MetaCreative Magazine July/August 2007
Metaphysically Infused Art and Culture
Gothic Fantasy Art by Myka Jelina: Cover and Pages 3-6 Graphic Art Painting by Larry Mellot: Page 8 Jadine’s Dew Fairies: Page 11 Futuretro Design: Page 12 Mandalas by Toni Tona: Pages 16-17 AnimaL Art by Pam K: Page 18 Nature Art by Robin Albany: Page 18 Knightman Productions: Page 20 Mathmatical Art by Tony Cook: Page 21 Mystical Art by Michelle O: Page 22 abstract Art by John Hicks: Page 26 Spiritual Art by Tara Catalona: Page 29 Digital Art and Magazine Layout Design by Lara K: Page 30 Metacreative Network News by Mystikka: Pages 31-32
Myka Jelina interview: Pages 6-7 Beyond Identity by Joseph Cash: Pages 9-10 The Cupcake Continuum Project by Jinxi Boo: Page 12-15 Change by Wally Cromar: Page 19 Wellness by Erin Geesaman Rabke: Pages 22-25 Listen to Your Dreams by Judith Orloff, MD: Pages 27-28
Myka Jelina
Myka Jelina-2007
1- Q-If you had to label your art, what would you call it? A- Modern Gothic Fantasy.
2- Q-Tell us a little bit about Myka Jelina the person. Are you shy or outgoing? A- First off, I truly have a hard time talking about myself. If there is something in which I feel needs expressed, I tend to use art to express myself. You might better understand more about me the person through my art. 3- Q- What other interests do you have besides art? A- I enjoy singing and playing music. I have been singing since I was three. I have been in several bands over the years and am currently working on an album with my business partner. I also adore animals of all kinds and if I wasn’t involved so deeply in art and music I would have loved to work in a zoo. 4- Q- What are your earliest memories of creating art? A- Well...at age three I was struck by a car on a big-wheel. Obviously, I could have been killed, but because I was so young my bones were still soft and only my ankle was broken, and a few bumps and bruises. My mom painted characters on my cast (picture attached) to make me feel better. It did, which inspired me soon after, to began drawing my own characters that can make others feel better too. 5- Q- Could you tell me more about your art? A- My art is my attempt at sharing with others in a fixed form, an ever-changing world of harmony and beauty that is often-times lost and even forgotten in the hustle of our modern world. I would like my work to help people stop and appreciate the unbelievable world that is waiting to reveal itself. 6- Q- How do you stay inspired to create new work? A- My own creative impulse inspires me. I am an
artist. It is not something I choose to do. Inspiration keeps coming until it overflows into the rest of the world. I do not stop and question it. People often say my art inspires them and that also is an inspiration. 7- Q- Please describe one of your art techniques, a tip or trick you’d like to share. A-I don’t know if this is a tip or trick, but the first panels I painted on, I made. I used a plywood or masonite panel, cut it to size and made gesso from latex paint and plaster of paris. I then gessoed a piece of muslin to the board, wrapping it around the corners. After that dried, I applied two to three layers of gesso, sanding between each layer. It made a very solid, smooth surface. I prefer acrylic paints but I also like the extended drying time of oils. It seemed like making panels and using an extending medium added to my paints and allowed for a longer amount of blending time. 9- Q- Many artists aspire to reach your level of success. Can you give our artists some suggestions about how to achieve their artistic goals? Also, do you have any marketing advice for artists? A- I can try. Set aside different times for each activity. Some people really can do everything and thrive but if your artistic drive starts to suffer, take a break. Read a book or consider finding someone to help with the non-artistic aspects of your work. Magic lives in the non-distracted imagination. Take that magic and use it to create personal “style”. There are so many people in the world that almost no matter what you are doing, if your heart is in the right place, you will find that there is a group of people who have been waiting to fall in love with what you have created, you just hadn’t shown them yet...and never give up. 10- Q- What’s your latest news? A-There’s always something new going on. A few weeks ago two new shirts went into Hot Topic. A new bottle of perfume, “Twilight Moon”, was just released this week in Hot Topic as well. Two new air fresheners and two rubber embossed keychains were just added to the line and are going into Target and Hot Topic.
I also have five new paintings in the works, as well as a new set of tattoo flash to be released over the next few weeks. 11- Q- Where can our readers find your art? A- You can find my work at the free online gallery on my website (address link below). I also sell my work on e-bay as well as a few online stores (links below). You can also find products at Hot Topic, Hastings, Target, and lots of mom and pop shops worldwide. Feel free to join the Myka Jelina Art mailing list to be updated on new originals and new product releases.
