The Eden Magazine May 2019

EDEN T h e

May 2019

©

Magazine

Jane

CREATING PARALLEL SCRIPTS

BY KEVIN MURPHY

SARA SAFARI CLIMBING

THE MOUNTAIN TO SAVE WOMEN & CHILDREN

TODD SEGAL PSYCHIC DETECTIVE

LIVING LA VIDA LOCA WITH FERNANDO ALLENDE

VelezMitchell

A Television & Social Media Journalist, Author, Animal Activist & Vegan

Table of Contents 6

JANE VELEZ MITCHELL

22

16

TODD SEGAL

Psychic Detective

22

FLASH TIME

By Jules Boles

26

HONORING OUR VULNERABILITY

By Angela Dunning

28

CREATING PARALLEL SCRIPTS

26 6 36 86 82

By Kevin Murphy

36

THE PRINCESS WHO LEARNED TO SHARE

By Nancy E. Yearout

40

LIVING LA VIDA LOCA WITH FERNANDO ALLENDE

By Alexia Melocchi

50

SOCIABILITY

By Jayney Goddard

72

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF OPTIMISM

By Colin Wison Editor Colin Standley

82

ORIGINS & HISTORY OF PEYOTE

By Cody Johnson

86

7 THINGS TO DO/SAY WHEN YOUR FRIEND'S PET PASSES

By Pina De Rosa

Cover Photo

by NATALIE FORD

3 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e July 2016

DINA MORRONE

Maryam Morrison

GLORIA KISEL-HOLLIS

MARIA ELENA INFANTINO

EDWARD HAKOPIAN

MICHAEL WHITE RYAN

TARA-JENELLE WALSCH

ISABELLE RUEN

NANCY E. YEAROUT

SHERI DETERMAN

SASHA GARY

ANGELA DUNNING

MIRIAM BERTKE

ALEXIA MELOCCHI

JOE SANTOS, JR.

MARCO NUNZIO ALATI

JAN DIANA

BRENDA SAINT HILAIRE

MARGARET TOMASZEWIC

JAYITA BHATTACHARJEE

MEET OUR TEAM

Photo by Artin Mardirosian

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

EDEN T

H

E

MAGAZINE

Since 2010 The Eden Magazine is a free Online magazine focuses on spreading compassion to all sentient beings Living in a healing and peaceful world FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MARYAM MORRISON CONTRIBUTING EDITOR DINA MORRONE BRAND AMBASSADOR MARIA ELENA INFANTINO SOCIALITE DIRECTOR GLORIA KISEL-HOLLIS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS JAN DIANA SASHA GARY JOE SANTOS, JR. ALEXIA MELOCCHI NANCY E. YEAROUT

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

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

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

Jane GO VEGAN

VelezMitchell A Television and Social Media Journalist, Author, Animal Activist and Vegan

Jane’s journey to compassion for animals starts on Vieques, a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico. That’s where her mother, Anita, was born in 1916. Her mom had a pet pig. Or so she thought. As a child, Anita returned home one day to find the pig had been slaughtered. Her friend had been turned into food. Reeling from the shock and betrayal, she fainted. When she awoke, she found herself revolted by the very idea of ever again eating an animal. You could call her one of the original animal right activists.

Fast forward half a century to Manhattan. Anita was married to Jane’s father, a Madison Avenue advertising executive. Pearse Mitchell was an Irish ad man straight out of Mad Men. He drank martinis, smoked a pipe and loved corned beef and cabbage. But, under the influence of Jane’s mom, Pearse eventually rejected meat, except for a sliver of turkey on Thanksgiving.

Growing up, Jane actually felt like she was living in a vegetarian

household. But, that was a stretch. Jane and her parents still ate fish, eggs and dairy. Nevertheless, the gift Jane got from her mom and dad was the knowledge that slabs of meat don’t fall from trees, that eating meat means you’ve participated in killing a sentient being who wanted to live as much as you or I do.

I met Jane at a PETA event in Bel Air! Being a vegan myself, I fell in love with her passion for saving animals. She is an extraordinary person whose fight for animal rights is a 24/7 mission! Jane devotes all her energy to this cause, determined to see animal rights hit the tipping point in time to save our planet from the ecological collapse threatened by cruel and wasteful industrialized animal agriculture.

I sat with Jane, in her home, for this interview in order to share her amazing story and latest project with our Eden Magazine readers.

7 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Tell us about your life after graduating college.

After graduating from New York University, with a degree in broadcast journalism, I headed off to follow my career, landing a reporting job in Ft Myers, Florida. It was the late 70’s. The disco era was in full swing on the local miracle mile and I had inherited my dad’s love of booze. I knew I had to get out or I would never leave. So, I sold my MG Midget and grabbed a job offer from a Minneapolis TV station. It was below zero with the wind chill when I arrived without so much as a coat.

After two years of shivering through news reports, I signed a six-day-a-week contract with a Philadelphia TV station.

When did your passion for animal activism begin? When did you decide to become a voice for innocent, powerless animals?

It was in Philly that I was given a videotape that changed my life. It was an undercover investigation into head injury experiments being done on primates at a Philadelphia area university. The “scientists” laughed and casually joked as heavy weights were slammed, with enormous force, into the heads of man’s closest relatives. I distinctly remember one lab worker picking up the lifeless arm of one of the animals and then chuckling before letting it drop. My reaction went from disbelief, to horror, to rage. This was outright torture and sadism being conducted under the guise of science. It was 8 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

around this time that I became aware of what was, then, a brand new organization called People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, led by one of my lifelong heroes: Ingrid Newkirk.

PETA was working to expose and stop atrocities against animals being carried out, behind closed doors, at universities around the world. I didn’t yet know what I could do to help the cause, but the seed had been planted.

Tell us how you ended up back in Manhattan and why you later moved to Los Angeles.

From Philly, I went to Channel 2/WCBS-TV in New York.

I had managed to achieve my dream, working back in my hometown. The news station was just a couple of blocks from where my parents still lived, directly across from Carnegie Hall. When I was a teenager, I had actually roamed the halls of that very CBS building. I would pretend to be delivering coffee and just saunter in. This was long before security became the issue it is today. I even watched a CBS Morning News broadcast while crouched behind the studio camera. During a commercial break, the anchorman asked me who I was and what I was doing there. I said I wanted to go into the news business and he jokingly warned me against it saying - something to the effect of - are you crazy? After eight years of rumbling around New York in a news van, chasing stories, I was ready for a change.

A friend of mine had gotten a job at KCAL-TV in LA and suggested me as a weekday anchor. I was paired with the legendary Jerry Dunphy. He was known for his opening line: “from the desert, to the sea, to all of Southern California, a good evening."

We worked at Paramount Studios in Hollywood and drank at Nickodell’s, the bar attached to the lot. When that cabernet stained symbol of old Hollywood finally shut down, I should have known my drinking days were over. But, it took me a couple of more years to hit bottom and get sober. While I never drank before work, I never failed to have too many drinks after work. I was a chip off the old block, minus the pipe.

Did getting sober have anything to do with you going vegan?

Yes, it did! It was 24 years ago that I got sober. Then, I began to review my life. One of the roots of my drinking was a terror of revealing my true identity. I’m gay. On some level I had always known it. I thought the sky would crater the day I came out.

My biggest shock was that nobody seemed all that shocked. My other realization was about what I ate. I had been a half-assed vegetarian, eating dairy products and even shellfish. It wasn’t long after I got sober that I decided to go vegan. In sobriety they say: half measures avail us nothing. So, I applied that to food.

After someone called me out for consuming dairy, describing it as “liquid meat,” I knew I was done stealing the breast milk of another species. Cow’s milk is designed for calves, not humans. For us to drink it, newborn calves have to be dragged away from their mothers, otherwise those baby cows would drink up the milk.

Going vegan, along with getting sober and coming out, are the three best decisions of my life.

Every day, it seems, a new extreme weather catastrophe happens somewhere in America, and the medias all over it, profiling the ordinary folks wiped out by forest fires, droughts, floods, massive sinkholes, tornadoes. ~Jane Velez-Mitchell

10 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

How did you land your own show on CNN Headline News?

After reporting on the famous Michael Jackson molestation trial for a TV show called Celebrity Justice, I began to do a lot of crime coverage on a freelance basis. That led to getting a show on CNN Headline News, aka HLN. While there, I was blessed to have been given the chance to do a weekly animal segment, where I got into hard core animal rights issues and showed video of atrocities like pig gestation crates, where pigs are kept in pens the size of their bodies, unable to even turn around. They go mad, as any living being would.

After six years, the show ended its run and I wondered: what next? I asked an executive there for advice and she said: follow your passion. So, I took my social media accounts and started JaneUnChained.com, a digital news network for animal rights and the vegan, cruelty-free lifestyle. We go LIVE on facebook.com/JaneVelezMitchell and @janeunchainednews on Instagram. We show viewers VegFests, vegan conferences, animal rights protests, marches, slaughterhouse vigils, speeches and vegan restaurants around the world. With a following of over a million people across all platforms, our 70 contributors also take turns doing a daily vegan cooking show called #LunchBreakLIVE. In 2018, we racked up more than 17-million video views.

Cholesterol does not exist in vegetables.

Vegetables do not clog arteries. ~Jane Velez-Mitchell

www.janeunchained.com

Which of your many jobs has been the most rewarding for you?

Of all the jobs I’ve had, running the JaneUnChained News Network, a 501c3 non-profit, has been the most rewarding. I’ve been able to use my skills to speak for the voiceless and powerless: the billions of farm animals who have few rights, who never get a name, just a number.

Most know only suffering. My goal? Convince people that they do not need to participate in this brutality. Eating animals is unnecessary.

It’s a leading contributor to climate change, deforestation, habitat destruction, wildlife extinction and human world hunger. It’s inefficient because animals eat so much more than they produce as meat or dairy.

Meat is also a leading cause of human disease. And, again, it’s hideously cruel.

What message you would like to share with our readers.

The cultural change is happening. Look around you and you’ll see it!

There’s an ever growing number of vegan options in mainstream supermarkets and restaurants! Some of the major fast food chains have begun offering vegan burgers. I want YOU to be a part of it too. To that end, I will keep reporting on what I know is the biggest story of our lifetimes: getting humans to evolve beyond killing. As a friend of mine says, peace begins on your plate.

Special Thanks to Jane Velez-Mitchell Photography by Natalie Ford Hair and Makeup by Shawn DeMoss Clothing by Saffaron 11 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Natalie Ford is a VEGAN photographer, an A-List acting coach to celebrity clients in LA & NYC, and published social awareness poet.

As Creative Director of FORD FINE ART, she produces an annual multi-photographer photography event to support animal organizations.

Her Sacred Art Series: Faces of Buddha, has been honored at the Dalai Lama's Tibet House, at Christies, and are owned by private Collectors. The Faces of Buddha illustrate peace, kindness, compassion and connection. Natalie's dedication to supporting animal liberation through her art is her first priority.

13 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e April 2019

Photo Courtesy by Corey Miller Photo

Todd

Segal

Psychic Detective

May 2019 is National Pet Month, and to commemorate this holiday, Todd will be available to assist animal and equine training facilities and pet organizations, and help with rescues. He will provide readings for pets, and will give special insight to their owners about proper care and handling. He will also show them how to better communicate with their furry friends Todd Segal is a psychic detective and medium who has been helping to solve crime cases that have baffled police departments for many years. He has worked on a variety of investigations to assist in finding missing people, objects and animals.

His "uncanny" success rate in locating lost pets has helped to bring much peace and joy to their grateful owners.

With his keen sensitivity and special abilities to help find missing animals, Todd Segal is the ultimate "pet detective". He has helped to locate numerous missing pet cases over the years, including one for an indoor cat that was trapped in a snowstorm for more than a week during freezing temperatures. With his special intuitive gifts, Todd was able to bring the animal back home safely.

But pets are only one aspect to his unique service. Todd is a reader for the prestigious Edgar Cayce Foundation in Virginia Beach, VA https://www.edgarcayce.org/ and as a psychic detective, he handles high profile and serious crime investigations. He uses his unique abilities to see, feel, hear and sense the energy of physical locations remotely from hundreds

of miles away. Todd works on location, using his mediumship skills to connect with the deceased on investigations, and to uncover the history of the occupants of a particular place.

According to Todd, "I've always been sensitive to the energy of a place and its people. As I grew up, I found that leading a quiet, rural life and raising animals has helped to nurture my psychic abilities. As I tested my intuition my visions became stronger and clearer, prompting me to offer my investigative services. I've made a name for myself as a psychic medium who pushes the boundaries and opens doors for people to move forward in their lives. I help to bring real proof to the public eye."

Todd has been featured in The Best Psychic Directory, a website for psychics and mediums created by author and TV detective Bob Olson. https://bestpsychicdirectory.com/ Segal has since become one of the most sought-after pet rescuers listed on many missing pet organization pages, and is used by K-9 trackers.

17 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Could you please tell us about your work?

I am a psychic detective and medium, and I use my skills to solve criminal cases including missing people and missing pets, as well as conducting general readings for the public concerning things like business, health, and relationships. My skills are a little different than most psychics out there. I am a lot more detailed and I come up with much more specific information that can be used for law enforcement. This is something that I really had to practice but I found that I had a natural ability for. A psychic detective is a specialty for sure.

I am also a physical medium, and I use that skill in my investigations. That is a medium that mimics people that have passed, taking on their personalities. People on the other side can often help me to solve cases by giving me details and insight that are overlooked by the living. A lot of people are surprised that I can actually work with clients all over the world and do the investigations from my office. I don’t have to be on sight to do an investigation. Believe it or not there have been psychic detectives out there for over fifty years. Our government once employed psychics to do top secret investigations during the Cold War years to help uncover specific places and people that were of interest to our national security. My abilities can enable me to visualize a location as if I was there.

I can see the color of a building, numbers relating to addresses and highways, and I can even smell things such as fresh paint or dampness from a wetland. For example, when I am looking for a lost pet I do not try to communicate with the pet, but I am seeing his motion, and feeling whether the ground is dry or wet beneath him, and what kind of food he has access too. I know it is not the pet giving me the information because I am reading street signs and we know the pet can not read.

Another example of how I read is when I do health readings.

I see colors, and those colors tell me whether there is inflammation or disease in certain parts of the body. Sometimes a word of a condition will come through to me, but since I am not a doctor I can only describe what the condition feels like. How accurate am I? I have been noted to visualize what valves on a heart have damage, and which lung has dead tissue in it. That is how specific my work gets. In matters such as relationships, I have predicted marriages, break ups,

18 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

and even the birth of children. It comes to me like a big jigsaw puzzle, and my job is to put those pieces into order so I can give my client my insight for their situation. In business, I have helped people start businesses, and have given them important information about the people they hire and what months look good or bad for their financial outlook.

When did you first recognize that you had this gift?

Since my early childhood, I always knew I was different than other kids. I was shy and had terrible fears and anxieties that I still suffer from today. I saw ghosts and could read people's emotions around me very accurately. I thought everyone could see and feel things the way I could. It wasn’t until my thirties, that living on my quiet New England Farm really put me in touch with my sensitivities. I worked as a contractor and cabinet maker, and I also ran a farm boarding horses and raising wool sheep. I also ran a Bed and Breakfast from my home and started to make predictions for my customers that came true. I did not know where this came from, and I sought out help from a real psychic detective who later on became my friend. He helped me to unlock my abilities, and as soon as I trusted them I began testing them doing readings for people. My specialty as a contractor was in restoring old historical homes. Often when I worked in them I connected with spirits in these homes and my clients would validate that these people actually lived there in the old days. I knew I had to develop these skills further, and when I practiced my skills they become so strong that they physically made me sick. One year I had to go to my doctor because I had such bad heart palpitations and anxiety attacks that I thought I was dying. It took me a long time to ground myself so that I wasn’t physically feeling the offsets of my psychic abilities.

This is actually quite common among psychic people.

How you feel your gift can help others?

As a psychic, my abilities are dependent on the person I am

Tell us about your previous work that was so effective for you as well as your client.

