part of your practice, you need to start somewhere. Where can you slip into a little daydream? It might be on a lazy Saturday morning, walking the dog, or taking a bubble bath. Who knows, maybe this will take you to the beginning of an entirely new life journey.

Polly Wirum is a psychic, life coach, and writer. Years ago, she experienced a health crisis that led to a complete spiritual and life transformation. When she thought her life was crumbling, the universe was easing her grip on everything, distracting her from the truth. The healing helped her discover the beauty of a joyful and uncomplicated life.

It is here that she connects with wisdom and magic. She shares this with her clients through life's coaching psychic readings and spiritual retreats. I0 discover more, visit Pollywirum.com

By Zee

ARE WE DROWNING

Photos by Alexander Krivitskiy

IN OUR OWN AMBITIONS

Our human existence, as we have been sold, is a process of self-discovery in a world of never-ending experiences. In order to accomplish such tasks, we have developed into a being, acting out our multi fascinated existence as a double-edged human sword to remain breathing. A perfect example of this is when one is being beaten by the one you love; one does not recognize the fact one is being bashed. It is the open innocence that came and still exists and remains to this day within our programmed state of human beingness.

Experiences are never part of one's identity

STOP THE ASSUMPTION

In this new advanced world of stress, anxiety, and trauma, our daily needs are being propagandized by all the friendlies. Now that we have become the open turkey season for their sake, for their monetization. The new greenwashing market slogans designed for the helpers are sustainably dumped onto the helpless.

Prejudice is not; it has never been confined to colour or culture. If a "thing" does exist in the mindset of an individual or organization, that "thing" also resides and directs the path one walks in all actions and ideals. Oftentimes, they are even hidden from those we profess to love the most.

We, the people, for whatever reason, have given over our understanding and meaning to the actives we commit to,

from the perspectives loosely thrown about as compassion. It appears some official mandate/being of sorts has laid down a new concept, and the world has eagerly jumped on and followed. Thanks to these fear-driven new concepts, compassion no longer contains the qualities given over to one's reciprocal relationships with another or with this natural world. Both are part of our personalized foundation, which we all stand/live upon. Alas, you were too busy to send yourself the memo. That's ok, have another coffee.

Humans now mostly function for their incoming rewards and constant fear of disassociation. It's an idea chosen from any number of false assumptions. Only a mindset on automatic could dream up its own isolation. Yes, folks, it was in the last email; we have our own personal AI.

Humans have given new meaning to the word "Integrated" it's now "Whitewashed"

We are constantly being told exactly what everything is and how it got here. Who is to blame? What will the consequences be? All the many details of how the world's brilliant minds can and will remedy all negative situations to the benefit of all humanity. Could they also be gravitating towards the benefits and initiatives of corporate enterprises? It is a perfect descriptive definition of duality. While being contained within this mix of new wonders, we are also reminded of what the mind can do without anyone knowing what it is.

Never give up on yourself no matter what the experiences one has been thrown into along the journey of airning how to live/survive in this system.

,,

Our technological advancements, as has obviously already been proven, will no doubt continue to make more humans redundant. When this celebrated happening occurs, where will they be repositioned within the workspace? The answers appear up in the air as no one wants to address the issue we are all about to face. What is certain, if we thought one's ambitions were a little confined, wait till we moved closely to acting, becoming more like the very robots that are about to replace us.

Please take timeout bless one another.

Who is claiming responsibility for the rise of this impending coffeereplicated higher species? While at this historical moment in our history, the very same has magically driven the existing humans into a mindset of explosive feelings, emotions, and uncertainty. Please put up your hand!

There is no need to worry, folks, as all is moving forward, and the wheels are turning for your benefit. All one needs to be fulfilled is to maintain a potent mix of LOVE and CONNECTION to secure an everlasting reset into one's future. Remember to take two doses of each with water before going to bed every night and dream into forever-land.

Let's face it; you must give credit to this human mind of ours. Is it ours? Wow, does it know how to perform in what appears to be a world of never-ending dual possibilities? No, you cannot leave now; we have come so far to witness the fastest de-evolution in what is a once-ina-lifetime where faith and hope finally prevail. We just need that little

bit more time to heal ourselves, the planet, and the oceans. Unfortunately, there is not enough page space to enlist you in the other ten thousand unlimited issues.

