OMTimes Magazine March A 2023 Edition

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Beebe Bahrami: The Way of the Geese Interview

30

Marijuana Strains& Their Effects

50

Back Pain? Tips for a Quick Recovery

56

Discovering the Blessings in Convalescence

60

Live Life to the Soul-Fullest!

68

Soulful Transformations

74

Six Activities to Increase Spiritual Connection

80

How To Help A Child Cope After A Traumatic Event

88

Build Your Visionary Skills with Mindful Patience

94

The Science of Meditation

100

Conscious Coupling

112

Do You Recognize a Karmic Relationship?

120

OMTIMES.COM March A| 2023

Discover OM Shopping Network Honest & Conscious Product Review

Editorial A popular poem links the Camino de Santiago and wild geese, which has become part of the lore surrounding the pilgrimage. The poem is called "The Wild Geese" and was written by Mary Oliver.

The poem speaks of the wild geese flying over the Camino de Santiago and their flight's profound impact on the narrator. The poem is often interpreted as a metaphor for the pilgrimage, with the geese representing the pilgrims and their journey toward spiritual enlightenment.

The poem also suggests that the pilgrimage is not an individual journey but a shared experience with others seeking meaning and purpose. Finally, it speaks to the sense of community and connection that often pilgrims experience on the Camino de Santiago as they share meals, stories, and experiences with fellow travelers.

Overall, the poem "The Wild Geese" has become an important symbol for many pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago, representing both the physical journey towards Santiago de Compostela and the spiritual journey towards self-discovery and enlightenment.

Various legends and myths also marked the old ways of the Camino de Santiago. For example, it was said that if pilgrims completed the journey barefoot or on their knees, their sins would be forgiven. Another legend claims that the Milky Way, seen from the Camino, was created by Saint James himself as a path for pilgrims to follow.

Today, the Camino de Santiago is still a popular pilgrimage route, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

While the religious significance of the journey remains for many, others undertake it for personal or cultural reasons, seeking adventure, challenge, or simply the opportunity to connect with nature and other travelers.

OMTIMES.COM|MARCH 2023

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting over and over announcing your place in the family of things.

Mary Oliver-US (1935 - 2019) Wild Geese

March A| 2023

The Way of The Geese

BEEBE BAHRAMI

AN INTERVIEW WITH BEEBE BAHRAMI

BY SANDIE SEDGBEER Since the 12th Century, Pilgrims have been walking the Camino, a network of roots traversing France, Spain, and Portugal that lead to the shrine of the Apostle St. James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago De Compostela in Galicia, in Northwestern Spain.

In recent years, interest in this past has surged to the point where more than 200,000 people worldwide undertake some or all of this 500-mile journey every year.

Over the past decade, I've interviewed several travelers who've made movies or written travel guides and memoirs about the Camino. And during that time, not in any of their narratives has anyone breathed a word about the ancient mysteries of web-footed Virgin Marys, mothers, goddesses, Templar Knights, fairytales, and geese that fill the pages of the Book, the Way of the Wild Goose.

Three pilgrimages follow geese, stars, and hunches on the Camino De Santiago. I have with me today the award-winning travel writer, anthropologist, essayist, and author Beebe Bahrami. Welcome!

Beebe Bahrami: Thank you, Sandy.

Sandie Sedgbeer: So you are known for your travel narratives, your guidebooks, and your memoirs, which include Café Oc: A Nomad's Tales of Magic, Mystery, and Finding Home in the Dordogne, Café Neandertal: Excavating Our Past in One of Europe's Most Ancient Places, The Spiritual Traveler, Spain, Moon Camino de Santiago: Sacred Sites, Historic Villages, Local Food & Wine, and of course, the Way of the Wild Goose. So tell us, what first attracted you to the Camino?

Beebe Bahrami: Oh, I was a college student in exchange student in the south of Spain in 1986, and I was in a history of Spain course, and my professor uttered those three words, Camino de Santiago, and I didn't even know yet what they were, he hadn't started lecturing about them, but they just wedged their way into my cell tissue. And I thought, whatever that is, I must find out more about it. And then, when I learned that it was this historic medieval pilgrimage route across not just northern Spain but all of Spain, Portugal, France, and Webs across Europe, I fell in love with this idea, this high adventure of becoming a pilgrim on the road to Santiago. And it took nine years, but I finally got there, and I never stopped returning. So it's a magical journey.

Sandie Sedgbeer: You said you stepped onto the Camino in 1995, but right from that moment, you felt that you had found your place in the world. I mean, what was that feeling like?

Beebe Bahrami: A very visceral feeling of belonging? You know, everything felt right. I felt like it was my own native ground that I was walking on and passing through. So the experiences just opened me up to many more layers in the world and possibilities, but also inside myself.

Sandie Sedgbeer: Did you feel that you knew this place, this land?

Beebe Bahrami: Yes. And going back to 1986, you know, I finished that semester nine years before I even got to walk the Camino de Santiago. I was journeying up to Paris to visit cousins, and just on the train as we were traversing those northern lands of Spain going through Nevada and Bass country and then into Accutane in southwestern France, I felt this uncanny, energetic pull; and it was an overnight train, and I couldn't sleep. So I just stood at the window and gazed out the window and vowed that I would go back. And I did. It took a while, but I did, and that feeling was still there. It's like nothing I've ever felt before, and it doesn't go away. I was told that if you accept this invitation, there will be much to learn. And it's encoded inside you as well. Anyone could say that, but we all find our own place. You know, we navigate our inner and outer map as is most appropriate to us. And this was mine.

Sandie Sedgbeer: I first heard about the Camino when I read Shirley McClain's Book. And it just felt like the most magical place to me. It drew me.

Since then, as I mentioned in the intro, I have interviewed many people who've written books about the Camino, books about their own experiences, and movies about the Camino. And even the guy who writes the Camino Guides, John Briley, I've interviewed him as well, but I've read a book quite like yours. Yours, you know, I mean, apart from the fact that it is so beautifully written, incredible descriptions, it does read a little bit like some kind of a detective story as well as a Dan Brown thriller. It's got so many elements in it. But, still, yours goes deeper into that spiritual journey than anybody I've ever read. You went back three times, didn't you?

Beebe Bahrami: I've gone back many more times than that. But for this particular topic, this mystery, it was three devoted conscious pilgrimages before I started the First Goose pilgrimage. Though I had been on the Camino many times before, I have now since several times after. But it was when I really realized this goose symbolism keeps coming up. And every time I'm on the Camino, it comes up in different forms and variations through people, through stone carvings, through an inlaid board game in, Lograno in on the Camino de Santiago, the Camino Francis, that's, uh, called The Game of the Goose and is also considered a metaphor for the Camino and for life. And it kept coming up, and I thought, I need to do something organized and start going on a pilgrimage that's devoted to looking for the goose signs and noting them all down.

Sandie Sedgbeer: So, tell us the story about the Goose then. Why the Goose?