If you look at my website I have a large amount of testimonials for my work which is very rare to see in the psychic world.

These are all true stories and solved cases. The only problem is I can not discuss all of my missing person or criminal investigations because I have been sworn to secrecy by the police departments, especially when there are still suspects at large.

I can not even put them on my website so I can protect the families privacy. Although, these cases were very effective and really turned some heads in the law enforcement community and with the families I worked with. It brings closure.

Are you working with any charity?

I am not currently working with any charities at the moment, but I am always interested in them, especially involving people and families with unsolved cases, open investigations with police departments, and animal charities. I am a big advocator for rescue animals, and as part of National Pet Month in May, I am offering readings to the pet community. Any non-profit or pet organization that is interested in having me do readings, or talk about my work, is welcome to contact my PR agent.

I will be donating the money I make to those organizations.

Photo Courtesy by Corey Miller Photo

Photo Courtesy by Corey Miller Photo

When did you begin doing this work professionally?

2001 is when I started doing readings for customers officially.

Although, it was an on and off process over the years and since I was a good carpenter I felt no need to do it as a profession.

I actually laughed at the prospect of doing it. I was a skeptic of psychics and mediums, but I made a business card anyway and felt compelled to do it. I did readings at psychic fairs and was even hired by another psychic to do private parties. Around 2007 I received a call from a family in Springfield Massachusetts about their son that went missing. They said the police were looking for him but they really had no leads. They asked if I could help them and my first response was “no, I have never done a missing person case before and I don’t know if I can help.” Then they pleaded and begged me to help so I did. They also relayed the information to the police as I gave it to them. We found the missing son and he was murdered by drug dealers. Not only did I lead them to the location but I also helped to identify the people behind his murder. After this is when my career and popularity really took off. I still remained a humble farmer and carpenter and it helped me balance my life but soon I started to not only solve crime cases, but to find missing pets. I had a great knowledge of animals because I raised them and I also trained horses. Over time I saved so many missing animals, and even missing horses, that I knew I could not stop doing this. I continued to do more criminal and missing people cases in New England. I found a man that committed suicide in Eastern Massachusetts, and investigated a missing girl in New Jersey. When I moved in 2017 to Virginia a client of mine mentioned my work to the Edgar Cayce Foundation in Virginia Beach. They put me through a formal testing process among three of their staff to see what kind of abilities I had. I was very nervous because this is the foremost centre of psychic research in the world! I got a call the following week and they hired me on the spot. I now do readings on selected dates throughout the months for them right next to Edgar Cayce’s personal library. It doesn’t get more professional than that!

working with. It is like I am the electricity and they are the wire that brings the electricity to the light. Sometimes clients can mute or disrupt that current of electricity. So, if I am trying to find a missing person for someone I will always tell them I can’t promise I will be successful and will help them open up that stream of electricity. That goes for missing pets too. Although, I can honestly say that I solve 90% of the work I do. I made a vow when I came to this work I would be open and honest which is why people have consulted with me for years. I am not after fame or fortune, but I just like to help people. I am a real perfectionist and I can be extremely hard pressed to get the job done. That is why I think people are drawn to me. Many come to me as a psychotherapist because I have more insight into their issues from a psychic standpoint.

This life is just a temporary destination. Our soul holds the key to understanding our emotional issues that we carry over from many lives before. I am not a spiritualist, but I know without a doubt that this life isn’t our only one.

19 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

What is your intention or motivation for doing this work?

I wanted to be different than the Hollywood celebrity types that are on TV and that charge a fortune for their time. I have done a lot of free work for people that could not pay me for my time. Recently, I just found a missing man for a client. She called me at eleven at night very upset. I have found many missing pets for her before and I knew she didn’t have much money. So, I helped her willingly till the man was found the next day unharmed and on the same street that I gave to her.

Of course I have to make a living and can’t do this for free but my motivation is to help everyday working people. I am one of the only psychics out there that does facebook live once a month answering questions that people have for free. People currently just can’t afford much. I sympathize with them.

I know what it was like working as a carpenter. To me, the day and age of celebrity psychics is coming to an end and my real focus is to work with law enforcement and to even help National Security. I feel every police department and every airport should have a psychic working in it. That is my hope and dream because I know it works!

What people can expect during your reading and why?

I tell people before a reading and explain on my website that they should have absolutely no expectations. I want them to be open and relaxed just like they were talking to a friend.

I will actually stop a reading if someone is acting negatively or sarcastic to me. I am very sensitive. Although, I don’t do a 20 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

lot of talking and I am straight to the point with all my clients.

What instructions do you give to your client during the reading?

I love to use humor. If I can make my client laugh in the beginning it is amazing how much they open up. I tell them to never try to hide things from me. This is very important. Of course with an investigation I want as little information in the beginning as possible. Too much can affect my clarity. Although, the real truth is psychics at certain points need information to get more information. It sparks our stream of vision and it can also give us confirmation to what we are seeing.

What can you tell us about your gift that is unique from the other psychics?

As I said early on, my skills, and notice I do not call them gifts. We all have psychic ability, but my ability is just stronger and more developed. I just don’t like to think of myself as gifted. It took many years of real testing to know that I had something unique that could actually help with investigations as well as missing objects. Other psychics will refer their clients to me because of my unique skill. Actually, most psychics do not want to do this kind of work because there is a high risk of failure and it makes them feel uncomfortable. It is definitely not a glorious job. I have to see really gross things such as murder victims, murder weapons, and dead animals to confirm my visions.

Are you willing to do any events or seminars and workshop?

Yes, I am always willing to discuss what I do and the experiences of a real life psychic detective. Recently, I spoke in front of a group that discusses near death experiences and how it affects people’s lives. There is a lot of documentation by doctors and the medical community on this topic, and how patients are affected by psychic visions afterwards. I will be doing more talks in the future on that subject. I have also been asked by the Edgar Cayce Center to do some speaking on psychic detective work and I will be offering that in the future.

Do you need to have client be present during the reading or can you do the reading via phone call?

Not at all. Since I work with clients around the world and we often do Skype or phone calls, and I even have to do them by email sometimes because of a language barrier. I always enjoy doing face-to-face readings with clients and I even investigate haunted houses for people in person. Although, I don’t have to be on location except for murder cases I like to be on location if it is possible.

How does one contact you to set up an appointment for reading?

All they have to do is go to my website www.toddsegalpsychic. com, and they can choose their reading and make the time and day of the appointment right there. It is very easy. I even have a policy that if they make an appointment for a lost pet or a missing person I will take those appointments as soon as possible so they don’t have to wait.

What message you can share with our reader?

The most important message I can share with your readers is that we are going through a very volatile time in our society.

Depression and anxiety among adults have reached an all time

high. Even our children are on more psychological medications today than ever before. I consult with families regularly who have lost loved ones to drugs and suicide. We are at an extreme tipping point, and we need to have clarity and stability in our lives. The work that I do exposes people to a whole other dimension that they never knew existed. It opens a door to the paranormal. I am not a spiritual person and I don’t have an ideology which surprises many. I am a seer, and a sensitive. The thing that most surprises me in our culture is how we separate the dead from the living. We talk about heaven or the other side, where our loved ones go when they die. To me, they are right here with us. The problem is we experience time as one dimension, but really there are many dimensions in our day to day lives, but we don’t see it. We are not one spirit, but we are many spirits in one physical body. That is why when we die, our spirit can be in many places at one time.

Is there anything you would like our readers to know about you or your gift that we have not yet discussed?

A lot of people wonder how I prepare for a reading. The answer is I have an ability to tune out everything in my mind very quickly. I do not meditate and I have had this tuning out ability since I was younger. I think it is because I have always suffered with anxiety and it is a natural mechanism to deal with it. So, I want to be a blank slate before I do a reading. The visions that I receive start out vague, then as I focus more I get sharper clarity and more vivid details. The messages can come very quickly, but in psychic investigation it can take a good deal of time to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Photo Courtesy by Corey Miller Photo

Could you share a story from one of the reading you had in the past, that was so profound and touched your heart.

Recently, I wrote a blog on my website about a story that happened several years ago called “Jennifer.” To make a long story short, Jennifer was a woman who was undergoing cancer treatment. She was a gifted horse person and just a delightful person who cared about her family. She asked me to do a reading for her and it was very hard for me to find a way to give her hope because at this stage of her cancer she had little time to live. So, I answered some general concerns that she had about her grandson and made her feel at ease that things would be ok with him. Then I talked about her parents who passed away many years ago, and even details about her father who was in the Navy that nobody else would know. After I sent her this reading by email because she was in too much pain to talk by phone, she said that I melted her heart and gave her proof that her family was waiting for her on the other side. She was so happy and she said she was no longer afraid. A week later she died, and the fact that I helped her touched my heart like nothing else in this world.

21 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

22 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

F

LASH TIME

By Jules Boles

Flash Time began causing a major sensation year before it was published. 42 test readers later, some called it 'the biggest news in all of history'. Words like revolution, Nobel and 'spectacular' are not often used in the conservative world of science, so why all the fuss? Two answers may help. While much of humanity stays focused on football, shoes and pasta recipes, it is not often that a scientist disagrees deeply with Einstein, Hawking and Darwin, let alone in a totally new way that no-one had even thought of.

The author, a gemmologist and jeweller by training, had come

across cyclic time as a concept, and thought it would be easy to rule out as impossible. Surely the idea of infinite time lasting forever in the universe had long been ruled out by every great name in science, not least by the mighty Albert and Stephen for a start. The very idea they could be mistaken was unthinkable, so any test applied to check would be a 3-hour pushover at most. Forty years later, it was clear not a dent could be put in 'a cycle'. The expected nuclear-level destruction of the notion, followed by the sweeping up of 100% shattered pieces headed for the dumpster, was not to be.

23 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Answer two shows why the cycle proved so resistant, and continues to be so. Time as a long line relies on several key assumptions, which turn out to be beliefs. Not one of them can be proved to be true, or even close to correct in any way whatever. Time to call up the reserve shock troops and try again. Evolution must fix this. Boles felt certain he must be in error somehow, because the thought that such famous names in astronomy, biology, geology and astrophysics had all missed this remained as wild a premise as many still think it is to this day. This all suggests the cycle cannot be proved wrong, and a prize of US$9,000 is offered if anyone can.

Yet even evolution could not counter a cycle of time. Try it for yourself. The 2-300-year-old texts of Lyell and Hutton's geology that so influenced Darwin are no help at all. They just ruled out eternity as 'unfathomable', which is not scientific. A reading of his Origin of Species failed to provide answers, with Darwin himself accurately listing the major snags of his own theory, not least the vast sinkhole-sized lack of fossils in the famed fossil record. Take the dino's. We now know only 653 dinosaur skeletons have been found, which is notably short of the trillions there should be if they had really spent millions of years gobbling up hamsters as we were guaranteed.

It turns out there is nothing cast-iron about that promise, because over 1200 unequivocal points of actual evidence say otherwise; in a cycle, too little time elapsed to allow species to 'evolve'. Darwin even sensed this problem would arise, and made his crucial last line of that book about time 'cycling on'. Flash Time explores 132 fields to check if there is comfort for linear time in any of them. There is none.

Our friends the cavemen are no help either. Take the Neanderthals and Denisovans. Clearly someone has, since if they had truly lived for about 800,000 years as claimed, there should be about 620 billion skeletons to find. How many have been found? Just 137 in all. Neither can they corrode away as many experts teach, because castes and signs of mineralisation are left in many deposits as we know.

What does all this mean? It demonstrates powerfully that our entire 'scientific' world view is worthless. Try as we might, we need a new world view that respects the observed reality of earth and space. Flash Time is the first to review the essence of all human knowledge in one book, with 91 new illustrations showing how. Oddly enough, we never asked ourselves if there might have been a 'cycle of time' that could explain all these anomalies, and one recurring in just a few millennia.

Only this weird answer offers reasons why history can only be reliably traced back that far, with carbon dating being so flawed, as Flash Time points out. Why else would déjà vu give such a powerful experience of a past life with the same

24 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

events in a cycle of the universe? We never asked this question, or many others, let alone found the answers we have here.

The research of the space agencies and universities has gained so much useful data. Well noted among these experts are Sir Roger Penrose, and Professor Lee Smolin of Canada's Perimeter Institute, with Professors Turok and Steinhardt, who think time can be cyclic. Even Big Bang theory fails these tests, since matter cannot just appear.

Another key finding is the discovery of a 'Super Grid' of two energy types, which helps all these puzzling mysteries: human spirit and material. Even the FBI uses this idea often, without realising there is physics to back it up. The TV show about their use of Psychic Detectives has been studied in 85 cases by the British Gemmological Institute in London. There is apparent evidence, although never considered before, for a constant connection between the 'spin of atoms' (as in quantum physics), and most human minds are able to pick this up to some extent; some to such a great extent they can review past events in enough detail to solve major crimes for the law courts.

All this matters because it suggests the mind does not actually die when the body does, which alters how we live our lives. Now there is evidence for this idea.

A much anticipated revolution is here…a 'time cycle' to consider, which is much better than the eternal darkness forecast by science, apparently incorrectly. Phew!

Jules Boles began geology lessons aged 8, having travelled as a child of six to America and Ecuador, later visiting 60 countries and studying volcanoes in Indonesia and Iceland. He received a distinction in gemmology for the FGA, later setting up a molecular spectroscopy unit at the British Gemmological Institute [BGI], which he founded with UK Government approval.

He is currently Director-General of the BGI, specialising in rare gem and diamond valuation for Lloyds insurers, and inventing a global anti-fraud system, which was patented. He became a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society [FRGS].

RECLAMING YOUR TRUE SELF

By Angela Dunning

Photo Courtesy by Mirjan van der Meer Website: www.mirjanrooze.com

26 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Honoring Our Vulnerability: It’s OK

Not To Be OK

In our modern society there is an imbalanced and unrealistic emphasis on striving to be positive, healthy, productive and happy at all times. It is therefore important to remind ourselves, and others on a daily basis, that it really is OK not to be OK, in order to simply give ourselves permission to feel exactly what we are really feeling.

We are complex creatures with complicated minds, bodies and feelings. Therefore, to strive to always feel and act OK is an immense burden and, ultimately, a false trapping as it is neither realistic nor authentic.

Yet, most of us go through life trying to maintain a façade of wellbeing and happiness and unconsciously, to some extent we expect others to do the same too. Much of this comes about due to a deep-seated resistance towards feeling and revealing our vulnerabilities. This pattern develops in us when we are very young. We are told not to cry, not to be so sensitive or to be such a baby. Slowly, over time we learn to bury our true feelings and to not show how scared and fragile we really are.

We efficiently grow a thick skin but at a great cost to us later on in life, as this extra layer of skin cuts us off from our own humanity and from genuinely connecting with others.

Whereas, the truth of being human is very different. We move through an array of feelings, fluctuations of energy, mental and bodily states each day. Yet, instead of flowing with this and responding naturally, we are programmed from a young age to disregard this ebb and flow and instead, to force ourselves into socially accepted feeling states. We go to work when we feel unwell; putting on a brave face to the world as soon as we step outside our front door, chiming breezily: “I’m fine” whenever asked. When really, we’re anything but fine as we may be worrying about something serious, or we may be feeling unwell; we may be very sad or grieving a loss, or we may just be feeling tired or out-of-sorts.

This is why it’s vital to remind ourselves on a regular basis that it is OK to feel tired, sad, anxious, depressed or uncertain.

To feel vulnerable or to be going through a difficult time is perfectly natural. We all experience these things at many times during our life; they are fundamental aspects of what it is to be a human being. Yet, it seems we have to work hard on a daily basis just to accept and own our innate vulnerability as a mortal being.

In recent years, Brené Brown’s work on finding the courage to be vulnerable has been an invaluable contribution to our development as a species. A great term which was developed by someone inspired by her work is: “Vulnerabravery”. I think Vulnerabravery is something we all need to cultivate more of

in our individual lives and wider society: That is, to develop the capacity to feel and to learn to openly express it in the world.