General info contact: myka@mykajelina.com Website: http://www.mykajelina.com Ebay ID: Myka_Jelina Ebay store (originals, printable tattoo flash, prints etc): http://stores.ebay.com/Myka-Jelina-Art Mailing List Info: http://mykajelina.com/users.php?mode=new Cafe Press Store: (cloths, postage stamps, postcard, stickers, mouse-pads and much more) http://www.cafepress.com/myka_jelina Zazzle Store: (throw pillow, tile boxes and coaster, cloths, wall clocks, stationary and much more) http://www.zazzle.com/mykajelina Products at Hot Topic: http://search.hottopic.com/search?p=Q&ts=custom&lbc=hottopic&w=myka+jelina
http://www.mykajelina.com
Larry Mellott
Larry Mellott lives in Phoenix AZ. He is from Mansfield Ohio, living there now ‘on vacation’ for 25 years. His paintings are created on the computer using the Arsoft Sudio Five. He began painting about 5 years ago after he received his first computer. http://www.myspace.com/Peaceoldhippie or http://www.cherrytap.com/user/237752
Q&A with Joseph Cash, author of ‘Beyond Identity’ HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE NOVEL? I’d sum it up as a spiritual adventure novel. It cuts across genres. There are certainly conspiracy thriller elements in it. It’s a character development story. It also contains a love story. CAN YOU SYNOPSIZE THE PLOT FOR US? Suzanne Ruach is a top motivational speaker who, at first, doesn’t know her father is a member of a secret organization the World Management Committee - that is manipulating world affairs. For good or ill we don’t know at first. The novel explores Suzanne’s reaction to being asked to join the Committee and how a diverse range of characters - Steve O’Rourke, John Lucara and Petra Wilkins become involved with her response. I will hold back to avoid spoiling the readers’ enjoyment I think! WOULD YOU SAY A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE CHARACTERS? Suzanne has spent her childhood between the US and England. Her father is English, her mother an Arab who had to choose between her background and her love for Suzanne’s father. Steve is an old acquaintance from her university days. He is a consultant who enjoys drunken discussions about spirituality and women with his friend Bruce. He’s also got an unusual, esoteric, ability which he is coming to terms with. Steve and Bruce dream of being rock stars. John is a crusading law and order journalist who is obsessed about taking action against the evil he perceives around him. Petra is a former assistant of John. As the novel progresses, the characters’ intertwined destinies become apparent. WHY IS IT CALLED BEYOND IDENTITY? Characters in the novel have to address who they are and what they stand for at a deep level. A key challenge for them is letting go of what they have become identified with. IS GOING BEYOND IDENTITY THE THEME, THEN? It is certainly one of the key themes. As is the nature of the ego. Another question the book raises is how do you resist what you perceive as evil, without becoming the evil? And how on earth do we discern truth from falsehood and fantasy from reality? WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE NOVELISTS? My taste is quite varied. Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy is fantastic: so magical and thought-provoking. Like almost everyone else, I can’t put Dan Brown’s books down. Susan Howatch’s later novels are must-reads for me - they have brilliant characterization and depth. George Orwell’s prophetic 1984 first made me think about writing as a teenager. I think Margaret Atwood’s Handmaids Tale is also prophetic. I was very moved by Richard Wright’s Black Boy - I was horrified about what it showed about racism which is basically attachment to a false identity. I really liked Starhawk’s visionary adventure, The Fifth Sacred Thing. Louis De Bernieres’ Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord is an amazing, magical and moving story. I love the sci-fi of Julian May and Stephen Donaldson.
WHAT TYPE OF SPIRITUALITY ARE YOU INTO? I’ve had quite a spiritual journey! There’s mystic Christianity, there’s Zen Buddhism. There’s the spiritual classics like Course in Miracles. There’s Eckhart Tolle’s Power of Now, which I read after work on Beyond Identity was underway and which really resonated with what I was experiencing and learning about letting go of my identifications. And there’s Dr. David Hawkins author of Power vs. Force. I’ve read books on Hindu spirituality, Huna, Kabbalah, Shamanism, Sufism - I could go on and on. If I had to sum up my path I would say openness to truth and unconditional love. IS THERE A MESSAGE IN THE BOOK? It’s an adventure novel (albeit with a strong spiritual theme) rather than some kind of parable. I write about spiritual journeys because that’s what I’m interested in; that’s what I love. But I think the primary aim of a novel should be to entertain, part of which may be taking people into a different reality while they are reading it. And, perhaps, to inspire. If the author just wants to get a message across, a novel may not be the best format. Beyond Identity may well raise questions for the reader. For example, does the end justify the means? And who am I, really, at the deepest level? But that’s not the core purpose. If readers find a message for themselves in it, or inspiration, that’s great but it’s for them to find it. ARE YOU A CONSPIRACY THEORIST WITH YOUR PORTRAYAL OF THE WORLD MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE? I think there’s a little bit of the conspiracy theorist in all of us. We all have moments when we suspect were not getting the whole picture. At the same time, it is worth remembering that some conspiracy theories are outlets for paranoia and can be unhealthy. Certainly there are sane, intelligent people who seriously believe that something like the Committee exists. I’d rather keep the reader guessing as to what I personally believe. I would think it would spoil it just as much if I revealed that either I believe the scenario literally or that it’s symbolic. ARE YOU PESSIMISTIC OR OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE WORLD TODAY? I think one has to be optimistic. Sure, things are getting more polarized, and fundamentalism is rearing its ugly head and making perhaps its last defiant stand. But I believe there has been an advance in consciousness. There’s more awareness of spirituality, diversity, integrity. Would the stuff about a company like Enron even have got out twenty years ago? There’s more sense of being one world. The Tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean was regarded by people across the world as something that mattered to all of us. The late 1980s - the fall of the Iron Curtain etc - was a turning point. There is an emerging paradigm shift as we begin to realize that we are part of one great system, one great Unity. However, progress is always going to be resisted by the vested interests and progress may not always be in straight lines.