Our new found White Knight will fix it all before leaving?

That old "wishbone tradition" of collecting and drying the chicken's sacred collarbone while making a wish as we break it was never needed more than now to calm the human creatures of their proclaimed accumulated insecurities. Luckily, science has a pill for that. Feel better now?

What is this thing we call the human mind? With all the science available, capable today, it is definitely obvious we are still scratching around in the dark. Any form of clarity seems to have avoided us and this planet completely. It appears our intellectuals have misread all the signposts that show a clear pathway to any understanding down the descending garden path we are. With such great minds all over the globe, any intelligent person would have to inquire, one wonders, has this been deliberate to keep the sheep asleep?

While being contained within this mix of new wonders, we are also reminded of what the mind can do without anyone knowing what it is.

Photo by MangKangMangMeeAdobeStock

Greenwashing has been the norm for some time now. We have become so accustomed to it; it's no longer of concern as it is an essential part of the normal processes taught in business survival strategies. In this age of so-called transparency, there are more secret meetings today than in the last 20 years combined. Deals within deals have moved down into the home and small business sectors. All is well in the world as we profess engagement sustainability.

As with any time related to forward growth, all forms of business naturally move forward, except for those who still rely on "if it ain't broke don't fix it," yep, that's good poverty thinking. Progression beckons consequences; with that, psychological disturbances may occur, as is evident from living in entrapment these past few years. There is no need to be afraid, as an agency always exists to fix any probable issue. Blessed are we.

Regardless of what one may perceive is happening around and through you, it is and remains a beautiful world. Remain constantly amazed. Just the feeling touch one receives as the sun caresses your skin can blow the mind into oneness. How marvelous is that! Hold onto those dreams that support your journey as you navigate around those potholes of experience. Never keep them close.

Save the dreamer. Does madness exist in this world when the same mind conjures up the solutions to correct a health issue after a human appears to function

from a disorganized body and or mind? One had to ask just in case this simple idea has been overlooked. Bring on the aliens.

It is extremely important to never disqualify yourself in any shape or form. It's a detrimental disservice that carries with it self-generated bad omens into one's future. If one becomes aware of, discovers shame, guilt, or unworthy, be reminded they are nothing more than misbelieved assumptions based on a misunderstood experience. Each individual will require a different approach to the overcoming necessary within the organized mind that built the first invisible assumption.

Ambitions are part of our DNA; it is one of a multitude of parts that sustains us humans. Never give up on yourself no matter what the experiences one has been thrown into along the journey of airning how to live/survive in this system. Yes, it can drag you into what appears as down; yes, it can drag you back up beyond the surface into a lighter way of being. One may ask, whose job is this? Only you have the answer; only you can uncover your direction.

Lucky for all of us, there are other humans out there in what sometimes may appear as an empty wilderness. Humans who function with no need for logic or reason. Who will unexpectedly reach out and lift you from drowning and project you forward into the wonders of beingness? You, it is you who must distinguish who they are and who they are not. Time to get back on the journey; your bus is waiting.

By Phyllis King

The onomicsEc of SPirituality

Awise friend of mine recently shared a mantra with me she uses to remain conscious of her creative process. It is this: “ORDER IT UP!” What order it up means is that every second of every day, your thoughts, words, and actions dictate what you are “ordering” from the universe. Think of it like ordering from a menu of experiences. Whether we are conscious of it or not, we are always ordering from a menu from the universe.

What is so profound about this simple phrase is twofold. One, it is true. We are always ordering/creating our lives. 24/7. Two, it is cute and fun to think about “ordering” what we want. We actively participate in intentional creation with a spirit of play. Most often, when I am coaching people who are stuck, especially with money, they have lost the ability to be playful with energy in their life. We forget to make a game out of it. This is why I wrote an entire book about playing the “energy game.” I coined the phrase. We are too serious about life. We allow our emotions and external reality to make us feel heavy about life. We forget to approach abundance and our challenges with levity. This simple phrase “order it up” reminds us to make a game of the creative process. Suddenly the truth is very accessible.