Beebe Bahrami: Why the Goose? That was the first time I really heard of it. Well, first of all, as an anthropologist, I was already familiar with Camino literature, even before I had stepped on it. I wanted to read about historical tales, and I came upon some books in Spanish and in French that were more esoteric. They were speaking about some pilgrims walking on a spiritual initiatory path. And they would follow signs that were maybe not as evident. We follow scallop shells, we follow arrows, but these pilgrims were also following the footprint of the Goose. So, when I first read that, I thought, Hmm, what?

And then, I met some pilgrims on the Camino when I was walking it, mostly from Spain and France, who also said they were on this initiatory spiritual path. They were following signs, and one of them was the footprint of the Goose.

And that's when I just thought, this is really making no sense, and it's wacky, but it's wonderful, and I'm curious. And then when I encountered that board game, inlaid in the square, in Lograno, the capital of the province of La Rioja, about a third of the way along the Camino de Santiago across northern Spain.

This is a board game that has 63 squares. It's like a labyrinth or a shimming serpent going back and forth to a winning square, the 63rd square on those 63 squares. 13 of them are geese. So they're geese squares, and they're lucky squares.

And the parish priest whose idea is really behind this board game being inlaid on this plaza that is right on the Camino, as you walk through Logano, his whole idea was to say, wake up pilgrims. And anyone who passes by the board game to the fact that we are on a spiritual journey in life.

And the Camino is a metaphor for life. And the game of the Goose is a metaphor for the Camino and for life. And that geese are indeed lucky. They are ancient messengers that have spoken between mortals in the divine, and they are guides and guardians.

So look for the goose square as you walk.

And that's when I really started saying, I need to pay more attention to this. And I dug more deeply, and I started finding that there is a rich, huge, vast, diverse body of lore from across Eurasia. But I was really focusing on European traditions that involve the Goose and the goddess. And, oftentimes, if the goddess isn't pictured with the Goose, and the Goose is very explicitly one of her messenger animals or one of her guardian animals, like Juno and the geese, who guard her temple, they appear with goose or duck feet, you know?

So they become these hybrid divinities embodying the qualities of the Goose. And I kept finding these web-footed goddesses. And then, on the Camino, I found one who is now Mary, who had all of the characteristics of the ancient goddesses, such as showing up at holy streams or cave openings. She might be combing her hair or spinning flax or wool thread. And very often, her feet are in the water, and if you look in, they have goose or ducky feet. I realize there's a synchronism happening between the ancient pre-Christian and the Christian female divinities. And, the lore just kept, kept building and building. And I realized that there's this whole folkloric collection of traditions, including our mother goose tales of my mother, the Goose. Why would Charles Perrault in 1695 call these folk tales that he had gathered the stories of Mother Goose or my mother, the Goose, because there was some precedent that there was this guide and guardian, this divine guide and guardian who was the teacher and protector of earth stories?

And when you really look into the Mother Goose stories, they are earth wisdom tales. It was a safe way for the feminine divine to survive.

Now centuries after Christianity, with a very patriarchal flavor of a male elite, essentially determined the sacred traditions to survive in a safe way. And then I started seeing these images engraved in medieval churches in the stones, especially the Romanesque of the 11th and 12th centuries. And, you know, realized that the Masons were also playing with all these different symbols and folklore traditions in keeping them in play, even as official versions of Christianity were gaining greater and greater dominance.

Sandie Sedgbeer: So what about, tell me about the parallel universes, which is kind of mentioned in the press releases about your Book, a kind of parallel universe to the Christian Camino de Santiago.

Beebe Bahrami: Right, right. You know, nothing comes into play from a vacuum.

Yeah, so Christianity took root in Europe, overlaying itself on prior traditions. And I mean, almost all the chapels you find from the Middle Ages were already recognized as holy places before a chapel was built there. There Might have been a holy stream or a cave. And the Camino is especially full of these places, and almost all these chapels are devoted to Mary.

She is the first and foremost personality that they're devoted to. And they all have these very beautiful nature-based origin stories.

Like, there's our Lady of Najera, also in La Rioja, she was discovered in a cave. A King, Garcia, I forget, which is it…The third was out hunting, around 1044 AD. And his falcon took off after a dove and suddenly disappeared in a thicket of trees against this red stone wall, a cliff. And the king parted the trees, went in, and saw a cave.

And as he went into the cave, he smelled lilies and saw the light. As he arrived at the back of the cave, there was the falcon in the dove, seated peaceably on either side of a beautiful image of mother Mary with Lilies at her feet.

And this light just coming from Inside, and now there's a candle, but there's this divine light emitting from the cave. There's another story in Leboreiro. This is Galicia of a chapel also devoted to Santa Maria, to Mary. And the story goes that villagers, sometime probably in the 12th century, they'd actually just built their church. And they, this beautiful spring, suddenly emerged and started flowing with water, and they could smell the perfume from it by day and see the light coming out of it by night.

So it was just this, this, this beautiful layering, you know, of these prior sacred systems that were finding a way to, to continue to fold into the next narrative. People only until very recently, we were all living directly from the earth. We had a knowledge of the earth; we grew our food, we herded, we hunted, and we gathered. And when you're in that deep of a relationship with your very livelihood, you are very sensitive to it. You are also to the point where people would make offerings at certain springs or meadows just to assure the crops' or the animals' health. And it's really only something that we've recently kind of lost. We've been separated from, and even more so when we have visualized a divinity that is somewhere up there or out there but not here, rooted in the earth.

And all of these stories, all these prior spiritualities, we're saying is we still need to be rooted in the earth, and the earth is still sacred. She can be, at times, represented by Mary, and she can also be represented by these hybrid female divinities who often have bird feet. And the duck feet and the goose feet are really significant, too, because these starts going into shamanic realms. Where animals can navigate both the underworld, this world, and the upper world. The geese and ducks can dive in the water, lay their eggs on the earth, and they can fly magnificently to the point where geese are the first migratory animals, birds to say, spring is here, or, you know, autumn is here. And they start moving long before other birds are willing to take that risk.

#TRENDING

"The Geese are ancient messengers that have spoken between mortals in the divine, and they are guides and guardians."

Sandie Sedgbeer: There are lots of stories, obviously, and stories of stories. Engravings depictions are something else. I mean, what was the oldest depiction of the Geese that you come across?

Beebe Bahrami: A really old one. There is a waterfowl ivory engraving. I believe its origination goes back about 30,000 years to the earliest, really, to the earliest mobile art, the earliest human art and some of the earliest human art. But so 30,000 years ago, somebody thought, this creature's important enough to invest in engraving into ivory.

Sandie Sedgbeer: Interesting. So, you said you'd been to the Camino before learning about the geese. So at what point did the geese come into the story then for you?