You can find ‘Beyond Identity at: http://www.lulu.com/content/224414 Joseph Cash’s website is at: http://www.myspace.com/beyondidentity Thanks Joseph
JADINE’S DEW FAIRIES
Jadine is an Italian doll maker. She sculpts one of a kind (OOAK) polymer clay fantasy art dolls. Her favorite subjects are vampires and fairies and all of her creatures have a kind of gloomy mood. Sometimes she crafts gothic rag dolls inspired to Shakespearean characters or fairy tales. She sells her art on e-bay under the name of Jadine’s Dew Fairies. www.myspace.com/dewfairies dewsdolls@gmail.com
Futuretro Design ethos: See the beauty – feel the wonder Make it different – keep it simple Futuretro designs makes a unique range of handcrafted contemporary furniture, progressive lighting and original designs that fuse together futuristic and retro styles (with the option of the clients exclusive personal input) creating functional works of visual art. From coffee tables that induce hypnosis (Hypnotable), to the atmospheric lighting effects produced by the luminescence of the Vibonic and Vibonic lamp ranges, Futuretro has it all! The Vibonic and Vibonic lamp ranges’ lighting effect is based on the principles of Chromatherapy (or Colour therapy). A healing therapy that uses coloured light to stimulate various physical and emotional reactions. By altering the colour(s) a range of distinctive atmospheric effects can be created. E.g. BLUE = SOOTHE. RED = EXCITE. Futuretro also offers a range of purpose built ‘functional furniture’, Flowting furnishings. Everything in the range is exclusively made to order and includes: Cabinets for multi-media systems and entertainment centres, Custom computer workstations, Dj booths and mixing desks and bespoke cupboards, wardrobes and storage solutions. The website ‘gallery’ enables you to view examples of the diverse range of furniture and lighting designs Futuretro can create. Send personal comments and interest for proposed orders direct to the designer using the e-mail link on the ‘contact’ page, where you can also experience an example of the hypnotic effect produced by Hypnotable. So if you’re looking for: A new insight into contemporary interior design. Modern concept furniture. Progressive lighting design and light sculptures. Contemporary tables with a dynamic difference. Check out:
www.futuretro-design.com
About Jinxi
I’m happy as peaches in pie that I have been married to my best friend for 15 years and a mom to three amazing kiddos! I have owned my own business (www.MermaidInk.com) since 1997 and sell ALL KINDS of fun treasures online (thousands of goodies every month). I love my job! I get to spend lots of time with my kids and my husband, I get to be my own boss, and I get to meet and work with people all over the world! I love being surrounded by creativity, music, art, great books, happy people, color, diversity, and unique, different people that live life by their own rules and don’t fall victim to conformity. I am an adamant activist for freethinkers, human rights, LGBT equality and gender equality. My husband and I run the Southern California Chapter of the Rational Response Squad. We are also members and activists for the HRC (Human Rights Campaign) and Autism Speaks. My husband, children and friends mean the world to me and I treasure their vibrant, happy, colorful beauty SO VERY MUCH! The inspiration I receive from the people that really matter in my life, are the sprinkles on my cupcakes!
I love getting tattooed and have a large collection of ink all over my body, including my: head, neck, chest, arms (both sleeves), stomach, back, legs (one leg sleeve almost complete), hands, fingers and probably places I have missed listing (ha ha). I hope to continue as long as there is canvas left to color and design upon. I have a Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology and hope to continue with a Graduate Degree in Women’s Studies. I love reading, learning, discovering and creating! There are so many parts of life to explore and I feel really lucky to have the opportunity to do it every day. One of my favorite hobbies is working on my Cupcake Continuum project. I started the Cupcake Continuum Project to combine my love for cupcakes with the celebration of individuality and freedom of expression. I wanted to take these two passions and turn them into an art project that everyone could participate in.
The Cupcake Continuum Project is my artistic, psychological and sociological project to capture, appreciate and display the wonderful uniqueness we all possess. Just as no two snowflakes are alike, neither are any two cupcakes. Just like the differences in frosting swirls, the pattern of the sprinkles, the color, the consistency, the taste, the size, the flavor, the liner design, the scent, etc., there are so many variations to us all! It’s those unique characteristics that we all possess that make each and every cupcake so very special, so delightful and so memorable!!