Economic turmoil is not a problem in our lives. Economic turmoil is a symptom of spiritual bankruptcy. When we have money prob-

lems, we have lost our way in how we prioritize our lives and where we invest our energy. Everything is energy. People are energy. Money is energy. Everything in our home is energy. We are working with energy. We continually fall asleep to this truth.

The New York Times best-selling author and prosperity guru Suze Orman illustrated this point best about priorities and their relationship to wealth. She has a vibrational awareness of the creative process. She said we must prioritize our energy in this manner: “People first, Money second, and Things third.”

The areas where we place value and attention will garner the most energy. We create momentum in the places we give our attention. If we are out of order with the vibrational correctness of the highest flows of energy, we can find ourselves in a negative flow scratching our heads and wondering how we got ourselves into the negative situation we are in.

The complexities of our lives can often deter us from making sound choices. We don’t do it on purpose. We get lost in our emotions and our challenges. If we can remember the sequence of the highest vibrations, we can prioritize more abundantly and effectively. At any given moment, to the best of our ability, we need to balance the formula in our hearts and minds to make the correct use of energy -- people first, money second, things third.

You only need to understand the impact and the quality of the energy you are using and prioritize your energy appropriately in every situation where an energetic choice needs to be made.

In terms of the energy of prosperity or money, the universe is indiscriminate about who receives prosperity. Whoever can play the energy game effectively gets prosperity. You don’t have to be a good person, a generous person, or a caring person. You only need to understand the impact and the quality of the energy you are using and prioritize your energy appropriately in every situation where an energetic choice needs to be made. Granted, embracing other high vibrations does not hurt. Absent correct prioritization of energy, you will remain broke.

Once you learn to be intentional with your energy when decisions are required, you will have abundance.

Energy is always true to itself. To create money, there are two non-negotiable qualities every person must possess.

You must care about money. You must care about yourself. You must treat both with respect and appreciation. Those two pieces are non-negotiable energetically. Financial guru Suze Orman said, “Treat money like a cherished friend.” She meant it. She understood the value of that vibration. Four-time billionaire Kevin O’Leary said he treats his money like soldiers he sends out into the world to represent him and do his battles. He takes care of his troops, honors them, respects them, and is very thoughtful about how he sends them into the world. He protects them as he knows they are doing his bidding in the world.

We often take ourselves and

our money for granted. We do not cherish our lives or the money that blesses us. We become focused on what we don’t have and make a lot of excuses for not caring for ourselves well. We become careless, thinking there will always be more time to live on earth and always more money that will come to us. We live with a “must have more” mentality. Do your inner energetic math regularly. Practice “ordering it up” in your life to remain conscious and to prioritize how you spend your energy. Also, to have fun with your life. Look at solving your challenges as a game. A puzzle. The vibration you bring to your “solving” mind will be much more abundant in nature. Whether we practice ordering it up or not, we are always ordering up our life. Examine your creations and the experiences you have in your life today. They will tell the story of your intentions and how you prioritize.

Finally, the truest form of prosperity is not a number, a quantity, or an accumulation of something. It is the ability to attract what you need and what you want when you need it and want it. That is power. That demonstrates an understanding of energy. Too often, culture tells us we need more than enough. It is not true. We can only spend so much in one day. Today is the only day we have. Continue to adjust your view of what truth is. Live inside of it. The biggest clue we have to unlock the truth is that everything is energy. Remember that you will never be in lack again.

Known as the Intuitive Life Strategist, Phyllis King has worked with tens of thousands of peoplein 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

Photo by By pornpunStockPhoto

Animals don't belong in cages They deserve to be free

Why I Chose SELF-HEALING FOR MY MOTHER'S WOUND

By Monika Carless

Photo by By Tomasz ZajdaAdobeStock

"We dance with mother wounded to find our worth and purpose. Mother may never actualize into the person we think we need her to be, and yet, we can become our own center. The fact is, we have exactly the right mother to launch us on our wisdom path. She is the portal for our empowerment. Mother is our awakening."

“You must write your story” is something I heard from those close to me who knew my Mother Wound journey.

“No one would believe it,” I’d reply, sure that reading my story would either be triggering, depressing or seem farfetched… it did to me!

