OMTimes Magazine June B 2017 Edition

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June B 2017

Cover Story

Metaphysics

22

80

Leonard Perlmutter - The Heart and Science of Yoga

Health & Healing 36

Underarm Detox In Time for Summer

Spirituality 42 46 50

How Mistakes are Our Life's Teachers How to Strengthen Your Relationship with Spirit Ten Altars in Every Room

OM Living 58 62 66 70

Feng Shui and The Hierarchy of the Flying Stars The Power of the Question in Business Good Parents Give Their Kids These Six Things From Fixation to Living in Freedom

84 88

Illumination: A Crystal Meditation with Animals Siddhis - A Boon or a Bane Ask Whitedove

Personal Growth 96

How to Magnify Your Material Strength 100 The Need to Belong and the Pain of Loneliness 104 5 Ways to Tap into Our Unlimited Source of Creativity

Books 110 Book Spotlight - The New Love Triangle

The Heart and Science of Yoga - Leonard Perlmutter A Q&A with Leonard Perlmutter Author of The Heart and Science of Yoga Leonard Perlmutter, is one of the Western world’s leading pioneers in the introduction of meditation into the cultural firmament, having founded the American Meditation Institute (AMI) in 1996.

AMI’s courses are now approved and accredited

by the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association. Perlmutter is also author of an acclaimed book, The Heart and Science of Yoga: The American Meditation Institute’s Empowering Self-Care Program for a Happy, Healthy, Joyful Life, an encyclopedic guide to meditation and the Yoga Science that supports it.

Praised by such international medical luminaries as Drs. Dean Ornish, Mehmet Oz, Bernie Siegel, and Larry Dossey, this ultimate guidebook not only explains what to do, BUT WHY TO DO IT. It delves into Yoga Science, the eight-step method for managing the life force energy that propels us and connects us to the infinite power and creativity that is within and without us all. And the result of mastering it is the bliss and daily joy that comes from the realization of our connection.

Leonard Perlmutter The Heart and Science of Yoga OMTimes: What first motivated you to learn about Yoga Science and meditation?

Leonard Perlmutter: I was always philosophically oriented, but like most of the students I teach today, I was also motivated by stress, pain, lack of focus, digestive problems and fear. Looking for help, I studied various religious and spiritual traditions. And in the process, I learned more about my birth religion of Judaism, as well as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Native American traditions. Then I discovered the perennial philosophy and science of Yoga, and its essential practice, meditation. It became clear to me that Yoga Science is the very heart of all those religions and spiritual paths I had been examining.

OMTimes: How did that exploration help you?

Leonard Perlmutter: When I learned Yoga Science is the world’s oldest form of mind/ body medicine, that information made me respectful and curious.

And when I actually began to practice Yoga Science, I immediately felt better--in mind, body and spirit. From the first days of my study and practice, I understood that the ancient, ever new science of Yoga is a practical, common sense Omtimes.com

blueprint for experiencing real happiness, health and security.

OMTimes: What were the first things you learned in your new practice?

Leonard Perlmutter: I discovered that to benefit from the practice of Yoga Science, a person must be willing to use his or her own mind-bodysense complex as a laboratory in which to undertake ongoing scientific experiments. Then, in the midst of every relationship, the “Bridge of Yoga” is to be employed in order to discover and verify the Truth.

OMTimes: What is the “Bridge of Yoga?”

Leonard Perlmutter: Yoga means “union,” and the “Bridge of Yoga” is a metaphoric bridge in our lives that links our choices of outer actions to our own inner wisdom. In each and every Yoga Science experiment, one single hypothesis is set forth:?when we use the “Bridge of Yoga” to receive the Truth of our inner wisdom and then employ that Truth in thought, word and deed, we feel better, physically,

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mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Conversely, in these experiments we also learn that when we fail to use the “Bridge of Yoga,” and our actions conflict with inner wisdom, we experience stress, dis-ease and pain.

OMTimes: Can this practice benefit everyone?

Leonard Perlmutter: Yes, everyone who wants to work with it. Some people say, “Meditation is just not for me. I don’t need it.” But a growing body of respected clinical studies indicates a daily meditation practice can make life more rewarding and much less painful for everyone, in every stage of life. My teacher, Swami Rama of the Himalayas, was unequivocal in stating his opinion, “Meditation is a dire necessity.”

OMTimes: Can you explain precisely what meditation is?

Leonard Perlmutter: The word “meditation” comes from the Latin words meditari (to think, contemplate, or exercise the mind) and mederi (to heal, cure). It implies attending to or paying attention to something, to the exclusion of any other

mental or physical stimulus.

To help demystify meditation, I often ask my classes, “What do you love to do?” Some students love walking in nature; some love gardening or business; theysome love eating, golf or tennis; some love their work, spouse, children or grandchildren. Regardless of what they claim to love, I explain that the common thread running through all their various loves is the experience of freely giving their complete, one-pointed, attention to someone or some thing. Attention, I suggest to them, is love.

Once they see the correlation between focusing their attention and experiencing love, I explain that meditation, like their loves, is simply the experience of consciously directing one’s complete attention to one object. The only difference is that when you’re meditating, the “loving experience” is not dependent on anything or anyone outside yourself. Your capacity to love does not depend on nature, a garden, work, food, golf, or a loved one. In

meditation, you simply direct all your attention to a mantra--a word or series of words containing the name of the Supreme Reality (a.k.a., God).

OMTimes: What benefits can a person expect when he or she commits to a daily meditation practice?

Leonard Perlmutter: Focusing your attention for only one minute exclusively on the mantra can give you a taste of freedom from the mind’s stressful, habitual preferences.

And there’s an additional bonus: with that one-minute investment, you’ve begun the acquisition of four powerful, life-enhancing skills. These skills are: 1. The capacity to be detached from any uninvited stimulus; 2. The ability to focus the mind’s one-pointed attention at will; 3. The development of greater intuitive discrimination; 4. The will power to do what is to be done, and to not do what is not to be done.

Can you imagine how valuable these four meditation skills will be in helping you successfully handle all your duties and responsibilities? But there’s still

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more. The many unseen physical benefits of meditation are surprising and profound. Take its effect on the human brain, for example.

OMTimes: How does meditation affect the brain?

Leonard Perlmutter: Your brain is your body’s control center. Its nerve cells (neurons) send and receive electro-chemical signals. By these functions, your brain enables you to think, feel, remember, and perceive the world around you.

Until just a few years ago, neuroscientists believed that after childhood, your brain cells became hard-wired into relatively fixed circuits for life.

But recent scientific studies tell a different story. We now know that your brain’s estimated 100 billion neural cells can re-form new circuits and patterns in response to life’s ever-changing experiences and demands. This physiological process is known as neuroplasticity. It is your brain’s potential to reorganize itself by creating new neural pathways that empower you to adapt to changing circumstances.

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Research suggests that these and other changes translate into less stress and anxiety and a greater sense of wellbeing.

And one recent study showed measureable brain tissue transformations after just eight weeks of regular meditation. Sit regularly for meditation and your everyday life experiences will begin to reflect the evenness of mind you experience during meditation. You’ll find it easier to let go of stressful thoughts, and you’ll be less burdened by unexpected or undesired circumstances, like traffic jams and annual medical checkups.

OMTimes: But surely neuroplasticity alone doesn’t solve physical problems.

There must be other factors at work.

Leonard Perlmutter: Yes, there are. Meditation can also upgrade your mental software and operating system. Here’s how that happens. Although the mind is vast, only a small portion of the mind is conscious. For most of the moments of your life, the greater portion of the mind

remains unconscious. The unconscious mind serves as the storehouse for your habits and attachments. It holds your memories, likes and dislikes, imaginations for the future and the information you deem essential to self-preservation.

Consequently, it serves as the repository for your fear, anger and unfulfilled desires.

Yoga Science describes the character of the unconscious mind as being like that of wet sand. When a child playing at the beach presses an object into wet sand, an impression is created. Similarly, when you repeatedly give your attention to any thought, desire or emotion, that subtle object creates an impression, like an indentation in the topography of your unconscious mind. As you give continued attention to any thought, desire or emotion, the channel that is formed becomes deeper and deeper.

Your awareness (consciousness) always flows through the channel of least resistance. This means that the deepest, widest, most unobstructed channels in

the unconscious mind become the software of your mind, the pathways through which your consciousness travels. These behavioral imprints can include your creative, healthy habits-and your destructive, unhealthy habits, as well.