In my work with horses and people the main thing that horses want from humans is for us to be honest about how we really feel; NO MATTER WHAT WE ARE FEELING. When we mask how we really feel and instead try to appear strong or ‘fine’, they explicitly avoid or resist us. In their own way they are affirming to us that it really is OK not to be OK; that we don’t need to try to be strong and happy all of the time. They welcome ALL of our messy emotions and vulnerabilities and when we do own them then they happily want to spend time with us.

Then vulnerability itself then becomes a golden doorway into a deeper connection with our own truth and with others; even a vastly different species like horses. I have learned that walking through this golden doorway is a gift both for myself and for those on the other side, as it awakens a sense of their own vulnerability too. And yes, it is often messy, hard, painful and embarrassing. Yet, I have found that to push through that door and risk it is always SO worth it. So try it, open the door and walk right up to your vulnerable self, welcome yourself home and allow others to see the real you too; I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the rich rewards waiting for you on the other side.

Angela Dunning is the author of The Horse Leads the Way: Honoring the True Role of the Horse in Equine Facilitated Practice. You can learn more about Angela; her work helping people and horses reclaim their wildness, and read more of her articles at: www.thehorsestruth.co.uk You can also connect with Angela on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehorsestruth or www.thehorsestruth.co.uk

27 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

âˆŤ Hosain Mosavat I Have Come From You

I have come from you

for we are born within each other This book is written about merging in the end All that separates us is artificial Just like looking at a rose: Every eye no matter what color, race, creed or religion whether Poor, Rich, Pope or Prophet will see the same beauty and intensity in that rose And to me that rose is the source of our lives That is what brings us together That is where we come from and that is where we go to Let us realize that rose for each other

28 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Like a Flute

Like a flute

Backgroud illustration by David Revoy

how can I sing without the touch of your lips Like a flute I am lifeless without your breath blowing through me Like a flute how can I change my tune without the caressing of your fingers Like love how can I exist without dissolving in you

Hosain Mosavat was born in Shiraz, Iran, the birthplace of two giants of Persian Poetry, Saadi and Hafez.

When Mosavat came to America, he began to write poetry and was a teacher of math and physics for 30 years. He also wrote two other books, “If I Hold You in my Teardrop” and “The Heart Whisperer” and has three more books in the works. His mother read him Rumi poetry as a child and that began his heart’s journey. He is survived by his wife, Judy Mosavat.

He is survived by his wife, Judy Mosavat, and his son, David Mosavat.

For more about the late author and his book, please visit: www.AWinkForYourHeart.com

29 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

30 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

In loving Memory of

Joe Palese

On April 13, 2019, The Eden Magazine family lost a very dear friend, Joe Palese, Actor, Acting coach, Military Veteran, and true and loyal friend to so many in Los Angeles and around the world. Joe was born into an Italian American family in Camden, New Jersey and never forgot his Italian roots. He was a great Man with admirable qualities and values.

Joe was trained by some of the masters in the art of acting like Lee Strasberg, Milton Katselas and Martin Landau. They were all instrumental in shaping Joe’s approach to his work and to the master coach he would later become. Joe appeared in many films and TV Series like Hill Street Blues, NBC soap opera Days of our Lives, and K-911, just to name a few. In comedy he worked with James Belushi, Michael Landon, Tom Beringer, Dennis Franz, Teri Hatcher, James Earl Jones, and so many more.

For many years Joe was an acting coach at the Actors Space in Hollywood, CA. He impacted the lives of so many actors and friends through his passion, intuition, support, and commitment. He had so much love and respect for the craft of acting and for each individual artist who had the pleasure of working with him. All his students, who considered him to be their favorite and best acting coach, will not only miss his professional advice but also his wisdom and kind words. He was a gentle soul and touched so many people, and not just those in the acting community, but many people near and far. Joe’s closest circle of friends, who were like family to him, never left his side and were with him in his final days and hours.

Here are three beautiful quotes and touching words Joe shared over the years: “The difference between a master and a beginner is the master has failed more times, than the beginner has ever tried.”

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

“Sometimes it’s easier to live life, as we know it then to take the leap into the success we deserve and face the responsibilities of that success. Trust that you will rise to that responsibility. I wish you all much success.”

Our feature cover from Feb. 2016 featured International actress Sofia Milos, who was a very dear friend. When we asked her for a comment she wrote, “Joe, you’ve been the kind of amazing true friend to me, and to so many of us. You defined what true friendship really is. I’m Grateful for your friendship and love forever. We will all miss YOU, but you will be forever in our hearts.”

To new adventures my friend, we salute you.” ~Sofia Milos

31 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Excerpt from The Three Rooms

Creating Parallel Scripts

By Kevin Murphy Shonda Rhimes has created some of the most memorable shows on primetime television. Two of my favorites are Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, which my wife and I would watch every week. In Grey’s Anatomy, she took a bunch of young interns and wove their personal and professional lives together over the course of more than a decade. There was triumph and disappointment, heartache and joy. The stories contain the entire gamut of emotions we experience in our everyday lives. How are those episodes different from the daily scenes in the movie of our life?

One difference is that the actors have to follow a specific script. Rhimes (or her team) wrote it and they couldn’t alter it. That, however, is not how our lives unfold.

32 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Imagine that Shonda Rhimes is creating a new television show and writes countless scripts for each episode. Now imagine there is an interactive way to watch each episode, where the script you see acted out on the television coincides with the thoughts in your mind and the feelings in your heart at the time you’re watching the show. You come home from work upset after a tough day, still mad at a coworker, and the episode you watch is full of angry people and revenge. The next time you watch, you’ve just started dating someone new and your heart is singing with joy. What a surprise – the episode you watch that night is full of joy and the message of love.

Are your feelings creating the episode you are watching?

No! Rhimes already created the show. Your emotions just determine which version of the episode you watch today.

Just like yesterday’s show, and tomorrow’s show – they’re all different, determined by how you feel at the time, but they’ve already been created.

The same goes for your experience of life. Everything you can imagine doing has already been done. You just haven’t experienced it yet because your thoughts and emotions have sent you on a completely different vibrational frequency from the one that particular experience of life requires from you. But just because you are not experiencing it today, that doesn’t mean you can’t experience it tomorrow. It’s always there. You just can’t get there by continuing to focus on the concerns you’re currently focusing on. You can only get there by changing the frequency of your thoughts and emotions.

year; and since there is no cancellation policy, your contract runs until the day you leave this physical plain. The show goes on, whether you’re aware of it or not. So as soon as you awaken in the morning, you can consciously decide which theater you’re going to watch this episode from. If you find yourself thinking about yesterday’s episode as soon as you wake up, it will likely generate similar emotions, and old patterns of behavior will continue to pop up during the day. When this happens, you are sitting in the Past Theater watching reruns in the story of your life.

Remember that certain scripts only play in certain theaters.

It doesn’t work to imagine a wonderful script for your life movie, full of abundance and joy, but then try to watch it in the Past Theater. The episode you imagined is all cued up and ready to play in the Present Theater. You just need to step in, take your seat, and start watching.

Which movie theater are you in, and which scene in your life movie are you watching right now? The script is up to you. As soon as you can imagine it, your eternal being has written the script of the movie of your life. You don’t have to make it happen; you just have to allow it to happen.

If you took all the episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and put them in order, they would take you from when the characters were interns at the hospital to when they became accomplished doctors. If you go back and watch one of the earlier episodes, you already know how things will turn out. You see Meredith Gray, played by Ellen Pompeo, going through many trials, tribulations, tragedies, and joyful events.

During each episode, she is engrossed in what is happening at that time. But because you’ve already watched the last episode, you know she will achieve her goal of becoming an accomplished surgeon. She is already a doctor, even if she can’t yet see it at the start of the series.

Our everyday lives work the same way. I was always intrigued with the mystics, and wished I could become one.

Eventually, I realized you don’t have to do anything to become a mystic. You already are one. You just have to undo a whole lot of un-mystic behavior you learned from others who have yet to undo their acquired behavior. As of this moment, I know I am a mystic author, even while I’m commuting into New York City every day to work for a global investment bank, before this book is published. I don’t know how each episode in my life will turn out, but I know how the series of my life will unfold. Every day, I envision myself as a mystic author, and I know I will become one at some point in my human experience.

Every day you wake up to a new episode in the story of your life. You are the star in 365 different episodes every

Kevin Murphy is a former Wall Street managing director, high school and collegiate wrestling champion, community activist, speaker, coach, and author. His book The Three Rooms, invites you to start the process of better monitoring your thoughts--while providing you the keys to transform your life by doing so. Since our thoughts affect our health, our wealth and our relationships, observing which room your thoughts are in can change your experience of life.

For more info, visit: www.thethreerooms.com

33 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

The Princess Who Learned to Share

By Nancy E. Yearout

This true story tells of a little four-year-old girl who has learned early on how to get what she wants. The story is told by the cousin of the little princess.

Jennifer was the first child to be born to a young couple in their late twenties. The little toddler was quite smart and awfully cute. She was loved and adored by both her parents and their families. The day her cousin came to visit, Miss Jennifer was wearing her princess dress and a tiara on her head. She danced around the house without a care in the world while the adults conversed over tea at the kitchen table. Suddenly Jennifer ran into the room yelling, “Mommy! Mommy! I want a piece of candy!”

“It’s in the jar on the countertop,” her mother said.

“I can’t reach it!” she yelled! Her mom told her to wait until after lunch and then she would give her a piece of candy.

“No!” screamed the little girl. “I want it now or I won’t be your friend!” she said. “I won’t love you anymore!”

Her cousin was expecting Jennifer’s mother to get up and give her a swat on her back side, but instead the little girl’s mother began to cry. She told her four-year-old that she had hurt Mommy’s feelings. As she sobbed, she made her way to the candy jar and rewarded Jennifer with a piece of candy.

The cousin told me that she had never witnessed anything like this. The little girl was in charge. She was four years old and she knew exactly how to get her way! What happens when this manipulative behavior continues into her youth and then into her adult life? Will Jennifer strive to get what she wants at any cost? How will her children learn not to behave in this manner?

them the ability to delay gratification. Learning to delay gratification is important for a child’s future success, making it easier for them to function under stressful situations in life. Say no when it’s in another’s best interests.

It’s called tough love!

Believe that when we instill good values and morals in our children that we have made a difference in another’s life. ~Nancy Yearout If we don’t shape our kids, they will be shaped by outside forces that don’t care what shape our kids are in ~Dr. Louise Hart Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them ~Proverbs 13:24

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

This story has a happy ending because of the circumstances that occurred over the next few years. Oftentimes life has a way of straightening people out, even when they don’t expect it to. Jennifer was not an only child for very long. Her mother gave birth to a son, and a few years later to a sister and then another brother and finally another sister. Jennifer was blessed with four siblings. There was no room for selfishness in the household, Jennifer learned to share. She shared her room, her toys, the computer, iPad, her clothes, and her time with the new arrivals. As each child was born, it softened the little girl’s “me” attitude a little bit each time a new sister or brother arrived. She grew into a wonderful young lady and a fabulous older sister with a heart full of love for her brothers and sister. Her role as the oldest sibling changed her life forever. Her cousin expressed to me how proud she was of her.

She had blossomed into a wonderful caring adult who will share her lessons with others. She has broken the cycle for all her siblings. None of them are spoiled brats!

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

A New Mind-Set: When you tell an adult no, they may not like it, but they accept the answer. When you tell a child no, they don’t like it either, but this this is how they learn to accept that they may not always get what they want in life. When we say no to a younger person, we are teaching

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

Nancy Yearout Hosts a Radio Show/ Podcast every week on Toginet radio and iTunes called High Road to Humanity. Visit her website www.NancyYearout.com or her Podcast www.Highroadtohumanity.com 35 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT

Sara Safari

An Author, Speaker, Mountain Climber, College Professor, Electrical Engineer and Advocate for Women Empowerment

Sara Safari an Iranian woman who is an author, speaker, mountain climber, college professor, Electrical Engineer and advocate for women empowerment.

Five years ago, she decided to climb and summit Mt. Everest (29000ft) to bring funds and awareness for the girls who become victims of human trafficking or are forced into early marriage. In 2015, during the devastating 7.8 earthquake that hit Nepal, she survived the avalanches on Mt. Everest and came back down to help the victims and families, 10,000 of whom lost their lives and 100,000 kids lost their homes. She received the award for The Global Citizen from United Nations Association in 2015. She is a board member and director of development in Empower Nepali Girls foundation.

She published her book "Follow My Footsteps" last year and dedicated it to the Nepali girls.

The avalanche and the earthquake didn't stop her... Sara will be the first Iranian in history to climb the Seven Summits, the seven highest peaks in each continent by July 2018. She is climbing on behalf of all the women who don't have the opportunity to live fully self-expressed around the world. She also has received the award for Outstanding Practice with Broad Impact in the area of women and leadership from International Leadership Association in 2017. She is working on a documentary film with a talented team of directors and producers who have extensive experience working on complex social justice issues.

36 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

What inspired you to start climbing Mountain for the charity work?

In 2012, I was inspired to go from a California girl, who hated the cold and had never been camping, to a mountaineer, climbing the world’s tallest mountains for organizations that benefit women. My journey began as a personal challenge, but I quickly realized that if I could climb my own Everest, maybe I could inspire others to climb their own mountains.

Have you ever felt fear climbing mountain?

All the time?

But I have learned how to deal with it and acknowledge it.

What was your best and worse experience?

Nepal Earthquake while I was climbing Everest was both best and worse experience Was it hard to be connected to Empower Nepali Girls?

No, I met the founder at work where I was teaching engineering courses.

Second trying new things that are out of your comfort zone.

Third If your life is easy, you are not living a big life.

Fourth make new habits stick by repeating them for 21 days.

Tell us about your mission and goal.

My goal is to raise $1 per foot of elevation that I climb.

I’m climbing the highest mountain on each continent to raise funds for several different causes. When I complete this challenge in July 2020, I will be the first Iranian woman in history to conquer The Seven Summits.

What is the most challenge you face as a woman to be who you are today?

Inspiring more women to take on leadership roles in society.

49 countries in the world have had a woman leader; the United States hasn’t yet.

What have Climbing mountain taught you, and how effects your own personal grow?

First lesson that there is no perfect time to start reaching my dreams. If you want to achieve your goals you better Start NOW!

37 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

38 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Please share with us an emotional moment that changed your life.

Nepal Earthquake. I recommend watching my TEDX talk describing that moment but here it is: When 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal, I was climbing Everest at 20,000 feet and I thought I will be barried alive in the avalanche and no one can ever find my body. I was angry because I just raised money so our scholarship girls can continue their education but 10,000 people died after that devastating earthquake and lost their homes and schools.

30 days, carrying 120 lbs. to raise funds to support women’s reproductive rights.

Who is your inspirational icon?

Opera Winfrey How our readers can help you to reach your goal with your charity work?

If a reader just donates $5 (a price of a coffee), that pays for two days of a girl’s school tuition in Nepal which means she won’t become victim of human trafficking or forced to get married at an early age.

You wrote a book call “Mountain’s Shadow” tell us about it.

After the earthquake, I was traumatized so I decided to write my heart out, everything that led me to climb Everest and how I was inspired to do so. Then I had a book.

Tell us about Crossing Greenland for Planned Parenthood.

I skied 335 miles across the largest ice cap in the world for

We are featuring you under “Women Empowerment” column, what is your message to all the women around the world. (please specify even those women who lives in the society with so many limitations in their life, how they can raise their voice to be hear) Be your best every day don’t compare yourself with others.

Welcome your failures, they are just the signs that you’re getting closer to success. Meditate every day exercise every day and be the best role model for your kids, Neighbors, niece and nephew friend and your partners

39 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

An exclusive interview

By Alexia Melocchi

Living La Vida Loca with Fernando Allende

“You have to be bigger than life, and not let life be bigger than you”. This is one of the many tips to live by, given to me by Mexico’s most loved and effervescent celebrities, Fernando Allende. His contagiously positive attitude inspired me interview him for the readers of The Eden magazine.