Beebe Bahrami: I spent a lot of time on several routes of the Camino, especially the Camino Frances (The French Way), the most famous route; that goes across northern Spain, but also the other route across northern Spain, the Camino del Norte. And that's the one that traverses the Atlantic coastline of Iberia. That's where I started really hearing these stories of these bird-footed divinities. So it was already on my radar that this is so interesting. And the literature, the anthropological literature, and the historical literature speak as we have from Strabo (2) from over 2000 years ago; he wrote about the northern peoples of Iberia as the Romans were making inroads and said: these are going to be the harder people to assimilate into the empire, into the Roman world because their women govern, their women inherit their women.

Sandie Sedgbeer: So, how did that understanding change your experience walking the Camino?

Beebe Bahrami: It made me, first and foremost, and maybe this is why it's so effective as an initiatory journey.

It made me pay much more attention to everything. It became the best method for a walking meditation I think I've ever stumbled upon. And I am one of those people who, when I walk, I'm better as a meditator. Because sitting down and meditating, I don't. I don't find that present time so readily as walking and letting my footprint and footstep be like prayer beads, setting a cadence and falling into the present.

And paying attention to the signs and looking for the Goose and her footprints made me so present and aware of my environment and the bottom of my feet that my connection to the earth and the interior states.

It was a level of presence I had never achieved before. And I think that's where I started realizing the power of what was happening here.

But even at the beginning, I really was approaching this in this very intellectual way of the anthropologist just following the material and seeing where the material leads, looking for all the sources and the evidence. And I didn't really expect it to start working on me. And then I just found myself. It was already working on me when I realized, oh my goodness, I think I'm one of the initiates on this path as well. And I absolutely loved it because it had magic to it. A very real, real magic synchronicity that happens when you are that present and paying attention.

You are open.

Sandie Sedgbeer: When you had to go home in between those trips, was that pretty hard going for you? I mean, it's like, you're on the threshold of this incredible discovery or quest, and suddenly you've gotta leave it, and now it's all in your head.

Beebe Bahrami: It is a relief because it's intense being on the Camino and tracing a mystery like this. But, in a way, it never ended. Because going home just gave me time to digest the experiences and reflect on what was going on.

Oftentimes, well, not, I say every time it's really true.

It is good for pilgrims to know that the Camino doesn't end when they arrive at their holy destination. In this case, in Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, the Camino doesn't end.

That's the middle of the Camino. And then, just like a medieval pilgrim, you have to walk home.

And half of the journey remains. And for us now, we fly home, take the bus, or boat home.

It's a faster journey, but it still takes the same amount of time, if not more time, to process the journey to Santiago de Compostela and, and gain its lessons.

I'm still learning lessons from the very first Camino I ever took and all the other ones after it. And there's still more there. So it's, um, it's, it's in a sense, I never left the Camino. I haven't left the Camino yet. And especially in the pursuit of the Goose, it was always on my mind.

Sandie Sedgbeer: What would you say is the most important thing that has come out of your journeys on the Camino and your adventures with the geese?

Beebe Bahrami: Everything really is interconnected, and we need to return to our reverence of the earth and take care of her. And that includes each other and all the creatures on the earth. And that there is an incredible bigheartedness in so many people. And the experience of the Camino, it's a big-heartedness, and it's also a beautiful kind of real, real magic that takes place once you step to set foot on the Camino.

You trust stepping into the unknown, and you open your awareness to just the very present.

Sandie Sedgbeer: You experienced some amazing synchronicities on those journeys.

Would you say that maybe no more than usual, you were more aware of the

synchronicity, or do you think some kind of magic was going on? I mean, it's on a lay line. The whole trail is supposed to be; I think it's on lay lines.

Beebe Bahrami: My experience is yes, it, it's definitely on a lay line, uh, it is a sort of supercharged, synchronistic place.

Sandie Sedgbeer: Do you feel super empowered?

Beebe Bahrami: I do only because I learned by walking it how much everything I need is delivered, even in ways that I could have never imagined, and I really emphasized the need, not want what I needed to be delivered, you know?

So there, there's this kind of honesty, and making one honest as well of the Camino. But there's definitely something powerful and supercharged going on there. And I think a part of it is because we humans have chosen this landscape based on certain innate features pulling us at our charge to walk it. And so we're adding to that. We're adding that extra resonance to it that makes it supercharged. It's a place that also says it's you.

You are invited here to walk in a way you haven't walked anywhere else back home. And I think that's a part of it as well. Why do the synchronicities seem to be so profound?

But by walking it, I've also learned, especially walking it several times. Then I discovered, wow, this synchronicity in these coincidences. They keep happening in ways I couldn't have orchestrated or made up. And so, having that experience now at home, I tell myself, pay attention! Because there is synchronicity all around us, but you must notice it. You have to see the openings that are coming at you.

Sandie Sedgbeer: When you were making those three trips and didn't know that you were going to, I imagine, turn that into a book, each of those trips was pivotal to this particular Book.

Were you recording your impressions and experiences? Were you writing them down, taking notes, the whole time?

Beebe Bahrami: I was on every one of those pilgrimages. I kept a notebook, and in my training as a writer and anthropologist, I called them my field notes. I was noting everything down, including, you know, at night. I would definitely do the full download of notes in my journal. But by day, I had just a little journalist's notebook that you flip open and it can fit in your pocket.

And I had that in my pant pocket, with a pen ready to just flip open and jot something down.

So I was, and now, with the advent of digital photography, that 2012 trip was, you, wonderful because it was the first time I really took a digital camera on the trail with me.

Sandie Sedgbeer: Do you not want to move there to leave America and go and live in France or Spain?

Beebe Bahrami: I do, I do. I'd love to have a foothold here and a foothold there, which is what I'm doing right now. But at some point, I'd really like to have my main base be probably Southwestern France. Then I'll be ever ready to get on the Camino and cross the Pyrenees and walk across Northern Spain.

Sandie Sedgbeer: You made a wonderful friend when you stayed in France.And there a little town or village that you are particularly fond of, and she was like a mentor to you, a wise elder. Is she still with us?

Beebe Bahrami: She is. Thank you for asking about her. Her name is Bernadette. She just turned 89 and is in sarlat, my home base, when I'm in Europe. So I will go there, and I always touch in with her first. And she really is like the wise woman met at the fork in the road, who has words of guidance and advice. I mean, she is a goose in that sense.

The Guide and Guardian and each of my pilgrimages is held by her. It's framed in the beginning and in the end. And she always would want to send me off with words of wisdom. And then, when I'd come back after El Camino and go to Sarlat, she'd want to sit down with me and get the full download and then have something uncanny that would fully unlock the whole mystery of what that walk had been about.

Sandie Sedgbeer: Have you found that any other routes also feature the Goose?

Beebe Bahrami: Yeah, I think there is because following the folklore trail, Jacob Grimm in Teutonic Mythology wrote about the Goose footed goddess. And he said there's a goosefooted goddess across Europe. You know, there's one in Scandinavia, one in Southern Germany, one in Southern France that there are all these beings, in across northern Spain. And I think that anyone walking any of the Camino routes, like the Jacobs Way (Jakobswege) in Germany or the Saint Jacques way (* )in France, would find them, Sandie Sedgbeer: You know, there is a walk-in trail in Victoria, BC, British Colombia, and I used to walk it a lot, and it's called the Goose. And everybody calls it, I don't know if they call it the galloping Goose, but it's known as the Goose. So, we are walking the Goose. And I used to walk it every day when I lived there. And, it never even occurred to me, I hadn't read your Book, that there may be some other significance to that name.