Each of us has created deep channels through our previous attention, so we tend to think virtually the same thoughts, speak the same words and take similar actions every day. We are creating and recreating the software of our own mind through repeated attention to certain thoughts. In effect, these continued attachments determine all our choices and the consequences that flow from those choices.

But there’s good news. The habits you have created are not permanent constructions.

As Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “Our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world . . . but in remaking ourselves.” Thought channels are always works in progress. They can be altered.

Many are very beneficial; but unless you consciously

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acknowledge and monitor your debilitating information highways, they may grow stronger. And over a lifetime, those negative tendencies increase your bondage to pain and suffering.

OMTimes: How does meditation solve that problem?

Leonard Perlmutter: The American Meditation Institute (AMI) meditation process provides a reliable, systematic method for creatively rewriting the out-of-date, limiting and debilitating software of the mind. When you sit regularly for meditation and consciously give your attention to a mantra, that mental activity creates new, healthy channels in the unconscious mind that provide you reserves of love, fearlessness and strength.

If the mind becomes restless during meditation, it’s never a problem. It’s an opportunity to transform previously debilitating energy into a positive form. If a distracting thought enters your awareness, and it will, your job is simply to honor,

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witness and sacrifice the competing thought and lovingly direct your attention back to the mantra. Two important consequences follow. First, because you willingly give up your attachment to a distraction in favor of the mantra, that previously attractive thought-object returns to its channel of origin in the unconscious mind in a weakened state, and the depth of its channel diminishes subtly. Second, as you redirect your attention to the mantra, you’re deepening a new, healthy mantra channel. This will provide you what’s necessary to make every relationship rewarding.

OMTimes: I’m beginning to see the idea of science at work here.

Leonard Perlmutter: Yes, AMI Meditation is an engineering science. Each time you sit for meditation, you’re reengineering both the hardware of the brain and the software of the mind. Meditation makes the brain more responsive to your ever-changing needs and frees you from the stress and painful consequences of fear, anger and self-willed desire.

When you can place your attention where you choose, you’re developing the freedom to think and respond in new ways.

The implications are astounding.

You can actually become the architect of your life!

OMTimes: You’ve given us a lot to think about.

Leonard Perlmutter: The practice of meditation is really very simple. Whenever the mind begins to wander, gently bring your attention back to the mantra. Learn to deal skillfully with your stray thoughts, and they won’t be able to bunch together into debilitating compulsions-like lust, dread, resentment, jealousy, judgment or guilt.

Remember, stray thoughts have no real power until you give them repeated attention.

Without the power of your attention, thoughts cannot propel you into action.

OMTimes: Do you have any additional suggestions for new meditators?

Leonard Perlmutter: Yes, thank you. Remember that none of this knowledge

about re-engineering the hardware of the brain and software of the mind can benefit you until you begin to experiment with it in your everyday relationships. So, I urge you to take the first step. Learn to meditate from a qualified teacher who represents a time-tested lineage. I guarantee that when you start meditating and employing the skills of one-pointed attention, discrimination and will power, you’ll feel better in every way. You’ll be able to think more clearly, creatively and confidently--knowing that no thought or circumstance will ever again have the power to overwhelm you. You’ll start living in real freedom. How will you recognize that you’re free? You will know it in the same way all meditators know: you’ll experience the first great freedom--the freedom from fear.

To connect with Leonard Perlmutter, or learn more about The Heart and Science of Yoga, visit: www. americanmeditation.org

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Empower Girls Break the Cycle of Dependence

The number one reason girls drop out of school in Sub-Saharan Africa is lack of access to feminine hygiene products. The Pads for Schoolgirls Project, an outreach of Humanity Healing International, is changing this paradigm by setting up sewing programs at schools, teaching girls a vocational skill, while producing the reusable pads that help keep them attending classes. The girls pay it forward by making and giving pad kits to other girls in need.

To learn more, visit humanityhealing.org

Health & Wellness Innovative new approaches to Healing as well as holistic methods for dealing with health issues and personal growth

Underarm Detox in Time for Summer

by Dr. Lee Ann Kalaba, DC

Do More Than Cover Up Odor with an Underarm Detox The summer months are a great time for an underarm detox as part of your conscious health routine. The human armpit gets a bad rap due to the presence of odorproducing bacteria. To prevent unpleasant smells, the armpit is smothered in soaps, shaving

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creams, antiperspirants, and deodorants. But to cover up armpit odor, you may be doing more harm than good.

The sweat glands in your underarms are there for several purposes. The most obvious one is that sweating helps cool down the body and regulate body temperature. Sweat also serves as a mechanism for moving toxins out of the body.

This detoxification process helps eliminate toxic heavy metals and promote health, supporting both the lymphatic and immune systems.

Not only does sweating help open and clean pores, but sweat also kills bacteria and viruses that may be present on the skin. The glands themselves release a type of bacteria that breaks down the very sweat they also produce, creating the cycle that leads to body odor.

Underarm Sweat is a Natural Process To control this odor, many antiperspirants contain aluminum, the active ingredient that blocks the function of sweat glands. The

body absorbs small amounts of aluminum and this builds up over time. Research indicates that these aluminum deposits reach the brain, and can be an associated factor in the cause of Alzheimer’s disease.

In general, if chemicals in the antiperspirants block sweat glands, then toxins can’t be released from the body as efficiently as intended. The lymphatic system gets bogged down and the immune system becomes sluggish. This is of concern for women, as some of these chemicals have been tied to estrogen disruption and even breast cancer.

Additionally, when antiperspirants and deodorants use chemical antimicrobial agents to kill the bacteria in your armpits, other bacteria can take over that smell even worse!

How to Detoxify Your Underarms The best time to use this detoxification recipe is right after exercising (without the use of antiperspirants or deodorants), just prior to taking a shower. Your sweat Omtimes.com

glands will already be open and flowing.

Underarm Detox Recipe: 2 Tablespoons liquid bentonite clay 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar Essential Oils of your choice, such as Thieves, Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, or Grapefruit Stir the clay, vinegar, and oils together in a glass container until thoroughly mixed. If you like a thicker paste, add more clay. For thinner consistency, add more vinegar. This recipe should be enough for several applications. Store unused portion in the refrigerator.

Using your fingers, spread a layer of the mixture onto each armpit. You can wipe any excess mixture onto another area of skin, such as your breast tissue, chest, or abdomen.

Let dry for 10-20 minutes. Next, take a hot shower.

See the Underarm Detox Results for Yourself You may notice a decrease in underarm odor after a single Omtimes.com

detox. You can repeat this process several days in a row, or simply at your convenience, but you should at least try for once each week. For natural internal deodorant, you may want to consider chlorella or fenugreek.

In the end, the recommendation is if you have one or two days per week that you do not need to put anything on your underarms, then don’t. The body is amazing at self-cleaning. Sometimes the best option is to simply not interfere. Your goal should be to stop the use of antiperspirants and deodorants altogether. Essential oils may be a great substitute.

About the Author Lee Ann Kalaba is a practicing Doctor of Chiropractic in Tucson, AZ. After a decade in corporate America as a CPA, she experienced a severe injury that was the catalyst of her healing journey and put her on the chiropractic path. Now, her vision is to utilize chiropractic care and health coaching to help people improve their health so they can pursue the life of their dreams. http:// benowchiropractic.com/

Simply Spiritual To perceive reality from a different perspective is to open oneself to the wonders and unlimited wealth of creation. Simply Spiritual offers the opportunity to visit new places, new methods, and different ways to perceive the vast human knowledge of our Universe.

Mistakes:

Our True Teachers of Life

by Baba Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari

Only Humans Have Potential to Be a Buddha Mistakes and failures are the true teachers of life. It is only through mistakes that we learn life’s lessons; we grow, we mature, and we realize better

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ways to do things, better methods of success in life.

Humans make mistakes; hence humans have the potential to be a Buddha! If we don’t fret about our mistakes or those of others, we can treat each of them as a step to higher possibilities. With mistakes, we learn to stand firm, and prove we can do things better!

Who in this world has not made a mistake? Our mistakes only tell us the reality that there is always room for improvement. As long as there is the existence of the individualized mind, we will make mistakes. The goal is to learn from them and then move on to the next step and finally to the point where all steps disappear into the silence of the universal mind.

