April A Issue
IYANLA VANZANT
Thought Therapy For Healing the Hard Stuff
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FENG SHUI & YOUR TRASH CANS
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HOW TO FEEL MORE COMPLETE INSIDE AND OUT
SPOTLIGHT GET OVER IT – THOUGHT THERAPY FOR HEALING THE HARD STUFF
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THE FUTURE OF OUR KIDS
RELATIONSHIPS LEARNING WHEN IT IS TIME TO MOVE ON
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HOW TO EMPLOY OUR EGO AS OUR HEALTHY CHEERLEADER
118
7 WAYS TO CREATE FROM OUR SOUL
ANIMAL WELLNESS 48
FLORAL ESSENCES FOR CATS
SPIRITUALITY 58
THE ART OF PEACEFUL STILLNESS
ESOTERIC KNOWLEDGE 104
CRUCIFIXION STORY NOT THE WAY TO SALVATION
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THOUGHT THERAPY FOR HEALING THE HARD STUFF
Iyanla Vanzant With Sandra Sedgbeer
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|APRIL
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Iyanla Vanzant is one of America’s most celebrated new thought spiritual teachers and inspirational public speakers, and the much-loved host and executive producer of the award-winning hit Iyanla, Fix My Life on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network.
Iyanla Vanzant joined Sandie Sedgbeer on a recent edition of What is Going Om to share the powerful insights and practical tools to help us rise from rock bottom and heal the hard stuff in our lives that she shares in her popular books, courses, events, and TV programs. Sandie Sedgbeer: You’ve been incredibly honest about the harrowing ups and downs you’ve had to face in life— being raised by an extremely strict grandmother, being raped at an appallingly young age, being a teenage mother at 16, having three children and a physically abusive husband at 21, suicide attempts and, many beatings later, leaving your husband and becoming a welfare mom. And then incredible success, followed by more downs when you lost your daughter to colon cancer. And that’s just the barest bones of the rockbottoms that you’ve faced.
Suffice to say, and there can be few people better qualified than you to show others how to rise and fix their lives, or to say boldly—not without compassion—'Get Over It. No matter what life throws at us, there is a way to heal the hard stuff,’ and that, of course, is the title of one of your recent books. Where did you find the strength and resilience to keep going? OMTIMES
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Iyanla Vanzant: Well, you don’t find the strength; you realize you are strong. There’s a difference in seeking something outside of you and becoming aware that what you need is inside of you. So, through my experiences, I learned to become aware of and to appreciate my strength, the ability to move from one rock to the next, or from the rock to the peak, and back down to the rock and back up to the peak. So many of us think that our experiences come to crush us, when the truth is, they come to stretch us and grow us.
Sandie Sedgbeer: So many of us are. Few books have touched me as much as your book Peace from Broken Pieces. So many appalling things happened in your life, and you’ve been so honest about learning how to put one foot in front of the other to move through them and then getting knocked back down again. Yet you kept ongoing. You kept working your way through, and your honesty and courage are, I think, what makes what you so attractive to other people because you’ve truly been there.
Sandie Sedgbeer: Yes, it takes us a long time to understand that one.
Iyanla Vanzant: Yes, but I think what helped me is that early on because my Grandmother was a Native American. I was raised in that experience of understanding culture, language, art, dance, and music, and I knew that my soul, the inner part of me, chose to be here at this time, in this body, in this way. So, I never got steeped in victimhood. I didn’t understand why my soul chose the things it chose, but I knew from a young age the power of choice; I knew my experiences were purposeful.
Iyanla Vanzant: It’s easy to easier to believe and see yourself as damaged, wounded, broken, helpless than it is to take responsibility for your power. At least, let me speak for myself. It was easier for me to be a victim, to be damaged, to be broken, to be wounded than it was for me to take responsibility for my power because I had been programmed and conditioned to believe that I was powerless.
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It took me a while to put those two things together, but at least I did have some idea of what was going on. Sandie Sedgbeer: You had a very disadvantaged upbringing. You were pregnant at 16 and a single mum on welfare, and then you started educating yourself and had to work hard. What was the defining moment that inspired you to change your life, to get educated and start turning things around? Iyanla Vanzant: There’s never one defining moment. I think there are a series of moments, and if you put them all together, it brings you to a new awareness. For me, I just wanted to stop hurting. I just wanted to get out of pain. I had attempted suicide twice, so it was evident to me that I was not good at taking my own life. I had to pay attention to that. That was not working for me. I just kind of said, ‘I’ve got to be here, but I don’t want to be here in hurt.’ OMTIMES
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Then two things happened to me. One, I was in a bookstore, and a book literally fell off the shelf and hit me on my head. It was Ernest Holmes’ This Thing Called You. Some of the concepts were new, some I knew but didn’t quite understand, and I began to work with that. Then, you know, you always have one person in your life who will say something that makes an impression on your soul. For me, it was my stepmother. All through my life. As a young girl, my stepmother used to say to me: ‘Don’t do that. You’re going to be somebody one day. Don’t act like that, and you’re going to be somebody one day.’ And for whatever reason, her words came alive in my being. ‘You are going to be somebody one day.’ And I just thought of asking myself, OK, who are you going to be? I wanted to be pain-free; I wanted to be safe; I wanted to be powerful. I wanted to be loved. So, I just started moving toward the things that I wanted to be. That’s what did it for me.
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Sandie Sedgbeer: She was a powerful influence in your life. Did she live to see you be somebody? Iyanla Vanzant: No. She passed before I graduated from Law School. When I graduated from college, she had lupus and wasn’t able to come to graduation, and before I completed Law school, she surrendered her life. So, she didn’t get to see it. But she knew it, and I think she’s just one of my angels now.
Sandie Sedgbeer: You had an interesting relationship with your father. He wasn’t there a great deal until later. You’ve said that nobody taught you how to be a woman and nobody taught him how to be a man. And that creates its problems. Did he live to see you become somebody? Iyanla Vanzant: He lived to see me become both a college grad and an attorney, and failed to acknowledge either one, which was part of his pattern. My father was in my life but not available, not present, and not at all accountable, and that’s because that was who he was, and he had never been taught. He never knew his father, who was of mixed race.
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His mother was a Native American. He was raised in post-slavery Virginia. So, he had a little identity, a small foundation, lots of shame and guilt, and two absent parents. So, he did the best he could. I appreciate that now, but I didn’t know it then. Sandie Sedgbeer: He did teach you something very valuable. He was an avid practitioner of yoga and a student of Paramahansa Yogananda, and he used to tell you to sit down, shut up, and listen, which you hated but saw the value of later on.
Iyanla Vanzant: Yes. He must have been in his late 40s when his life took a turn, and he started studying under Yogananda and would give us what I know now as Dharma talks. They were just lectures, which I didn’t want to hear from my father, and the one thing he used to always say to me was: ‘Sit down, shut up and listen,’ which is the key to meditation. You shut your mouth, you shut out the outside world, and you listen within. Who knew? I didn’t know that then, but I know it now, and so the awareness was that even in his dysfunction or malfunction, he left a valuable imprint on my soul, consciously, and its benefits.
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The other tool for me is prayer. Constant communion with the God of my understanding, being able to turn within and to commune, be in contact with, to release, to request, to affirm, to acknowledge. Prayer, for me, is just everything. When you add prayer and breath, I just don’t know what else you need. Those are my two strongest tools. Conscious breathwork and prayer. Sandie Sedgbeer: Tell us what led to the publication of your first book. How did you break into that market? Iyanla Vanzant: I was a criminal defence attorney practicing law in Philadelphia. One day, I had clear inner guidance to leave that law office and never come back, so I did. So, coming off welfare, with three kids, to become an attorney and then walk away from being an attorney to do God only knows what, was a monumental step. Within a matter of months, I was asked to teach women on welfare how to create an action plan to get off welfare, to teach them life skills. So, I taught them the things I had learned and that I could do, and I created this little workbook called Tapping the Power Within. It expanded and grew and became the first publication that I selfpublished. Somehow, it got around in distant communities and bookstores, and one day I got a call from an agent who said ‘Somebody gave me a copy of your book Tapping the Power Within, and I’d like to know if you’d like to have it published.’