Beebe Bahrami: Oh my goodness. Since you've walked it now, you can reflect on it and see what comes up for you. This your Goose walk ... Yes. And I'm going to look into that. That's exciting.

Sandie Sedgbeer: Yeah. So, before we close, tell us about your two blogs. You've got Cafe OC and the Pilgrim's Way Cafe.

Beebe Bahrami: Yes, Cafe OC is really about life in southwestern France. And the Pilgrim's Way Cafe is about seeing life from the cadence of the feet, of footsteps, and, um, you know, very much about the pilgrim life, but also about exploring the world by walking.

Sandie Sedgbeer: Does it get harder each time you go, I mean, you know, with age or to walk the Camino?

Beebe Bahrami: To walk? No, it presents challenges and gifts, always in a different combination. So it's the same hard and wonderful, but different each time because I'm meeting different people. Yeah. This time I would say the challenge was I was walking during probably one of the busiest times of the year, after the pause of the pandemic had ceased. Everyone wanted to be out there and travel, and they had bucket lists. And there were so many people, and there was a point where it was almost overwhelming as much as I was just so happy that the life on the Camino was back, especially the people who live from the Camino and Yeah. It's very much a cottage industry for them, so. Yeah.

The way of the Wild Goose three pilgrimages following geese, stars, and hunches on the Camino de Santiago by Beebe Bahrami is published by Monkfish Book Publishing and available wherever good books, especially travel books, are sold. For more information about Beebe Bahrami, visit. Beebe Bahrami.weebley.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

About The Different Marijuana Strains and Their Effects

N

By Brooke Chaplan

ot all cannabis is created

into a dispensary and find various

the same, and that's okay.

aromas, flavors, and potency levels.

In fact, different strains

"Strain" isn't exactly a valid term today

have their own unique

due to how marijuana has changed.

effects that can meet your physical

However, it is still popular, so we'll

and mental needs. You can walk

stick with it here. Let's talk about

OM TIMES | March 2023

the botanical science behind various strains and their effects.

WHAT IS A MARIJUANA STRAIN? A "strain" is a classification that identifies a plant's chemotype (or chemical profile), possible medical effects, and phenotype (or physical appearance). They're sometimes called chemotypes, varieties, cultivars,

HOW NEW STRAINS GET MADE Growers can combine male and female plants and cross two strains to form a hybrid strain. For example, crossing White Widow with Blueberry makes Berry White. This just goes to show how creative you can get with new strains.

MARIJUANA STRAINS

or chemovars. There are at least 700-

There are three main strains: Indica,

800 strains out there, but there could

Sativa, and hybrids. Each has its own

be over 1,000 more obscure strains.

benefits, but its effects will depend on

OM TIMES | March 2023

you and how well your body responds

a more relaxing effect. This makes

to a particular strain.

them ideal for sleep and works well before bedtime. These plants come

Sativa

from India and its surrounding areas.

Sativa is known for being high in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

Hybrid

concentrations. As a result, they

If you go into a marijuana dispensary,

tend to be more energizing and

you might find that there are a lot of

invigorating. Sativa plants are tall and

hybrid options. In fact, hybrid strains

have narrow leaves, producing floral,

are the majority of what you will

spicy, and fruity aromas and flavors.

see on the market. Even products labeled 'Indica' or 'Sativa' are actually

Indica

hybrids. The best way to determine

Indica tends to have less THC than

effects is to look at the terpene and

Sativa but more cannabidiol (CBD).

cannabinoid content instead of

This elevated level of CBD gives Indica

relying on the label itself. Hybrids

OM TIMES | March 2023

can be higher in THC or CBD and

effects or tetrahydrocannabivarin

therefore have a greater variety of

(THCV) for its combination of anxiety

effects.

relief and milder psychoactive

WHICH STRAIN TO CHOOSE

effects. You'll want to think about the terpenes, aromas, and flavors.

You might want to consider starting

You will likely need to try a few

off with a strain lower in THC so that

different "strains" before you find

you do not get inundated with some

what works best for you. You

potent effects. For example, you

might also want to mix and match

might want to start off at an 80:20

for daytime and nighttime use.

CBD: THC and work your way up to a

Remember, marijuana strains

50:50 or 1:1 ratio once you've gotten

respond differently based on your

used to the psychoactive effects of

unique physical needs, so something

THC. You might also want to look

that works for someone else might

into cannabinol (CBN) for its relaxing

not work as well for you.

OM TIMES | March 2023

Back Pain?

Tips for a Quick Recovery

T

by Rachelle Wilber

hese days it seems like

care just as much as exercise and

we are constantly trying

nutrition. For example, most of us

to figure out ways to stay

know back pain is a serious problem,

healthy, but the truth

but many people don’t know how

is that our bodies need special

quickly it can be healed. With these

OM TIMES | March 2023

tips for quick recovery, you will find

that helps strengthen muscles in

relief within a few days!

the back and neck. For example, a low-back physical therapy program

1. PHYSICAL THERAPY

will teach you activities that help

Back pain can often be a sudden,

strengthen your lower back muscles,

long-term problem, and treating it

which can help increase your ability

begins with the first step, exercise.

to move. These exercises also increase

For example, you should see your

your core strength by using your

doctor if you have recently been

abdominals to help support your

in a car accident or suffered a fall.

body when performing movements.

However, suppose you have an ongoing back pain problem. In that

2. TRY ACUPUNCTURE

case, physical therapy could help

If you are skeptical of Acupuncture,

by providing the body with exercise

try the ancient healing practice

OM TIMES | March 2023

first. Acupuncture can help treat

3. MANAGE YOUR STRESS

back pain by stimulating specific

Stress can play a huge role in back

points in the body. Acupuncture

pain. If you find yourself experiencing

uses thin needles inserted into

stress and anxiety about your back

the skin and left in place for

pain, you must learn to relax. You will

different amounts of time. The

also want to ensure you get enough

goal of Acupuncture is to restore

sleep at night and eat healthily. These

balance to your body. It is a holistic

two things are essential in supporting

treatment believed to restore

your overall well-being.

overall health and relieve pain by increasing blood flow and the

4. CONSIDER REST

movement of energy, or life force,

While healing from back pain, take

through your body.

some time off from your regular daily OM TIMES | March 2023

activities. Resting helps a person

pain may still need to be completely

heal physically and mentally. Make

healed, and you will want to avoid

sure you have plenty of time to rest.

activities that strain or produce more

Rest ensures you get the proper

pain. While you are healing, doing the

amount of sleep needed to recover

exercises will help strengthen your

as quickly as possible. You should

muscles which helps prevent future

also avoid anything that could be

injuries from occurring.

stressful, such as work and social situations.