Never Judge Yourself for a Mistake The worst thing that we can do when we make a mistake

is to judge ourselves. However, many times when we commit a serious mistake, it can create a deep-seated feeling of guilt and regret. This steals our natural happiness. Our mind droops. At this stage, it can be very difficult to pull out of our self-imposed prison.

The “Practice” of Forgiveness A simple yet most difficult practice when we make a mistake is to consciously and lovingly practice forgiveness and unconditional love for our selves. Note that the word used here is “practice.” If a child does not fall when it first attempts to walk, the child never learns to walk. When we practice forgiveness, a time comes when it naturally manifests, and self-forgiveness just happens since we know “to err is human.” We know if we forgive ourselves, then someone else will forgive us.

Remember the words of the Master Jesus: “Forgive and

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thou shall be forgiven.�

The Universe Is Constantly Forgiving Us Forgiving comes from our deep understanding. The universe is forgiving us all the time for our own innumerable mistakes, whether we commit them knowingly or unknowingly. We trample on many living insects without knowing their pain.

We hurt people, often without having the slightest idea of the impact of our actions, our attitudes, our words or our own ego. Yet the universe allows us infinite chances to improve, to scale greater heights of conscious awareness so that we can discover and experience true joy of life.

Morning and Evening Practices Morning is the time to resolve that even though we may have made the same mistake in the past, this time instead of self-criticisms and frustrations we are going to take deeper breaths, keep calm and be

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mindful of the little chores of daily life, doing them consciously. We will try to not feel agitated in any stress-filled situations. They occur because we need to learn things can be done better. Once we learn, the stress will not occur again.

One of the great Himalayan Masters, Baba Lokenath (17301890) was asked this question by a seeker: What practice can make us a true yogi, although we are in the mundane world of materialistic attachments?

Baba Lokenath replied, “At bedtime, when you are done for the day, sit quietly, and see in a flash back what have you done throughout the day, your good actions are your earnings, and your negative actions are your expenditures.

Resolve to Not Make the Same Mistake Resolve that next day with similar situations you will not commit the same mistakes and expend your positive energies, so that you have

more earnings than spending.

Baba Lokenath makes it very clear that there is no space for self-condemnations. Yet, we need to be awake to recognize where we are creating our own problems, and that we need to untangle them in the future.

The practice in the spiritual world is one of awareness and awakening. So, the more we practice meditation, watchfulness of our thoughts and actions, and take baby steps towards a mindful life, we will have so much to be happy about. Life is a momentto-moment gift to us provided we are conscious about it.

Trust in Our Indomitable Spirit Yes, life is full of tests, but when we look back and impartially observe them we find that such hurdles only helped us to realize our inner potential. And even more importantly, we can see how an unseen force helped us to

move forward to scale the next peak and we begin to have deeper trust in that power.

As we begin to trust that we are not alone in this universe, nor were we ever alone, nor shall we be alone, we discover our undying indomitable Spirit is ever with us. Our Spirit is leading us toward the eternal home, toward the Light that shines forever and love that flows perennially, like a flowing creek, toward the sea.

About the Author Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari (Kolkata, India): Globally acclaimed motivational teacher (mindfulness meditation, stress reduction) author, peacemaker (Man of Peace Award 2012) Visionary social advocate; founded Lokenath Divine Life Mission, 1985. Serves thousands of poverty-stricken individuals in India. (Lifetime Achievement Award, House of Lords, UK, 2015) www.courseinmindfulness. com/www.facebook.com/srisri. shuddhaanandaaa...

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How to Strengthen Your Relationship with Spirit

By John Holland

How is Your Daily Relationship with Spirit?

If you have ever attended any of my lectures or workshops, you will often hear me explain how we are not

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merely human beings having the odd spiritual experience, but we’re far more. We are spiritual beings having human experiences. When you stop, and think about it, it’s true.

Take a typical day in your life and break it down. You wake up, have your breakfast and for many of us, we go to work.

We take breaks throughout the day, then return home to our evening routines, whether that’s with the family, or the gym or some other activity.

strengthen the relationship with Spirit by taking a more holistic view of the way we experience life, and how we approach life, as well as how we view ourselves in that life, and the role we play. A lot of this depends on your personal view of how life starts. Whether you believe in reincarnation or that you’re just born, it’s up to you. But it’s my belief that a soul can reincarnate on this earth, but it can take a lot of energy and courage.

Each and every component of that day has its own unique experience attached to it, whether it’s commuting to work on the train, or some random meeting with a stranger, to interactions at work and so on. Our spirit absorbs all those experiences, adding to the rich tapestry of life. Our spiritual being is having all these different human experiences.

When you think about it, and open your mind to the possibility that your soul has chosen to reincarnate to experience another life, and further it’s journey of learning.

The soul would gain a deeper wisdom and understanding, then you start to realize that your soul is this amazing vessel of unlimited knowledge and source of inspiration, gained from many lifetimes.

It is Possible to Strengthen Our Relationship with Spirit

JOHN’S LESSON

I believe that it’s possible to

There are so many ways to strengthen your relationship

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with spirit, and I’m not just talking about developing your psychic and intuitive strengths, as I’ve covered that many times in previous Soul Inspirations, but I’m talking about a deeper understanding of your relationship with Spirit.

You should adopt a mindset of cultivating courage. It’s about stepping out of your comfort zone and pushing yourself past your current limits. This is when your spirit gets to grow when you release the restraints holding it back, often confined by the fear of the unknown or the fear of failure. Don’t fall into the trap of living a life in the easy lane!

or something recreational.

Challenge yourself. It doesn’t matter if you fail at first, as from failure you grow and learn at the same time, and when you try again, you are more than likely to succeed.

By cultivating this new sense of courage, you will prevent yourself from saying: “If only I had,” or “I wished I’d tried….”

The net effect of this courageous mindset if that you are bound to leave this earth having left a better impression than when you entered it. Your spirit will be healthier, wiser, and ready to continue its journey.

Live a Soul-filled life!

Trying New Things Offers New Connections

About the Author

Every day this week, try something new. It can be anything-whether it’s related to your daily routine, your work life, your home life,

John Holland is an artist, author, public speaker, and psychic medium. To learn more about John Holland, visit http://www.johnholland.com.

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Way Beyond the Ordinary .

The REAL

Conscious Talk Radio

THE BEST OF TALK RADIO AND SACRED MUSIC

Ten Altars in Every Room

by Tess Pender

A Surprising Word about Personal Altars Twenty-five (or so) years ago, there was an attraction at Disneyland in Southern California. It was not a ride,

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but an experiential movie.

Guests entered a large, dark, cool room, where a movie projected high on the walls of the circular room. It was a popular way to escape the torments of the afternoon Los Angeles sun. The movie was a journey through China including visits to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and a climb up to the tiny country of Tibet. The narrator said, “Tibet is a small country, where there are 10,000 rooms and 100,000 altars.”

The Importance of Ten Altars in Every Room Wait! What? Back up! 100,000 altars in 10,000 rooms? That means there are ten alters in every room! What does that even mean? How can that be possible? An altar is: “An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes.

We find altars at shrines, and they can be in temples, churches, and other places of worship. Today they are used particularly in Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, Taoism, as well as in Neopaganism and Ceremonial Magic. Judaism used such a structure until the destruction of the Second Temple. Many historical faiths also made use of them, including Greek and Norse religion.” (Wikipedia) An altar in the home is common to many spiritual traditions. But–ten per room?

First, we must broaden the definition of altar to include any space set aside for purposes of worship, containing some object that brings the divine to mind.

This would make any picture, statue, or scroll containing a likeness of a deity an altar. This is much more doable, but it is

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still a lot of statues, pictures, and scraps of prayers scattered around every room.

Tibetan Heritage and the Role of the Sacred Assuming this is possible, what would be the purpose of filling every room with images of the divine? Remember that Tibet practices Buddhism, the religious tradition that gave us mindfulness meditation. The purpose is to keep the Sacred at the top of mind always, to make every act a prayer, every word a song of praise.