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The thing I learned from that is when you are on purpose, and when you are faithfilled when you are prayerful, and when you permit yourself to have a vision beyond where you are and what you know, the Universe will step in and support you. It just will. When we’re trying to make it happen or worrying if it didn’t or doesn’t happen, when we’re in that energy, we shut down. Sandie Sedgbeer: Did you know that then, or did you just think, wow, I got lucky? Iyanla Vanzant: Because I was prayerful, I kind of wondered if that was the result of the prayer, but the other part of me, the human, ego-driven part, said: ‘Wow, imagine that I’m lucky.’ It took a while for those two pieces to be introduced to each other. Sandie Sedgbeer: You talk about having this incredible success and kind of believing it because it’s happening, but at the same time, there’s this underlying Do I deserve this? That began to fight with that. Iyanla Vanzant: It happened in my relationship with my now dear friend, always dear sister-woman, Oprah Winfrey. At that point, I think I had authored 13 or 14 books, and I was on her show every week as a part of her Change Your Life Faculty, and still, a part of me doubted if I deserved this. And that part of me that didn’t believe that I could sustain it blew it up.
Naturally, by something that I said or did. I think it’s important for us to understand that no matter how much we learn, there’s always more to learn. No matter how much we know, there’s always more we can know. In all of that, the enemy is in me. The enemy to our success, to our peace, to our joy, to our healing, the enemy is in me. It’s not outside. Now, the experience may show up out, but the enemy is in me, and it took me 11 years to find and neutralize that enemy. Notice I didn’t say destroy it, because it’s part of me. Neutralize, meaning identify the behaviors, the thoughts, and beliefs, and all that makes that enemy alive in me. And the way I did that was through awareness, conscious soul-searching, and forgiveness. Sandie Sedgbeer: It takes courage to stand up and tell the world: ‘Wow, I had the backing of Oprah, and I blew it.’ Iyanla Vanzant: Yes, but you know courage is needed. A woman of my age, it takes courage to stand in front of the mirror naked. Sandie Sedgbeer: And with your honesty with Oprah, you were able to mend that relationship. Iyanla Vanzant: Yes, because I had to do the work first. It wasn’t about Oprah throwing me off her show, and us not speaking. We’ve always got to begin within. So, once I was able to do the work, and I was clear and had no agenda and understood, things just opened up. I hadn’t spoken to her in 11 years, and she invited me to her final season. Instead of doing one show, we did two. After that, I did a series of life classes with her. As a result of that, she said to me, ‘You need your show.’ And I said ‘No, I don’t need my show. I’m good.’ She said, ‘No, you need your show.’ I had to be aware that that part of me saying no, was still that part of me that didn’t think that I was worthy.
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You know, putting up resistance. But because I had done my work, I was able to identify that and say, OK, wait a minute, yes. If Oprah Winfrey, who owns a television network, wants to give me a show, then I need a show. Give it to me. Sandie Sedgbeer: Tell us the inspiration behind your book, Get Over It – Thought Therapy for Healing the Hard Stuff. Iyanla Vanzant: One of the things I’ve learned by doing my own work and healing is that we can reinfect ourselves or re-impress ourselves with the original trauma of an experience every time we tell the story. So, we tell it one year, and we tell it the next, and we constantly re-traumatize ourselves. Then I realized, in my own life, it had got to a point where it really wasn’t even about the trauma; it was about the excitement of telling the story because the story had grown and shape-shifted, and more characters had been added. It had become like a mini drama. So, I had to ask myself, why am I still holding onto this experience, and what is it that I need to do? What is it that I want? I really want to get over it. I want to get over the attachment to the story, and I want to get over the energy that the story creates in my body. I want to get over the woundedness of the experience. So, I began to look at various spiritual practices, tools, and technologies that would help me get over it, so I didn’t even have the desire to tell a story about it anymore. Sandie Sedgbeer: Lots of books give people advice, information, and exercises, but Get Over It is much easier because EMDR is very easy to implement, and you can get an instant result with it. Tell me about the tools and the processes because one of the things that you highlight is the dominion over our most powerful asset—our mind.
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Iyanla Vanzant: Get Over It is really thought therapy. Therapy is a way to break something down, to dissect it into small pieces until it becomes something else. Get Over It gives us technologies and tools for breaking down those stories so that we can rewire and reset the brain, so we use everything in the head. Number one, breath, of course, we use our nose and our lungs. Another is a modality called tapping, which I think of as needle-less acupuncture, where you go to certain energy spots while you’re thinking a certain thought or saying a sure thing. You move the energy in those places because all thoughts create energy, and energy creates an experience.
The other thing is eye movements because as you move your eyes in a certain way, a certain rotation, and a certain sequence, you are stimulating the brain. If you stimulate the brain while saying certain things, you will rewire it. Of course, I give you prayers, because that’s my major tool, but they are affirmative prayers, not begging, pleading prayers. They affirm, decreeing, and declaring what it is you want as you desensitize the energy in your body with the tapping and rewire the brain with the eye movements. It is just an elegant sequence of activities. The thing about an affirmation is the feeling. People mouth or mimic affirmations from the mind or the thought but don’t have the feeling. Get Over It offers something that will stimulate a feeling or an energetic movement. So, whether you’re saying the affirmation while you’re tapping, which is going to give you a feeling or move energy, or whether you’re saying them while you’re doing the eye movements,
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which is going to create stimuli in the brain, it’s going to give the affirmation a different foundation, some sort of feeling or sensation, which will then anchor the words you’re speaking into the body. Sandie Sedgbeer: One of the biggest things that we have to contend with when we’re trying to bring about change is what you call DNTP’s, the dominant, negative thought patterns. Iyanla Vanzant: I had so many dominant, negative thought patterns. I call them DNTP’s, because if you do not neutralize, eliminate, negate the dominant, negative thought patterns, when new stimuli, new information, or new experiences come in. At the same time, we may have a conscious thought, and an underlying DNTP will rise to the surface. The way you identify your dominant, negative thought patterns is by your self-talk, the things you say in your mind. Oh my God, here they go again. Why me? What now? These are all selftaught messages that reveal our dominant, negative thought patterns. Unless we neutralize or eliminate that negative thought pattern, you can affirm and pray all you want. It will continue to rise and short-circuit or undercut the new information thought energy that you’re trying to put in. Sandie Sedgbeer: Yes. You identify 42 common DNTP’s, and you break them down into three key elements. Tell us about that. Iyanla Vanzant: There’s a whole series of thought patterns. There are DNTP’s that are associated with ‘not being good enough,’ and then ‘not enough,’ which is different from not good enough.
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OMTIMES MAGAZINE
“Your willingness to look at your darkness is what empowers you to change”
I’m not enough. I can’t satisfy or fulfil. A major category is, I don’t matter. I’m not important. So, what I’ve done over the years of coaching and counselling in my practice is to listen to those first three or four words that come out of people’s mouths and they can begin to identify the core beliefs and the dominant, negative thought pattern and the unconscious thought that most likely fills their mind before they’re able to make a choice or decision. Throughout my life, I’ve been very observant and always taken notes. Why did you do that, Iyanla? Why do you think that, Iyanla? Iyanla, what do you feel?
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Sandie Sedgbeer: People ask you, do we feel first, or do we think first? Our thoughts are the most challenging thing we have to deal with because they affect so much of what we do. Iyanla Vanzant: Universally, there’s a law of cause and effect, and the cause is what happens at the invisible level, and the effect is what we see at the visible level. So, in most instances, thought is a cause because everything begins in mind.