Everything about Fernando Allende is phenomenal. His life, his family, and now his hit new BRAVO reality show “MEXICAN DYNASTIES”. The Allendes and the members of two other prominent families break down the stereotypes about Mexicans and Mexico in one of the most entertaining guilty pleasure I have seen in a while. And I am not the only one tuning in, the whole country is. There may be a wall built to separate the USA from Mexico, but we are more similar people than we think. Yes, these Dynasties are living in luxury, but the Show’s core purpose is to give us a glimpse into a trendy, cosmopolitan and culturally thriving Mexico’s Capital City.

Fernando Allende’s lucky star has been shining for some time now. His matinee idol looks made him first a star of several Mexican soap operas, then he landed in Hollywood and played leading roles in several American television series and movies. Fernando is also a famous and beloved Mariachi singer who has performed on the world stages including the Miss World competition.

Fernando, was there a moment when you made the decision to be an Artist?

One of the first memories I recall when I was acquiring universal conscience was around 8 years old: I wanted to be in show business, to act, sing, perform. I was given certain gifts and I was natural at leading. For example, I loved to listen and be listened to and I realized that I could use my words to inspire others. I feel that with success there is a great responsibility that goes with it. I have accomplished much of what I set out to do, but I am not done yet. Having done 56 features, played lead in 2000 hours of television, 19 music albums and 17 art shows around the world, is the result of having received the message and most important to have listened and followed it.

I have read in some psychology books that a calling is heard between the ages 6-8- and it appears you heard that loud and clear. Did you have a natural spiritual principle helping you to attract these things I your life?

I discovered spirituality through these callings. I feel that all that has unfolded, seems to be guided by a higher being. I started as an extra, in movies, hiding it from my family- they wanted me to take over the family business as we had supermarkets, and cattle, but it was not my calling, it was their calling for me. The most important thing is to discover the inner voice and trust it and follow through as that is the universe speaking to you. I am very open and never believe that hiding is the right thing but I loved being on set and I created friendships that led me to one day being called for my next part. I was only 17 when I met Gabriel Figueroa with whom I did 3 films – he was behind the most important production company in the golden era of Mexico . The first movie was MARIA, from a famous book by Jorge Isaacs, considered the most important work in 19th Century Spanish literature. Then I met my wife whose name is Maria. This film became the most prestigious films in romance in Mexico.

You quickly rose to super stardom in your country. And with that comes a certain financial freedom. Does financial freedom bring happiness or does happiness bring financial freedom?

Next year I will be celebrating 50 years in the Industry. What I value the most is that I have been given the freedom to know the world, to travel, to learn from societies not just as a tourist, but as a working force in that community. My success has allowed me to meet people and transform those friendships into brotherhoods. And after 50 years it’s an honor to know I have friends everywhere. Financial freedom yes, but there are so many things in life that you don’t buy with money: friendship, true love, spiritual experiences. All those things, you cannot buy. I can’t complain. I live a phenomenal life and I could give my

sons the best education. Most of all, I wanted my kids to value and appreciate what giving is about. I wanted them to learn about seeding and cropping. My mission as a father, together with my wife, is to teach them to be grateful to receive but also to show them they can create something on their own and give value and appreciation to things they create on their own.

You have traveled extensively and you always take your family with you. Why did you feel it was important?

As a father I wanted them to experience themselves through other cultures. I believe that schooling is very important but it was essential that I could facilitate them to first- hand experience history, culture, society, communities, customs, traditions. When you experience the world in a broader spectrum, it allows you to have more compassion, more understanding, to be less critical, and more grateful.

As a Latin family, you are a strong unit and your son Adan is still living under the same roof. You call yourselves affectionately, a tripod. How do you feel this way of life is a message to fathers and mothers who are struggling with the society’s demands to send the kids off to live on their own once they become of age?

I can only comment my personal experiences. I am not here to criticize any way of parenting. In Mexico and Latin America, many kids stay at home till they get married. I think that’s wonderful. Until you meet the person to share your life with, your soulmate, why not share your energy, your youth, your experience, with your family? And why not allow us, your parents, who are coming from a different generation, to share out points of view? It’s okay to have different points of view on the same matter and live together in harmony. In the USA , it is normal for parents to ask their kids to leave home or for kids to believe that they have to leave the house after High School.

But those are the moments they need you the most! We are all confused as teenagers – and as a parent I ask myself, how would I push you to go out when you need me the most? Just because your grandfather or father did it to me?

41 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

I know. There is the belief that when children live at home too long they become they don’t mature or grow up spoiled, but your sons came out just fine. You and Maria have been fantastic parents to them.

Yes, my sons are phenomenal. When they were young, I would always bring them with me when on Tour or working on a movie. I don’t ask for secretary or publicist as part of my deal, I ask for plane tickets for my sons instead. Economy class tickets. They can fly business only as a reward for something magnificent they have done. Economy or business class tickets, they both take you to the same place. When they were kids, we always travelled with a teacher and a nurse. In Aspen, Colorado where they were born, we had a great relationship with the school and they understood I was a caring father and did not want to leave kids behind. They would give me homework and they would take exams upon their return.

You have been married 33 years – When you met Maria you were a heartthrob, you still are. What made your marriage work back then and lasting till today?

What happens in this industry, it becomes very difficult to find someone that would enjoy following your tracks with you. The day I knew Mari would be the chosen one, was the moment when we were dating and she came to one of my concerts and after the concert I always stay all the way till the last fan leaves with a photo or autograph. I may receive 300 women backstage. The first concert she came to, she sat backstage while holding red, gold, black, blue markers for the fans to pick and choose their favorite color for me to use so sign my publicity photos. This is a dream come true: here is a woman that is so secure in herself. I knew we could do this together because not only we love each other, but we are pursuing the same goals.

And. I don’t recall the last time we fought. We never go to bed mad. It takes a lot to get me angry. And I have been learning how to snap out of it: first it too two weeks then became a week and now it takes me 2 and a half hours.

What are your daily rituals to get you to a happy place?

I always talk in a positive way. As it all starts with energy. It’s a growing daily experience, the handling of energy. In all areas of my life, I do not allow negative energy to affect me. I am spiritually developed and I respect others as a result. My point of view is that you don’t need to like me or love me. If you do, I highly appreciate it. You can dislike me, or talk behind my back, and that’s okay too. Its’ all about freedom. And what do you do with your freedom? My freedom is how I receive your energy, your words, your acts. You can treat me any way you want to because it’s not going to hurt me, as I give you the freedom to be who you want to be with me.

That’s deep. Sounds like a life mottoLook I am 67..I have thick skin and if you want to hurt me go ahead, give it a try.

If you were not an artist what would you have been?

A president. The President of Mexico. I am honest, I am a 42 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

decent man and I have my code of honor, my principles, my ethics and that is who I am. I would lead being true to myself.

I can see why your sons are very confident.

Again, this is all about the individuality and freedom. I have 2 sons: one is 28 , the other one is 30. The 30 year -old he deserves all my respect yet he decided he wants to do all on his own, does not want to be known as the son of Fernando Allende. If that is his choice, it’s okay. My son Adan on the contrary says :“ Daddy you have been here 50 years, you have friends all over the world, why should I not take advantage of that?”

And I say, why not? This is how I raised my kids. I wanted them to be free to be who they are. One thing is the constant, I will always be there for them.

Do you have any charities that are closest to you?

I say it in every single interview I give, if you need us, come to us. The Allendes are there for you. I don’t care who we are helping, but if you are devoting to help the needy, the elderly, the sick, the kids without parents, the dogs without homes, and the list goes on, I always say come to us. If I need to sing for free, I have done it before, I will do it again. If you need money we will get it to you, but make sure we know where it is going and that it is used for a good purpose.

The show has taken your life to the next level and I am sure it is an even bigger platform for your plans. What’s next?

Speaking of charities, in the Southeast part of Mexico, in Chiapas, there is a community of nomads. These 300 families, travel across Mexico every year to “la pisca” to pick cotton and oranges. The families have kids but as nomads, they own nothing. The hardest part is they are non- existent to their own country, because the kids are not registered anywhere. Even though they born in Mexico, they are not Mexicans . They won’t even receive them in the hospital as they do not exist. In July, at the National Auditorium of Mexico, 8000 people will attend a fundraising concert, where all my friends will sing for free, to legalize these families. Miss Mexico, who won Miss World, and the President will join me. We are also putting together tents in their path, where teachers can teach them how to write and read. They barely know how to speak Spanish.

They need our help.

I heard you met the President and have quite a bond with him.

The President of Mexico is a decent man. He came into power in February and the first meeting was given to me. As I walked in he asked: ”Nando, what do you want? “. And I said I wanted nothing. He said: “everyone that crosses that door wants to ask for something.” I asked for a hug and there is a picture of us that says a thousand words. He is aware I am coming from a good place, to help the needy. For this Mega Country of Mexico, I do everything.

I love you are calling Mexico a mega country.

The show is a mind opener. People are seeing this beyond the luxury life. They see the heart of the people and it’s so needed.

In America, there is a big community that feels they are the best and yes, I agree you are one of the best as a Country. If you say “I am the best” , there is no room to grow. But if you are one of the best, you will have the curiosity about others, and your mind will expand and if you expand your mind, your heart also expands.

As we hugged goodbye, I found myself humming the famous Abba song.. There is something in the air tonight the starts are bright.... Fernando.

Alexia Melocchi is an accomplished film producer and worldwide distribution executive and the partner of Beverly Hills based LITTLE STUDIO FILMS. Alexia Melocchi has an experience of more than twenty years in in Hollywood and has produced 11 award wining movies and 3 documentaries that were shot by emerging film makers that she has personally discovered and mentored.

She also acquires on behalf of her international distributor clients films and television shows from all over the world for release in the Middle East, Italy, Greece, Spain, Canada, South America and Germany. She attends all major film festivals in the USA and abroad and has been often invited as an expert panelist on the Film Business for high profile film and television conventions.

Alexia is fluent in five languages and is the proud mama to 3 rescue cats.

She supports environmental and animal causes , meditates daily, and is an avid reader of spiritual and self helps books.

IG @lexybella @LttleStudioFlms www.littlestudiofilms.com

43 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

THE WAY I SEE IT

Photography by Robert Collins

By Joe Santos, Jr.

44 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COMe May 2019

Choosing Friends

A friend is someone who is happy to spend time with you doing absolutely nothing at all; someone who doesn't mind driving you on mindless errands, or who will get up in the middle of the night when you can’t sleep and want to talk, who doesn’t have to talk or communicate with you, just listen.

A friend is someone you love and who loves you, someone you respect and who respects you, someone whom you trust and who trusts you. A friend is honest and makes you want to be honest, too. A friend is loyal.

A friend forgives you no matter what you do, and someone who tries to help you even when they don't know how. A friend is someone who tells you if you're being stupid, but would never make you look or feel stupid. A friend doesn’t call because he needs something; he calls to check that you don’t!

I for one have been most fortunate in the process. Even though like most of us I too have been disappointed by certain “friendships” and rewarded by others. We’ve all been caught up in a moment of spontaneity or excitement from the newness of a friend. Then after getting to know each other, we think, “I’m not so sure.”

Bottom line it's the same for all relationships. In "choosing friends” know your worth. Show up prepared, aware, open, honest and consistent. A true friend is a gift, a blessing. So much in our lives comes and goes but a friend stays. Maybe because friendships are based on trust, familiarity, loyalty, comfort. A place we all search for. Don’t confuse this gift with entitlement. It’s never to be taken for granted but acknowledged. It will be a cold, lonely world without having at least one.

Choose wisely. Base them on what you have plenty of love, energy, interest, kindness, generosity, humor, curiosity, patience, loyalty, and empathy. Trust, you will be tested and rewarded.

That's what friends are for.

I chose my first real friend when I was 10 years old and he was 9. It was September in a playground in Riverdale, NY. He was alone and sitting on a seesaw when I rode my bicycle in and noticed him. I looked over and said “Hi" cheerily. He looked over at me sheepishly and said “hello.” I responded, “You know that it might be more fun if I sat on the other end” and as simple as that our friendship began. This September we will celebrate our 50th year as best friends.

Wouldn’t life be simpler if we could choose Family members, careers, partners, lovers, etc., by the same basic principles we use in selecting our friends? There really isn’t anything less complicated than true friendships. It’s like having a safe place to run to, hide in and explore.

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

Follow Joey on Instagram @jojoboy13

45 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

LANGUAGE OF SPACE

By Michael White Ryan

I

DENTITY Searching for the Individual

46 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

JOY give me JOY Happiness Mindfulness help me in finding the source??? It’s a far cry from memory lane, when as a child the whole family went to the beach and afterwards ate ice-cream, giving us Mindful-Happiness every time. We all have our story, and in time we moved on, to asking, questioning, searching for those break-away break-into moments of feeling whole in the moment. There are literally thousands of ways to enhance body sensations, it’s the internal organic orgasm of belonging at peace, holy with who I am and nature.

Ok, the body is constantly getting its kicks and is that fully who I am? If so, have we closed our eyes to the bigger picture and become so-so-self-focused on our feelings.

In order to be comfortable with our beingness! The “Body Never Lies” is rubbish as facts are only due to personal subjectivity. It’s the body’s parameters that come into question.

Depression anxiety stress, are also feelings, just saying. Feelings come in many shapes sizes and lord knows the timing can suck. If one is engrossed in feelings, good or not so good, is that still a distraction from really getting down to the nitty gritty of, are we just a sensation or is the you-meI-we something far greater?

Lost in the worlds of mind one discovers the many personified states of beingness multiple versions of the I am and the I am not help me to love you all the past, the present, and what the I has become

Sad but..., am I aware of my perceptions untruths, as I peer through the fog of yesterdays corrupted vision. For now is the time to pierce the veils of deception and deliver revelations based on who we have become. Smothered in depths of countless accumulations, hidden answers are non-existent. Breath sustains life, therefore I remain calm, ever watchful, as the winds of foreplay deliver intuitions message, of tomorrow’s delightful adventure.

Flow, the waters of the forever living, comes to rest on this side of an infinite energy “Trust.” Trust, forever planted in experience gone by, emerge as a doer, or remain stranded on “Jacks beanstalk,” is egos forever evolving challenge.

So beautifully choreographed, is “this human system.” The word perfection does no justice to our continued mindset awareness, is it “I” at the helm of this state of beingness! Conformations given, constantly fluctuating feelings remind us, we were only given a small portion of life’s manual.

Unity as an incoming, sounds like firstly saying, YES PLEASE, could be scary, as opposed to unity can only exist when we personally dive into diversity. No no do not ask this of me, the risk of the unknown is too hard to bear, uncertainty anxiety, what will I do. ALL this rubbish was fed to us, to keep fear alive. Yes yes chop chop time to move on, 2019 has enrolled you me us into lessons beyond the lessons of flow! ALL are invited, no exceptions, your choice to participate.

Living a life in two minds, knowing the disappointments, passing blame as an offering onto who I am. Invisible inevitability shows on the outside, while wish-hiding, I could be somebody else, reverbs in the outer boundaries of my mindfulness.

Forever locked in a life of one’s own choosing, I just want to run away I fear all the new gadgets technologies are distracting us from our greater self, from the unseen capabilities we can accomplish as an individual, insights, intuition, awareness, connection. Acknowledge not the powers to-be, acknowledge the powers to un-be… We are the every man-woman, living as children unaware, in the face of countless centuries of accumulated rubbish knowledge, standing, innocent, here and now before the “Grace Winds” 24/7.

In truth, at times it may feel like darkness momentarily takes hold, dig deep, gather one’s free-will, reach up to the sky and do not be fooled, for ALL is a total lie. ALL that exists behind us are only shadows lying on the ground, ALL else are delusions of the mind acting out some factual beliefs, regurgitated on past experienced foundations, still traveling now on the wings of past-time.

48 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Navigating the path of one’s presence, is the journey of a thousand signposts. Life after life, character upon character, lessons like grains of sand blowing us in multiple directions simultaneously. Who and what laid out this dream, appearing as life’s endless obstacle course. Deciphering between the macro micro, good bad, right wrong, yin yang, inner outer, becomes rather tiring, wouldn’t you say!