From this perspective, it is useful indeed to make every place the eye may fall a reminder of the divine. For earth-centered religions, every walk in Nature surrounds us by the deity, encircling us in the Presence of the Creator. A medieval book talks of “Practicing the Presence of God” as a spiritual

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practice. In Tibet, practicing the presence becomes an integral part of life. There is no place where God is absent, forgotten, or ignored. (http:// thepracticeofthepresenceofgod. com/onlinetext/ ) Uniting with Tibet in Honoring the Divine We can join Tibet in filling our homes with reminders of the divine. There is an online store that provides statues of many deities, crafted often of the mud of the Ganges River in India. (http://www. sacredsource.com/) If you aren’t feeling so ecumenical, most churches offer statues, religious symbols, or books you can bring into your space to honor and remember the sacred. Surrounding oneself with the divine may not allow you to levitate (like Brother Lawrence is said to have done), but it is certain to bring your mind back to the divine at unexpected times.

We encourage mindfulness practice to manage pain, improve relationships, and make living with others more comfortable. Keeping our mind constantly focused on the divine becomes a way of life in which we constantly acknowledge our own divine nature, and give free rein in our every action. It is a method to walk in the footsteps of our God, to live as though you are in the presence of the angels, and to treat every person as a temple of the divine.

Ten Altars - A God-filled Way of Life This idea of using ten altars sounds like a Godfilled way of life. The guru Paramansa Yogananda said, “Environment is stronger than will power.” So, it is helpful - nay, crucial - to create an environment that keeps re-directing our minds

to our larger goals. Let’s all head out to the local sacred space and set up a local altar with a flower, a piece of fruit, a statue, a candle, a picture, a rosary, a book. We too can create ten altars in every room, and practice the presence of God! About the Author Tess Pender, an ordained Interfaith Minister, is active in 12-step programs for over thirty years. Her spiritual practice began with Native American Sweat Lodges, and continued with a series of vision quests. She led a teen spiritual education program, and regularly teaches classes on accessing intuition. Tess practices EarthCentered Spirituality. She can be reached on Facebook at https://www.facebook. com/Rev-Tess-InterfaithMinister-1333335763419...

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OM Living For those living a more Conscious Lifestyle

Feng Shui and The Hierarchy of the Flying Stars

by Kartar Diamond

Flying Stars and the Unseen Magnetic Field The term “flying stars� is an esoteric way to describe each unseen magnetic field which permeates every structure on the planet. This is a fabric of energy mostly created when building a

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structure, and there are different types of flying stars.

We have the Construction Period star which is notated with numerical codings, like all the other stars. While these stars have a variety of attributes, in many cases they are indicators of time.

For instance, Period 8 is a time frame referring to the current 20-year era of 2004 to 2024. Period 9 is a time frame referring to all other previous Period 9 eras. It also relates to the upcoming 20-year era of 2024 to 2044.

More on Construction Period Influence The Construction Periods are nine in total. They each last 20 years and then perpetually repeat themselves in order.

This Construction Period alone can reveal some general truths about the times we live in.

They indicate what may be themes throughout the world economically, technologically, or socially.

When drawing up a Period chart for a house or building, we base this chart on the structure’s initial construction

period. This Period star then “splits off” like a flow chart.

It creates what are referred to as Mountain Stars and Water Stars (aka, Mountain Dragons and Water Dragons).

Generally, these bundles of energy situate themselves into directional zones. They can have the most powerful and enduring impact on the people who dwell in those directional zones of that structure.

There are many schools of feng shui, and one approach is to compare the Period star with the Mountain Star. This occurs to glean information and results in elemental adjustments to space, if necessary. Another approach is to compare the Period Star with the Water Star and see how that influences occupants.

Flying Star Practitioners and Directional Impact Many Flying Star practitioners place more emphasis on the comparison between the Mountain Star and the Water Star in each direction, and less on the Period Star in each of the eight directions. I have always called the Period star a “shadow” influence. But others Omtimes.com

may disagree with me.

When it comes to the other stars, such as the annual stars or the monthly stars, all bets are off. Each traditional or individual practitioner places more or less importance on these other more “temporary” stars. Annual and monthly stars are like guests in a home or building. They come and go. One view is that they are not as important because they are transitory. But in other circumstances, we can say that what is happening right now, based on the annual and monthly star, is more critical.

When I do Annual Update reports for clients, it is my job to compare the permanent stars with the changing “visitors.” I also get frequently asked by students for me to list which are the most important stars, but there really is no ultimate, definitive answer.

Good Flying Stars and Good Influences on Us Let’s say your house normally has “good” flying stars and a good influence on you.

But in one year and in one

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month and even in one day, the transitory stars all join forces. They match up with something that does happen, like a burglary or an accident.

We can argue then that the changing energies are having a bigger effect, right then and right there, than the long-term stars. It’s like when someone says, “You aren’t going to have a future unless you take care of what is happening right now!”

And yet another layer is to look at the “stars” which are also referred to as trigrams, based on directionology. We could say for instance that a flying star 5 will be more fueled by the innate fire energy of the south than in the innate metal energy of the west. This flying star 5 may be permanent, annual, monthly or a daily star. We can qualify its potential influence based on what elemental force associates with a particular direction in which it resides.

Ranking the Most Influential Flying Stars If someone forced me to prioritize the various flying

stars, I would probably say that the permanent Mountain Star and Water Star hold rank over the Period star. And I would say that the annual has more impact than the monthly star, with the trigram “star” being the subtlest in its influence.

There are exceptions to this hierarchy, however. When someone wishes to do something in a short time frame, like get pregnant in a certain month, or put their house up for sale on a certain day, then we can and should try to micro-manage these smaller units of time.

The Period Star also becomes relevant in identifying certain “Special House” types. This could be where all three stars in a certain direction, and consistent throughout the whole structure, form a unique pattern of energy.

Working Around Negative Flying Star Energies One more layer to consider is the function of a room. This is where a Mountain Star may have more influence in a sleeping room. A Water Star

may be more influential in a work space.

Other Schools of Feng Shui may place top priority on the personal “star” or birth data of the occupant(s). What may be good for them, may not be good for another person. The good news is that there are often ways to cater to these stars. The bad news is that there will always be conflicting stars in some time frames. I go into greater detail about this in my Case Study Lesson Plan entitled, Conflicting Remedies for the Flying Stars.

About the Author Kartar Diamond grew up in Southern California in the 1970’s and always had an interest in metaphysics and holistic lifestyle choices. She met Master Sang in 1992 and became one of his senior graduate instructors from the American Feng Shui Institute.

Kartar founded her own company, Feng Shui Solutions, and has advised thousands of clients and students about the healthful benefits of this still greatly misunderstood practice.

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Answering Our Need to Know with a Powerful Question Our need for business wisdom continues. For nearly thirty years, my message to business leaders has been simple: If you want ongoing growth and profitability, keep your focus on possibility.

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There are two major factors that limit our ability to recognize and expand possibility in business: first, the fear of failure and, second, the need to “know.” Both concepts are rooted in society’s point of view that business, as with life, is determined by a fundamental set of rules. People teach us that there is a right and wrong answer to everything.

The greatest challenge with this point of view is that it often prevents our business from becoming all that it can be. When we fear to be wrong, we make choices based on what is right rather than what is possible. When we search for familiar answers or answers that make sense to us, we are basing our decisions on what has already been done before, rather than what it is possible to create.

Creating Business Opportunity in Unlimited Potential The Joy of Business® is about creativity. It is about

expanding what is possible, inviting in unknown opportunity and creating a future that is not necessarily rooted in the past. The Joy of Business® is about unlimited potentiality, non-judgement, and non-duality.

Therefore, if we are to truly connect with the joy of our business and business wisdom, it is vital that we see beyond our desire to be ‘right’ and to have all the answers. Instead, we must be bold enough to sit in the space of unknowing and curiosity.

Asking questions is the easiest, most powerful way to unlock the potential of any business.

When faced with a choice, an excellent tool to use is the light and heavy tool from Access Consciousness®. When you ask a question, pay attention to how you feel in your body. If you have the sense of lightness and expansion, it is true for you.

If you feel like you have knots in your stomach or a heavy sensation in your body, it’s usually that it is not true for you.

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Question of Choice Yields Resounding Answers

Insightful Questions Bring Business Wisdom

We can use this tool to help make choices such as:

It is incredibly common for business leaders to have a fear of failure; a fear that can paralyze forward momentum and stifle creativity. But realize that we base this fear on preconceived ideas of how we think life, or our business, should be.