Whether it’s an article of clothing or a chair, a piece of art, or experience, everything begins in mind, which means it begins in thought. So, thought is cause at the invisible level, and then at the visible or physical level, we see an effect. It’s so very important for us to be willing to become aware of and conscious of how and what we think it happens so quickly that you have a thought and immediately attach a feeling to it. Or you have a feeling and immediately attach a thought to it. The thought is what creates, which is why understanding our DNTP’s and our self-talk is so critical to our healing and growth; so that we can begin to identify what we are attaching to that thought. APRIL A 2020 | OMTIMES MAGAZINE
What’s the feeling? Because once we have the feeling, now it’s a whole other cycle that we’re going to go through. We have to acknowledge what we’re thinking and what we’re feeling, and then learn how to accept, because when we discover that we have a negative thought or feeling, we often go into denial and resistance, when what we really want to start doing is to become aware, fully acknowledge, and accept what we’re thinking and feeling. Sandie Sedgbeer: You have been named one of the hundred most influential black Americans by Ebony Magazine. You were number seven on Watkins’ Mind, Body, Spirit Magazine’s list of the 100 most spiritually influential living people. In 2014, you were a co-speaker on Oprah’s “The Life You Want Weekend Tour” alongside Deepak Chopra, Mark Nepo, Elizabeth Gilbert, and, in 2016, you were among Oprah’s ‘Super Soul’s 100 List of Visionaries and Influential Leaders.’ And you’ve been called America’s greatest treasure. Not bad for a girl who grew up with the kind of upbringing you had. When you look at those statistics, what do you think? How do you feel? What’s your assessment of all that, of the person you were, and the person the world sees now? Iyanla Vanzant: Great is God’s grace. Great is the Creator’s love for me. Great is the Divine Mother’s blessing for me. Her presence in me. OMTIMES
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Great is God’s mercy, because had I been successful in taking my own life, then the support, the help, the guidance, the assistance that so many have received from me just doing my purpose they wouldn’t have received. It was grace that saved me. It was love. It was the Divine Feminine presence, and it was my willingness to be better, do better, know better, so I don’t get into the ego part of it, I’m saying ‘Wow, great is thy mercy. Great is thy mercy.’ Sandie Sedgbeer: That’s quite an astonishing feat to remain humble with all the successes you’ve had. To stay out of ego and retain that humility and that gratitude. Iyanla Vanzant: I stay out of ego because the purpose is such a higher calling. Grace is so much more elegant and present than pride, and gratitude is so much more rewarding than money for me. Sandie Sedgbeer: If you had to pass on one valuable lesson to your children, to the world, what is the most important thing you’ve learned in life? Iyanla Vanzant: Begin within. I don’t care what it is if it’s in your life, it’s in you. Begin within. Find the cause within, and you’ll understand the effect that’s showing up without. Sandie Sedgbeer: You’ve written many books. I’ve read several. Which is your favorite? Iyanla Vanzant: Oh, you can’t ask me that. That’s like asking a mother who is her favorite child.
Sandie Sedgbeer: I know, but we love them all in different ways, and there’s always one that we can point to and say, ‘There’s something about that one.’
Iyanla Vanzant: Well, I won’t say it’s my favorite, but it was the most difficult and most significant one that I’ve written Peace from Broken Pieces because that’s where I talk about losing my best friend and my child, Gemmia. That was the most difficult thing for me to do. It took me three years to write it, but my life wouldn’t move until I wrote it, and once I wrote it, I not only paid tribute and homage to her in a way that I think she deserved, but I learned so much about myself that took my life on a whole other trajectory. It was Peace from Broken Pieces that Oprah saw after 11 years and had me on her show. So Gemmia was still at work in my life. So, it would be that. Not that it’s my favorite, I don’t want my other ones to get upset with me, but I do think it was significant, yes. Sandie Sedgbeer: Before we close, tell us briefly about your weekly YouTube Series. Iyanla Vanzant: Yes, the R Spot. Every Tuesday, I put up a new video about relationships; those are our biggest classroom, learning about relationships, and how to be in them. So, if you just go to my YouTube channel, you’ll be able to see all the back episodes, and we’re in the process of creating snow. Get Over It – Thought Therapy for Healing the Hard Stuff. www.Iyanla.com
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Health & Wellness
Innovative new approaches to Healing as well as holistic methods for dealing with health issues and personal growth
Health and Wellness Floral Essences for Cats By Ministry Earth OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
Healing with the clean, pure,
FLORALS FOR CATS:
beautiful agents of nature is surely the one method of all which appeals
To begin your cat's therapy with a
to most of us
specific Bach flower, you just need
Edward Bach
to apply the appropriate number
F
of drops, which for cats are usually lower therapies are becoming
about 4 drops, directly on the animal's
increasingly popular these
tongue - if he allows it - 4 times a day.
days, and this also includes pet owners, since just
If the animal is a bit uncertain and
as humans can benefit from the
reluctant to accept the medication
energetic balance of these flower
with this method, it is possible to
essences, animals can do the same
place the drops mixed with food
with some of them. For cats, for
or diluted in his water, regarding
example, therapy can be beneficial.
the same amount that would be administered directly on the tongue,
There are not uncommon complaints
as well as the intervals in which they
from people who say their cat lives
would be usually taken. For those
stressed and does not get along
cases where the person chooses to
with anyone; or scratch the furniture
leave the animal’s water with the
compulsively; Among many other
floral all day long, you mustn't forget
situations, there are many negative
to change this water every day.
feelings that can influence an animal. Beyond the hassle, seeing the fur
Here are some of Bach's flower
in this situation is heartbreaking for
essences that can be great supporters
tutors, who sometimes no longer
in treating domestic cats’ emotions.
know what to do to provide them with Aspen (Populus tremula): Floral of
well-being.
fearlessness, it is indicated for cats that It is at these times that giving non-
have unexplained fears and wake up
invasive therapy such as the floral
with inexplicable meows and squeaks.
medicine a chance, it can be very convenient as it is easy to introduce
Beech (Fagus silvatica): Floral
the use of floral flowers to your cat
of empathy and tolerance; it is
friend.
recommended for intolerant cats with OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
social difficulties, either with other
for animals that have symptoms
animals or with people, who squeak
of depression, usually when in
and fight with other animals around
situations involving a change of
the house.
homes, grief, abandonment, or change of ownership, for example.
Centaury (Centaurium erythreaea): Self-asserting and self-
Gorse (Ulex europaeus): Another
willing floral is aimed at docile cats
antidepressant floral is indicated
who are too submissive to others
for cases where the animal shows
and catch up with other animals in
symptoms of depression. Gorse
the house without even defending
represents a more intense kind of
themselves.
discouragement and disconsolation than the ones Gentian can treat. In
Cherry Plum (Pruniscerasifera):
the Gorse state, the animal soul is
Floral of mental balance is indicated
totally refusing to be encouraged, so
for cats that show aggressive
sure that their case has no possible
behavior, with uncontrolled emotional
solution. When sick, they always
and excessive violence.
think that their illness may be incurable and that nothing can be
Chicory (Chicorium entybus): It
done.
is a Floral to inspire unconditional and disinterested love, and it is geared to
Still, Dr. Bach considered it a remedy
cats who do emotional blackmail and
for uncertainty and did not put it
throw "tantrum" to get the attention
with the flowers for despair with
of their human guardians.
Sweet Chestnut. And this reveals that the central problem in Gorse
Clematis (Clematis vitalba): This
is lack of faith, loss of hope and
floral is special for when your cat is
self-confidence. Remember that
feeling sick, is an exclusive floral that
nothing goes without consulting the
serves as an adjunctive treatment for
responsible veterinarian.
trembling cats. Holly (Ilex aquifolium): It is the Gentian (Yellow Gentianella): It is an antidepressant floral indicated
Floral for love, and it helps reduce episodes of jealousy in cats, such as
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
when a new animal is introduced into
being adopted and or rescued from
the house or with the arrival of a baby
stressful and abusive environments,
that steals attention, for example.
such as fight rings, racing, or isolation. It is also recommended
Impatiens (glanduliferous
for animals’ nightmares because it
impatiens): Floral of patience and
cleanses their auric field and allows
delicacy, it is indicated for cats that
them to start dissolving the harmful
meow and require the attention of
emotions and painful memories.
their guardian all day, showing an angry and compulsive behavior at
Star of Bethlehem (ornithogalum umbellatum): Floral
times.
for healing trauma, it is suitable for Mimulus (Mimulus guttatus):
those animals who have experienced
Floral of courage, it is recommended
trauma such as a severe and
for cats that are very fearful and are
prolonged illness, a beaten, sudden
frightened of everything, whether
separation from their mother
they are other animals, all forms of
or caregiver, the rescue from an
noises, places, outsiders, or even
abusive situation, or a change of
family members.
home or owner.