Adjustments are constant between the maze of the four primary “I am” components, of body, egomind, emotion, spirit, life tends to be a bit of a challenge at times. Are we the lucky ones to have such an opportunity, drowning in all this confusion, believing we will be saved??? In this Twenty First Century world of constantly evolving now moments, which of the four primary “I am,” has evolved.

The journey, “Identity,” the eternal searching for our individuality continues, as the fifth primary “I AM,” has now emerged, birthed itself into the minds of man. It’s our very own man made “Spiritual-Ego”? And so Identity begins once again…

Blessings to you one and all, for tomorrow the sun shines

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

They are leaders in sustainable business growth via Performance Design and Performance Code.

Sustainable design encompasses both Western and Eastern philosophies including advanced Feng Shui principles, Environmental Design, Buildings, Alternative Health, Business Advisory Consultants and 20 plus years as entrepreneurs. Recognized in the top 100 globally and are Americas Leading Feng Shui Business Consultants.

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

Have you seen Gretchen?!

Missing since 11/11/2016 Please contact us

info@theedenmagazine.com

43 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2018

Sociability

By Jayney Goddard

’ If I had to put my finger on one lifestyle factor above all others that leads to the greatest gains in terms of both a longer lifespan and health-span, I would have to choose “sociability” – that is to say the capacity to be sociable and build good relationships with other people. Across all the research on the subject, this has been proven time and again to be the easiest factor to associate with healthy longevity.

No one knows exactly why “sociability” is so important to wellbeing and enhancement of health-span, as there are so many factors associated with it. However, studies in this area of research show that having an active, fulfilling social life can add well over nine healthy years to one’s life.

The physical aspects of life such as diet and exercise would seem to be the most logical predictors of longevity and, of course, they are extremely important. However, close relationships with your most reliable friends – the people you can call on a bad day and who you know will always be there for you – also contribute hugely to your healthy longevity, maybe more than you might realize.

Interestingly, we also get a huge health-span boost from our interactions with the people we see on a much more casual but regular basis – whether it be your postman, the barista in your local coffee shop, your hairdresser – and so the list continues.

Each of these people provide opportunities for all-important face-to-face anti-ageing interactions.

50 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Cultivating a Sociability mindset One of the most effective ways of tapping into the incredible anti-ageing power of sociability is to approach relationships with a mindset of: • What can I do for others?

• How can I make a difference in peoples’ lives?

• What random act of kindness can I do today?

Coming from a mindset of unconditional kindness impacts you deeply – mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. This is because when we are able to embrace feel-good emotions, our thinking becomes much more creative, integrative, flexible, and we are so much more open to information. And the added bonus is that the benefits of acts and interactions of kindness and compassion touch everybody: the giver, the receiver and even witnesses. In fact, even just reading about kindness can have a positive effect on our holistic health.

The Ripple Effect of Loving Kindness I love the idea that a simple act of kindness has this incredible “ripple effect” and just one small act can have a huge impact on so many others–the compassion spreading out and positively affecting people we know, strangers in our immediate vicinity and then beyond that, into the wider world. As I write this, I’m reminded of the Loving Kindness, or Metta, editation technique that I explained on page 56, so do feel free to turn to this earlier chapter to follow this technique at any time to get more into the practice of a kind and loving mindset.

The Anti-Ageing Effects of Compassion and Kindness Most of us innately sense that living a life filled with love, compassion and social support is likely to have health and wellbeing benefits, and scientific research now bears this out. You might think that it would be tough to study compassion scientifically, yet it is actually one of the fastest growing areas of research in the “positive psychology” arena. I was surprised to learn that it is currently such a hot research topic – particularly in the field of nursing, although increasingly in other conventional medical areas, too.

The Positive Power of Selflessness: Helper’s High!

Selflessness and altruism are other key social qualities that can help lead to both long-term health and happiness. In fact, a research study published in the journal Health Psychology in 2012 showed that a group of retired people over the age of 65 who had volunteered to help others had significantly higher levels of life satisfaction and will to live than control groups of a similar age and background. They also had far fewer symptoms of anxiety, depression and somatization, which is what used to be called “psychosomatic” illness before the term became stigmatized due to many patients being dismissed with statements like “It’s all in your head.”

51 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Now, study after study shows that altruistic behavior in adults is associated with enhanced levels of wellbeing, morale, self-esteem and other positive feelings. In fact, a meta-analysis of studies funded through the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, and headed by Stephen G. Post, PhD, a professor of bioethics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, showed that two thirds of people who helped others reported distinct positive sensations associated with helping: • 50 per cent reported a “high” feeling • 43 per cent felt stronger and more energetic • 28 per cent felt warm • 22 per cent felt calmer and less depressed • 21 per cent felt greater self-worth • 13 per cent experienced fewer aches and pains Even just watching or thinking about love, kindness and compassion in action has now been shown to have the capacity to make you physically and emotionally more resilient. In a study undertaken at Harvard in 1987 and published in the journal Psychology and Health in 1988, some students were asked to watch a film about Mother Teresa’s good work, while others were given the task of “dwelling on love”. It was found after the tasks were completed that there was a significant increase in salivary immunologic A (the main specific immune defense mechanism in saliva) in both the group watching something loving and thinking about something loving!

The Importance of Self-care But, what if we didn’t have parental love? How do we undo the damage that this may have caused? The answer to this lies once again in lifestyle medicine, so you are in the right place. All the research in the growing field of science that looks at the effects of Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) shows that we can heal ourselves through regular self-care and self- nurturing rituals, as these send such a strong message to both our mind and body that we are deeply loved and cared for. So following the life- and health-extending practices in this book really can make a big difference!

The Value of Friendship, But Beware the “Anti-Friend” We’ve already discussed briefly on page 185 how important friends are when it comes to wellbeing and leading a long, healthy life. However, this is only of value if we can tell the difference between true close friends who will be there for us through both good and bad, and friends who maybe seem to be fun and supportive on the surface but who make lots of little digs, make us feel uncomfortable by the way that they seem to compete with us, or leave us feeling inexplicably down after we’ve spent time with them. Research into the effects of these mixed-bag type of people who could be called “frenemies” (“friends” yet also “enemies”) has shown that, fascinatingly, time spent with them tends to raise blood pressure more than time spent with purely negative people does. Friendships with such frenemies are known in scientific circles as “ambivalent relationships”, and researchers at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, found that having a high number of ambivalent relationships in our lives can actually be a predictor for clinically measurable 52 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

depression and cardiovascular problems. So it seems that it really would be worth taking a little time out to evaluate your friendships – and figuring out whether there are any people in your life who match this description and who it would be better that you spend less time with. After all, if you want to enhance your zest and vibrancy for life, it’s just as important that you work toward having fewer negative influences as well as more positive ones!

Rewind Practice – Over To You Cultivate Unconditional Kindness To put the notion of more loving kindness into action in everyday life, have a \think about what you can do to help someone today. Then plan some other random acts of kindness, too. Here are some ideas to get you started: • Volunteer at a homeless shelter.

• Sign up for a fundraising walk, run or other event in aid of a good cause.

• Help at an animal rescue center.

• Hold a fundraiser for a cause close to either your own heart or the heart of someone else you know.

• Pick up litter on the beach or in a local park.

• Let someone go in front of you in a queue.

• Pay a stranger a compliment.

• Make dinner for a friend or family member in need.

• Offer to buy a cinema ticket for the person behind you in the queue.

• Pay for someone’s meal at a restaurant.

• Donate Christmas gifts to an orphanage or to a collection point.

• Donate to a charity.

• Hold doors open for people.

• Thank a teacher with a gift.

• Donate your clean old clothes to charity.

• Babysit for free – ideal for new parents who haven’t had the time or opportunity to get out.

• Plant a tree – plant anything!

• Do a favor without asking for anything in return.

• Offer to take a new neighbor on a tour of your area.

Jayney Goddard is acknowledged to be a global leader in Complementary Medicine with a special interest in immunology and anti-ageing.

President of the Complementary Medical Association, Fellow of The Royal Society of Medicine and Founder and Co-Chair of the British Society for Lifestyle Medicine, with a Master of Science post-grad degree and Mind/Body Medicine training from Harvard Medical School, she has a monthly column in Natural Health Magazine and is the Discovery Health Channel’s Natural Health Expert.

53 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e April 2019

Live Life Moment to Moment

By Jayita Bhattacharjee The moments that we call ordinary, bring something extraordinary, as through them we see life revealing in light. Every moment has something to give, if only we can see through them and not across them. In that falling light, we merge ourselves with what we do and what we behold. In every vista that we gaze on—we become one with what we see and what we do. We feel it and that becomes our heartbeat. Being awake, carries us to the heart of wonders, where every moment reveals a light. Such is the way, we feel alive, which then becomes an art of living life, to the fullest. Life passes us by, faster than we think, when we fail to remain focused on what really matters and what doesn’t.

54 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Feelings, thoughts, smells and sounds—they are the ways we can connect to the moment we have now. As we gaze at a vista, we find ourselves there too. Seeing a breaking dawn, how it reveals its light through the clouds, our eyes open with wonder. As our heart breaks in delight, we feel ourselves, dancing in delight, beneath the sun-lit sky. Any thought that we have of the past, releases in the joy of feeling alive. The way it becomes a living joy is-- when the moment gifts an unraveling beauty to our hearts, we become one with the moment, and our eyes become the eyes of that rising dawn.

The past has no dominion over our minds. Neither do we relentlessly worry about what tomorrow may bring. Such is the way, we dance in the freedom. The past does not bind us. The future does not show any cloud of worry. We awaken to the present moment rather than dwelling on the past or anticipating the future. Wake up to the calling sunrise of a new day, or else we find that time has slipped away, the dawn has passed away and we are still living in the broken pieces of yesterday. The flight of time can be that fast.

Whether we can or cannot stay awake in the present moment is ruled by the emotional state of mind. As fears and insecurities grip our minds, or the future shows in our thoughts, we tend to push aside the moment we have now, the only moment that is real in our lives. We shift from what is real to what is unreal. We move from clarity to haze, from the gifts of wonders to the illusions of our thoughts. Do we wake up to say—Good morning yesterday? Let go of yesterday as it already left you. Today comes with its light of life. Why not open the eyes to its revealing dawn?

Mindfulness holds the light to the mystery that clouds our minds—"where did the time go?” There are some steps to feel awakened in the moments that come to us. They are the ways of feeling life through the heart of a nature lover, one who finds joy in listening to the musical sounds of earth, the melody of a running brook, the hum of birds that fills the sky, the fierce yet the tender beauty of the surging seas.

They transform anger into love and cruelty into kindness.

They help us to let go of what is already gone, to leave what has already left us and to see through the eyes of an awakened soul. As we emerge, we can focus on every moment with joy and positivity, leaving all else behind.

Walking barefooted on earth streams a music that travels from the ground to our hearts and we hear the melody of life. Walking meditation is a way to find oneself as we make a contact with this bare earth. With every step, we leave the stress behind, as the physical contact with the ground, streams a delight that rushes to our hearts and takes off the worry that clouds our minds. While we walk, the whispering breeze, the rustling of leaves—the melodious delights cleanse us, and we awaken to what we have instead of dwelling on what we did not have. We realize what matters as we find the courage, the grace to gently release-- what does not matter. While we hear the music of this earth, we begin to break in its musical delight and eventually, we can hear the music of life. We feel the living heartbeat of this God-sent life.

Taking a deep breath helps us to relax. As we master the art of deep breathing, we can release the stress that clutches us.

All the worries that cling to us, find a way to leave and we are in the heart of life again. Emotions, thoughts—they come

and go, and all we are is their silent witness. But as we breathe in the light of consciousness, it helps us to be anchored inside. Our roots begin to further deep inside of us. So, what seems to break us-- may shake us, it may even bend us—but we can rise again. We can feel life again with its colors and fragrance. Whenever there is a staring gap between our lives and consciousness, breath becomes the way to close the gap and unites us to the awareness that we are. And we become the carriers of light. When a thousand thoughts are scattered in the head, breath is the one that gifts us the grip on our wandering minds. And we feel rooted inside. And we can create moments of happiness with which we can embrace hard feelings. With the melodious delight of our own souls, we can embrace the anger and transform the unpleasant feeling into a pleasant sensation of mind.

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

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

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

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

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

55 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

From Crystal Lore, Legends & Myths

Accessing Crystal Wisdom

By Dr. Athena Perrakis

56 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Some of the world’s most famous crystals are mentioned in the Christian Bible, most notably in the Hoshen, or breastplate of Aaron, the high priest. According to Exodus 28, Moses was instructed to inscribe the twelve names of the twelve tribes of Israel on twelve specific gemstones, which were to be laid in an exact arrangement and worn as a breastplate by his brother Aaron, the high priest; this breastplate was a channel of two divine energy streams that allowed for visual communication with God, known as the Urim, or light, and Thummim, or truth: “Insert the Urim and Thummim into the sacred chest piece so they will be carried over Aaron’s heart when he goes into the Lord’s presence. In this way, Aaron will always carry over his heart the objects used to determine the Lord’s will for his people whenever he goes in before the Lord.” By illuminating or darkening the rows of stones, God communicated his will through the breastplate.

Two main challenges complicate this: stone identification and linguistic translation. Our ancestors were notoriously inaccurate when it came to identifying gemstones. For example, they lumped all blue stones together and called them sapphires, lapis lazuli, or cyanus. As a result, some stones mentioned here may not be what was used in Aaron’s breastplate.

Moreover, some crystals, such as garnet and beryl, grow in a variety of colors, and our ancestors may not have known that two differently colored crystals were, in fact, the same. Or the stone as they knew it may not translate by name to the same crystal today. Fortunately, we can isolate most of what was likely used.

Learning the breastplate’s origins and religious significance is inspirational to people, particularly Christians who feel drawn to crystals and but haven’t understood their relevance to the Christian tradition or that crystals were, in fact, an early mystical divination tool.

The gemstones in the breastplate were chosen and placed with intention, and their placement is thought to have held deep spiritual and cosmic significance. The breastplate formed a three-by-four grid that looked something like gemstone armor when worn on the body. In this formation, when placed on the high priest, the stones opened a portal to God; when they glowed, victory was at hand, but when dark or cloudy, a negative outcome was anticipated.

Interestingly, the names of the tribes inscribed on the stones may have been a code: The letters forming the names of all tribes also represent the entire Hebrew alphabet, and some even suggest fire was an element used to open portals or doorways to God’s spirit.

Whether this is accurate or not, there is at least one stone in each row of gems that represents the fire element or fire energy, either in color or meaning. The twelve gemstones used

58 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

in the breastplate were also connected to the twelve signs of the zodiac and even aligned to the months of the year in later legends. Each row represents the fulfillment or fruition of a certain facet of God’s divine light and truth as it manifests in the world and in heaven, honoring the hermetic principle, “As above, so below.”

Even the legend of how the breastplate stones were engraved is a magical one that sounds like something out of science fiction. They may have been encoded by the shamir, a mystical worm-like creature that could gaze upon any material, including stone, and carve any shape or letters into it. The shamir is said to have later been a gift from a mysterious entity to King Solomon; he used it to construct the first temple in Jerusalem.

How the completed breastplate worked in a literal sense, no one knows, but some legends say the tetragrammaton, or symbol of God, was placed inside—literally or figuratively— and activated holy light codes or sacred channelings in the form of Urim and Thummim—light and truth respectively.

A question or matter of a divisive nature could be put before the high priest while he was wearing the breastplate, and the gemstones would light up in rows to signal divine affirmation or disapproval, allowing one to interpret the subtle messages of the stones as an answer from God. For that reason, Aaron’s breastplate has also been known historically as the breastplate of judgment.

The left side of the breastplate (the high priest’s right side) included gemstones corresponding to heaven and God’s love of truth and light, while the right side (the high priest’s left side) included gemstones corresponding to Earth or the celestial bodies, and humanity’s expressions of truth and light.