If you are experiencing back pain and want to learn ways to get rid of back

5. DON’T OVERDO IT

pain, give these tips a try. Following

Just like recovering from any injury,

these quick recovery tips, you should

take it easy for a while. Your back

feel much better in a few days!

OM TIMES | March 2023

Discovering the Blessings in Convalescence and Forced Downtime

W

by Lorena Junco Margain

e all know how it

stuffed sinuses, and all sorts of other

feels to be stuck in

unpleasant symptoms—we are

bed or at home with

miserable with impatience. Time

the flu, a bad cold,

drags on as we pine for the day when

or a virus. Top of being miserable

we'll be on our feet again, back to our

from discomfort—a pounding head,

routines and the activities we love.

OM TIMES | March 2023

Most of the time, we can take comfort

This is a dilemma I know all too well.

in the fact that sooner or later, the

Years ago, a surgeon treating me

symptoms will pass. what about those

made a grave mistake. After removing

of us living with a chronic health

my right adrenal gland, which had

condition? It afflicts our digestive

been diagnosed with a tumor, he

system, heart, lungs, and liver. It's

removed the left adrenal gland.

always with us. The symptoms and discomfort might cycle from good to

Our adrenal glands are small but

bad days, but they never go away.

powerful and important. Regulate hormones that control vital

How, then, do we reassure ourselves

functions like blood pressure, heart

during those times when the

rate, metabolism, growth, fertility,

symptoms are flaring and keeping

and a host of other bodily functions

us bedridden or simply unable to go

we never even think about until they

about our daily lives?

go wrong.

OM TIMES | March 2023

OM TIMES | March 2023

This error changed my destiny,

Limitations encourage introspection.

leaving me with a lifetime of medical

When sidelined from your usual

issues I must confront daily. A second

activities, you can embrace silence

surgery removing part of my

and solitude and dig deep into your

remaining adrenal gland ultimately

mind and heart. It is a powerful time

saved my life. I now live with only

for meditation, prayer, reflection,

one-half of one adrenal gland and

journaling, and generally connecting

must contend with a lifetime of

with your soul.

medical issues. There are days and often weeks when I am excessively

It's when it's okay to put your needs

fatigued. I am often plagued with

first. Sometimes we can put our

extreme fatigue, pain, depression,

needs above everyone else's without

and confusion.

guilt or shame, but they are rare. But when we're feeling unwell, self-care is

It's difficult and often painful, but it

paramount. It's a time to listen to our

can be extremely frustrating. I have

bodies and hearts and to be open with

been a very energetic, fast-paced,

those around us about what we need

and busy person, I love embracing

so we can move toward healing and

life every day, being involved in

tell ourselves that, in this case, doing

and active with my family, my

so is okay.

community, and my art. when bad days stretch into bad weeks and even

You become more spiritual. When

months, there is little I can do except

so much is beyond your control, and

stay at home, stay in bed and wait.

in many respects, all you can do is wait, there's little to do aside from

It would be easy to slip into darkness

surrender: to your caregivers and the

and self-pity—and I confess there

higher power that guides you. This is

are times when I've let this happen.

a time ripe for coming to terms with

We're only human. But I have

your human condition and mortality.

learned that, while not a gift, being

During my own times of being

bedridden or confined at home

bedridden or confined, I have noticed

can open doors to a host of hidden

a very tender window opening up

blessings and opportunities if we let

inside me. Surrendering is extremely

it. Here are some of them:

powerful. It gives you a glimpse of the OM TIMES | March 2023

immense universe and the perfection

There's also a physical process that

of creation.

downtime lends itself to organizing drawers, closets, and attics, deciding

It's a chance to get your affairs in

what material things you want to

order—mentally and physically.

keep and what you can let go of. It's

During confinement, I've put

very cathartic.

together a living will mapping out my wishes in case I cannot make

You notice miracles. Miracles aren't

decisions. This has meant reflecting

just the huge, earth-shattering events

on what I want, discussing it with my

we hear about in religious settings

family, and consulting an attorney.

such as healings at Lourdes or manna

OM TIMES | March 2023

from heaven. On the contrary: miracles

Gratitude is amplified. When we

happen all around us, every day, in

are tuned into miracles and the

the smallest ways: a flower blossom

tiniest moments touch our hearts,

opening, a baby cooing, a stranger

we are filled with intense gratitude

catching our eye from a distance and

for everything, small and large:

warming our hearts with a smile. Time

healthy food to eat, a cozy bed to

slows down when stuck in bed or at

rest in, people we love, and the

home, and our perspective zooms in

amazing complexity of the human

on our immediate surroundings. As

body. Nothing can turn challenges

a result, we experience the smallest

and frustration into a blessing as

moments and the miracles they hold.

gratitude can.

OM TIMES | March 2023

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.

Live Life to the Soul-Fullest!

T

By John Holland

he number 60 has been

my personal milestone year. When

very significant for me this

identical numbers keep appearing,

year. This number shows up

it usually means that Spirit and your

multiple times, and it's also

soul want your attention.

OM TIMES | March 2023

Whenever I notice consistent numbers or signs, it reminds me that my soul is always there—keeping me

Find the stillness within you.

Take time to just breathe.

on track and helping me maintain

Notice the vibrations that

balance. That's why I love teaching

surround you.

about the power of the soul. I want everyone to know that no matter

Honor your body.

your circumstances, your soul always

Know that everything is possible.

has your back!

Fill your heart with compassion.

JOHN'S MESSAGE

Speak up!

Here are 60 tips to help you live life to the soul-fullest! Go over this list and circle 7 of the numbers you resonate with most. Then, I want you to

See what you're feeling.

Cleanse your soul with positive thoughts.

practice the tips you circled—at least

Look for intuitive messages

one each day.

in your dreams.

Trust your intuition and yourself.

Use your imagination.

Send blessings to the world and everyone in it.

Imagine yourself as a being

Listen to your body.

of love and light.

Create a sacred space for quiet

Carry an attitude of gratitude.

time.

Celebrate your Divine connection.

Celebrate your own individual strengths.

release it to the Universe.

Listen to your gut feelings.

See more of what is really in f ront of you.

Listen to your inner voice.

Visualize all you desire and

Expand your mind with knowledge.

Ask for guidance when you need it.

OM TIMES | March 2023

Trust and share your true feelings.

Release all fears.

Celebrate your connection with

Have fun!

every living thing.

Share your life with a loving pet.

Take time to relax.

Listen with your intuition, instead

Always know you are a part of all

of just your ears.

that is.

Send out loving calmness to all

Notice all synchronicities and

those around you.

coincidences.

Sharpen your awareness.

Know when to let go.

Be patient with yourself.

Know when to go with the flow.

Find your center.

Trust your ability to write your

Slow down.

own future.

Give your intuition free reign.

Live your passion.

Get up early and watch the

Live in the present moment.

sunrise.

OM TIMES | March 2023

Be creative.

Let go of the past.