Mustard (Sinapis arvensis): This
Vine (Vitis vitis): Floral of
is the floral of joy and delight, and it is
humbleness and kindness, it is
one of the most used antidepressants
used on cats that are fearful and
for cats and is indicated for all forms
aggressive and attack everyone for
of depression in these animals. Many
no apparent reason, without letting
who work with Bach Flower Essences
anyone get close even to comforted
believe that the “Mustard state� every
and petted.
so often comes with us into this life that it is a karmic state, arising from the depths of the soul.
Walnut (Juglans regia): The new floral is basically the floral of change and is suitable for any cat that goes
Rock Rose (Helianthemum
through a transition of any origin,
Nummularium): This is the medicine
such as moving to a new house, a
recommended for animals that are
new owner, or modification of diet.
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
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.
The Art of Peaceful Stillness by Andrea Mathews OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
W
hen you get up in the
have been taught to listen to the outer
morning, and you
world, with its clattering insistence
open the blinds to
that it and it alone is right. Rather we
look out for the first
have been taught to look outside of
fresh time that day to your front lawn
our own souls for the guidance, the
or your backyard, can you see the peace
light, the answers to the quests of the
that makes up the natural world? Can
soul. Rather we have been taught to
you see that the sky and its holdings
ignore, repress and even lock away
are just hanging there peacefully?
from consciousness all of that peaceful
Can you see that the trees in your
stillness that contains all of that
neighborhood represent so fully the
life-giving movement. Yet the soul
silence and the presence of stillness?
persists, and like the roots of the tree,
And while you are looking at the peace
continues to give us all that we need
in the natural world, can you hear the
to survive, all that we need to continue
gentle movement of the wind or the
to reach for the sky.
sound of a singing bird? Do you know that there is a kind of movement that
That peaceful stillness is available to any
exists, thrives within the field of stillness
and all of us at any moment of any day.
that contains all of nature? We see it
One of the easiest ways to get in touch
in the waves of the ocean, the gentle
with it is to look at the natural world,
lapping of a lake, the raging fullness of
for that peace, that stillness is right
a wild river or the storming wind.
there in front of us all of the time. I remember a time in my life when I was
Just as it is in the natural world, there
very confused about what might be my
is deep stillness, an utter silence that
next step—and I took a hike deep into
exists as the deepest part of your
the mountainous woods. While I was
essence, and it contains all of the
there, the wind started blowing at the
movement, the sway, the wind, the
top of the mountain and came rushing
rolling waves, the thundering storms of
down, blowing first the trees at the top,
your soul. You are utterly carried by this
then the next trees, then the next and
quiet essence. In fact, it is the most real
the next until I finally felt the wind in
part of you. It has a still and often small
my face. First, that’s a fascinating and
voice, but mostly because we have not
exhilarating event even on its surface,
been taught to listen to it. Rather, we
to hear the power and push of the wind
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
as it rumbles down the hill. But second,
deep inner stillness—so rich and
it carried with it a message to my soul:
full of peace—which can begin to
The trees do not move until the wind
guide us toward enlightenment. Like
blows and the wind has not yet blown
taking a hike, the journey inward will
in my life, so it is not yet time to make a
be challenging, filled with eroded
move. I was then able to relax into my
pathways, rocky terrain, thick woods
life and await the wind—which did blow
and other challenges. But like the
later and I was able to make a move.
adventure of the hike, the journey inward is also an adventure—and
Another way is to begin the lifelong
adventures have challenges, seeming
process of getting in touch with,
victories and seeming defeats—but
learning to walk the inner terrain, to
each step along the way makes us
become comfortable in the internal
stronger, wiser and more enlightened.
world, where the soul can begin to
You can begin today by spending
touch us, can begin to speak in that
five minutes three times a day, just
still small voice—the voice of peace—
checking in with your inner self:
and we can begin to experience that
What’s going on in there? What are
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
you feeling? What thoughts created
into the essence of your being to allow
those feelings? What do you believe
it to speak to you. And regardless of
about life right now, and where did you
the challenges you are facing or the
learn that belief? What do you really
first thoughts that come into your
want to be doing right now? Are you
awareness, just remember that there
doing it? Looking into yourself means
is a deep stillness that holds, contains
you will find both the part of you that
and enables all the movement. Trust
has split itself off from soul and soul.
that.
Be prepared to hear from both. Meditation, of course, is one of the best routes to the soul. To position yourself to quietness, to silence and to stillness, to allow the soul to come forward and present itself offers the potential for a rich reward. Regardless of body position, meditation is a sitting down
Andrea Mathews is the author of four books, the latest of which is “Letting Go of Good: Dispel the Myth of Goodness to Find Your Genuine Self.” She is the host of the very popular Authentic Living Show and a therapist with over 30 years’ experience.
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
OMTimes Magazine Relax… Let your worries drift away into the moment… OMTimes is a free publication and can be delivered right to your inbox… Subscribe at: Free OMTimes Subscription Visit our website at: www.omtimes.com
OM Living For those living a more Conscious Lifestyle
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
Feng Shui and Your Trash Cans by Kartar Diamond
I
have fielded a lot of questions
Pick Up Day, some people fret about
about the impact of such things
being able to see them all the time.
as outside water features, fire pits, and a multitude of landscaping
You might need to keep them along
considerations. But what about
the side of the house. Even if they are
the placement of trash cans? Like
stored in the back yard, the sight of
bathrooms, we’ve all got trash cans. If
them may be considered a “sha” when
you live in an apartment building, then
you are trying to enjoy your backyard
you would have no say in where the
space. Some folks keep their trash
large dumpster trash cans are placed.
cans in their garage, so inevitably you
I would just hope that your apartment
have to pass by them when entering
is not directly over the garbage
the house from the garage as many
dumpster or forced to view the area
people do.
from your windows. Many of us have separate cans for lawn For homeowners, you may have some
clippings and recyclables. Are these
leeway in where to place your trash
really eyesores? Or is this much ado
cans, and it may influence your health
about nothing and purely subjective?
and well-being indirectly. Aside from
If you have a trash can with rotting
the luxury of being able to place your
food and pet poop, suffice it to say that
trash cans out of sight until you need
this is a type of sha, which thankfully
to place them on the curb for Trash
gets picked up weekly.
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
Where the “sha” cans are kept could
associated with the head or lungs. It
influence your health and prosperity.
is conceivable that having something
Some classical practitioners will refer to
unhealthy or unsightly sitting in that
“Pre-Heaven” or “Post-Heaven” formulas
directional section of your property
to determine where NOT to place trash
could have an impact on a said family
cans. Each direction is related to a
member or body area.
family member and health issues. For example, the direction of Northwest is
Each direction holds unique
associated with the father within the
information, and so there could be a
family structure. The Northwest is also
problem with a trash can ANYWHERE
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
on a property. But let’s not get anal
location for the trash cans.
retentive about the matter. We happen to live in “Period 8” right now and that
Some people create beautiful ways to
is associated with the direction of
obscure the trash cans, building sheds,
Northeast. In a general sense, we want
gates, or hedges for the trash cans to be
to keep this area neat, clean, and tidy
out of sight and out of mind. That is an
inside and out. The duration of Period
ideal plan, no matter what the direction.
8 is from 2004-2024. Other calculations can be done based on the orientation of
Kartar Diamond From the Landscape
the house to determine the best or worst
and Exteriors Series
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
How to Feel More Complete Inside and Out by Rachelle Wilber
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
B
oth your internal and
appearance, which may further add
external self might be
to your downward spiral. Cutting
causing you to feel less
ties with friends and romantic
than your best. Thankfully,
partners who promote negativity
there are several ways that you can
is a great way to get ahead in life.
improve yourself that will help you
Eliminating negativity might also
in many areas of your life. Following
mean having to change homes and
these four tips will likely be effective
career paths to achieve the desired
for you to feel more complete inside
results.
and out and live a well-balanced life.
Eliminate Negativity
Stop Bad Habits Certain lifestyle habits could be
Negative people and situations can
bad for both your body and mind.
take a toll on your psyche. Too much
Drinking excessive amounts of
negativity in your life can also cause
alcohol can add unwanted pounds,
you to start caring less about your
damage internal organs, and take a
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
toll on your mental health. Smoking
can help both your mental and
is another bad habit that should
physical health. Finding a quiet
be stopped as soon as possible
room to sit in for a few minutes each
if you want to live your best life.
day can be effective in recharging
If you have trouble breaking any
your body and mind. You can also
of these bad habits, you can try
try doing activities like yoga or
seeing a counselor or alternative
meditation during your quiet time
therapies such as hypnotherapy or
alone to elicit even more positive
acupuncture.
energy.