The Cupcake Continuum Project is a compilation of each participant’s unique “SPECIAL SOMETHING,” displayed through their interpretation of themselves through their cupcake design. Cupcakes are collected by me, artist and curator, Jinxi Boo (www.JinxiBoo.com) and designed into a mosaic mural to recognize and honor each special cupcake in the Cupcake Army! I am also hopeful that in time, collaboration with a publisher will turn this project into a book. Hundreds of people from all over the worlds have contributed to the project so far. In addition to the cupcakes collected through the website, I also give presentations at elementary schools so kids can design their cupcakes and learn to love and appreciate the special characteristics they all possess that make them special and unique. Many Continuum members have also given presentations at their local schools and have collected cupcakes for the project…so if you are interested in being involved at your local school, please contact me directly. Please be a part of this special project! For more information, please visit: www.CupcakeContinuum.com Be your own cupcake! Join the Continuum! Just print out your own cupcake, design it, personalize it and be a part of the celebration of individuality! www.JinxiBoo.com www.CupcakeContinuum.com www.CupcakeArmy.com
Toni Tona
Toni Tona: I am a Metaphysical Teacher and I co-operate a Metaphysical Library and Event Center in Redding California, The Celestine Center of Healing Arts.
www.celestinecenter.com I have over 25 years of public relations experience (mostly in health care but also some non-profits such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters. So not only do I teach classes on meditation, chakras and auras but I also teach holistic and metaphysical practitioners how to market themselves with integrity and authenticity. My mandalas are usually custom created for people who are looking for healing, a meditation tool or just for inspriation. I use the individuals birth number and destiny numbers as well as birth date to create the number of arms and wheels and also do a little intuitive reading on them to try to discover what is most needed in their mandala. I work in many medias: tile, plaster, watercolors, photography and computer graphics. Metal sculpture is a favorite of mine. I like to sculpt trees out of copper, adding crystal and glass beads. I call them Vision Trees.
Pam K: I have been an artist all my life. I traveled cross country for many years making a living with stained glass, lost wax casted jewlery, leather designs and my hand and computer generated art. I hold a Masters in Publication Design and a BS in Communications from the University of Baltimore. I also hold a BA from Governors State University in Psychology. I now create from my home studio in Sheridan, Wyoming.
www.wynotdesign.com
Robin Albany: I am a local artist here in Bakersfield, CA. I am a self taught artist and have been painting since I was 16 years old. I am a member of the Bakersfield Art Association and will soon have my works diplayed downtown at the 18th Street Gallery. Here are a few pictures of my best works. My online gallery is at:
www.myspace.com/robin_albany I have more art that is not yet on my site, and some more I am finishing up! Thank you!
Change
by Wally Cromar To truly change the world we must first change ourselves. This phrase seems almost Zen-like, a piece of abstract advice that makes complete sense, but in all of its simplicity seems difficult to achieve. First, the idea of changing the world seems like a sadistic task to even attempt. After all look around. What good did people like Gandhi, Mother Theresa, or Jesus do? Sure they were admittedly amazing people. Certainly they had greater influence than most of us would ever have. But ultimately did any of them really make that big of a difference? Gandhi’s hunger strikes assuredly didn’t make India a Garden of Eden and Mother Theresa could have spent a thousand lifetimes caring for the sick and indigent and we would still walk by homeless people and shrug. Then, there was Jesus. He ultimately died for his faith in humanity, his ludicrous teachings that we should love one another, yet the people that praise him the most still start wars, bomb abortion clinics and spit on queers. So what can someone like me do? I am not a saint. I still have an endless number of flaws and I struggle to find love in my heart for even people like my own family. Compared to them, I am just another feeble-minded sheep in a giant herd. We are lost in our individuality, drowning in our sea of distinction. Absolutely my life means nothing, I am but one person. I shouldn’t vote, what does it matter? My say gets lost amongst the majority. I can’t change people. Who is going to listen to someone with such narrow life experience? Our society is dying: A death rattle because we believe that as individuals we can’t make a difference. In a grand effort to separate ourselves, distinguish ourselves from the lifeless mass that is society, develop our own ideas our own beliefs, we have come to a point where we just feel lost. We waste time trying to balance “fitting in” somewhere, while still holding on to the assumption that we are to be more dynamic, respected as individuals, leaders rather than followers. I feel lonely, the world seems cold and separate and I look around realizing I’m not the only one that feels this way. We are individuals. Every man is an island. Every man stands alone. In order to survive on this planet we must change the world. We are surrounded by death, stalking us at every turn. The planet is a hotbed of disease, war, famine – the resources being drained by our desire to live in excess. We are killing other people’s loved ones. Killing our loved ones. Killing ourselves. In fact, we are dying off and killing off at such an alarming rate that we are entirely indifferent. The depths of pain and loss is immeasurable so we ignore it. The sheer mass of our destruction is unfathomable. So much so, we shut down emotionally, physically, mentally and switch into survival mode. People are no longer people, but just part of the noise that makes up the business of our lives. We are all just numbers, inconsequential to anyone, other than ourselves and the few people we have encountered. My days are numbered. Each breath I take could be my last. I could fade into obscurity. How can we expect to go on feeling so lost, so scared, so alone? Life isn’t easy as it is right now. But I can’t help but believe that it must be easier if we combine our collective energy. United by the idea that we all demand something better. We all demand happiness. Every person that walks the earth is so different. So completely unique. The absolute diversity of life is astounding even staggering at times. How can I assume that everyone is able to want the same things? I believe this because I ultimately believe undeniably in humanity. That to be human we desire happiness. That we desire goodness. Sometimes the idea of life itself overwhelms me. My heart bubbles in my chest, forcing its way to my throat, choking me in a way that is both uneasy and entirely satisfying. The sheer magnitude of life is quite possibly the most glorious thing I can imagine. This perfect collection of atoms of energy, the balance of time and space, creating each individual that has ever walked this earth. Think about the vastness of this concept. Think of how much energy that equates to. How powerful we could be if we work toward the same goal. How loud could the buzz be? Wally Cromar is a free thinking amateur author who is committed to writing about the need for a change in energy and consciousness. He believes in the power of one person making a difference. Wally currently lives in Salt Lake City and enjoys spending time with friends, family and his special needs cats.