-”If I choose this, what will my business be like in 5 years? 10 years? 50 years?”, and -”If I don’t choose this, what will my business be like in 5 years? 10 years? 50 years?”

-Do I have the information I require to get started?

-Do I have the skills to complete it the way it is required?

Most potent of all is the ability to sit in the question without seeking answers to it. This allows the greatest possibilities to flow to you (the energy of go!) without you coming to conclusions about the situation (the energy of stop!). In this case, ask questions that invite in possibility, such as: -What do I desire?

-Have I considered what other choices and options are available?

-What is really being asked of me?

-Who or what can I add to my team/project to complete this project the way it requires?

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For our businesses to be all they can be, we must learn to move beyond the fear of being wrong and learn to make a choice - any choice and enable the energy of our business to move forward.

But we don’t have to make these choices blindly. By asking questions and inviting in the information, without judgment, we hold the key to incredible business wisdom.

About the Author Laleh Alemzadeh-Hancock is a management consultant, Joy of Business® facilitator and the founder and CEO of Belapemo and not-for-profit, Global Wellness For All. https:// accessjoyofbusiness.com/ facilitator/lalehhancock/

Good Parents Give Their Kids These Six Things

by Marcia Sirota, MD.

Good Parents Rely on Six Basic Things Parenting is one of the hardest thing in the world to do. That’s why, for good parenting, it never hurts to be reminded of a few basic truths. The fact is, children need six things to grow up healthy, happy, confident, resilient, and best able to succeed in life: love, guidance, limits, protection, validation and respect.

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Six Things Good Parents Give their Kids 1. Love: Children need love, of course, but not so much that they’re smothered. They need to be adored but they also need to learn accountability and autonomy.

Kids need to feel that they’re special, but not so special that everything they do is okay.

They need to see that their parents can love them but also disapprove of their actions on occasion.

I grew up with a kid whose parents went overboard in telling him how great he was.

It gave him a swelled head and a sense of superiority over the other kids in the neighborhood.

On the other hand, I know some youngsters today who are getting lots of love and affirmation without their parents over-doing it, and these kids are confident, happy, calm and polite. They work hard and get along well with others.

2. Guidance: Children need guidance, but parents ought not to be so

directive that the kids never learn to think for themselves.

Kids need to be able to try things, mess up, and learn from their mistakes. They need to experience disappointment and failure to learn, grow, and develop character.

Children need guidance to become their best selves. They must learn good work and study habits and understand the value of hard work, persistence and dedication to everything they do.

They need to be taught personal responsibility and accountability, so that they can learn from their mistakes and grow as individuals.

Learning compassion for other living things offers a sense of responsibility for their family, community and planet.

They need to learn selfcompassion so they don’t beat themselves up for their mistakes or shortcomings.

Kids need to learn how to play fair and follow the rules of their society, so that people will want to play with them when they grow up.

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Sheryl Sandberg, in her new book, Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy, talks about raising resilient kids by “helping children develop four core beliefs: (1) they have some control over their loves; (2) they can learn from failure; (3) they matter as human beings; and (4) they have real strengths to rely on.”

3. Limits: Children need limits, so that they can distinguish right from wrong and understand what’s expected of them.

Saying “no” to a child helps build character, as well as frustration tolerance.

4. Validation: Kids need to be listened to and responded to feel validated, but parents still must be in charge so that their children develop appropriately.

Sandberg says in Option B that when kids are “praised for trying” new or challenging things, they develop a “growth mindset” which enables them to “see abilities as skills that can be learned and developed.”

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Sandberg says that kids develop resilience when they matter, and that this means: “knowing that other people notice you, care about you and rely on you.”

5. Respect: Children need respect, because this is the foundation of their self-worth. Their feelings need to be respected, as well as their opinions, their wishes and their bodies. This doesn’t mean giving them everything they want or letting them do anything they want, but it does mean always thinking about what’s best for them.

Respecting a child means accepting them for exactly who they are and what they want, even if these are things that the parent doesn’t necessarily understand or agree with.

In the old TV show, Family Ties, two very Liberal parents raised a Republican son and accepted him as he was, even though his political view baffled them.

Heterosexual parents of LGBTQ kids respect their offspring when they accept

their gender identity and romantic preferences.

6. Protection: Children need to be protected, both from their own impulses and from the world.

Protecting them will enable them to learn how to take care of themselves.

Children need to see their parents standing up for them, defending them and keeping them safe from harm. This will make them feel worthy and deserving of protection.

On the other hand, children don’t need to be so overprotected that they’re spared from any consequences of their mistakes or allowed to get away with just about anything.

Parents need to balance protection with their kid’s need to learn basic life lessons.

Overly protective parents cripple their children emotionally or turn them into selfish young adults who think that they can get away with any type of bad behavior.

The Effects of Good Parenting When parents give their children the above six things, the children will grow up with good self-esteem. This includes a sense of confidence, plenty of self-respect, and good self-care.

As a parent, it never hurts to think about how you’re parenting and to make the occasional adjustments.

Increasing the appropriate love, limits, guidance, protection, validation and respect you give your kids can only be beneficial for them.

About the Author Dr. Marcia Sirota is a Torontobased board-certified psychiatrist specializing in the treatment of trauma and addiction, and founder of the Ruthless Compassion Institute.

Marcia’s new book, Be Kind, Not Nice: How to Stop PeoplePleasing, Build Your Confidence and Discover Your Authentic Self, is now available on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

Sign up for her free monthly wellness newsletter: http:// marciasirotamd.com

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From Fixation to Living in Freedom

by Crystal Presence

Freedom Removes Fixed or Limited Areas Freedom is referred to as the power to think, feel or act without restraint. People often restrict their freedom by fixating their attention, feelings and behaviors on

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someone or something.

Fixating is a way to distract and avoid the truth of what is really happening. We go from feeling happy and free to feeling miserable and restricted.

It is not uncommon to hear people say, “If only that person were different I would feel happy and free.” Most people have at least one person who annoys, bugs or hooks them into fixating in some way.

A good example is Fixation Fanny who is particularly fixated on her co-worker, Julie. Fanny thinks Julie is selfimportant. She gets a “disgust fix” every time she thinks about Julie. Fanny then moves to another city and is glad she will never see Julie again. She soon meets Larry at her new job. Larry likes to tell sarcastic jokes which is a perfect reason for Fanny to fixate and carry on with her habitual disgust fixes.

Fixation Drains Our Power to Expand Consciousness Fixation takes an enormous amount of energy and drains our power to be

creative and expand our consciousness. The most common fixations are guilt, stress, suffering and feeling barely alive. Fixations make our lives feel like a burdensome task while waiting for the impending experience called death.

Sorcerer-seers such as Don Juan and Carlos Castaneda have referred to our ability to shift between difference states of consciousness as “shifting the assemblage point.” Generation after generation of fixating at any certain assemblage point makes it feel that there is only one “real world.” Don Juan referred to this phenomenon as “the “modality of the time.”

A modality is held together by a mass agreement field, both verbal and telepathic, our belief systems, and judgments.

Guilt as Example of a Fixation A good example of fixation is guilt. Notice, therefore, what happens when we feel guilty. Our breathing becomes shallow and we fixate our energy. If the guilt is about

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our children, they see us fixated in guilt when we look at them. It starts a process of wondering about what’s so wrong about them that their parent feels so guilty. This is the classic of example of the how the assemblage point of guilt is passed on generation to generation.

The good news is that we have the power to shift our assemblage points to a place of freedom, love, pleasure, joy, and full aliveness. A great question to ask ourselves is: What is the nature of experiencing freedom from my inside out?

Noticing when we have a fixation can be illusive. It seems normal to be having a wonderful day and suddenly we slow down our breathing and begin to feel out of sorts with ourselves. We also start to wonder what is wrong with us and look for ways to get back to our happy day. Thus, many of us can relate to the classic behavior heading to the refrigerator to find that special something that will fix the way we feel.

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More Examples of Guilt Fixation The following are great examples of how we can go from a sense of happy and free to feeling restricted and unhappy.

Having a delicious meal to fixating in guilt about eating it.

Happy mode to complaining mode.

Self-content to conjuring up something to worry about.

Relaxed to fixating on pushing ourselves to exhaustion.

Loving ourselves to fixating on criticism.

Happy to fixating on something to be angry about.

Equanimity to fixating on selfgenerated feelings.