Groom Yourself
Investing the time and effort to enhance your inner and outer self
Feeling better about yourself can
can do wonders for the quality of
be as simple as adopting better
your life. You’ll have a better chance
grooming habits. In addition to
of living the complete life that you
bathing daily, you can improve
deserve by following the right steps
your appearance and the quality of
to achieve the best outcome.
your skin by applying a moisturizer
—
regularly to keep skin hydrated. Visiting a spa for waxing services will allow you to have unwanted body hair removed so that you can feel smooth and f resh in your own skin. Getting a trendy haircut or changing the color of your hair with a highquality hair dye can also enhance your grooming and beauty regimen.
Give Yourself Some Space Work, kids, and other responsibilities in life can feel overwhelming, and learning how to separate from the stress and give yourself some space
Rachelle Wilber is a freelance writer living in the San Diego, California area. She graduated from San Diego State University with her bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Media Studies. She tries to find an interest in all topics and themes, which prompts her writing. When she isn't on her porch writing in the sun, you can find her shopping, at the beach, or at the gym. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook: @ RachelleWilber; www.facebook. com/profile
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
Sophie Frabotta from Awaken with Sophie is here to help you better manage your coping mechanisms as we move into this new normal. Right now we have this opportunity to see beyond what has ever been seen before and Sophie Frabotta is a passionate Spiritual Coach, Mentor and Entrepreneur, who has created an online experience for you to better manage what is coming up in you and show you the way to calm it all down. The Meditation Class is now open for enrollment. It is a self-paced online course that will give you seven sessions of training and 8 guided meditations to help you get back into good standing with yourself.
MeditationstoAwaken.com
Are they going to be brave enough to stand up for what they believe in?
The Future of Our Kids by Dagny Grant and Beth Donnelly
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
K
ids are our future… and
Kids are literally our future! So, if we
what we teach them today,
want them to live with integrity, peace,
will guide them to be brave
and equality…we need to be an example
enough to stand up for
of that. And, we need to create books,
what they believe in when it’s their
films and other media that teach
turn to lead the world.
what authentic happiness really is… at a young age. If we do that… the
We believe kids need to be brave
formation of what they believe in…will
enough to stand up for what they
reflect kindness and appreciation for
believe in, and it’s up to the adults in
the people, the animals, & the beauty of
this generation to show them how!
nature that surrounds the world.
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
Many kids do not believe that they
the shy one, not good at math,
are enough to make a difference.
can’t dance, aren’t pretty enough,
It’s important that our kids embrace
and things like that. These things
what they uniquely bring to the world
create our self-identity, and we can
and have the courage and inspiration
hold them throughout the rest of
to express that. When kids discover
our lives. Sharing a true self-identity
how to be comfortable with who they
that encompasses the unique and
truly are; they embrace their “happy
wonderful qualities that we all have,
place” in their hearts, and never give
should be encouraged by everyone
up on their dreams.
influencing a child’s life. Children can be taught how to create healthy I AM
If adults help kids to be open to
statements, and to be mindful about
the endless possibilities in front of
when and identity may be assigned to
them, they may be surprised to find
them that is not authentically theirs.
something even better than they imagined, or more fun than what they
Kids should be encouraged to
even wanted at first!
believe in the power of magic. What is magic? Well, the magic of the
We believe kids need to be aware
universe is the belief in the field of
of their superpowers! We live in a
potentiality…free will…choice. When
time where many people feel kind
kids hear words like you don’t deserve
of powerless or scared about what
it…it’s not possible…the wonder and
the future may hold. What do we
discovery can slip away from them.
mean when we talk with kids about
Kids need to be encouraged to
superpowers?
dream it, to believe it, and expect that potential can become a reality.
We’re talking about the innate gifts that every single one of us can
A quote from the character Glitter, in
embrace and enjoy! These gifts are
the children’s book “I AM Great!” kind
superpowers, expressed as…Intuition,
of says it all:
Empathy, Gratitude, Kindness, Connection and Forgiveness.
“The thoughts we have… create our life. It’s like when we paint a picture.
“I AM” Statements and Self-Identity
No one gets to choose the colors we
Often, as kids we are told we are
use but us. That means we are in
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
control of the colors…of what we think
compassionate understanding that
and how we feel. Once we blame
the bully MAY have just came from a
someone else for what we do, think or
situation where someone was mean to
feel, we hand THEM our paintbrush.”
them! We don’t know what the other person’s life is like. When a person
Some people don’t even realize they
does not feel good about themselves,
have this power… not giving any
sometimes they tend to use unkind
consideration to how the focus of
words and behavior. Of course, we
their thoughts and feelings shape
need to tell children that if they ever
their own world. They see themselves
feel threatened or unsafe, they need to
as victims, not creators. Kids need to
tell a responsible adult right away.
realize that they are responsible for how they choose to act and react,
Kids are our future… and what we
and that those choices mirror back to
teach them today, will guide them to
them the results that they see. It’s…
be brave enough to stand up for what
like magic!
they believe in when it’s their turn to lead the world.
We believe kids need to understand the power there is in allowing love to guide their actions and reactions. We all know that in the past few decades, our world has evolved to one where tv, movies, video games and social media can influence our kids to believe the answer is to be scared, angry, violent or just mean-spirited. Often kids don’t have the tools to make other free will choices that will serve them in a positive way. Our basic simple premise is that our actions are either stemming from love or fear. Take bullies for example: children may be served by the
About the Authors: Matrix Productions is a multi-media company represented by partners Beth Donnelly and Dagny Grant. Co-authors of the internationally Best-Selling Children's book series "Journey of Joy", they share mind, body and spirit connections, teaching mindfulness and I AM principles. Their publication of books, and “Echoes of the Soul” multi-media projects, produce tools that shape the thoughts and hearts of like-minded people. Find them at http://bit.do/MatrixMedia, http://bit.do/FaceBookMatrix and http://bit.do/JourneyofJoy.
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
Relationships The interconnectiveness among all human beings and, consequently, the relationships among us are the focus of this section. The dynamics of the web of connections we make is one of the most prominent aspects of human existence: how we interlace with each other’s existence in a meaningful way.
Learning When It is Time To Move On By Ascending Hearts OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
S
ometimes, we need serenity in
you want to live within. If you're going
life, and this happens, especially
to stay positive, you need to fight for
when we are deciding whether
a positive environment. Surround
the time has come to move
yourself with the kind of persons who
on over some situation or not. Although
raise your spirits. It is empowering.
loosening ties and looking to the future is overwhelming, it can be a necessary
No Llama Drama
process. At some point, you will need
If people around you are used
to accept the fact that you may have
to drama, you need to get away
overcome some connections. Not
from that. These are not the right
everyone you have had a relationship
circumstances you need in your life,
with needs to stay in your lifelong term. If
and these tensions can vampirize your
you're wondering if you're ready to leave
life energy. The drama has no place in
something or someone in your life and it's
the lives of genuinely positive people.
time to move on, here are some signs that can help you.
Nothing can drag you down if you're not holding on to it.
Don't dwell on what went wrong.
Tony Robbins
Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward
Lack of freedom and Free Will
toward finding the answer.
If you feel stuck with a particular
Denis Waitley
situation, or someone, it's probably time to move on. Life is too short to
You Feel exceedingly Unhappy.
feel confined in a case or stuck with a
If you are unhappy in situations in your life,
person that doesn't allow you to move
your main goal should be to change them.
forward. The feeling of being trapped
You are the only person who can allow
is not a pleasant emotion.
yourself to be happy. Your happiness will not be found in other people.