Knightman Productions
KnightmanProductions.com is one man. My passion for art and music drive me to constantly try new things. I rarely limit myself. I am finding a niche for a true love of manipulating photos and creating fractal art. I attempt to create art that blends genres, pushes limits, makes you think, ask questions and much more. I’m available for commission work. Get custom manipulation of yourself, your friends, family and pets. For business or personal use (cd covers, website banners, website art, blog art, and more) or just a wicked custom piece that makes a unique gift idea. For more information visit: KnightmanProductions.com http://knightmanproductions.com/ http://knightflyte96.deviantart.com/gallery/ http://knightflyte96.deviantart.com/store/
Tony Cook Born the 3rd of February, 1953. I call the complete work “Forbidden Fruit”. This is just 1 of 25 segments, the 20th, each segment a subset of 5 images, totalling 125 images in all. It’s an imaginative exploration of the holistic nature of dimensional increase, surveyed and mapped with mathematical precision and presented as a work of art. I’m attempting to reach the universal mode of comprehension, above the verbal, where we think in patterns. Words serve to direct and channel perception, and through translation may lead to confusion. Hence, this message, as conveyed by the drawings themselves, is the only explanation of it’s meaning necessary. Paul Klee saw art as the search for a “distant point at the origin of creation; where I sense a single formula for man, animal, plant, fire, water, air and all the forces surrounding us.” For Klee’s friend, the author Herman Hesse, this would require “a language of symbols and formulae … able to express the most complex matters graphically … without excluding individual imagination and inventiveness … in such a way as to be understandable to all scholars of the world.” Plato put it more succinctly. “Geometry will show the soul toward truth.” It began as a brief encounter - whilst under the influence of mind-expanding mushrooms – in the summer of 1976. I received a tarot card reading or at least one was attempted. As I say, the encounter was brief, my housemates, hard-boiled cynics like myself, had other ideas. We did however get so far as to lay down the cards and an explanation of the pattern of the layout to be used in the reading. A tree linking heaven to earth, a zigzagging flows of energy and a gap where it passes through the abyss. The idea of two such trees, the second inverted. I now know this pattern to be the Holy Cabbala, then, all I saw was a simple two-dimensional mnemonic for creating a strand of double helix that, incidentally, was the exact length and proportions of a gene. DNA is the Tree of Life; RNA is the Tree of Knowledge, sure, why not? I saw a wonderful example of Jungian synchronicity and dismally failed to grasp the more cosmic of the implications. That sunk in later, much later. Ten years on and again under the influence of drugs, this time courtesy of some home-cultivated pot, I set to work. I took three months out and became a stoner recluse in my secret hideaway. I wanted to see how the geometric movement flowed backwards, to understand its logical starting point and from understanding it’s rules, progress the double helix through to its final transition. So I seized the time and space and worked it out; and I was walking on air. Then came the hard part. Carefully transcribed onto graph paper and colour-coded, I wanted to create an object of beauty that transmuted the act of ‘looking’ into an experience in ‘seeing’. As it turned out most kids under the age of 12 got it with ease. Less than 1 in a 100 of everyone else, their minds simply rebelled, they couldn’t look, and it was scary. So I pushed the work aside and from time to time it would push itself back again. The years passed by carrying the burden of an “occult secret”, seemingly both impossible to convey and ripe for exposure, and occasionally prayed to the ‘aliens’ to put pressure on someone else. I bided my time, raised kids and got on with the rest of my life. Eventually computers became affordable, I had access to a scanner, a pirated copy of Photoshop 3 with filters - c/o my eldest - and finally, the Internet came along. The rest, as they say, is history. To view the complete work please visit:
http://www.tonycook.org
Michelle O