Ease to fixating on the bad news in the media.

Ease to fixating on sad love songs.

Fun conversation to fixating on trying to convince.

Great fun day to fixating about all the things we should be doing.

Being abundant to fixating on what we do not have.

Changing Ways from Fixation to Freedom

“This is how life is” and “This is the way I am”.

Allow withdrawal from our old fixated continuity.

The following are some of the quickest ways we can go from fixation to living in freedom:

Expand beyond our upper limits of what we think reality is.

Breathe!

About the Author

Get our energy moving!

What could we be doing if we were not using my energy to fixate?

Do something we enjoy.

Take action on our creative ideas.

Reach out and connect with someone we trust.

Love yourself, no matter what the evidence.

Think, feel and do things that make us laugh about ourselves.

Think about things we enjoy and respect about ourselves.

If our blood sugar is low get something to eat.

Rest if you are tired.

Release fixated beliefs like

Crystal is a certified expansion guide, facilitator, coach and author. Her passion is exploring the leading edge of consciousness and has been active in the healing and transformational arts for the past 49 years.

Crystal’s inspiration created a five-day integral event called “Freedom at the Core.” Her mission is to create a safe, fun and nurturing space for people to discover what stands between suffering and the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual freedom they desire. www.CrystalPresenceOnline. com www.facebook.com/ crystalpresence www.facebook.com/ crystalpresenceonline

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Metaphysics

Illumination: A Crystal Meditation with Animals

By Animal Communicator Lisa Shaw

Crystal Meditation Fosters Animal Communication People and animals are natural intuitives, and can also benefit from doing a crystal meditation together.

Animal communicators are

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intuitives who telepathically converse with animals, thus allowing them to express and release their inner feelings and thoughts in ways that everyday consciousness doesn’t permit.

While animal communication sessions are fun and enlightening, a significant part of the communicator’s work is healing. Releasing trapped emotions is, therefore, a primary healing experience.

A useful exercise in learning animal communication is meditating with your animals.

As animals themselves are natural intuitives and empaths, our domestic animals often naturally absorb some of our human burdens to lighten our load, even when this is clearly not our intention. They buffer the most traumatic and difficult times for us, often providing shelter for us during our most challenging circumstances: loss of a loved one, divorce, joblessness, hopelessness. Their very presence is energetically healing, soothing our hurt and anger, nursing our wounds.

It serves them well when we recognize them and give

them relief. Here is a crystal meditation that will help both you and your animals shed unwanted sadness and accelerate your vibration.

Crystal Meditation with Animals For this meditation, you will need a quartz crystal or a clear photograph of one.

Take a comfortable seat alongside your animal companion and get ready to raise your vibration. Play some relaxing meditation music to deepen your experience or use this link to Celtic meditation music: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=RhYWA-bJ9vg - We begin with slow rhythmic breathing. Inhale deeply through your nose to the count of four, hold for four counts, release through your mouth for 8 counts. Repeat four times, slowly, feeling yourself relax more deeply with each round of breathing. Your animals will follow your lead and relax.

- Visualize this crystal in front of you. With each breath, see it get larger, expanding. See

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it as tall as your knees. Watch it grow. See it as tall as your shoulders. Keep breathing. In, 4. Hold, 4. Release, 8.

- See it grow taller than you.

Now visualize it the size of a house. Move closer with your animals. Look at the crystal until you find a door. When you spot the door, it will open for you. Enter with your animals

energy from yourself and your animals: illness, discomfort, fear, anxiety. Close your eyes for a moment and see how much of what your animal carries is yours. Take this and place it on the steps behind you. The healing energy will transmute it.

Envision Removal of Negative Energy

- When you are ready, begin the ascension again. Count step 4, 5, 6. Stop on step 6.

Breathe in deeply and fill your entire body with the healing energy of the crystal.

Feel it lift all debris from you and your animals. Place your hand about an inch above your animal’s head and move it slowly down his body to the tail. Wherever you feel a rough spot or temperature change, let your hand remain in that spot until the rough patch dissipates. This will clear out stale that causes physical ailments.

- Look in front of you and see a staircase. With your animals, begin to climb the steps, stopping on the third step.

One....two.... three. Look over your shoulder behind you to the bottom of the stairs. Now, remove all conscious negative

- Continue ascending. Count step 7, 8, 9. Stop on step 9. I am going to give you a word and your immediate response will allow you to clear longheld emotions. Don’t think about it. Just whatever name,

- As you stand inside the crystal with your animals, feel the temperature. Is it cool? Warm?

Comfortable? Touch the walls, tap the floor Look up at the point and see the rainbow of colors. Feel the high vibration inside this space. Walk with your animals around the base of the crystal. Allow them to sniff and feel the energy.

Notice their energy posture.

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picture, or idea comes up, acknowledge it.

The Word is Sadness - Trust that whatever comes up needs to be brought forth: a thought, a name, a place, a feeling. Acknowledge it without judgment. Don’t dwell on it. Place it on the step.

- This is critical for your animals, particularly those who are rescues and who have experienced trauma. Hold your hand above your animal and think “sadness.” Call forth all the residue of sadness your animal has retained. It might be theirs; it might be yours. Let it go. Leave it on the step.

- Now move up to step 10.

This is the point of the crystal where you see rainbow colors.

Notice the pink energy. This is the energy of love. Stand in the flow of pink energy. Keep breathing. Take in the love.

Move to the 10th step. Feel lighter. Feel unburdened. See how much lighter your animals feel, how relaxed they are.

- When you are ready, notice a door at the top of the crystal.

It opens and allows you and your animals out, back into the everyday world, cleansed, healed, loved. When you are ready to return, tap your feet, tap your fingers on the desk, and come back. Try this crystal meditation with your favorite animal to foster greater spiritual connection.

In future columns, we will address animal communication and carry out animal communication readings for readers. Please send a photo of your animal along with your animal’s name, age, and issue on which you would like some clarity.

About the Author Lisa Shaw, M.A., M.F.A., R.M., is an animal communicator, Reiki Master, writer, and professor who lives in South Florida with her furry and feathered companions. She conducts a free online Reiki circle for animals on Facebook, has graduate degree Pastoral Ministry, specializing in loss and healing, and has trained as a Hospice chaplain. Visit Lisa at: www.reikidogs.com

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Siddhis A Boon or A Bane?

by Sunanda Sharma

What are Siddhis, and How to Become One? What are ‘siddhis’? Siddhis are spiritual, paranormal, supernatural, or otherwise magical powers, abilities, and attainments that are the products of spiritual

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advancement through sadhanas, such as meditation and yoga. Usually, siddhis are attained by spiritual masters, or’ siddhas.’ Siddhas are, thus, the quintessential masters of the bhutas, or the five elements. These bhutas are earth, water, air, fire, and ether. The practices of Kriya, Tantra, and Yoga, therefore, help one to gain siddhis or psychic powers.

types of siddhis. The main categories of eight powers, or siddhis, are called ashta siddhis.

1. To become tiny as the atom within the atom (Anima) 2. To become big in unshakable proportions (Mahima) 3. To become as light as vapor in levitation (Laghima) 4. To become as heavy as the mountain (Garima)

A classic text in Yoga, Sivaswarodaya, states:

5. To enter into other bodies in transmigration (Prapti)

“Creation takes place out of five elements and it also dissolves in the elements. The five elements are the supreme Brahman alone, and is beyond the elements…One who (truly) knows the five-elemental universe which is made up of water, fire, wind, earth and either, is respected and worshiped everywhere.”

6. To be in all things, Omnipervasive (Prakamya))

The Various Types of Siddhis Let us examine the various

7. To be lord of all creation in omnipotence (Isatvam) 8. To be everywhere in omnipresence (Vasitvam) Reference: Thirumandarim 1780 Secondary Siddhis Offer More Description The ten secondary siddhis as described in Bhagvata purana include the following:

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1. Being undisturbed by hunger, thirst, and other bodily appetites 2. Hearing things far away 3. Seeing things far away 4. Moving the body wherever thought goes (teleportation/ astral projection) 5. Assuming any form desired 6. Entering the bodies of others 7. Dying when one desires 8. Witnessing and participating in the past times of the gods 9. Perfect accomplishment of one’s determination 10. Orders or commands being unimpeded Is attainment of siddhis useful? Experiencing the above types of siddhis is definitely an understanding one can feel happy about whilst on the path to liberation or moksha. But using siddhis for one’s

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personal gratification is one of the gravest spiritual mistakes.