Dealing with Distrust In life, it is necessary to surround
When Your Environment is Negative
ourselves with people who trust us
Negativity is something that you see quite
and whom we can also trust. If you
often in life. But, if you are surrounded by
don't trust those around you, you are
it, you evaluate if this is the energy field
relating to the wrong people. Trust is
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
When the True you are ignored or disregarded If you can't truly be yourself around the people in your inner circle, then you will need a new group of friends. You must not change who you are or hide your true self for the benefit of people’s interests and conventions. Life is short, and we need to who we are meant to be. When people are trying to handle you If you have a feeling you are being used and manipulated, you need to regain power over yourself. While this is somewhat confusing for some, depending on the situation, it is essential to recognize that you are being manipulated, and maybe it would be your best interest, in the long run, to not something to be overlooked because
cut ties to the situation and or people
it is the basis of a solid foundation in life
causing it.
and relationships. When people try to change When you always do more
who you are People tend to try to change other
than your share The more people use you, the worse you
people all the time, sometimes for
will feel. When you are doing everything
their own benefit. If you are a victim of
you can for people you love and feel
this, consider moving away from these
who would not do the same for you, it is
people. We must never try to change for
best to cut those ties and move on. Do
others, just for ourselves.
something for yourself, don't put yourself in the background for those who don't
When People are keeping
help you when you need it most.
You on hold
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
If there are people around you that are
When people do not like you
holding you back and preventing you
and the things you create
from following your dreams, you should
If you feel unappreciated, consider
stop letting them do it. The time may
making some changes and putting
have come to move on and be yourself.
aside those who only use you when
Enjoy life and pursue your dreams. Your
they need to. It's time to step out
goals will never be achieved if you don't
and find people who would value
have time to try.
you for who you are, and the things you can do.
If Someone around you is causing you pain
"There is nothing to teach you more
If someone is causing you pain, that
than to reorganize yourself after
person doesn't deserve you. It doesn't
failure and move on."
matter if she is unique to you.
Charles Bukowski
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
Astrology & Numerology
STARGAZING APRIL 2020
The April 7th Full Moon in Libra brings some hidden matters into the Light. It’s the best time to bring personal and business relationships to a successful conclusion. This year the April Full Moon is a bit tricky, because of a Mars/Uranus square that brings accidents, violence as well as sudden and unpleasant terminations and separations.
OMTimes
The April 22nd New Moon in Taurus brings a quiet, reflective time to guide and help you to find the best path to untie any knots the latest Sun-Saturn square may have thrown your way. Take time to meditate and “set your conditions” for success.
THE PERSONAL SIGNS Aries (3/21-4/20) April brings a sigh of relief, and things are back to normal. Normal? Oh my, you need to formulate a new normal because both you and your reality have changed. You can’t just take action. You have to focus and make it count and be meaningful. Find ways to connect with others for information, guidance, and support. This will enrich you on an emotional level. You find it’s not enough to climb up the ladder anymore. You need a vision of what your work means and how it impacts you. Taurus (4/21-5/21) As April opens, you are slowly finding your way back to the center even though you’re still on that rollercoaster ride. It brings you a sense of security as you discover that the principles you once lived by haven’t changed one bit. This revelation helps you to see that much of what you thought was of value. A belief or preference, and those don’t always stand the test of time. You are beginning to create a new world for yourself. Gemini (5/21-6/20) In April, the emotional pain you’ve been hiding from is coming forth to be released. Feel them and let them go. Otherwise, they have the potential of destroying that which you desire. The most important thing for you now is to become the observer. Don’t allow yourself to get dragged into uncomfortable situations. You could start reverting into your old patterns. This hard work seems to be getting worse every day but doesn’t run for the hills. Your goal now is to stay present at the moment as well as to remain detached. You can do it, Gemini. Cancer (6/21-7/22) In April, you feel like running as fast as you can, but don’t sense you’re getting anywhere. Your inner urge to move is overshadowing the direction you’ve set for yourself. Slow down a bit and focus. The key is to focus and combine this energy surge with a concrete target, then go from there. Refrain from making any decisions about your career, your career, and most of all your money. April isn’t the time to make any demands or requests.
OMTimes April A Edition
Leo (7/23-8/22) In April, you find that the feeling of urgency that’s been with you all year has finally dissipated, leaving a vast space inside. What to do? Just let it be, Leo. Take a deep breath and relax. The time to create something will arrive soon enough. The Universe is giving you a welldeserved break. You are now ready to socialize, hang out, and join the human race, You have been out-of-sorts since last summer. Your circuits have been overloaded, but now you’re ready to re-boot! You made some important decisions in March. You can expect several new opportunities to pop up for you at the end of the month.
Virgo (8/23-9/22) April brings relief as you experience a release of burdens that you didn’t know you had. As you feel a sense of liberation, don’t try to analyze anything because the only thing that matters right now is that you feel light and free. You want to have a party, and it’s been quite a while since you’ve felt like having fun. Don’t let this moment pass. Just invite friends over and have a great time! Libra (9/23-10/22) In April, no matter what you do, you’ll feel as if you’re on the edge of a precipice. That’s because the desire of where you want to go and where your fear thinks you should stay plays out in your relationships. 2020 offers you the chance to let go of the need to get people to see the world through your eyes. Just be the role model for who you are inside and what you know. Then, let other’s take care of themselves. Scorpio (10/ 23-11/22) April shows you that your desire for freedom suddenly makes everything seem dull and dusty and without merit. Use this desire as fuel to find ways to change that which needs to be changed, while preserving anything that is supportive to you and where you want to go. The bloom seems to be off the rose this month. All the accolades you received last month for a job well done left you with the awareness that you aren’t quite as content with your current position as you wanted to believe. Time to have some gratitude and accept that. The decision you are making to create a new purpose for your life is right!
OMTimes
Sagittarius (11/23-12/21) April brings a substantial emotional release as the chaos and all the clouds leave your life, bringing you a new infusion of enthusiasm and zest for life. It’s time to dig down and get serious about your purpose and intention. You know it’s the next step in creating long-lasting satisfaction as well as a part of a new definition of the kind of legacy you want to leave behind. Capricorn (12/22-1/19) April brings you some inner doubts. Is this change god for me? That’s because you still want to control how it all happens. Close your eyes and take a deep breath, Cap., and trust yourself to trust the Universe as to how it all unfolds and know that your choices and actions will bring you growth. With relationships, you find yourself able to listen without responding or judgment. You sense that sharing is offering perspective when asked and building intimacy. Aquarius (1/20-2/18) April brings you a return of confidence following an intense beginning of the month. You have felt a fear that you’re trapped because you’re unable to free yourself from several things haunting you from the past. Just when you feel as if you’re drowning, something shifts deep inside of you. You feel relief and are joyful! It feels like you’ve flipped a switch. This sets your path for a remarkable new beginning. Pisces (2/19-3/20) April brings you a fast ride, as you realize that lifelong patterns that have restricted you undermined you and robbed you of self-confidence that has been left in the dust. You’re bursting at the seams with delight! This moment has been a long time coming. You can now show everyone exactly what you are made of, with all of the flames of fire and creativity living in your Soul. Opportunities abound and, like the spring flowers, are popping out everywhere. You are ready for the kind of success you decide is worthy of your time. Be prepared to take the next step, Pisces!
Elizabeth Joyce is a modern-day mystic, author, and Master Spiritual Teacher/Healer through the Grace of God. She transmits this pure energy from the Source. Healing has occurred simply by being in her presence, or by voice activation, or vibration. She is a popular, gifted speaker on the unknown mysteries, higher realities, and higher wisdom. Many of her accurate successes have been documented through national media. http://new-visions.com
Esoteric Knowledge
Crucifixion Story Not the Way to Salvation by Arthur Telling
T
he Apostle Paul taught the gentle Jesus Message of love and forgiveness, yet his central message
Salvation Through a Belief is Questionable The Apostle Paul taught the
was of Salvation through the Cross,
necessary social and moral values:
a message not given by Jesus.
love, forgiveness, honesty, gentleness,
Paul suffered and endured, and he
and controlling emotion and physical
converted many pagans to the new
behavior and such. Yet his centerpiece
faith. It is paramount that we today
is the Crucifixion narrative, a story
come to terms with a truer salvation
of salvation through the death and
message and discard the outdated
resurrection of the Son of God,
need for a suffering Master.
adopted by the churches Paul
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
founded and influenced, and now is
out of cities by his Jewish Judaic and
the cornerstone of the established
Jewish Christian adversaries, and yet
Christian Church.
he showed no animosity toward them, but rather he viewed his own suffering
But the Crucifixion narrative is illogical
as a necessary sacrifice toward
on its face, for it glorifies suffering and
furthering the word of God, even for
conceptualizes good and evil, qualities
converting his adversaries to bring
that a genuinely elevated Master
them salvation.
would reject. Paul’s trials were many; he was beaten, stoned, flogged, and routinely run
Salvation Comes Through Knowledge and Understanding
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
The disciplines of metaphysics,
Why then, the Crucifixion?
spiritualism, mysticism, and most Eastern religions, give us direction on
The Crucifixion story looks to be the
obtaining eternal life. In the process,
“carrot on the stick,” the seductive
suffering may occur, but suffering is
lure that brought pagan Romans,
not the centerpiece for obtaining life.