Get plenty of sleep.

Check-in with yourself daily.

Get silent for a few minutes

Do one kind act for someone

every day.

today … and every day.

Share what you've learned

Embrace the beautiful

with others.

energy of nature.

Notice numbers that show up

Believe in yourself … always!

in your life.

Chant OM and enjoy the vibration.

See it—believe it—become it.

If you know someone who may like to get this message, feel free to share these Soul Inspirations or recommend they join my newsletter

Put on your favorite song

list. I'd love to hear your personal

and dance!

stories, so do share them on my

Trust your first impressions.

Facebook and Instagram pages.

OM TIMES | March 2023

Soulful Transformations Judi Lynch

OM TIMES | March 2023

W

hen we all learn to

to remember that others are free to

respect each other,

believe as they wish.

no matter our religions, beliefs,

Regular spiritual practice or

or way of living, we realize that what

following a certain religion helps us

we have in common is much greater

to feel supported and grounded in

than our differences.

our life. It helps calm our anxieties about life after physical death.

As our lives progress into adulthood,

When we question long-held beliefs

our beliefs can change in incredible

and practices, we begin a journey

ways. What we may have been

of freedom to explore and seek

taught to believe in as a child may

clarity. Our personal life experiences,

cease to make sense as we transform

flavored with curiosity, can lead

and evolve. Our knowledge and

us to pursue other paths which

experiences grow over time, which

feel true to our souls. Someone

can profoundly affect the religions

who is highly intuitive or psychic

we practice or the metaphysical

has unique connections to the

beliefs we incorporate.

spirit world in very profound ways.

Unfortunately, certain religions

Many people are born into families

do not accept these attributes

who have a certain faith and

and may have strict rules against

regularly attend church services,

them. Someone f rom the LGBTQ+

classes, and events as a family.

community can also face criticism

They may expect their children to

and severe judgment. They may

follow their lead and remain faithful

want to practice the religion they

to their parent's religious beliefs.

were raised in but suffered f rom the

Others grow up without religious

lack of support or understanding,

training or parents who leave

becoming fearful of living in their

it up to their children to decide

truth. So many are afraid to speak

what path to take regarding their

up, and they remain isolated. Others

spirituality, without judgment.

reach out to those who are more

While there is beauty in keeping the

accepting and are able to thrive in

faith and following certain beliefs

their newfound community, feeling

throughout a lifetime, it's important

love and appreciation.

OM TIMES | March 2023

When we seek to have clarity in our

As we evolve into our true selves, we

souls through expanding our spiritual

are free to live our lives. Finding our

knowledge, we can gain incredible

soul friends and communities is also

courage. It becomes extremely

key to the feeling we have support

important to accept ourselves even if

from others who live and believe as

we don't fit the mold of what might

we do. The Journey of finding new

be considered 'normal.' We learn

ideals, and leaving others behind,

acceptance if we believe that we are

is a process. Our souls crave to find

here with a purpose and know that

peace and understanding while

our struggles and challenges are part

we live on Earth. When we feel

of that purpose. We can live without

accepted in our quest for spiritual

judgment of others, even if we have

independence, we open up a whole

been judged. Fear can hold us back

new world of possibilities.

from expressing ourselves! In the same way, fear causes others to lash out at

As we examine what resonates with

what or to whom they cannot relate.

us spiritually, it can be incredibly

OM TIMES | March 2023

exciting to discover things we had

or way of living, we realize that what

never considered or been exposed

we have in common is much greater

to. The study of metaphysics, energy

than our differences.

healing, unexplained phenomena, and psychic ability opens our minds

Judi Lynch is a psychic medium,

and hearts to other possibilities

intuitive counselor, healing

transforming us for the better. The

channel, and author. She is

more we educate ourselves through

president of the Crystal Healing

these studies and all the good of

Foundation, Inc., a 501(c) spiritual

the world's religions, the more

charity, and a writer for OMTimes

we realize there are many ways to

Magazine. She has authored

celebrate our amazing abilities as

two books, Friends with Lights

soul energy.

and Conscious Ascension, and has read for clients worldwide.

When we all learn to respect each

To learn more or contact me for

other, no matter our religions, beliefs,

a session, see judilynch.com

OM TIMES | March 2023

Six Activities to Increase Spiritual Connection

W

By Meghan Belnap

hether Baptist

to the divine, here are a few things

or Buddhist, it's

you can do to grow your faith.

proven that having a spiritual practice

PRAY OR MEDITATE

can boost your happiness and give you a sense of peace. No matter

One of the best ways to increase

which religion you practice, there

your spiritual connection is to pray or

are activities you can engage in to

meditate. You don't have to spend an

increase your spiritual connection. If

hour on your knees every day to reap

you want to deepen your connection

the benefits of prayer. You can talk to

OM TIMES | March 2023

your God f rom any place at any time.

spiritual people. When everyone

Meditation is just as simple. Some

is gathered in the same room, it's

meditation practices are complex,

impossible not to feel the loving,

but sitting with your eyes closed

exciting connection to the divine.

and clearing your mind for just five minutes each day will increase your spiritual connection.

ATTEND A SPIRITUAL WORKSHOP

PRACTICE YOGA AND BREATHWORK Yoga is an ancient spiritual practice f rom India that has become popular worldwide. Aside from

Spending time with like-minded

yoga's amazing physical and

people will help you increase your

mental benefits, it's also a tool for

spiritual connection. Whether you

increasing your spiritual connection.

attend a live spiritual masterclass

Incorporating breathwork into your

series or attend church on Sunday

practice can make it even more

mornings, it will benefit you greatly

relaxing so you can fully connect

to pray, learn, and engage with other

during each session.

OM TIMES | March 2023

CHANGE YOUR DIET

READ SPIRITUAL TEXTS

You can leverage food to increase your

There are countless religious and

spiritual connection by adding and

spiritual texts available, each with its

removing certain things from your

own unique wisdom and guidance

diet. For example, some people choose

for leading a moral life and

to cut out animal products, while

increasing spiritual connection. The

others forgo sugar. In addition, many

Bible, Koran, Bhagavad Gita, and

religions offer guidelines for fasting.

Torah are four of the most popular

For example, some Christians do the

sacred texts. Still, writings are

Daniel fast, while Muslims engage in

available on almost every religion,

intermittent fasting during Ramadan.

faith, and spiritual practice.

OM TIMES | March 2023

LISTEN TO SPIRITUAL MUSIC

f rom instrumental to rock! Whatever your preferred genre, there is sure to be an artist of your faith ready with

Whether you listen to music while

songs to encourage your beliefs.

driving to work or while you're on a jog, listening to uplifting and

Engaging in these activities will enrich

inspirational music can help you feel

your spiritual connection. Practicing

more connected to God. Many songs

every day will yield the best results and

can include references to spiritual

allow your spiritual connection to grow

texts, like the Bible, and can even

rapidly. Try one and see how big of a

help you memorize verses. There are

difference it makes! You'll be shocked

wide varieties of God-centered music,

at your progress!