The gems were set in gold, which represented God’s goodness, and the breastplate was worn over the heart to represent God’s love. Some say high-frequency sound vibrations accompanied the lights within the crystals of the breastplate, and the light in the crystals may have been produced by these harmonic, angelic frequencies.

ACCESSING CRYSTAL WISDOM: GEMSTONES OF THE HIGH PRIEST Because the properties of the breastplate stones are not mentioned in the Bible, we are left with modern interpretations of their meanings; however, modern metaphysical meanings are often informed by history, so some may also have been relevant in ancient times.

AGATE Long considered a master healer of the mineral world, agate attracts peace and calm to the bearer, and helps overcome depression and anxiety. Work with agate to calm and center your mind, helping you focus and feel more optimistic.

Sleeping with agate promotes deep rest and dream recall.

AMETHYST Amethyst is the peace-bringer, a crystal known for its detoxification and healing properties. Amethyst heals the spirit and the auric field, and can be used to remove low or dark energies from one’s energy field. Used before drinking wine, it has been historically rumored to prevent intoxication.

BERYL Beryl comes in many forms and colors, each with its own healing and transformational properties. Blue beryl or aquamarine is an emotional healer, helping one tap into one’s deepest emotions and find the root cause of suffering.

Yellow beryl or heliodor offers optimism, youthfulness, and vitality to one who wears or works with it. Green beryl is emerald, which brings wisdom and loyalty, especially in love.

CHRYSOLITE (ALEXANDRITE) Chrysolite is a light-green crystal known today as chrysoberyl. When the crystals are darker and exhibit colorchange properties, they are known as alexandrite. Chrysolite historically was thought to bring power and prestige and enhance physical health and strength.

CHRYSOPRASE Chrysoprase is a healer of the heart space, helping you connect with infinite supplies of compassion and love. Chrysoprase supports cardiac health and also provides a centered peace for those who wear it. Energy streams of renewal, regeneration, and resurrection are associated with this lemon-lime–colored gem.

GARNET Garnet is grounding and protective as well as nurturing and supportive. Garnet has a maternal energy that connects you with your blood lineage. Garnet provides motivation to overcome obstacles in your path to evolution and enlightenment.

JACINTH Jacinth, known today as zircon, is a red-brown stone that, in ancient times, was thought to cure everything from madness to a stubborn cough. Jacinth was also said to bring health, wealth, and happiness, especially if worn in jewelry or sacred adornment.

JASPER Jasper attracts loving kindness to the bearer, and encourages self-love, self-expression, and self-mastery. Jasper is a stabilizing stone that supports all physical body systems.

It also offers emotional stability, helping you manage emotions without overreacting to external stimuli.

ONYX Onyx is a stone of stability, strength, power, and protection. It cleanses and purifies the aura, repelling dark energies. It alleviates fear and anxiety, which stabilizes and strengthens the central nervous system. Onyx also supports strong decision making. SAPPHIRE Sapphire brings wisdom and integrity, deepening perception and intuition. Sapphire helps you translate hidden messages in your life so you can integrate the knowledge you gain through experience. Sapphire was known to bring great wealth and prosperity in ancient times.

SARDONYX Sardonyx is a stone of fiery wisdom and personal power that helps you ground and embody your desires and manifest your personal goals through productive action. Sardonyx offers a steady foundation on which to build your future, and helps you channel strength in times of adversity.

Dr. Athena Perrakis is the bestselling author of The Ultimate Guide to Chakras, Crystals Lore, Legends & Myths, and The Book of Blessings and Rituals . She is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sage Goddess, the world’s largest source of sacred tools and metaphysical education.

She holds a PhD from the University of Southern California in educational leadership, and has 15 years of experience as a professor, corporate trainer and consultant, and educator. Athena has traveled the globe and worked with CEOs and senior executives from the Fortune 50 companies. But her metaphysical experience, in which her current work is largely rooted, spans more than 30 years. During that time, she has become an expert in gemology, astrology, Tarot, aromatherapy, Reiki, and herbal medicine. Her Etsy shop was the first online metaphysical storefront to reach the Top 10 stores in the handmade category around the world. Today, there are more than 3000 products available through SageGoddess.com.

Discover more about the gemstones in the Breastplate of Aaron, as well as the legends and histories of crystals from many different cultures and ancient civilizations, including Lemuria, Sumeria, Egypt and Atlantis, among others in Crystal Lore, Legends & Myths, available now from Fair Winds Press, an imprint of The Quarto Group.

Learn more at QuartoKnows.com.

59 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

MESSAGE FROM THE GODDESS MOTHER With Jan Diana

Prepare to receive the blessings as they unfold in their timing. The abundance of the many gifts of “Greetings! It is with great joy that I speak with you truth shall fall upon you like a rainbow of glory as today. We are heading into a new era for humanity. you open your heart to allow yourself to receive.

It is exciting news for us all.

Many of you have been working diligently for As we reach into the heavens, our prayers to ex- these times to be. Many of you are just now awakpress greater joy, peace and harmony are being an- ening to the greater light. swered. The light shines upon us now preparing us for a shift into a new opportunity to experience the Whatever your path is or has been you are now ready for the next steps. Your personal evolution greater lightness of our hearts. to higher consciousness will be met with opportuways of living, being, and It is known to us of what is to come for it has been nities to glide into new experiencing. written into our hearts from the beginning. We welcome this time of great change as it propels us You will see the fruits of your labors come forth into the greater lightness we have desired. in great joy. As you continue to focus from your heart, the expansion and elevation of your spirit Look upon yourselves with great pride. It has not will soar. been an easy journey, and yet you have prevailed.

It is a time of gratitude for all who have supportYou will continue to strengthen and advance in ed the lighter pathways and chosen their personal your understanding of the higher principles of sovereignty. To be free to live your truth is the truth. As you embrace and integrate these princi- dream of your heart now and always. ples, the way will be made for you to create and live The blossoming of your higher consciousness your dreams in greater ease. opens you to receive the light as it is offered in The pathways of grace will light up before you. greater abundance now more than ever before.

The ease of reaching your dreams will come as a Receive and allow these blessings to fill you up pleasant surprise and yet you knew this time would with the hope of all your dreams being your reality. become your reality.

My Beloved Children of Heart,

Take a moment to take in the truth of my words Each choice to receive the light blesses you. It as I speak them to your heart. Open to receive the feeds and fuels your very existence to be elevated. confirmation of their truth and validity.

60 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

The Lightness

of Heart Consciousness

To live an inspired life is to live your dreams. To be in your heart consciously affords the opportunity to be aligned with truth, for all light carries the seeds and promise of authentic truth.

Let the light rain upon you. Receive it in gladness. Celebrate your readiness.

Take no concerns over the past. Live in the present moment.

Be in your heart with your focus directed to your lightness.

It is the way of the heart.

In the days ahead you will be making many new choices.

It will become easier to see what your ideal is as the lightness shines upon you making it easier to recognize authentic truth.

You will be able to rise above the minutia and see what is really of value to your life purpose and plan. Each step and choice of lightness will assist and prepare you for the next.

Every step comes with a gift.

The treasure that is prepared for you is beyond words. However it is known in the language of love, the language of the heart.

Think of heart consciousness as a golden rose beginning to open its petals and blossom fully. The golden rose delivers a frequency of love that satiates you in ways perhaps you have never experienced before in this lifetime, Allow the golden rose frequency to flow into your heart and outward into your reality. Feel the unconditional love of this glorious wonder.

It is a gift offered for all to receive as they will. It will assist you by blessing you with the ability to reconnect more easily to your heart consciousness.

To live your life as an enlightened master is your deepest dream held within your heart. It is your divine right and destiny to do so. It is now easier to create and live this reality in this time of greater lightness.

Celebrate these great times of change. Though they may have their challenges you have the ability to rise above them with all that you have been endowed with by the Creator.

These changes offer rewards never before experienced here on Earth.

It is a wonder to behold. You are a wonder. Within your heart is held the truth of you. Yes My Beloveds, you are truly magnificent. You will know this more as you rise up to meet that greater vision of the truth of yourself.

62 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Let yourself receive the lightness. Allow yourself to shine bright. Expand and elevate, enjoying your life experiences. Dance in the lightness of your heart consciousness. We dance together.

Shamon.”

With great love, Your Beloved Mother

FREE CLASS: As a Gift I am offering you a Free Tele- Class, “Remember Who you are”.

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

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

This class is a great joy bringer!

Note: Register by subscribing by email at: http://www.jandiana.com (if the time is not convenient, register to receive the recording when available)

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

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

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

A Cat Cafe Experience

www.crumbsandwhiskers.com

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

WE HELP RESCUE & FIND HOMES FOR HOMELESS CATS

source: archzine.fr

Speaking with the Ocean Rock

By Marco Nunzio Alati & Lavandaia

Lavandaia.org

64 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

If you are fortunate enough to walk barefoot along the coast, right before the Ocean devourers the Sun, you know this feeling is unlike any other feeling. With the tide pulling at your feet, the sand collapsing between your toes, your breath gratitude for the miracle you are witnessing. You feel part of the elements, water, air, and minerals and their pure, raw, strong, harmonious energy. Incredibly, this miracle happens every day, yet few take time to see it, feel it, receive it.

Few days ago, one of those miraculous instants in time was unfolding. That moment became void of all earthly “noise”, cars, people, and human chatter, the only sound was the Ocean reaching out to touch a band of Rocks, none of which looking like each other. There were tall, sharp Rocks appearing as fragments of broken glass, small Rocks with a shape of black cauliflower and smooth dark Rocks, seeming to be covered with Mexican Mole.

As I was walking on shore, I caught sight on a profound Ocean Rock and I realized it was her Energy that was calling me.

As I moved closer to her, I simply asked if she was alright to sit upon her. She immediately welcomed my wish and began to speak.

“The human being is a slave”, she said in a very matter-of-fact tone. “Even though he has technology, televisions and radios to entertain his time, even though he has ships and airplanes to move him to the opposites poles of the Earth, even though he has legs and feet to carry him, he is still a slave, because in reality he is enslaved by himself. He is heavy, weighted and jailed because of deep suffering that he is not even aware of. Humans walk right past us rocks all day long, with their heads looking down to their phones. We are here calling out, “Hey, you want to talk?” Only they are very busy ordering more goods, texting their lover or watching a reality show on that tiny screen. Their life is viewed with their heads looking down, yet I’m right here and there it is: complete disconnection of elements. And it is the connection with this device, removing them from the true moment, that holds weight, enslavement and suffering.”

Right then, in that very moment, the Ocean Rock’s energy transmitted a profound sense of lightness to my own cells, enabling my molecules to feel what she feels in every instant.

With this feeling of lightness, there was also a mixture of joy, blended with freedom and carefreeness. Almost like, after you pass a big exam, the sense of relief… and you can finally breathe out. Wow! The Ocean Rock spoke again, “You humans in your “humanness” see Us as heavy because your minds perceive mass as weight and the more weight, the heavier your perception is of the object. On the contrary, the beauty of being Rocks is that We have complete consciousness of the reason why

We are rocks and We have total connection with all there is.

We have deep awareness of Our strength and lightness. We are light as a feather, because we are not tied to any Human-like suffering. We play with waves, dance with air and sing with ether in every moment; we always feel this wondrous sense of lightness. At the same time our essence is strong, stable and sturdy. This is why in your daily life’s language, you often mention us Rocks as archetypes of firmness, solidity and power. “You are solid as a rock!” - we always hear.

You Human beings also have inside of yourself these same atoms of strength in your body because You have already been part of the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdom, before blossoming into humans. Somewhere along the way, many of you forgot what it feels like to be light, in spite of your knowingness. Just remember, dear humans, Your souls can embrace strength and stability and feel lightness and bliss at the same time, just like we do in every single moment.”

So with that, all is never lost, on the contrary, this is an invitation to be brave. Take a moment and seek out the Ocean, a Lake, a Stream or a River and the Rocks surrounding these magically bodies of water. Have courage to walk directly up to one of these Rocks, let it call You. Open Your heart and Your soul and listen, feel, and really hear the message. Lift your own heaviness, your enslavement, your suffering. Open your soul to bliss, joy, love and feel the lightness within. We as humans can do this, if we just choose to…

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

Three months after that unique experience, he left his job in biotechnology and embarked on his journey to become a full time Reconnective Healing Practitioner, and one of the two Italian Mentors and Teaching Assistants of Eric Pearl’s direct Team. He is currently living in Los Angeles and collaborating with a number of independent scientific studies that are exploring Reconnective Healing and its extraordinary benefits.

For info contact marco.alati@gmail.com 323-617-2289

65 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Los Angeles Mission

Exists to Provide Help, Hope and Opportunity to Men, Women and Children in need Photography by Sheri Determan

Join Los Angeles Mission to END HOMELESSNESS IN LOS ANGELES

To support and provide help, hope, and life change to struggling homeless people in need visit www.losangelesmission.org Los Angeles Mission strives to be a world leader among Missions that provide for the poor, restore the addicted and eliminate homelessness.

68 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Los Anegles Mission sees each individual as a spiritual person of worth and dignity and worthy of assistance in their journey. Our vision is to see individuals and families set free from addictions and homelessness, transformed

by God to become physically and spiritually healthy; educationally equipped to participate in society and sustain housing; and encouraged to create relationships of love and service to others. We seek to help those who have been abused and neglected to find a better life. We seek to help those who have become addicted to understand their addictions, to expect physical healing and to live in ways that are healthy to soul, mind and body.

Traditional Easter meal served to thousands of men, women and children. Volunteers from the entertainment industry, local political leaders and Mission supporters spread the joy of new possibilities to the homeless on Skid Row. Each child received a colorful Easter basket full of goodies. Adults had also received new shoes and socks.

Foot washing has both a spiritual and a practical meaning for the homeless. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples offering a surprisingly powerful example of servant leadership. The Los Angeles Christian Health Center coordinated foot wash and therapeutic podiatric medical help for the homeless. The Mission understands the necessity of addressing the foot health issues of the homeless who, out of necessity, spend a lot of time on their feet. More than 1,500 paired of new shoes had given away during this event. Etniessm, the world’s leading Action Sports footwear and apparel manufacturer, donated the shoes. Etniessm staff and volunteers made sure everyone got a proper fit.

The celebrities and volunteers included: Christa B. Allen, Danny Ayer, Pooja Batra, Jon Beavers, Matt Berger, Blanca Blanco, Paxton Booth, Alina Carranza (Miss California Teen USA 2019), Vernell Carranza , Brittany Curran, Christine DeRosa, Daniel DiMaggio, Jessica Marie Garcia, Jake Getman, Deidre Hall, Marcus Henderson, Sam Humphrey, Michael Irby, Pataricia Isaac, Niki Koss, Gavin Leatherwood, Jen Lilley, Kate Linder, Heather S. Michaels, Michel Moore (Los Angeles Police Chief ), Logan Pepper, Michaela Pereira, David Ramsey, Chelsea Rendon, Frank Reuben, Jack Reuben, Kaley Romo, Bryant Romo, Briana Roy, Peggy and Steve Ruppe (Public Relations for LA Mission), John Savage, Herb Smith (President/CEO LA Mission) , Liz Smith, Tiffany Smith, Brandon Tyler Russell, Celeste Thorson, Cristina Torres, Oliver Trevena, Antonio Villaraigosa, Anastasia Washington, Helen Lasichanh Williams, Pharrell Williams, Rocket Williams, Ian Yerdun.

69 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Women and their THE MINDFUL TAX AND MONEY GUIDE

By Miriam Bertke

70 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Financial Wellness

Women represent an increasing economic power in the U.S. In fact, American women make up 47% of the U.S. labor force and are responsible for starting 41% of new business.

For the first time, American women have surpassed men in controlling private wealth, giving them decision-making power over approximately $14 trillion.

For all their gains, women still lag men when it comes to financial wellness and are generally far less prepared to retire on their terms.