There are many gurus and so-called spiritual masters who, for ego inflation and popularity, are displaying their siddhis to people. And the layman thinks they are god! What is important here is one should understand the principles the guru is following and preaching. If their emphasis is only on attainment of siddhis than that is not the right siddha.

The True Gem of Spiritual Masters The true gem in the pack of spiritual masters is the one who instead of exhibiting his siddhis harps on expansion of consciousness and merging with the universal vision. Sai Baba is an example of one such siddha whose siddhi were conferred by higher masters existing in higher planes. All siddhis came to him naturally. The highest

siddhas make you realize the Shiva consciousness absolute bliss!

The great sage, Ramana Maharishi, explained that “The occult powers (siddhis) are only in the mind (and do not reside in the inmost self). They are not natural to the self. That which is not natural, but acquired, cannot be permanent, and thus is not worth striving for.”

The shivyog siddha, Avdhoot Baba Shivanandji, the only living siddha in physical form, states that the highest siddhis and powers are conferred to the disciple with utmost purity.

Hence, one who is totally selfless and who is on a path of self-realization. Siddhis, then, are not the goal, but purity is.

Vedic Teachings about Spiritual Masters The basic learning from the Vedas and from the

spiritual masters should be to attain moksha from one’s vices. We should, therefore, not use various types of siddhis to attain external wealth, fame, and discipleship. This will obstruct one’s spiritual growth.

What we also need is to break the illusion attained through siddhis and reach for supreme consciousness.

There are many people who are misguiding innocent souls with the bait of a siddhi. Thus, one should use the eyes of discernment to see past the temporary gratification. If one gets stuck in acquiring ‘siddhis,’ it obstructs our spiritual path.

Moksha, or liberation, is the goal of every soul.

About the Author Sunanda is a professional tarot card reader, psychic, published author, and a life coach. http:// www.sunandatarot.com/

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OMTIMES

Ask Whitedove

THE COLUMN OF MICHELLE WHITEDOVE Dear Michelle, What is going on with me, I’ve had the worst year ever. My mom died, my boyfriend broke up with me, I dropped my laptop and crashed my car. Then I had to move in with my Dad. How could life go so wrong?

Dearest, Many people just like you are having a complete transition in life. When all aspects of your familiar life are being swept away and you are called upon to build a new life for yourself; this is called a Shamans Death . This is NOT a physical death for you, although it is the death of life as you’ve known it. It’s a spiritual process of releasing and rebirthing.

You see, we are in a time of quickening; there is no time to die a physical death, have a life review in Heaven and then go through the reincarnation process of being born as a baby to start another karmic journey. You my dear are on the fast track to spiritual growth.

Now is the time for prayerful contemplation and the preparation of building a new life.

Your life has been washed away now this is your rejuvenation or rebirth period. Let your old behaviors and habits die because they no longer serve you.

Like a cocoon soon to open, you are transforming into a butterfly, you are rebirthing a completely new journey: a new job or complete career change, a new mate, a new OMADIC | 24 home and many new friends Ntoo.

Dear Whitedove, My step father is in hospice. We visit often but mostly he sleeps all day and night. Once in a while he wakes to smile or give us a nod. I’m thankful that he’s not in pain. But since he’s been in hospice I’ve seen him in my dreams; he’s nicer than in real life.

Also of late I’ve seen a large orb around the house at night; could this be him? These sightings have me a little rattled.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Dearest, Please keep calm. That’s how souls travel, we can see them as an orb which is a ball of energy.

His soul is half in and half out of his body now.

When asleep, the soul travels at the speed of thought, so his soul comes to check on your mother, you and the house. I feel that his death is quickly approaching and could be any time now.

Your step father is being visited by his guardian angels and they are preparing him for his transition. Many people in hospice see their angels and loved ones on the other side. They are given reassurance that everything is in order and that the time is near. Already he has come to the realization that he should have been a more loving father to you; that is his message. He is feeling sorry for all of the missed opportunities. He will even have more clarity upon his death.

There is nothing to fear, he means no harm. In fact quite the opposite, he wants to surround you and your Mother with love. He feels your grieving because it has already begun.

After his passing, you may feel his presence even stronger. Most souls linger around their loved ones for about a week, but it can be longer. The dead have given up their body but the spirit lingers to give comfort and help with the grief. They can send loving energy to the living. Funny enough, many souls go to their own funerals!

They take count to see who came to pay respect, and who is feeling the loss.

It’s sobering for them as they have clarity and a knowing that they didn’t have in life. At this time of death the soul then knows the truth, the veil has been lifted as they transition into the Heavens.

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Imagine yourself‌ driven from your home by war, broken lives floating on a Sea of Troubles, your simple prayer to find Kind Hearts, Kind Hands to help you on your journey.

Be the answer to a prayer.

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Make the most of meaningful events and encounters and lessen the effects of any negative experiences.

Life Stages alerts you to specific occurrences, where you should best consolidate, or when to experiment; otherwise where to be cautious; when it’s down to you, or someone else; when to wait and when to act.

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Personal Growth & Development

How to Magnify Your Material Strength

by Tony Samara

“A lack of wealth is simply an opportunity in disguise.”

–Tony Samara

Money and Material Strength Have Deep Roots Money is not the root of all evil. It is more what money does, rather than money itself,

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that creates the negative circle of desire. It may be better said that the lust after money is the root of all evil.

If there is no evil, then this lust after money is the root of all the confusion we face in today’s world, along with the personal suffering it creates.

When we desire money to fulfill needs, we forget that we can daily fulfill these needs by trusting, loving and sharing. This works better than spitefully keeping large amounts of money, or other forms of material wealth, in our pocket.

If we use the material to evolve in a more balanced way, we realize that money is just another aspect of the energy that we are made of, made visible in a form that we can more easily relate to.

Our energy takes on many

forms like love, compassion, and well-being in this physical world. If money becomes an extension of this, then it can be another form of abundance.

Abundance Helps Us Experience Life in Beautiful Ways It is not bad to have more love, or more time, or more space, or more resources that help us to experience ourselves in a more beautiful way and that help us to be freely abundant.

It is good to enjoy the gifts of nature such as good health, pure air, sunshine, and the amazing beauties that are free for everyone to experience.

As we free ourselves, we free our thoughts to occupy a new space and notice things that seem invisible to others and by ignoring what once got in the way of such beauty we can focus on the beauty itself.

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Financial barriers can pave our road to success but only if we believe and trust ourselves to walk on this road by being helpful to others and thus creating more abundance in the energy field that is around us and the sense of who we are.

Acknowledging Abundant Universal Quantities If we focus on manifesting money alone, this limits the real abundance that the universe can provide for us. If we look for personal quantities to put into our pocket then we miss out on the abundant universal quantities that are there to be shared, as they will not fit into our pocket. This is one of the greatest gifts that we can acknowledge.

When we acknowledge this, you will attract others who can and will help us reach our

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goals as we help them reach theirs. Being of service is the secret to success.

We get what we want from life by helping others get what they want. By being of service we exchange abundance with others. This then becomes manifest in appreciation and betterment of our fellow beings. Also, in a material sense, we manifest one of the most beautiful laws of nature: those who serve most get most.

If we face each opportunity with a desire to serve others by helping them to reach optimum health (for example) rather than focus on the money, then this amazing law creates abundance without effort.

The Motivation Behind Material Strength The motivation of material

strength for many will often be just money. But for real success, the motivation must be to love what we are doing.

We must believe in what we are doing, and want to share what we do with the world.

This is very logical. If love is the most powerful universal force, then it must strongly link with all aspects of who we are. This includes financial abundance; if our goal is love, money will flow like water.

The greatest blocks to manifesting such levels of financial abundance will no longer be a hindrance once we become unafraid of sharing our depth with others freely.

We will embrace the world we live in and be part of it in a more abundant way. The energy field will no longer magnify any shortcomings that you have believed in.

We will magnify our material strength as we become more generous to ourselves and to others. We will share in the joy and well-being that each wonderful opportunity creates. This is true for ourselves friends, family, colleagues and people we meet in a world of potential and abundance.