The truth is, my personality was shaped by many factors that pre-disposed me toward keeping it all in.

I was born with a stellium in Scorpio – Sun, Moon, and Mercury. My sun and moon influence made me notoriously wary of sharing intimate emotions, while Mercury - very careful with words because they hold so much power - further silenced me; that is until I knew it was time. I lived in my shadowlands, internally exploring my trauma with quite a bit of curiosity, reticent to find traditional types of support but building up a cache of shareable wisdom.

I wonder how many of us are raised with the idea that airing one’s dirty laundry is shameful? I remember feeling shame whenever someone asked me about my childhood as if the abuse was my fault. Interestingly, it never occurred to me to lie and say that it had been a good experience, I always said it as it

was when confronted with the question. I was a contradiction of intentions – to be forthright and, to be silent.

By the time I was ready to lead others through their shadows, I was years into my witch’s practice, having studied myself extensively, nurtured by the one energy which embraced me unconditionally – Earth Mother.

There is another influence in my astrology that directly points to my lifelong relationship with the mother archetype; the asteroid Ceres (Great Mother) – in my eighth house of birth, death, and resurrection. All these elements distilled down to the major theme my life would revolve around – sifting, processing, and teaching about the dance with Mother Wound. It’s interesting how the stars reflect our life path so that we may know our direction and be confident in it.

Healing Mother Wound is What the Whole Village Needs

Self-healing, for me, was such a nourishing and healing path that I began to wonder how it would work for others. I mused how I could come full circle and be of service to those who could not speak their trauma or for whom Earth Mother was the only energy they could trust their emotions and wounding to.

Urged by the folks who read my articles or found me on social media, I created an online course. Teaching how to connect with nature, the universal mother, practicing rituals, and journaling to transform mother wounds was truly my heart song.

Photo by Tracey Hocking

“I’m not able to talk about it with another person”

“Talking about my past and revisiting trauma triggers PTSD. I want to heal, but that’s not a way I can get there”

“I’ve had a bad experience with a therapist, and I don’t trust that process now”

“I’ve been to all kinds of therapy and been diagnosed as (insert trauma-related diagnoses), and am no further along years later”

These are some of the varied reasons my clients didn’t go to or didn’t return to traditional therapy. I don’t offer therapy, but I’m still ‘another person.’ Clients were arriving who didn’t want to share their stories with me at all but who wanted to do the work of finding peace around their core wounds. Could I teach them some practices that would allow them to understand and help themselves, was a common question. I had to respect that they knew what they wanted at the time, witness them in that, and validate their journey.

Over the years, I had worked out a pathway for myself; through rituals, self-study, understanding what trauma is, how it manifests within the body, and researching what evidence I may experience once healing took place.

Finding information in books had always been a safe way for me to learn while I was working on feeling safe with other teachers. Remembering this, and seeing how even a course could be a barrier for someone doing recovery work, birthed my desire to turn my course into a book. Accessibility became very important.

My journey took years. I was releasing generational trauma

before I had a name for it. My witch’s practice was grounding me so completely that parts of me were healing at exponential speed. From many, many journal entries, I saw a pattern emerging of how I had nurtured myself into remembering my wholeness.

Here is an excerpt from my book, Transforming the Mother Wound – Practices for Healing Your Inner Wise Woman Using Rituals and Grounded Spirituality, available through Hay House Publishers in Spring of 2024. The chapters of the book delve deeper into each step. Using ritual and grounded spirituality practices, anyone can connect with their story in a new way and work towards the transformation process.

The Sacred Pathway to Healing Core Wounds

We find our own way, don’t we? Our way is as unique as we are, and there is no time limit set for transformation. And yet, there are certain tangible steps we can choose in order to find acceptance and peace, surrender and empowerment.

Understand That None of it Was Your Fault

Practice compassion, loving-kindness, and forgiveness towards yourself

Know Yourself

When you understand your own mystery, your purpose, and your soul mission, you can step bravely into your empowerment with your story as fuel for wisdom

Accept Mother for Who she is, Instead of the Woman You’d Like Her to Be

Healing from a mother wound is not a destination; it is a journey of self-discovery and is like any natural cycle… we return to time and again to learn deeper truths, surrender to the process and grow in wisdom.