OM TIMES | March 2023

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

How To Help A Child Cope After A Traumatic Event

G

by Rebecca Leigh

oing through a traumatic

them feel as though their lives aren't

event is difficult for

as secure as they believed them to be.

anyone, but it's particularly difficult for children. Going

As they go through this event and

through any traumatic event can

the aftermath, you can work with the

shake their sense of stability and make

child to help them through it and

OM TIMES | March 2023

make it easier for them. Here are some

child is unaffected. However, even if

tips child psychologists and experts

they're not outwardly saying they're

recommended to help you do this.

affected, there will be signs that say otherwise. These can include:

TAKE YOUR CHILD'S AGE INTO ACCOUNT

• Changes in sleeping and eating patterns

Your child's understanding of the world will change and grow as they age. Where your child is in their

• Becoming more clingy to a caregiver • Regressing to earlier childhood

development will dictate, to some

behaviors, such as thumb

extent, just how you care for them

sucking

through a traumatic event. An infant, for example, will react to your emotions, so it's important to stay as calm as possible and stick to your

• Struggles with school and homework • Complaints of physical problems, such as stomach aches

normal routine as much as you can.

These are just a few different Children aged 2 to 5 will need extra

symptoms, and the signs of trauma

support and comfort and again will

differ depending on the child's age.

respond better when they still have

So be aware of how trauma can

a regular routine. Ages 6 to 11, a child

manifest in children of your child's

will be more able to talk about their

age, and be looking out for them.

feelings, so it's important that you listen to them. Ages 11 and up may feel that they are out of control and

MINIMIZE YOUR CHILD'S MEDIA EXPOSURE

need reassurance that there are still things they can control.

If your child has been through an event such as a shooting or a

RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS OF TRAUMA

natural disaster, then it's very likely that it will get covered in the media.

In the age of 24/7 news, though,

After a traumatic event, at first

that coverage can be relentless. If

glance, it may seem as though your

your child is exposed to it a lot, it

OM TIMES | March 2023

can halt their healing progress as

sense of safety in the world. Because

they're forced to relive the event.

of this, they'll find it more difficult to trust others and the world around

Make use of parental controls to

them. You can help by making

limit your child's exposure to the

things safer and more secure for

media and reports of the event.

them.

For example, ensure they aren't checking social media before bed.

There are many ways you can do

When they do engage with media,

this. For example, you should ensure

ensure you're there with them to

that your child sticks to routine as

put any information they get into

much as possible and that they still

context.

get to partake in activities that they can enjoy. If you make any promises

MAKE YOUR CHILD FEEL SAFE

to them, make sure that you keep them. If they ask you a question and you don't know the answer, be

When a child has been through a

honest about it rather than making

traumatic event, it will shake their

something up.

OM TIMES | March 2023

BE AVAILABLE TO TALK

that it's ok to feel that way and that you still love them. The most

At some point, your child will want

important thing you can do is not

to talk about what they've been

pressure your child into talking. If

through, and you'll need to be there

you keep providing opportunities

to listen to them. You can't force

and show your child you're there for

them to talk, but you can provide the

them, they'll open up when they're

opportunity to talk should they want

ready.

to. Allow your child to ask questions about the event they've been

These are just a few ways that you

through, and reassure them that

can help your child when they've

whatever happened was not their

been through a traumatic event.

fault.

Follow these tips to help them heal and thrive after the event.

Also, show them that their feelings are valid. They can feel upset, scared,

Rebecca Leigh is a psychology

or angry, which are all appropriate

writer with Study Demic, where

reactions to trauma. Let them know

she focuses on child psychology.

OM TIMES | March 2023

Build Your Visionary Skills with Mindful Patience

A

by Ronald Alexander

s a creativity coach,

successfully envision their creative

I know that many

endeavors. For those who find

great visionary

Patience challenging, mindfulness

leaders of business,

practice can help you relate to

innovation, and the arts had

time differently and expand your

the Patience and dedication to

Patience and creativity.

OM TIMES | March 2023

Regular mindfulness meditation practice helps people become more flexible, collaborative, and patient.

It’s easier for them to drop any defensiveness because they have more self-compassion and Patience with themselves. Novelty and originality become more welcome in their room of self as they more easily shift into what I call a state of “open mind” where they can access their core creativity.

Years ago, I saw Robin Williams perform at a club in Los Angeles long before becoming a famous comedian. He was doing improv with a partner from the comedy group Off the Wall and completely bombing.

No one cracked a smile, and it was

performed again, he was so hilarious

uncomfortable sitting there waiting

my face hurt from laughing. I walked

for the team to finally make a joke land

out of there thinking how glad I was

or save us a lot of agony by leaving the

that he hadn’t let his failure stop

stage.

him from performing a second time that night — and that I’d given him

I could see from the program that

a second chance.

Williams was scheduled to come on stage again later in the evening as

Later, he would do some marvelously

a solo comic and thought, “How is

comic performances improvising with

this guy going to come back from

partners. He seemed to have learned

that awful performance?” I almost

from his past failures rather than

left the theater early but, for some

giving up and vowing to only work

reason, decided to see if the rest of the

solo. Comedians need to work out

show was any better. When Williams

their timing in front of audiences. I’m

OM TIMES | March 2023

guessing Robin Williams didn’t find

take three and a half years to become

it easy to persevere at his craft, given

a master. Fortunately, here’s a mindful

that he did so in a very public way

patience meditation to help you grow

when he failed. Still, he had to be bad

more patient.

before he could get good. He had to be patient and persevere.

Mindful patience meditation

It’s said that it takes 10,000 hours to

Sit in a relaxed and comfortable

achieve mastery, which means you’ll

position and rest your gaze at the tip of

have to develop a lot of Patience.

your nose (keeping your eyes open or

So even if you were to work at

closed, whichever is most comfortable)

something eight hours a day, it would

as you focus on your breath.

OM TIMES | March 2023

Now bring to the foreground of your

repeat these statements to yourself as

mind’s awareness a project that

you experience the calming rhythm

you worked on where you became

of your breathing. Notice that as you

frustrated and impatient, causing you

draw in a breath, exhale, and rest,

to complete the project with regret and

you’re experiencing a perfect circle of

discomfort with the process or to drop

breathing.

it altogether. On the other hand, maybe you were too impulsive or wound it up

Continue with the meditation until you

too quickly, not giving the project the

feel you’re ready to end it.

needed time.

Ronald A. Alexander, Ph.D., is the Now, go back, and this time see

author of the new book Core

yourself mentally repeating, “There’s

Creativity: The Mindful Way to

plenty of time.” Take long, slow breaths

Unlock Your Creative Self (Rowman

and exhale slowly to entrain your brain

& Littlefield, June 21, 2022), upon

and nervous system to slow down. This

which this article is based. He is

will quiet your impulsivity and sense of

a mind-body psychotherapist, an

urgency.

international trainer, and a creativity, business, and leadership coach.