About the Author Tony Samara, world-renowned spiritual teacher & author of 16 books, has been sharing deep spiritual work & energy transmission for the evolution of consciousness for over 25 years. Combining meditation, detoxing the body, a plantbased diet & a simple lifestyle, he is best known for how his work touches more deeply than words. http://www.

TonySamara.com

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Belonging Despite Differences is Daunting There are times when we feel like outsiders, not belonging to any particular group or succumbing to a specific way of thinking. All the talk about

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tribe and community but not being aligned with one makes us question our ability to connect. Some of us use Facebook to feel connected and noticed, yet the loneliness comes through the posts. Even within family units, if we come across as resisting an accepted way of being, thinking, or believing from the rest of our blood relatives, there is a sense of being “different.�

The truth is that there is nothing wrong with us. The problem is the result of being unique and needing to create in a way that resonates with our personal style and core values. It is tough to find a group that fits perfectly with the way we are most comfortable interacting.

Even when we identify a meet-up group of people who have similar interests, it can be difficult to relate to the variety of people who attend the group event. And

ultimately, they may not feel like our tribe at all.

Personal Validation and the Desire to Be Understood So, we spend time seeking ways to be understood and to fit in. We feel lonely and wonder how others seem to fit so easily into society. It almost feels like high school all over again, seeing those who have a close group of friends and us being on the periphery of social interaction.

It was and is our search for self that put us in a precarious position to find those we can relate to. Our sense of self seems diminished by the lack of confirmation by others.

Personal validation only comes from within. When we know ourselves at a deep level, our self-acceptance grows. We revel in our uniqueness and expand our acceptance that we do not need to be in a specific category. And this is

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when the world opens to us.

We find that there are many like us waiting to connect and who understand this place of being unusual. They revel in being out-of-the-ordinary and like and accept others who are uncommon.

Confidence in Uniqueness: Find Your Tribe What sets us apart may be a special skill, gift, or way of thinking or being. It could even be our lack of desire for one thing or another.

When we do not belong by virtue of not fitting into a predetermined category, that is when we need to seek out others of the same ilk who recognize another outlier when they see one. We feel understood, encouraged, and accepted. This is when our selfconfidence in our uniqueness soars. We can become more truly who we are at the core,

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and no longer feel lonely for being different.

With confidence and selfknowledge increasing, we enjoy our own company more and know where to find others of like mind when we want to interact. We are tasked with finding out who we are despite what others may think or feel about us. Seeking outside the self to do that is fruitless. Going deeper into the reasons we feel outside the norm and identifying when it tends to happen goes a long way in overcoming loneliness.

A sense of self replaces this need to belong. This opens us to the joy we can only find through deep self-awareness.

We All Belong, So Our Unique Gifts Shine And everyone goes through this at one time or another, even the people who seem

to be accepted by society and who seem to fit so perfectly into “normal� categories.

Shifting circumstances, personal trauma, and unexpected betrayals take a person off-center. This occurs when one places their identity in the hands of others to gain acceptance, such as with a job title, marriage, or other external form of selfidentification.

We need to be who we are, accept it, and revel in our uniqueness as we continue to discover the beauty of life in our own, very personal way. And if we do not know who we are, it is time to find out. The longer we wait, the more anxiety builds. Then more loneliness creeps in to destroy happiness and limit our development. Believe that we come into this world with a personal signature

that has a purpose. We can use this purposed to create our best life, including building worthwhile relationships. While wishing we belong, know that we do belong. Where we belong is determined by our gifts, interests, and the way we can make the world a better place.

About the Author Diane Wing, M.A.’s practice specializes in working with women who struggle to find happiness and fulfillment in their personal life. She helps them release the patterns that prevent them from being happy in the present while creating their ideal future. Diane is the author of six books, including The Happiness Perspective: Seeing Your Life Differently (available on Amazon.com & B&n.com). www.DianeWing.com

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5 Ways to Tap into Our Unlimited Source of Creativity

by Jayanti Burst

Imagination is Our Key to Creativity Let’s take a nice, deep inhalation and exhale slowly and fully. Relaxing the body with each breath, feeling safe and supported.

Trusting that everything

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is happening exactly as it should. There’s nothing to worry about. In fact, worry and anxiety are unfortunate misuses of our infinitely powerful imaginations.

In this world of illusion and duality, it’s easy to focus on the seemingly negative aspects of life. With a little practice, it can be even easier to appreciate its goodness, and manifest greatness, with help from the imagination.

Imagination is the key to unlocking our greatest potential as co-creators. That’s because we often create what we imagine.

Use Imagination Wisely - Five Ways to Reconnect Although it’s important to use the imagination wisely, with mental and emotional clarity, we should also have fun with it. Connecting with our inner child and giving ourselves permission to play. It can be

as effortless as daydreaming, looking up at the clouds, or staring at the ceiling, letting the imagination soar.

Many people say they are not creative, and this is simply untrue. We are part of the Creator’s imagination, so we are inherently creative!

It’s a natural, God-given gift bestowed upon us all. Read on for five ways we can reconnect and rejuvenate our creativity.

Art It might seem obvious, but finding an artistic outlet is one of the best ways to shift into the right brain, creative space. Doodling is a wonderful way to tone down our overlyanalytical side and let the creative juices flow. Making mandalas is a magnificent method of accomplishing this, too. Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning circle, and they are spiritual symbols in several cultures. Starting with a circle shape, we fill it in with whatever colors and

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patterns we choose. Writing is another artistic medium that can stir creativity. Whether it’s poetry, short stories, recipes or gratitude lists, taking time to express ourselves through writing uses the imagination.

Self-Hypnosis Anyone can be hypnotized, and everyone can learn to hypnotize themselves. One of the best times to do so is when we’re in that dreamy state between being asleep and awake. It can be as easy as repeating silently to ourselves, “I am imaginative and creative” ten times before falling asleep. Doing this for at least three weeks in a row can work wonders. It’s not uncommon to have more vivid dreams afterwards, and circling back to writing, dream journaling in the morning can start the day off with a creative boost.

Energy Shield Fear can get in the way of

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our creativity. Imagining a bubble of divine, white light surrounding us can help overcome it. Of course, we’re not limited to white light; we can get creative with it and imagine any color we desire. Visualize or feel (even if it feels like pretending) this energetic shield of protection.

It’s about intention. It can be helpful to imagine that if anything perceived as negative passes through the bubble, it is automatically transmuted.

It’s not that we don’t want to acknowledge or experience negativity, but the energetic shield lets us observe without absorbing it. This clears the way for more creativity!

Meditate Oftentimes, despite our best efforts, the mind becomes absorbed in worrying and negative thinking patterns. Meditation can counter this cycle as well as increase our creativity.

Focusing on the breath, repeating a mantra, and walking

mindfully are just a few ways to meditate. The best meditation is the one that we actually do. We look within; witnessing our thoughts, watching them float by like clouds in the sky or leaves in a gentle flowing stream, without getting involved in them. By expanding the mind and reconnecting it to the heart, we are more open to receive creative downloads while meditating.

with countless benefits including stress-reduction, less anxiety, improved sleep and an increase in happiness; all of which promote imagination and creativity.

As Henry David Thoreau wrote, “This world is but a canvas to our imagination.” Let’s use our incredible imaginations to create a beautiful, peaceful world.

Just Breathe As we did at the beginning, take another deep belly breath and let it out slowly with awareness. Repeating this a few times can reboot our creativity. This is because the breath is the link between the body and mind. Similarly, imagination is the bridge between the third dimensional mind and our inner worlds.

When we breathe deeply, we’re taking in more prana, vital life force energy, which is the seed of creation. It is a subtle but powerful practice

About the Author Jayanti Burst is a certified hypnotist, yoga instructor, and advanced Reiki master/teacher, who holds a safe, supportive space for self-healing.

Specializing in helping women, she offers Hypnobirthing and Hypnofertility sessions along with prenatal/postnatal yoga classes in Asheville, NC and from a distance. Dedicated to helping people reconnect with their true selves, Jayanti crafts sessions that are inherently meditative. www.jayantibhakti.com

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June B 2017 Contributors Writers Baba Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari Crystal Presence Diane Wing Jayanti Burst John Holland Kartar Diamond Laleh Alemzadeh-Hancock Lee Ann Kalaba, DC Lisa Shaw Marcia Sirota, MD. Michelle Whitedove Sunanda Sharma Tess Pender Tony Samara

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