Mother is a complex archetype and thought form. Let go of expectations and see mother as a woman first, systemically programmed within a patriarchal world

Grieve the Absent Mother and the Wounded Child

Allow space for grief and the release of big emotions. Support your inner child

Witness and be Present to Your Wounding, Emotions, and Experiences

Look at what happened honestly and with presence. Witness the pain, and it will witness itself; fear and anger have a place to express themselves and dissipate

Find Your Inner Mother, Self-Soothe

Taking responsibility for our own life experiences, finding ways to nurture ourselves and shed the skin of wounding helps us to manifest the life that we want, release the mother from her role as the perpetrator, and seek ‘rescuer’ relationships. Moving from co-dependence to cocreation. Moving from co-dependence to co-creation.

Build Strong Boundaries

Healthy and strong boundaries with others and with yourself protect you from repeating the cycles of abuse, abandonment, and neglect

Find Support

Seek out supportive relationships with positive people. Find therapy as needed. Avoid drama. Nurture your relationship with Great Mother

not a destination; it is a journey of self-discovery and is like any natural cycle… we return to time and again to learn deeper truths, surrender to the process and grow in wisdom.

At the beginning of our journey to healing, we awaken to our conditioned self, the one who moves in comfortable and predictable patterns and reactions. We witness this conditioned self with a desire for change. To meet ourselves in this way is challenging. At first, like during stages of grief, we may experience shock and shame.

In the next stage of healing, we become conscious of how we actually co-create our life, that we are not victims of some mysterious fate, but that we can consciously create our own reality. The conditioned self dissolves some more and takes intentional steps.

Later, we meet with grief and the Inner Child whose life experiences are those of the individual and the collective.

Through the process, we meet surrender to what was, what is, what we are creating. As we love ourselves more deeply, with grounded compassion and grace, acceptance is born.

We live on a deeper level, in a more authentic dimension, where the trauma or wound becomes the gift, serving us and others.

Evidence of Healing

Feeling at home and safe in your body and in the world

Holding memories with courage, love, and compassion instead of fearing them

Accepting your mind and thoughts as allies

Consistently living in the present moment

Know That Healing is a Spiral

Healing from a mother wound is

I hope this is of benefit, from my heart to yours.

Monika Carless is a globally published writer and mentor to Earthkeepers, Creatives and Witches.

She lives a quiet life on Vancouver Island, focused on simple pleasures with her partner of many moons. Especially interested in archetypes, myths, and life mastery through self-healing practices, Monika mines wisdom from Cronedom and the healing powers of words.

She is the author of several books and over three hundred articles.

Her titles include Transforming Mother Wound –originally self-published. The Dark Pool Trilogy, a delicious fairy tale of unashamed erotica and pagan mysticism, and Tessa and the Faeries, tales of one child’s connection to the unseen realm of the Fey. Learn more at monikacarless.com

ATFORGIVENESS ADEEPERLOOK

By TJ Woodward

Forgiveness is a very powerful tool in letting go of the perspectives that keep us in a limited and limiting way of seeing and being. Forgiveness allows us to move more deeply into the truth of who and what we are, to eradicate our stories of separation, powerlessness, and being stuck in blaming and victimization. Many of us have a terrifically hard time with forgiveness. We feel that terrible things have happened in our lives, and we are unable to let them go. So, let’s start there with the experience of forgiveness that many of us have had. When we’re stuck in unconscious reactions, forgiveness is next to impossible. The beliefs we hold about ourselves and our world become the lens through which we view the world and the way we frame our stories. They limit our perspective and block us from freedom and authenticity. When we’re living at this victim/martyr level of consciousness, hearing about the need to forgive can push us further into limitation.

If we hold the idea that we’re fundamentally a victim, then “forgiveness” may look like admitting that we are “wrong” or “bad” and that we “deserve what we get.” Or it can look like giving up, admitting that the other person is stronger or better and that we cannot ever win. From this level of awareness, forgiveness supposes that we’ve been harmed or have lost and that we need to forgive the person who harmed us, which can feel like basically admitting that the person who hurt us has won. From the perspective of a victim, forgiveness might also mean pretending that things that happened in the past never happened. This requires forgetting and burying things deep in the shadow.