What women know and need to know about investing? How can they close the retirement gender gap? What are some barriers women face? How women need to get inspired to take steps to improve their financial wellness? These are just a few of the questions that women need to ask themselves.

Although they are so many women that are very successful, most women never receive even a basic education in finance until it is too late - which is to say, after they get divorced or widowed and suddenly find themselves forced to deal with everything at the worst possible moment. The result, all too often, is financial devastation.

There is something men may not want to hear, when women become investors, they generally devise a plan and stick to it.

In other words they commit. Men, on the other hand, well, we’ve all heard the phrase “fear of commitment”, haven’t we? Men rather than stay with a great, solid investment often get bored and start looking around for the next hot thing.

It makes me feel so happy to be able to educate and to see my female clients taking control of their financial destiny, making better decisions about their financial future, and feeling great about their financial well-being as a result.

So what we need in order to take control of our financial destiny is an instruction manual, a road map that will show you how to get from where you are right now to where you want to be.

It’s time for you to take charge. I believe in my heart that no matter what your age, status, or situation is, whether you’re single, married, divorced, or widowed, whether you’re a career woman or a homemaker, you as a woman is more than capable of taking charge of your finances and your financial future.

I would like every woman to have the information, the education, and the tools to take care of herself financially no matter what the circumstances.

How to use both your head and your heart in making financial decisions? We talked in the previous articles about financial planning. As much as financial planning is an emotional issue as it is an intellectual one.

One of my women’s client shared with me that growing up, no one taught her about money, not father, not mother, not school so she realized it was time to teach herself. She added that we would be in deep trouble if we left everything up to our husbands. It doesn’t matter - rich, poor, old, young, married, single - they all believe in the empowering importance of education about finance.

Understanding your own finances is as important as knowing about your health. You can’t make financial decisions if you don’t take time to educate yourself about it. What I’ve learned from my female clients is that women want to be responsible for their financial futures. The problem is, most of them just don’t know how to get started.

There has never been a better time, like now, to take that first step, to be taking control of your financial future. These days not only are women pursuing successful careers, but in many cases it’s the woman’s paycheck that supports the family.

Miriam Bertke is a Financial Services representative. She is a part of The Advisor Consulting Group (ACG), a firm designed to provide financial and estate planning assistance to individuals and businesses.

She has many years of experience, specializes in strategic and comprehensive financial planning focusing on the areas of tax, retirement and asset protection, helping people gain clarity with their financial goals and objectives. She also works closely with attorneys, CPAs, as well as with other financial advisors, creating financial planning teams.

You can also connect with Miriam via email or on LinkedIn: Email: miriam@advcg.com http://linkedin.com/in/miriam-bertke Website: www.advisorconsultinggroup.com

71 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

SOUL COURAGE

By Tara-jenelle Walsch

Where was the me I used to know? When did I start selling my childlike joy for logic and reason? And in what other areas of my life was I unknowingly sabotaging my joy?

This is as close to being told to go to my room as I’ve been in a long time. And no less, from my own self. I watched as the soft parental reprimand interrupted my joy.

The mind is beautiful. It fills us with information, knowledge, and wisdom. It instructs and guides us with precautionary mechanisms to assess risk management. It grows as we grow and our behavior shifts accordingly.

And…our behavior shifts according.

Finding Renewed Joy Through Innocence Every now and again I get a hankering for homemade cookies.

Well, ok…it happens more than that, but I usually don’t dive right in and whip up a batch. I decided to the other night, though, and as I was cleaning up I could hear the memory of my Mom’s voice singing the rhetorical question, “Who wants the batters?” Yes, she knew very well who wanted those batters.

A smile came over me and even a hint of sibling rivalry smugness for being first in line as the prize-winner. This was all replaying in my heart as I actually licked the batters. Yes, fifty years old and it happened.

Then, suddenly my mind started being an adult again. “Sure hope you don’t get salmonella.” I thought to myself. And, “This is a waste of sugar, just wait for the real thing once it’s cooked.”

Then (even), “Geez, it’s getting all over your face. Forget this.”

I dropped the batters in the sink and my eyes began water.

72 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

No doubt this is helpful in being responsible and mature. We certainly wouldn’t be able to carry on in the world at our age with the mindset of an eight-year-old. But there’s something to be said for that blissful prepubescent time of life when we’re not yet tugged out of innocence by the mind. Still young enough to get utterly excited about almost anything, without questioning a thing.

When we’re children, everything seems possible. We aren't yet corrupted by societal norms and expectations. We aren't self-consciousness because we don’t yet comprehend who we are in relation to others. We’re just figuring out what feels good and what doesn’t. What’s fun and what’s boring.

Our cognizance hasn’t expanded to the level of thinking beyond the moment. We don’t have five different thoughts running at the same time, while doing something entirely different. Let alone the awareness to simultaneously construct full analysis and conclusion on those thoughts, during physical engagement with something else.

And the beautiful result was that we were not anxious, self-correcting, uncertain and withholding. Because we were living in a state of presence. Innocence lives in a state of presence. It feels into moments without self-doubt, over-thinking and cross-examining, but rather trusts openly and willingly. Innocence is the ability to see and feel what is here right now, without distraction of the mind.

Then somewhere along the way that takes a back-seat and we become adults. Time brings us wonderful experiences as well as challenge, growth and disappointment. The latter soon begins to emotionally translate into worry, distrust and fear, settling down like dust on top of our frivolity, wonder, and spontaneity.

Understandably, our survival mechanism day-trades whimsy for responsibility. But to what extent must we abandon the joy of innocence? How much leeway are we giving the mind to unknowingly talk ourselves out of joy, dictating and rationalizing with one thing or another?

Truth is that our mind assumes such a strong position of authority that most of the time we’re not even aware of it. Until we are. Until the heart speaks up and denounces, “Who died and made you the boss!”

Ah, now we’re talking. Inner balance, emotional boundaries and soul guidance. In the moments where you feel your heart wanting to have fun, but hear your mind ushering you along, bring on the Soul Courage. Step into a loving, yet firm place of dedication to your desires. Revel in their existence and escort them to the front row of your experience.

Joy is our birthright, regardless of how old or mature we are.

And feeling the freedom of innocence is a direct route to joy.

Innocence is a place inside that’s guilt-free and agenda-free, filled with curiosity and wonder.

We can increase of level of innocent joy in our lives by first doing as suggested above and keeping an eye on our mind, so that it doesn’t run the whole show.

Start by watching how your thoughts dance together; are they waltzing or body-slamming, agreeing or disagreeing? Do you ever catch your mind holding your heart back? If so, if it’s appropriate in those moments, initiate the courage to step in and guide the direction of your expression or behavior to what your heart desires.

Expressing our authenticity then becomes the next part of experiencing innocent joy. Sharing our true nature, personality and feelings openly is being authentic, which gives us the inner freedom of full and honest self-announcement. All which brings joy to our heart.

Resist the temptation to judge or shame yourself during this deeper launch into vulnerability and authenticity. It’s a natural reaction to do this because your mind thinks it’s protecting you, but it just hinders your true self even more.

Try to enjoy reincorporating your innocence into daily life and relish the renewed joy it brings. Give yourself “permission slips” to be silly and play with abandon. Jump on a swing the next time you pass one in the park. Hop on the shopping cart and take a mini-ride in the parking lot. And lick the batters, for goodness sake—I double-dog dare you!

RoadMap to the Joy of Innocence: 1- Listen to your thoughts; don’t let the mind talk you out of joy 2- Allow vulnerability 3- Open full authenticity 4- Don’t judge yourself 5- Enjoy renewed joy

Then, allow yourself to be vulnerable. Innocence requires vulnerability because to be innocent is to trust. Innocence doesn’t question, analyze or over-think, it trusts. But to trust is to be vulnerable because the outcome is unknown. This is why it takes courage to be vulnerable.

You can call on the soul to give you courage to be vulnerable with a simple four-word reminder, and that reminder is: I don’t need protection. You don’t need protection because of who you are—the physical body is not who you are. Once you understand, and believe, that you’re an eternal spiritual being, then layers of protection peel away and open a pathway to Soul Courage.

I’m not suggesting that we don’t need protection in the earthly way of living, such as looking both ways before we cross the street in New York City. I’m suggesting that who we really are, the essence of our true being, does not need to be protected.

It is, was and always will be. You are an eternal being. You are a soul having a physical experience.

And the soul gives us courage because knows the truth. It knows that we can’t become damaged or destructed in any way. When we understand this, we can come from that true self, from our authentic being, fearlessly.

74 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

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

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF OPTIMISM

By Colin Wilson Editor Colin Stanley

76 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

This collection follows on from the successful first volume which contained extracts from Wilson’s work on existentialism, criminology, psychology and the occult. This book offers a bonus six essential post1985 essays and chapters, providing a much needed update of Wilson’s work leading up to his death in 2013.

In collaboration with four experts on Colin Wilson’s work, Wilson’s biographer, Colin Stanley has compiled over twenty pieces of work. This fantastic volume provides an invaluable introduction to Wilson’s work that will appeal to those new to Colin Wilson as well as his existing fans, whilst also providing an insightful background glimpse into his earlier years and the key figures and events that first inspired him.

At the age of 16, Wilson envisioned his name next to great scientists such as Einstein and Galileo, however he was only able to find joy in writing. Wilson narrates about his days spent in the Reading Room of the British Library, working on fiction and non-fiction alike. His belief in himself, his work and his ideas provide us a timely reminder of how Wilson was ahead of his time.

Wilson then went on to become a voice in the 'angry young men' movement of the 1950s, cast the prevailing mood of the time as the ‘fallacy of insignificance’. He was a purveyor of British controversial intellectualism.

The Essential Colin Wilson offers readers a preview of the writer’s life, his theories, and his vision.

First published in Adbusters: Journal of the Mental Environment, vol. 14, no. 1 (Jan/Feb 2006).During my teens, as an inveterate haunter of second-hand bookshops, I often saw copies of a book called Sanine, written in 1903 by a Russian writer named Mikhail Artsybashev. Very often it looked new, as if the former owner was glad to get rid of it. One day I bought it out of curiosity, and discovered that it was one of the most extraordinary novels I had ever read. The hero is a Russian student who shares the rebellious ideals of most of his generation. Vladimir Sanine is an attempt to create the ideal Russian hero — sane, balanced, intelligent, clear-sighted, totally unlike the neurotic heroes of Dostoyevsky.

In one typical scene he is in a boat with a girl who is attracted by him, and when she lets him kiss her, seizes his opportunity and, in spite of her resistance, takes her virginity.

The next day she is horrified at what has happened, and when he calls on her, tells him to go away. He begs her not to bear any ill will, and says that if she gives her fiancé as much happiness as she has given him, he will be a lucky man. Suddenly she decides to look on the bright side — after all, it is a beautiful day and they still find one another attractive. For a moment she sees the world as he sees it — as something simple and beautiful, which human beings spoil with their neurotic self-torments. They kiss ‘like brother and sister’, and when he has gone, she lies on the grass and reflects that some things are best forgotten.

Sanine exerted a tremendous influence on its generation, and although some of its ideas are simplistic, is still a delightful book to read.

77 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

I was reminded of Sanine when I came upon the ideas of one of the most remarkable of modern psychologists, Sydney Banks. He stumbled upon his central insight one day when he remarked to a friend: ‘I’m so unhappy.’ And the friend replied: ‘You’re not unhappy Syd — you just think you are.’

The idea hit him like a revelation: that most human beings cause their own problems by their thoughts.

Although an ordinary working man, without a formal education, Banks was so stunned by this insight that he began giving lectures about it. Soon, he was giving seminars that were crowded with professional men — doctors, business-men, psychiatrists.

it is easy for all of us to identify with that feeling that it would be quite easy to live up to it. And he had grasped the essence of Syd Banks’s insight.

Now just over fifty years ago, I suddenly woke up to the same insight, and settled down to try and capture it in a book called The Outsider. Its starting point was the high number of artists and writers in the 19th Century who committed suicide. I could see that the basic problem was that they found the world of everyday life boring and discouraging. Yet every now and then, they would experience moments of immense happiness and intensity, in which the whole world became self-evidently glorious. The trouble was that when they woke up the next morning, the vision had evaporated, and the world seemed once again dull and dreary.

A New York psychiatrist, George Pransky, who had begun to feel disillusioned about Freud, went along to a weekend seminar, and at first could not understand what Syd Banks meant when he said that all our problems are caused by our thoughts. But he observed that the people at the conference all seemed full of energy and optimism — that they were all ‘copers’ who were in charge of their lives. And when he grasped what Banks was saying, he suddenly began to share the feeling. He went on to apply these insights to his patients, and found that they worked. Pransky has created a psychology that is based on optimism about our capabilities.

Clearly, what they needed was simply to grasp intellectually, as Syd Banks did, that the worm’s-eye view was false.

The basic idea behind Pransky’s ‘psychology of mind’ is simple. Our days are spent focusing on narrow horizons of awareness, a permanent state of ‘close-upness’, rather like going into a picture gallery and keeping your eyes two inches from the canvases. You would see the texture of the paint, but you would not see ‘the picture’. Human beings are like this all the time. They are trapped in ‘close-upness’, in a worm’s-eye view of reality. Their lives have an underpinning of boredom.

For example, in November 1811, the dramatist and storywriter Heinrich von Kleist blew out his brains and those of his mistress because the philosophy of Kant had convinced him that life was meaningless and that the underlying reality is forever unattainable. Goethe’s Faust had come to the same conclusion, and been on the point of suicide ‘because we can nothing know’ when the sound of the Easter bells caused his childhood to come flooding back and made him change his mind. But why should it matter if life is an illusion, so long as it is enjoyable? Because if it is an illusion, then free will is also an illusion, and we are merely machines. And that thought is enough to depress any sensitive soul. Descartes had argued that animals are machines, and in 1738 the French philosopher Julien de La Mettrie went one further in a book called Man the Machine, arguing that free will is an illusion. He was followed by a whole school of French thinkers like Condillac and Cabanis who argued that ‘mental life’ is merely a matter of physical sensations. Cabanis said the brain secretes thought as the liver secretes bile.

This vanishes the moment we are confronted by any kind of crisis. A man who was told he has an incurable disease would be rocketed out of the worm’s-eye view into a bird’seye-view, in which he is suddenly aware of the value of life. If, at that point, he learns that the doctors were mistaken and his life is in no danger, the relief would bring an interesting insight: that the bird’s-eye view was true all along, and the worm’s-eye view was a mistake caused by ‘close-upness’. Now all he has to do is to tell himself beyond all possibility of doubt that the worm’s-eye view is false and the bird’s-eye view is true, and he has a means of transforming his life.

Hans Keller, former head of BBC music programmes, once described how, in the 1930s, he was living in Germany and became aware that fellow Jews were vanishing into concentration camps. He said that he prayed: ‘O God, only let me get out of Germany, and I swear I’ll never be unhappy again.’

Of course, he didn’t succeed in living up to his promise. But 78 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

It seemed clear to me that it was this damned 19th century, with all its frustrated hopes, that was responsible for our neurotic civilization, with its underlying pessimism. It is the 19th Century underpinning we have to get rid of.

As to who to blame for it, the answer seemed clear: the philosophers.

At which point, one of their school, Maine de Biran, had a revelation rather like Syd Banks’s. He pointed out that whenever I make some real effort, I have a clear feeling that it is the ‘I’ who is doing this, and not a machine. But the French have always preferred pessimism to optimism, and Biran’s insight was soon forgotten. And even now, two centuries later, psychology continues to insist that man is a machine, and that consciousness is a mere by-product of the brain.

But does it make any difference whether we are machines or not? Well yes, it does. If an intelligent person falls into depression, then the thought that he has no free will can push him over the edge, as it pushed Kleist.

An interesting new discovery in brain physiology underlines this. ECT, electroconvulsive therapy, was first used by Ugo Cerletti in the late 1930s. He discovered that if a current of about an amp is passed through the brain for half a minute, it is like a small version of an epileptic seizure, and it often cures depression. Johan Hellsten of Lund University now thinks he knows why. He tried giving rats ECT treatment, and found that it increased the number of epithelial cells — the cells that line blood vessels — in the part of the brain called the hippocampus. The vessels also increased their length by sixteen per cent. We know that long-term depressives have a smaller hippocampus than average, so curing it

by ECT creates bigger and better cells.