I am a self representing artist who was raised in NY. I received a bachelor of Architecture degree in Philadelphia, and lived in San Francisco for two years. I worked as an architect and after a couple of years felt like it wasn’t my calling. I had always been urged by many friends to become a professional artist but knew that it would happen when the time was right. After moving to Florida, I was certified as an Ayurvedic practitioner and a yoga teacher. I had always been attracted to the creative process and the healing arts. My art can be seen on the album cover of Nacho Laguna, a recognized musician from Spain. http://www.nacholaguna.8k.com/ www.mystical-artist.com michelle@mystical-artist.com
Wellness: Ayurveda by Erin Geesaman Rabke
The flutter of butterfly wings in South America affects the weather where you live. Blow up a test bomb in “the middle of nowhere,” and it affects the health of people for miles in every direction for years and years. Drive a car that gets low gas mileage and it affects the polar ice caps. Life is interdependent. Many ancient peoples understood this better than we do. Some more personal examples also illustrate this broad principle. What you ate for lunch yesterday affects your mood and whether you’re more spacey, agitated or content after chewing your last bite. The movie you watched before bed affects the quality of your sleep, and your effectiveness at work and your connection with loved ones. Your choice of morning beverage may have a great deal to do with that nagging pain in your knee. Your choice of produce imported from Chile or grown by your local farmer, your feelings of tense distraction or calm presence while you eat- all influence your health, and the health of your community. “Life is relationship” is a basic understanding to which modern thinkers are only beginning to return. All these insights are obvious when looking at life through the lens of interdependence. This is the view of Ayurveda, the traditional medical practice of India. From the ancients’ close observation of the interdependent details of life in all its manifestations arose the science of life known as Ayurveda, the oldest continuously practiced medical system on the planet. Ayurveda, literally translated, means “knowledge of life,” “science of longevity” or “art of living.” It is an incredibly detailed and sophisticated scientific study of life on earth, with a particular emphasis on cultivating well-being at physical, mental and spiritual levels. Ayurveda is considered the sister science to yoga. Although yoga has gained great popularity and become a household word in our culture, Ayurveda is still in the beginning stages of blossoming here. Interestingly, in the Vedic tradition from which yoga and Ayurveda arose in India, yoga is known as the disciplines for working with the mind, while Ayurveda is known as the science for the body. Their overlapping territory is life itself - and both share roots in the understanding that body and mind, although distinguishable, are deeply intertwined. Ayurveda is primarily renowned as a medical system, but medicine is only a small slice of the wheel of Ayurvedic knowledge. In Ayurveda, everything in the universe is composed of five elements - space, air, fire, water and earth-which, when combined, create the three doshas of vata (space and air), pitta (fire) and kapha (water and earth). The principles governing Ayurvedic understanding are as true for puppies, pine trees and weather patterns - all of life - as they are for human health. As Dr. Robert Svoboda (the first Westerner to graduate from an Indian Ayurvedic medical school) writes, “Every substance that we encounter, every action that we perform or that is performed on us influences our inner balance for good or ill. When we adapt ourselves effectively to changing circumstances, we remain healthy; exceed our limits in any direction and we are likely to swerve off course into the uncharted waters of illness. A full, rich, satisfying life of moderation and poise is likely to be a life that is fundamentally healthy.” Each person has a particular personal constitution, called “prakruti.” This is your unique elemental combination of vata, pitta and kapha. Skilled practitioners can read your constitution from your pulse. Each of us is made up of each of the five elements, but in each person some elements predominate. Your prakruti may be uni-doshic (one dosha predominates clearly), bi-doshic (a combination of two doshas that share predominance) and rarely, people may be tri-doshic, where all three are equally present. Here are some general descriptions of the temperamental qualities of each of the doshas.