Either way, this kind of forgiveness can further strengthen the belief in our own victimization because it’s based on the idea that something “bad” needs to be made right by either rationalizing it or burying it. This tends to create more suffering and more limitations. And that is not empowerment. As you begin to identify and let go of all those deeply held beliefs about yourself and the world that keep you in a reactive state, as you experience more authenticity in the safety of a supportive community, as you practice the spiritual principles, as you open to the power of spirit, your experience of forgiveness will begin to shift.

We may think of forgiveness as making peace with the past. That means different things from different perspectives. From a place of non-judgment, the past is what it is. The past cannot be different—we cannot go back and change what happened. But we can alter the way we see it. As the saying goes, “It’s never too late to have a happy childhood.”

What this quote means to me is that as we do our healing work, we can look at the past through a different lens. We can truly find a place of gratitude no matter how our childhood looked. This is in no way saying that we don’t sometimes feel pain or sadness about our past. What it is pointing to is that we have the power within ourselves to reframe and find gratitude in any of our past situations.

This shift may not happen overnight, and in certain situations, reconciliation might not be easy. Even as you’re doing the internal work and growing in awareness, you may still tend to experience forgiveness as directed outward, focusing on how someone, even you, has treated others rather than on your own inner movement. If your experience of forgiveness pushes you back into your stories of victimhood, that may mean you need to do some more work to help break the cycle. Or it may just mean you need to ask yourself some further questions to reap the benefits of all the inner work you’ve been doing. So, let’s look at some of those questions.

Think of a situation in which you find it difficult to forgive. What is the story you have been telling about that situation? Where have you been especially attached to that story—what belief does it support? Is there another way to look at it? Keeping that situation in mind, what happens when you let go of the idea that one story is “right?” What happens when you approach what happened with the neutrality of an impartial observer? Can you let go of your initial reactive story about the situation and open yourself to other possible perspectives? If you can, what happens when you do that?

When we let go of the ego’s attachment to a particular story or a specific verdict about who is “right” and who is “wrong,” could it be that we no longer even need to forgive? If we release our hold on “right” or “wrong,” it’s easier to see people reacting and responding out of their own perspectives, their own limited experiences, and imperfect knowledge. It’s then a relatively short step to move from guilt, remorse, and forgiveness to something more like responsibility, resolution, and reconciliation. We don’t need to ignore the pain in our lives. For instance, we would not stay in an abusive relationship out of the idea that “There is no guilt here; whatever happens, happens.” We would not believe that we are no longer accountable for our actions because, “Hey, I’ve let go of my ego.” That is not witness consciousness. It’s possibly denial.

Of course, we’re accountable. Of course, we might still feel pain. When we feel hurt, our first reaction might be to feel anger, to lash out, to want to harbor a grudge. When we experience those reactions in conscious awareness, we might still feel

that pain, but then we go on to witness it, observe our reactions, and then choose how to respond, letting go of the need for someone to be wrong or right. Similarly, if we do something that causes pain to someone else, we may still feel an initial trigger of shame, and maybe from that feeling springs defensive anger. In conscious awareness, we’re able to look at these reactions compassionately, which empowers us to then move beyond them to choose the next step. When we arrive at the mystical level of consciousness of recognizing our oneness with life, there is no longer anything to forgive. This place of alignment with ultimate reality acknowledges that the cause of anyone’s harmful behavior is separation from their essential self. When we reach a state of oneness with the source, we recognize that there’s nothing to forgive because we can see that everything that’s happened in our life has played a part in our transformation; it’s been useful in getting us where we are. And as we grow in conscious awareness, forgiveness becomes more of a natural process. At this level of awareness, we shift from forgiveness to compassion and gratitude.

TJ Woodward is a revolutionary recovery expert, inspirational speaker, educator, addiction treatment specialist, and author of Conscious Recovery. www.tjwoodward.com

Forgiveness is a very powerful tool in letting go of the perspectives that keep us in a limited and limiting way of seeing and being. Forgiveness allows us to move more deeply into the truth of who and what we are, to eradicate our stories of separation, powerlessness, and being stuck in blaming and victimization.

Can Art Help Us Grasp the Plastics Crisis?