Depression is a state in which we cease to use the will. And the muscles of the will suffer hypertrophy, just as the leg muscles of a bed-ridden patient will waste away. The shock of ECT seems to have the same effect as a sudden crisis, of stimulating us to effort. And willed effort causes something inside us to grow. So once George Pransky’s patients have been taught to induce their own version of ECT by a combination of effort and optimism, they presumably begin to grow epithelial cells and turn into ‘copers’, suddenly finding they enjoy life.

All this is a striking justification for a theory of Nobel Prize winning brain physiologist, Roger Sperry, whose studies of the difference between our right and left cerebral hemispheres caused such a sensation in the 1960s.

Now, in traditional brain physiology, consciousness is regarded as a product of the brain, as heat is the product of a fire (or bile of the liver). As a traditional scientist, Sperry was willing to accept the proposition that consciousness is a product of the brain and cannot exist apart from it. But in a paper of 1980 called ‘Mind-brain interaction: mentalism, yes; dualism, no’, he shocked and upset his colleagues by announcing a view that struck them as pure heresy. He suggested that when we think and feel, consciousness operates on the brain as human fingers operate on a computer keyboard, or as an electric current operates on a television screen, making a picture out of ‘dots’. Or, if you like, as the fingers of a pianist operate when he plays the piano. In other words, consciousness is not passive but active and ‘creative’. Sperry had rediscovered Maine de Brian’s free will.

Clearly there is one more step to take. And I suspect that if Sperry had not died in 1981 he would have taken it: to recognize that consciousness is not a mere product of the brain, but exists in its own right. A useful first move would be to persuade scientists like Johan Hellsten to begin experiments

to try and show that brain cells can be created by a focused effort of will. That would lay the foundations for a new science, a new philosophy and a new civilization

Colin Wilson, who passed away in December 2013, continues to be a highly respected theorist in the field of philosophy, the occult, crime and sexual deviance, plus a successful fiction writer. Born in Leicester, in 1931, Wilson left school at the age of 16 and worked in various places, from a wool warehouse, to a plastics factory and a coffee bar. He published his first book, at the age of 24 in 1956 and it was an immediate success. Since then, he has authored more than 100 books and his books have been translated many languages, including, Spanish, French, Swedish, Dutch, Japanese, and so on. He has recently become the subject of renewed scholarly interest with the international Colin Wilson conferences that took place in 2016 and 2018.

Colin Stanley, born in Devon in 1952, was educated at Exmouth School. He worked for Devon Library Services, while studying in London, and later moved to Nottingham with his wife, Gail. He has worked at the University of Nottingham and the Universities of Oxford.

Colin Wilson’s bibliographer, and Managing Editor of Paupers’ Press, Stanley has authored experimental novels, books and booklet about Wilson and his work. Stanley wrote the Foreword to the 2015 Watkins edition of The Occult, edited Around the Outsider, a festschrift for Wilson’s 80th birthday, and is also the editor of Colin Wilson Studies, a series of books and extended essays written by Wilson scholars worldwide.

He was the convener of the 2016 and 2018 International Colin Wilson Conferences at the University of Nottingham.

Today, he resides by the River Trent with Gail.

79 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

The Golden Poppy or California Poppy or California Golden Poppy is the California State Flower. Golden Poppy is a perennial and one of the earliest wild flowers to grow in gardens. The Golden Poppy is most beautiful when setting California's rolling hills ablaze with its golden blooms. Golden Poppy (Eschscholtzia californica) is also sometimes known as the Flame Flower, la amapola, and Copa de Oro (cup of gold).

The Golden Poppy, belonging to the Papaveraceae family, grows wild throughout California, and became the state flower in 1903. Every year April 6 is California Poppy Day, and May 13-18 is Poppy Week. Golden Poppy are also called as Flanders poppies - Corn Poppy (Papaver Rhoeas), Iceland poppy (Papaver nudicaule), The Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale).

Golden Poppy blossoms are 2-3 inch cups of gold, bronze, scarlet, terra cotta, rose or white.

Golden Poppy bloom on plants with silvery green foliage, about a foot high and usually broader than they are tall.

Golden Poppy flowers are seen from February to September. The Golden Poppy flowers are 1-2 inches across, with four wide fan-shaped petals, and many stamens.

Each spring, the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve comes alive with the seasonal surprises of the Mojave Desert Grassland habitat. The duration and intensity of colors and scents vary from year to year. The wildflower season generally lasts from as early as mid-February through May, with a variety of wildflowers creating a mosaic of color that changes daily. Eight miles of trails through the gentle rolling hills, make the park a wonderful place to hike and explore any season. Get away from the city and relax in the quietude of the countryside, with the birds singing and hawks gliding silently overhead. If you're lucky, you may spot a coyote or bobcat. Numerous burrows around the trails may shelter mice, gophers, kangaroo rats, beetles, scorpions, or others.

80 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e April 2019

California Golden Poppy

82 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

One of humanity’s oldest psychedelic traditions, the peyote ritual was already several thousand years old when the Spaniards encountered it in the sixteenth century. The cactus, long revered by natives as a sacred visionary medicine and a central pillar of their way of life—even recognized by some tribes as a deity itself—was viciously suppressed by the invading Spanish forces who had very different views on God and holiness. What the natives saw as the gateway to spiritu¬ality, the Conquistadors condemned as a satanic drug scourge.

Since then, peyote has remained a point of tension between native and European peoples in the Americas. Today, despite its prohibited status in the United States, peyote use is permitted for members of the Native American Church. It is one of only two religious sacraments exempt from federal drug laws; the other is ayahuasca.

Peyote is native to the deserts of Mexico and southern Texas, where it grows extremely slowly: It can take more than ten years for a plant to reach maturity. Unable to regrow fast enough to keep up with demand, peyote has been overharvested. Luckily, it grows well in greenhouse conditions.

Origins and History of Peyote

By Cody Johnson

From Magic Medicine

The plant looks innocuous enough—a small, fuzzy green cactus without any spines. The majority of the plant extends underground like a carrot. What remain aboveground are the crowns, which can be cut and cured into “buttons” or mescals for ritual consumption, leaving the plant intact to grow new crowns. Upon each crown, wavy furrows extend outward from the center like twisted spokes, lending a geometric, almost symbolic, look to the humble green bulb. At the center grows a single flower with brilliant pink petals.

THE HUICHOL Anthropologists believe the traditions of today’s Huichol people bear the closest resemblance to the peyote rites of centuries past. Every year, the Huichol mara’akame, or shaman, leads a pilgrimage to the holy land of Wirikuta, three hundred miles (483 km) from their home. He is joined by a group of pilgrims that includes men, women, and children.

At the sacred grounds, the pilgrims perform a ritualized ceremony and gather peyote to bring back to their people—enough to use for an entire year and to trade to nearby tribes who have no such harvest.

The Huichol are also famous for their vision-inspired art, which bursts with spectacular colors and geometric designs. The yarn paintings and beaded objects are now popular as tourist items but are still rooted in the tribe’s longstanding aesthetic language.

Motifs such as deer, corn, and peyote are rendered in stunning color, interwoven with hypnotic patterns representing the visions induced by the cactus. These psychedelic artworks are also created as offerings and left at mountain shrines and other holy locations to express gratitude to the gods.

83 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Native American Church and the Revival of Peyote Persecuted for centuries for practicing their ancestors’ way of life on their own land, native peoples banded together in the early twentieth century to spread and protect their peyote practice under the banner of a new institution: the Native American Church. In the latter decades of the 1800s, peyote had already spilled beyond Mexico’s borders and gained popularity among tribes that had no historical connection to the cactus.

The Church was incorporated in 1918, combining traditional native spiritual tradition with aspects of Protestant Christianity. Although the Church’s membership quickly reached the tens of thousands, all was not well—more than a dozen states outlawed possession of peyote by 1930. A federal ban came in 1970. But the story of peyote is one of persistence, and members of the Native American Church soldiered on just as their predecessors had done under the rule of the Spaniards. In 1994, Congress finally passed a law guaranteeing Native Americans the right to their time-honored sacrament. Today, any member of the Church may partake in its peyote ceremonies, regardless of ethnicity.

Science has also helped exonerate the “devil’s root.” A 2005 study showed that regular peyote use among Navajo members was not linked to any psychological or cognitive deficits.

With more than a quarter million members, the Native American Church is the largest indigenous religion in all of North America. Its loose association of diverse peoples shares a common sacrament in a variety of peyote ceremonies that may commemorate birthdays, Easter, Christmas, and births and deaths. These events are usually held in a teepee or roundhouse with singing and drum¬ming. The peyote is placed on a clay altar, and a bag of dried buttons is passed around to each attendee. And although the Church has many Christian leanings, its members have no need of priests: The peyote itself connects humankind directly to the Great Spirit.

Mescaline and Western Culture Peyote and mescaline have spread beyond the confines of Native American communities and have crossed paths with more than a few gringos over the years.

Perhaps the chief mescaline proponent of the twentieth century was Aldous Huxley, whose pioneering 1954 book, The Doors of Perception, vividly described his experience with the compound. It quickly became a touchstone in the nascent field of psychedelic literature. By introducing curious Westerners to mescaline, and, more broadly, to the psychedelic experience, Huxley opened the doors of perception for generations of explorers.

84 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

Huxley waxed poetic about his first experience with the compound, viewing with fresh eyes, “the miracle, moment by moment, of naked existence.” Looking at a bouquet of flowers, he had a realization about what he called “Is-ness” or “Suchness”—the inherent quality of existence that lends all things meaning. “This is how one ought to see, how things really are,” he intoned.

Huxley’s title was borrowed from a memorable line by the English poet and painter, William Blake: If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro’ narrow chinks of his cavern.

Blake wasn’t talking about mescaline, but he may as well have been. The same sentiments have been echoed by the Huichol and other indigenous tribes, who believe this world is illusory. To them, true reality is revealed in the visions granted by the sacred peyote, the great cleanser of the doors of perception.

Cody Johnson is an intrepid psychonaut and humanist who writes about mind-expanding plants and compounds at PsychedelicFrontier.com.

His first taste of psychedelia came in the form of MDMA, which opened him up to the vast realm of unexplored states of consciousness. He dove head first into this new world, experimenting with dozens of psychedelics new and old while blogging about all things psychedelic: their history, emerging scientific research, therapeutic and spiritual applications, and legality.

Magic Medicine explores the fascinating history of psychedelic substances and provides a contemporary update about their growing inclusion modern medicine, science, and culture. Available now from Fair Winds Press, an imprint of The Quarto Group.

Learn more at QuartoKnows.com.

Q&A

From Grief to Grace Pet Bereavement Counseling Monthly Column With Pina De Rosa The loss of a beloved pet can be the deepest heartbreak of our lives.

Each month we will address and answer a key topic with Certified Pet Grief Counselor, Pina De Rosa (APLB / AAVSB).

If you wish to send in questions for Pina, please submit them to Pina De Rosa through www.PetBereavementCounseling.com

7

Things to Do/Say When Your Friend’s Pet Passes

In our April column on Pet Grief Counseling, we looked at 7 things you want to do/say when your friend’s pet passes.

For this month’s topic, we get to look at what are some of the factors that should be considered after a beloved pet dies, before getting another one? When it would be right or wrong to do adopt, again? How should a bereaver respond to the advice of others, regarding this?

After a beloved pet dies, some of the factors that should be considered before getting another one are the following. Tim-

86 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

ing is essential. If the bereft pet owner gets another pet too soon, they and the pet may feel additional pain that is connected to unresolved matters or even potential resentment.

Willingness and hesitation should be factored in: the client may be willing, but they may hesitate thinking it could be a betrayal to the deceased pet, and turn into rejection.

While mourning is a very unique and personal experience to each person, most people will need alone time with their private memories - at least for some time. Only the bereaver can tell when the timing is right, after they have spent enough time healing from the loss of their beloved furry companion.

At the right time, a new start can be beneficial. It would be honorable to adopt again after a time of bereavement and depression. It helps save another life, plus a new pet also opens the owner to new encounters and new social experiences.

Regular walks with the new pet bring on the added benefit of movement and exercise, which is also helpful in healing the sorrow and solitude.

It would be wrong to adopt prematurely, or as a result of other people’s uninformed advice, even when that advice is well-intended. When the pet owner is still resolving their grief, it would be an inappropriate time to bring another pet in their life as the new pet could then become an added problem, upsetting the grieving owner even more. When there is a premature adoption of another pet to (consciously or unconsciously) numb the grief of the loss of the previous pet, what is likely to happen when the new pet passes away, is that the unprocessed grief from the previous loss risks coming out like a double geyser attacking the pet owner in full force, who will now be grieving both pets simultaneously.

That can be unbearable.

How I would suggest that a bereave should respond to the advice of others regarding adopting another dog is by sharing with them that “it will be a decision made at the appropriate time, when it feels right”. That time will be after they resolve and work through the bereavement process, so that it does not feel rushed or forceful.

While still grieving the loss of our beloved companion, becoming a volunteer for a local animal organization, even just for 1-2 hours/week, would be healthy coping way to ease into opening our hearts to another pet without rushing anything. Many animal rescues need assistance with walking their dogs, cleaning their kennels, taking care of their litter boxes, feeding all their animals. Another great option is becoming a foster parent as a way to be of service to a pet in need. When I was not ready to adopt, but I wanted to be of service, I did all of the above. It was wonderfully rewarding on so many levels. I spent quite some time turning private pain into public service, and I could not recommend it more highly.

Often times we hear a bereft pet owner say “I will never have a dog again. I could never ever have another cat / horse / bunny.” Our heartbreak speaks for us, especially when pain is so raw, so unbearable, and so deep. We believe we will never be able to go through such overwhelming grief. Our hearts are shattered with such harrowing pain, we can barely breathe as it is. It physically hurts to breathe and we swear off the idea of ever having a pet again. I had heard other people say it, and I that was definitely my case. I was certain of it.

Having said that, while I was in the depths of the overwhelm-

88 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019

ing grief, I realized that I was putting all the focus on me - on my own pain. Initially that is completely understandable. Then as I began shifting the focus towards the love and healing that these beautiful pets selflessly gift us through their entire lives, I also started looking at “How can I be of service to a (new) little soul who needs love?” In other words with that question, I shifted the focus off me and put it on the (potential) new pet instead. When I started focusing on how can I be of service to another soul who needs love, then the idea of going through this unbearable heartbreak again, became not only a reality, but worth it – because it was no longer about me.

A friend of mine has been spending his adult life rescuing, fostering, adopting multiple pets simultaneously, hence he has seen many of his pets die over the years. When I asked him how he navigates such depth of pain over and over again, sometimes watching multiple pets die in the same year, he said that he loves giving rescue animals a second chance: “My heart breaks each time, so theirs doesn’t have to. I am happy to be a person that can love so much. The reality of being a pet owner is sadly that their life span is short, but the amount of love my animals receive and the second chances they all get at my house make it worth it. One of my dogs was 8 months old when I got her and she had already been abused and discarded. So having 9 years with her feels like a blessing…for both of us. I bet we both hate the goodbye, but we both also know it’s only for a period of time until I get to see her again.”

The deeper the grief, the kinder our hearts become. And if we are open to looking at death as being the ultimate healing, we can allow grief to be the gift it is in our lives. Then we can gently allow our hearts to open to be of service again to another gentle soul who needs love.

Pina De Rosa is a two-time TEDxSpeaker and Certified Pet Grief Counselor, founder of www.PetBereavementCounseling.com. You may reach her directly for 1-1 Pet Grief Support (sliding scale available). Her passion project is #MissionWellington and his www.TreatsForPups.com, bringing “doggie bags” of pet food, blankets and supplies to the homeless pups living out in the streets. Follow her at www.Instagram.com/LifeAccordingToWellington

89 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e May 2019