Greeks, and Syrians to embrace the
Yet the Christian Church has sowed
new religion. And after a time it was
Paul's message of God coming down
pagans converts — Paul’s converts —
to earth and intentionally suffering for
which essentially wrote the New
us, an apparent gratifying message for
Testament Bible, as the Jewish Jesus
those who suffer, and generally, all of
followers had already generally turned
us do suffer until we can understand
back to their Judea Jewish roots. It is,
and live the higher thought.
for this reason, the Christian Church is
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
centered in Rome and not Jerusalem
awareness. The Thomas Gospel has no
where it would logically otherwise
Crucifixion story.
be. Paul’s biblical epistles (letters to churches and to his church pastors) are believed to be the oldest books of
Suffering Not the Way to Eternal Life
the New Testament, older even than the four gospels (Mark, Luke, Matthew,
To obtain eternal life, we must rise
and John), and thus may reflect ideas
above forms, eliminating attachment
other than what Jesus said and taught
to the resultants of the five physical
and may have colored the whole of
senses, for they are an illusion, not
the New Testament Bible through
real things. Temporal in nature, these
the prism of Paul’s eyes. And Paul’s
forms will one day end. Physical death
Crucifixion narrative depends entirely
assures this, and yet physical death is
upon other sources for he was not
an illusion. By nature, we are eternal
witnessed to it, nor did he physically
beings. We close off this knowledge
know or walk with Jesus during the
for the specific purpose of creating a
Jesus ministry.
temporary reality where we take on various roles, acting out narratives
The Jesus teachings of love and
just as if we are characters within a
forgiveness that Paul did teach are
book, having a beginning point called
germane to a higher message of
“birth” and a final chapter ending in
unity among all beings, a “present
“death.” Books do not continue on
moment” focus on “self awareness,”
after ending. We pick up another
a longstanding spiritual message
book to read, and the cycle continues.
for securing eternal life. This is the
It is called “reincarnation,” incarnating
message given by Jesus in the Gospel
into a new storyline, and then
of Thomas, a non-canonical gospel
reincarnated into another storyline
found buried near the town of Nag
when the former’s usefulness ends.
Hammadi, Egypt in the year 1945. It
Obtaining eternal life has everything
is a collection of Jesus sayings having
to do with waking up to this recurring
a central message of the eternal
cycle and moving our living narratives
“Kingdom” being here with us now
in the more advanced direction where
in front of our faces, the Master’s
death and pain are past relics to be
elevated teaching on present moment
discarded.
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
The Crucifixion is a temporal
and that physical death ends only
narrative, for all narratives are
the present living narrative, at which
temporal. Its legitimate symbolic
point a new living narrative will
purpose, if there is one, points to
expectedly naturally form from the
mankind’s deepest yearning to live
mind.
beyond death and be eternal. It is a message of hope for those who
The Crucifixion-Salvation narrative
may be without hope and is simple
was a story born by Paul for
in nature. Yet it means nothing to
converting pagans to Jesus and
the learned man who understands
it was further continued by the
already that we are by nature eternal
ancient Roman Catholic Church,
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
but seems not to have been needed
Arthur Telling has written
by the “gnostic” (knowledge-based)
numerous stories and articles
followers of Jesus during his day.
on religion, philosophy, and
Once understood, we can embrace
metaphysics. His article, “A Different
the Gospel of Thomas sayings, which
Jesus Message,” appeared in the
are congruent with the disciplines of
Nov. 2011 AMORC Rosicrucian
metaphysics, mysticism, and Eastern
Digest. Telling is author of eight
religions, and there we will find a
books, including his newest release:
Christian way to a life where there is
“And the Cock Crows: How Rome
no Crucifixion narrative.
Buried the Jesus Message.” His
—
website: www.arthurtelling.com OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
Personal Growth & Development
We grow as individuals as we face challenges and overcome life’s obstacles. This section is dedicated to helping you chart your course.
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
by Johanna Kern
Cheerleader, not the lead player,
motivate us to short-term actions.
is our egos assigned and healthy
That’s why ongoing stress burns us out
function:
mentally, emotionally and physically.
O
ur ego, by default, feeds on
When our ego grows, our fear
fear since its primary goal
grows too, and our subconscious
is to ensure our survival
shadows grow with it hand in
in various situations.
hand. They too feed on our fear,
The inherent nature of fear and its
and they too are meant to ensure
biological function is to prompt us
our survival. While ego exists in our
to act in situations when there is a
consciousness, shadows exist in our
need to fight back, attack, hide or
subconscious. Once we are ruled
escape. Just as our ancestors did when
by our subconscious shadows, we
meeting a wild animal on their path
cannot truly thrive in life, we only
or fighting for food, freedom, tribe or
function in a survival mode. In such a
territory. Fear, as a chain reaction in our
state, we are obsessed with ensuring
brain triggered by a stressful stimulus,
our survival, which often manifests as
causes the release of chemicals
the constant need for making more
leading to increased heart rate, fast
money, achieving more success,
breathing, muscle tension, etc. Fear,
awards, or anything that gives us the
as low-vibration energy, is meant to
illusion of being safe in life.
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
Focusing on developing a stronger
Cheerleader, not the lead player,
ego is missing the point:
is our egos assigned and healthy function:
The joy of living is a bigger motivator than fear. It is an emotional,
Let it cheer you when you’re doubting,
intellectual and physical mode that
losing confidence in yourself. Let it
helps us thrive in life. Its high vibration
tell you then: “You can do it! Go for it!
energy affects our well-being positively
You’ve got it in you”.
in every way. The joy of living is a positive motivator and its goal is to
Through healthy function when being
make us thrive long-term and exist
“employed” as our Cheerleader –
in the state of happiness. When
reassured of its value and satisfied,
we are filled with the joy of life, our
our ego would not seek to control.
achievements and success are long-
It will become a good friend and an
lived, we don’t give in to prolonged
invaluable helper.
fear when faced with challenges and obstacles – we simply overcome them.
To "employ" our ego as our cheerleader - we need to connect
There is a healthy and successful
with our innate JOY of life:
way of dealing with our Ego Developing a very strong ego ALWAYS
Notice and admit to yourself that
leads to developing stronger shadows.
comparing your situation to others is
Boosting our ego and therefore
pointless and does not help you in any
inducing our fears as a means to have
way. You are a unique person, one in
control over our life leads to creating
billions, and so is your life story. You
shadow-based ways of living. We can
can truly enjoy who you are and where
observe that phenomenon widely
you are.
spread nowadays in our world, our environment and – in many cases –
Observe the events and people
our own life. If we don't know how to
appearing on your path. Notice
harness the helpful energy of our ego
the true human kindness residing
healthily, we create an unhappy and
beneath their imperfections. Deep
dangerous "shadowland" for others
down, we all want the same thing: a
and ourselves.
peaceful, happy, and fulfilled life. OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
Look for the harmony in all events
Escaping and avoiding are rooted in
and notice that you are never alone.
fear and cannot bring us joy.
Start perceiving everything and everyone as a part of one huge
Reconnect with the clarity of your
community, where — just like drops
heart when you feel overwhelmed
in the symbolic ocean — all of us are
and lost. Your heart will tell you
connected. There are true beauty and
what’s best for you.
power in that oneness, which assures us about our own significance.
We are here to find our joy in living. We are here to thrive.
Forgive others for their imperfections and forgive yourself. When you hold on to resentment and anger, you are giving up your happiness and settling for bitterness and unhappiness instead. You can’t find inner peace, and you lose your joy.