Humans have filled the oceans with more than 170 trillion pieces of plastic. These artists are bringing visibility to the issue.

By Siobhan Reid

Photo by Noah Buscher

Duke Riley started out making maritime crafts, like sailor’s valentines and scrimshaws, entirely out of shells, bones and other natural materials that washed ashore on the beaches of Cape Cod, Massachusetts and greater New York. Then, on a walk in 2017, he picked up what he thought was a piece of bone. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a plastic brush used for scrubbing boats.

The moment marked a turning point in his practice.

“I want to make pieces that reflect the actual condition of the shoreline,” said Riley, an artist who splits his time between Brooklyn and a houseboat docked off the coast of Rhode Island. That meant mixing up his medium.

Last year, Riley showed more than 200 pieces of art at the Brooklyn Museum made from thousands of pieces of plastic — detergent bottles, toothbrushes and tampon applicators, among other things — that he and fulltime garbage-picker Michele

Klimczak collected from East Coast beaches.

Humans produce about 8 billion tons of plastic each year. Plastic production is responsible for about 4.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions, nearly twice as much as what the aviation industry produces. Only about 9% of all the plastic ever produced has ever been recycled. It seeps into rivers and streams. It lives in the bellies of fish and seabirds. Microplastics pump through our veins and accumulate in our lungs.

The scale of the plastics crisis is almost incomprehensible. But increasingly, artists and museums are bringing attention to the problem and challenging audiences to rethink their consumption habits.

In May, the Venice Biennale of Architecture hosted “Everlasting Plastics,” an exhibition examining humanity’s “fraught kinship” with the material through the work of five artists. Works included baskets made from recycled plastic bottles and sculptures that appear to be dripping in hot, molten plastic.

Photo by Jason Ayers

“From toys to camping coolers, plastic is deeply embedded in the culture of the United States, where polymers were perfected and exported,” said co-curator Lauren Leving in a statement. “Our toxic relationship with the material is now a global phenomenon.”

In June, artist Beverly Barkat unveiled a 180-panel globe made from plastic waste in Lower Manhattan. And in July, sculptor Willie Cole installed four chandeliers made from 9,000 discarded water bottles on Park Avenue, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

“In many respects, the issue is abstract and largely intangible,” says Riley, pointing out that the plastics problem goes beyond what we can see. “While there are no easy answers, I think art can help people begin to wrap their heads around it and find a way to talk about these problems.”

Brooklyn Museum’s Liz. St George, who curated Riley’s exhibition, said she observed museum-goers reflecting on their personal consumption habits as they examined Riley’s artworks. “They’ll see a plastic item like a dental pick and say, ‘I use this every day,’” she said.

Artists aren’t just exploring plastics in their work, St. George said. They’re also addressing the crisis in more tangible ways. Riley, for one, organizes clean-ups along the shores of Gunnison Beach in New Jersey.

Back in 2008, artist Aurora

Robson, who creates ethereal, starburst-like sculptures out of plastic, started Project Vortex, a collective of artists and designers who create and support projects to repurpose single-use plastics. The group has developed an academic curriculum on working with plastic debris, and Robson frequently teaches workshops to schoolchildren in which she encourages them to make art out of things they’d normally throw away.

Robson sees the climate and plastics crises as problems of imagination requiring creative problem-solving above all. She said: “If I’m doing my job, I’m instilling hope and making other people think, ‘If she can do that with plastic, what can I do?’”

Willie Cole, an artist in residence at Rutgers University, said his chandeliers show just how entrenched plastics are in everyday life — and how difficult it will be to quit the stuff. The plastic bottles he works with recall the 70,000 cases of plastic water bottles that were distributed in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared the city’s lead-contaminated water unsafe to drink.

Cole describes himself as a “perceptual engineer,” whose work can offer a new way of seeing the world. He said he hopes his sculptures inspire viewers to rethink their own consumption habits. “I can’t change the world,” he said. “But I know that every time I make a chandelier, people donate their plastic water bottles to me.”

Siobhan Reid is a freelance writer. Previously she was an editor at Travel + Leisure. Her work has also appeared in the Washington Post, Vogue, and Condé Nast Traveler.