The vata (air and space) predominant individual: •
learns easily, but forgets easily as well
•
tends toward nervousness and anxiety, sometimes restlessness
•
has dynamic, fluctuating moods; energy can be sporadic
•
has a lot of creative energy and an active imagination
•
leads an erratic lifestyle. Routine is not common
•
can be spacey and tend not to follow through on ideas
•
acts quickly and changes quickly
In general, think of the quick, erratic movement of wind and the vastness of space. When unbalanced or “vata deranged,” the personality can be erratic, changable, nervous and spacey. When balanced, vata manifests as inspiration, expressiveness and creativity. The pitta (fire) predominant individual: •
has a good memory and a quick mind
•
tends to anger easily and is easily irritated
•
finds goals and tasks more important than mood
•
is efficient, well-organized, precise and tends toward perfectionism
•
leads a busy life
•
is thoughtful, logical and a planner
•
can be forceful and imposing
•
lives with intensity and competitiveness
In general, think of fire: Unbalanced, this dosha is easy to overheat-in anger, competitiveness, perfectionist tendencies, or bossiness. When balanced, pitta expresses as clarity, determination and organization. The kapha (earth and water) predominant individual: •
learns slowly, but like an elephant, never forgets
•
tends to be calm and steady
•
is caring, compassionate and can be possessive
•
is thorough and follows through, completing tasks once begun
•
has a relaxed lifestyle
•
has good stamina, but moves at a slower pace
•
can tend toward complacency
Think water and earth: when balanced this dosha can be calm, compassionate, settled and steady. When “deranged,” it can manifest as lethargy, couch-potato tendencies, depression or posessiveness. Ayurveda has much to offer us in our modern world disconnected from the rhythms of nature. Interestingly, Ayurvedic practitioners do not see Western medicine as antithetical to Ayurveda - they consider it to be a small component of the science of life, included under the large umbrella of Ayurveda. Western medicine often creates problematic side effects because of its incomplete and compartmentalized view of life and healing. Much of Ayurveda that been popularized in our culture is the Ayurvedic understanding of health from a physical perspective - for example, how changing your diet to be appropriate to your dosha and to the season can reduce or eliminate the causes of ill health. But Ayurveda also has much to offer in the realm of the mind and emotions. Lifestyle choices, including diet and sleep schedule, can create fertile ground for worry, anxiety, anger and depression (or on the other hand, creativity, clarity and calm) to flourish. It is profoundly empowering to discover the ways we can support our own best intentions with simple daily choices. The Sanskrit word for health, svastha, means “to be established in oneself.” Ayurveda encourages us to begin our search for health by looking within ourselves. As Svoboda writes, “The ultimate in healing is to attune a body-mindspirit complex so finely to the universal consciousness that that consciousness begins to direct the organism’s functions. The individual can then grow into a state of harmony with each and every flow in the universe the better you can awaken your awareness, the better you will flow through life and the more health will accrue to you.” Resources: “Ayurveda and the Mind,” by David Frawley “Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies,” by Dr. Vasant Lad “The Ayurvedic Cookbook,” by Amadea Morningstar “A Woman’s Book of Health,” by Nancy Lonsdorf “Prakruti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution,” by Dr. Robert Svoboda Erin Geesaman Rabke
www.bodyhappy.org Article reprinted by permission from Catalyst magazine. Salt Lake City, Utah
www.catalystmagazine.net
John Hicks I was born and raised in Southern California with a big urge to create. I am intrigued by the strange and abstract views that this world has to offer as well as those from the seemingly twisted perception I have developed over the years. I have found myself recently diving into more mixed material pieces due to the extra dimension and depth that add to a piece. I call my work “Abstract Surrealism� due to the nature of the imagery and dimension each piece invokes.
My current web link is: http://Groups.msn.com/ahhdart It will soon be changed to www.ahhdart.com I have T-shirts available at : http://www.number1artist.com/admin/ShowPortfolio.asp?OID=2&p=AhhdArt
Five Steps to Intuitive Healing
Step Five: Listen to Your Dreams by Judith Orloff MD, Author of Intuitive Healing There is a healing instinct within you that can manifest in dreams. You’d be surprised at the straightforward health advice they give, either spontaneously or on request. Tips on food, preventive therapies, treatment options constantly come through-but we miss them. Once remembered the essence of many of our dreams is lost because we, or our therapists, misinterpret them. A patient told me about a recurring broccoli dream. “You can’t be serious,” he said, chuckling. “It’s actually trying to tell me what to eat? A vegetable?” Yes-it was. We often dismiss such practical suggestions as meaningless. But sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Keep it simple. Try something new. If you dream of eating a luscious mango, run out, devour one. Or when, in a dream, you’re soaking in natural hot springs, make a date to go. How do you know if the advice you receive is right? Count on common sense to direct you. Though some intuitive flashes may seem impractical or unexpected, the authentic ones will never suggest anything to jeopardize you or anyone else’s physical welfare. So, for instance, if you have heart disease and a dream tells you, “It’s okay to smoke cigarettes,” don’t do it. Question all messages that risk your health. Along with this guideline, begin to familiarize yourself with traditional dream interpretation. I suggest Carl Jung’s classic text Man and His Symbols, or take a look at Creative Dreaming by Dr. Patricia Garfield. In addition, there’s an intuitive level to understanding dreams of which I’d like you to be aware. Reliable intuitive information stands out in very specific ways. Watch for these clues: * Statements that simply convey information * Neutral segments that evoke or convey no emotion * A detached feeling, like you’re a witness watching a scene * A voice or person counseling you-as if you’re taking dictation from an outside source * Conversations with people you never met before who give instructions about your health I’ve found that my most dead-on intuitions either come across as compassionate or have no emotion at all. Develop a careful eye as you practice separating the content of your dreams from your reactions to it. Soon you’ll be able to tell what is reliable health guidance and what is not. Be aware that your dreams go by different rules than your waking life. Get ready for a mind shift. Physical laws no longer apply. Gravity changes. In dreams you can fly! Remember as a child (or adult) when you took off wingless, soared over mountains and valleys below. Healthwise, this is a reminder of the vitality and freedom that is in you. Silence is pregnant. A dream’s tone can be as restorative as its content; a revelation about staying well can come through someone’s eyes rather than words. You are in partnership with your dreams. Initiate an ongoing dialogue with them. It’s like consulting the wisest old-time family doctor you can imagine who knows you inside out. You can ask your dreams anything-even what seems most impossible. How can I keep my blood pressure down? What about my hip pain or allergies? Are there ways to stop catching so many colds? No question is trivial if it is meaningful to you. Expect answers. Some will be direct. Others may require interpretation.