— About the author: Johanna Kern is a transformational teacher, filmmaker, and multiple awardwinning author of “365 (+1) Affirmations to Create A Great
Be happy for others when you see somebody’s good fortune. Celebrate their good luck, as if they were your best friends and you wished them well. Find your own joy in other people’s happiness. Even if they are strangers to you, be happy for them. Later on, once you learn how to be happy for others, it will be easier for you to learn your own happiness. Replace your mind desires with your heart-driven ones. Mind desires are ego-driven, and their only purpose is to fill the emptiness, escape the feeling of discomfort or anxiety.
Life”, “Secrets of Love for Everyone,” “Master and the Green-Eyed Hope,” etc. She practices and shares the Master Teachings of HOPE, helping people to find their own power and progress in all areas of life. Her story received international attention, winning praise by readers in North America and Europe, and endorsement by three world-renowned experts: Stanley Krippner, Ph.D., Jerry Solfvin, Ph.D., and Brian Van der Horst. johannakern.com www.facebook.com/ JohannaKernAuthor
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
7 ways to Create from Our Soul by Jennifer Ott OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
W
hat does it mean
online reviews. At times criticism can be
to create from the
so harsh, it can genuinely break our spirit.
soul and how we do it? First, we need
For artists of all genres, it is important
to silence exterior and inner criticism,
to learn how to handle constructive
and then get our conscious ego out
criticism, but it’s even more important
of the way. Through sitting in silence,
to dismiss what is destructive. Realize
we allow the subtle voice of the soul
the only opinion that matters is our
to speak and inspire us. Documenting
own, so put on our blinders and cancel
the soul’s voice through journaling
out exterior negativity.
and art not only creates soulful masterpieces but teaches us about
Silence the Inner Critic
ourselves and the world. Our inner critic is often more harmful We hear all the time to create from the
than the public one, and the best way
soul. What exactly does that mean and
to silence it is to rebel against it. When
how exactly do we know if it is our soul
we have a strong desire to create and
we are actually channeling? How do
our heart thrives on the passion of our
we create from the depth of our soul?
inspiration, but our mind tells us we aren’t any good, it’s time to tell our
It starts with the desire to meet our
mind to get lost and create anyway.
soul and listen to its stories intertwined within our subconscious. Once we are
Again, it is a sign of our society, in which
ready to engage, the first steps are to
many are conditioned we have to be
cancel out exterior noise.
good…to be talented. Our culture has this annoying voice that tells us we
Dismiss Criticism
must be qualified to create. However, realize the quality of the craft comes
We live in a highly pragmatic society,
from practice. It comes from one-day
and many are hyper-critical of what we
creating near-masterpiece to a piece of
create collectively. It seems everyone
garbage. Embrace each creation with
has an opinion, and may not be afraid
the same artistic vigor and that will
to share it, especially when it is done
show the mind the heart and soul mean
anonymously on social media and over
business.
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
Get out of the Way
so attached to what we want to create and fail to feel it, we lose passion for the
Once outer and inner criticism has
subject. Here is where we have to let go
been silenced, it is time to tell our
and detach from our creation.
pragmatic mind to get lost. Often, we have an idea of what we want to
Create without Expectation
create. We have plotted it in our heads, created various sketches, and drafted
There can be a lot of anxiety facing
a multitude of outlines. We have it all
the blank page – whether canvas or
planned and then the output feels
blank computer screen. It is even more
too stale, stiff and dreadfully boring.
intimidating when we have no ideas
What happened? We had so carefully
about what to create, especially if we
thought of our creation.
are a highly pragmatic and practiced planner. The soul, however, doesn’t
Conscious thought has no place in
respond in an organized fashion. It
soulful creations. When we become
is loose and fluid, so to truly create
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
While listening in silence gives rise to the voices of our soul, documenting through journaling, painting or collage where we can study their messages and see how they pertain to our daily lives. In freewriting and painting, we create a blueprint of the soul.
Let Go Once we let go, we become so lost in the process that BOOM that story writes itself, the muse paints itself. We are just a bystander. It didn’t come with conscious thought or pragmatic planning. Their messages can tell us the reasons for our fear and triggers and mostly release burdens to free us through the soul, we have to let go of all
to our next life adventure.
our thoughtfully laid out plans.
—
Trigger the Muse Within There is no one way to free our souls. For each of us, the voice of the soul speaks differently. Some hear it in the silence of meditation or the melody of music and others in the whispers of the wind. The more we embrace silence in this chaotic, noisy world, the more we can hear the lives of those trying to reach and teach us.
Documenting the Soul’s Inspiration
Jennifer Ott is the author of several fiction and nonfiction titles. Her latest WIP, Arise My Tribe, tells the story of a past life Celtic Healer weaver her tale through the life of a modern-day woman in an existential crisis. Throughout the past twenty years, Jennifer studied various types of meditations and shamanism, from nada yoga, mindfulness meditation and pagan religious ceremonies.
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
When you look at the view of Earth from space, you are immediately in awe of what you do see: the incredible beauty of Creation. It is not until you look closer that you realize what you do not see. You do not see lines partitioning countries. You do not see separation between races. You do not see division between religions. You do not see the walls people build to isolate themselves from each other. There is only One Planet. There is only One Humanity. This section is dedicated to introducing thoughts and ideas to foster a greater understanding of Humanity’s interdependence.
World Vision
Why Our World Needs More Conscious Thought Leaders by Angela Blaha OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
O
n most days, I find myself
whole being, eliminating concepts
caught between two
of the ego, where greatness is seen
worlds, the human world
in only one area. Rather real thought
of having to get things
leaders combine multi-dimensional
done, make money, have sex, clean the
intelligence into one humble way of
house, cook meals and make everyone
being.
happy. The other world has nothing to be done; rather, there is a yearning to
Every single person has thoughts, yet
know, know everything about who we
we limit our thoughts according to
are and why we are here.
our beliefs; this view does not, in most cases, contain the universe.
No big task and absolutely no pressure in either world.
Why?
I tend to focus on being a conscious
We live in a Universe and we also live
thought leader where every action,
in a world where many of our beliefs
every word, every thought, every
are based on cause and effect. What
emotion, and every belief I use has a
I think about today and act upon has
universal presence. How will this cause
an effect on my future. We limit our
and effect, my mind, body and spirit?
perspective to me, the one person
This universal view takes in many more
when in actuality, we need to be
aspects than the mundane ‘get things
conscious about how that thought,
done’ perspective.
and action affects the entire Universe and we all should be able to call
If we look back through time at some
ourselves Conscious Thought Leaders.
of the great leaders, the ones who
A knowing of unity, wholeness, and
made big changes for humanity
realism based on cause and effect, not
like Einstein, Tesla, Jung, and so
perception.
many more. What did they all have in common? Their brilliance went
A way of being superconscious that
beyond their fields of expertise.
we can experience ourselves as leaders in thinking everything through,
True thought leaders bring all aspects
understanding and being able to see
of conscious awareness into one
the big picture before we respond?
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
This is part of the conscious shift,
into the world, every belief you
taking part around the world, and the
transpire and manipulate to fit
shift is literally being aware of how our
your past experiences, has a ripple
cause affects everything.
effect out and into the universe? To be present in this Universe
Being a thought leader can establish
has a level of responsibility that
your credibility, but aren’t we all
as humans, we have ignored and
credible?
denied for centuries. This shift in our consciousness is bringing
If we live on the earth which is a
this responsibility to the surface,
part of the universe, doesn’t our
and now we have the opportunity
responsibility lie to the entire
to know possibilities beyond our
universe? So that every thought
past, beyond the law of cause and
you have, every emotion you project
effect.
OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
So, why wouldn’t you want to be the
We have a tendency to believe
guru of your own thoughts? Instead,
everyone else’s thoughts, we give
as a human race, we tend to let others
away our power to these thoughts
lead us, not even being conscious
and just blindly follow the pack afraid
about what and why we think the way
to be ostracized for being our own
we do. If each one of us would claim
leader. Your conscious awareness
the right to be a cosmic thought
depends upon you becoming the
leader, then every aspect of who we
Conscious Thought Leader of your
are as a human being having a soulful
own life for your future's sake.
experience would be very particular about how we felt, thought, spoke
Angela Blaha is a Galactic Mindset
and acted because we would know
and Consciousness Mentor,
how it affected the rest of the world
Keynote Speaker and Author
and beyond. OM TIMES | Apr A Edition 2020
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