Dreams can keep you well. Dreams provide answers. But first you must retrieve them. How many nights have you awakened with the most amazing dream you were certain you’d recall? The next morning it was gone. Our memories deceive. During sleep we experience a kind of amnesia. Dreams are not of the rational mind. Your intuitive memory is what is needed. Here is a method I recommend to remember your dreams. It’s helpful to practice it each day. Soon it will become second nature to you. Four Strategies To Remember Your Dreams * Keep a journal and pen by your bed. * Write a question on a piece of paper before you go to sleep. Formalize your request. Place it on a table beside your bed or under your pillow. * In the morning do not wake up too fast. Stay under the covers for at least a few minutes remembering your dream. Luxuriate in a peaceful feeling between sleep and waking, what scientists call the hypnagogic state. Those initial moments provide a doorway. * Open your eyes. Write down your dream immediately; otherwise it will evaporate. You may recall a face, object, color, or scenario, feel an emotion. It doesn’t matter if it makes perfect sense-or if you retrieve a single image or many. Record everything you remember. When you’re finished refocus on the health question you asked the previous night. See how your dream applies. One, two, or more impressions about the who/what/where of your solution may have surfaced. Get in the habit of recording your dreams regularly. Be assured I’ve never met anyone who can’t be taught how to remember. Keep at it. If your answer doesn’t come the first night, try again. More details will emerge, rounding out the picture. Then look to your daily life for evidence of what your dream tells you. The woman’s face you glimpsed for that split second could just be that of the healer you’ve been searching for. I am guided every day by the five intuitive steps I’ve just presented. They have become my eyes. They can be yours too. The intuitions about your health I speak of and live by are ordinarily without boundary and are unseen. As you go through these steps they highlight truths about your body, providing a framework in which to recognize them. Ordering allows for a simple, focused understanding. I have a great respect for structure as long as it facilitates our freedom. Go through the steps with this in mind. With each health question you ask, be prepared to expand or contract in response to whatever fluid motion is called for. Surrender all preconceptions about your healing. This realm I’m attempting to outline ultimately escapes definition. The mastermind of all things intuitive, the brains behind the scene, is of an infinite source. What if, just once, you let yourself go, accept the gift unconditionally? I dare you. What do you have to lose? And to gain? Breathe fire into what is dormant in you: your intuitions about a healthy body, your sense of spiritual power from which all your intuitions come. Make these connections count. They will last a lifetime. Open yourself to knowledge of how to heal. Let the mystery touch you. It is everythinge. Everything. Judith Orloff, MD is a board certified psychiatrist, a practicing intuitive, and author of Positive Energy: Ten Extraordinary Prescriptions for Transforming Fatigue, Stress, and Fear Into Vibrance, Strength, and Love (Harmony Books.) She is also author of the bestsellers Guide to Intuitive Healing and Second Sight. She’s an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA, has a private practice in Los Angeles, and is an international workshop leader on the interrelationship of medicine, intuition, and spirituality. Her work has been featured on CNN, PBS, A&E and NPR. Dr. Orloff’s website is www.drjudithorloff.com.
Tara Catalano
I am influenced by religion, spirituality, jewelry, fashion, music, family, found objects and other great artists. I use these things to convey my feelings or emotions. I like my work to be colorful, textured, lighthearted and whimsical. I enjoy the process of decorating or building the canvas with found objects. Not too long ago, my mother handed me a zip-loc bag full of out-dated earrings. I was delighted to be given what others would call “junk�. I recycled the luminous metals, stones and beads into what you see today. Some paintings materialized by my need to articulate a certain emotion, then the jewelry became its companion. Other paintings emerged by looking at the form of the jewelry and imagining something new. As a result, each painting holds a little piece of me or the world in which I live. I hold great honor in sharing my world with you. Stores:
http://stores.ebay.com/taracatalano http://tcatalano.etsy.com Portfolio: http://tcatalano.etsy.com Blog: http://www.myspace.com/pranaart7
Layout and Design by Lara K
Dear MetaCreative Magazine Readers: First of all, I would like to send a special thank you to Lara for designing the layout for this issue. You can visit her myspace page at: http://myspace.com/lkindigo Thanks also to Chelle for donating her editing services. You can connect with her at: http://www.myspace.com/chel8ball Thank you to Myka Jelina for contributing the cover art for this issue. http://www.mykajelina.com
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