As you feel yourself slowing down

He has private psychotherapy and

and resting, notice how you feel in

executive coaching practice in

your body. Connect to that energy,

Santa Monica, California. In addition,

bringing your awareness to it. Observe

he’s the executive director of the

just how easy it is for you to move

OpenMind® Training Program,

from impatience into Patience. Pay

which offers personal and

attention to how your nervous system

professional training programs

is comfortably settling down to a slower

in mindfulness-based therapies,

pace of operation.

transformational leadership, and meditation. He is also the author

Now, remaining connected to the new

of the highly acclaimed book

energy of Patience, continue to inhale

Wise Mind, Open Mind: Finding

and exhale in long, slow breaths. As you

Purpose and Meaning in Times

exhale, think to yourself, “Patience pays

of Crisis (2008). Learn more at

off. My rhythm. My timing.” Continue to

www.CoreCreativity.com.

OM TIMES | March 2023

The Science of Meditation

S

By Darshan Goswami, M.S., P.E., Pittsburgh, PA, USA

cientific evidence

with oneself, observing thoughts

suggests the health

without judgment, and finding

benefits of meditation

peace. But what does science say

include improved

about it, and how can we benefit

memory, increased ability to focus,

f rom it in our busy modern lives?

improved health, and more.

Could something as simple as meditation be a realistic alternative

Meditation is a centuries-old

to pharmaceutical drugs? Science

practice of getting in touch

has an answer.

OM TIMES | March 2023

Scientific studies now validate that

infinite joy. There are many methods

regular meditation practice has a

to meditate, and even a few minutes

profound physiological effect on

can make a big difference in how

the human body and can actually

you feel and think. Meditation

change how our brains work. Short-

practice can take you inside for

and long-term benefits of meditation

an out-of-the-world experience.

include reduced stress, anxiety, and

Meditation is an "Art of Doing

depression, decreased blood pressure,

Nothing."

strengthened immune system, and enhanced happiness. In addition,

HOW TO MEDITATE?

numerous research studies have identified specific benefits beyond

Starting a meditation practice

one's imagination, including a

is very simple. Meditation can

global rise in compassion, increased

take many forms, whether it's a

generosity of spirit, and positive

breathing exercise, a mantra, or a

societal attitudes about age, diseases,

guided visualization. For beginners,

and economic status.

I suggest practicing meditation through a deep diaphragm

WHAT IS MEDITATION?

breathing exercise.

Meditation is a proven scientific

Try to do meditation first thing in the

technique for relaxing or quieting

morning. Wear loose/comfortable

the mind to focus and redirect your

clothes and choose a place where

thoughts to improve health and well-

you can sit calmly without any

being. It is the ability to sit still and

disturbance. You can meditate in

block out all thoughts while listening

a chair, on the floor, lying down, or

to your inner spirit and speaking

walking. Sit in a comfortable position,

directly to the Higher Source.

relax, rest your hands on your lap,

Meditation is a scientific approach to

and close your eyes. Take slow, deep

understanding us as human beings,

breaths through your nose with your

as well as understanding deeper,

mouth closed (diaphragm breathing),

mystical truths about God and the

paying attention to your breath. You

nature of reality. When done deeply,

can hear your breath. Diaphragm

it also connects you with God and His

breathing pulls air to the bottom of

OM TIMES | March 2023

your lungs. Exhale slowly blowing air

daily to get in touch with deeper

out through your nose. Focus on your

consciousness and awareness.

breath each time.

Meditation can be done alone, in a Don't be discouraged if you lose focus

group, or guided by a trainer in person

and your mind starts to wander. This

or via online video. There's no right or

is not uncommon. Simply return

wrong way to meditate. The practice

your focus to your breathing. If you're

is unique to each person and can

a beginner, start with just 5 to 10

be tailored to meet one's needs and

minutes – then gradually increase your

personality. There is no "perfect" place

time as you get more comfortable.

to meditate, and one can meditate

Make a commitment to meditate

virtually anywhere.

OM TIMES | March 2023

Transcendental Meditation (T.M.): T.M. is a form of mantra-based meditation.

Mantra means a sound, word, or phrase repeated silently throughout the meditation.

Zen Meditation: Buddhist-based spiritual practice that promotes awareness and presence of mind.

Loving Kindness Meditation: Uses words and images to invoke love and kindness in us and others.

Guided visualization Meditation: Uses positive images, ideas, symbols, and mantras to help calm the mind while the body is relaxed.

SCIENCE OF MEDITATION Exploring the science of meditation TYPES OF MEDITATION

presents some very unusual challenges because it is not like a drug

There are different types of meditation.

where a specific amount can be given

A few of them are described below:

and compared with a placebo-like sugar pill. This unique discipline varies

Mindfulness Meditation: Pays

in practice from person to person, and

attention to the present moment and

it is difficult to measure and compare

acknowledges current circumstances

the results. [1]

without judgment.

Meditation is an ancient discipline Deep Breathing Meditation: Focuses

but is increasingly embraced within

on controlling your breath.

traditional medical circles as a OM TIMES | March 2023

powerful healing tool. But what

example, neuroscientists observed

actually happens to the brain when

that meditation strengthens the

we meditate? Meditation allows our

brain by reinforcing the connections

mind to settle inward beyond thought

between brain cells. In addition,

to experience the source of thought.

meditation causes the brain to

This is called pure awareness or inner

undergo beneficial physical changes.

consciousness.

These scientific studies have documented the many physical and

Scientists have recently discovered

mental health benefits of meditation,

methods to see what goes on inside

including decreased pain, less anxiety

the brain during meditation. For

and depression, better immune

OM TIMES | March 2023

function, a heightened sense of well-

accepted, benefit of meditation.

being, greater happiness and emotional

Meditation decreases stress by

self-control.

downregulating cortisol and adrenaline, creating a state of deep

Today, medical professionals, scientists,

relaxation in which our breathing,

and psychiatrists universally endorse

pulse rate, blood pressure, and

meditation. In addition, over 18,000

metabolism are decreased.

available scientific studies have validated meditation for its positive

Numerous studies have proved

impact on overall well-being.

these benefits, which include

Understanding the science behind

making one feel less lonely, more

meditation can help one to understand

compassionate and productive,

why regular practice of meditation is

and boosting one's self-control and

integral to long-term well-being.

memory.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF MEDITATION

2. Meditation can lower blood pressure and improve heart

Meditation is one of the best ways to

health.

improve and maintain one's physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual

Meditation leads to relaxation.

health. It's also an important coping

This spurs nitric oxide production

skill for people with depression and

in the brain and reduces blood

anxiety and a way to balance out the

pressure over time in people who

stresses of daily life. The benefits of

meditate regularly. Meditation

meditation can be experienced very

significantly and positively affects

quickly. While there are many different

heart health because it reduces

types of meditation, here are 10

the strain on the heart and blood

different health benefits of meditation:

vessels and helps prevent heart disease. Preliminary research has

1. Meditation reduces stress and disease

found just 15 days of practicing pranayama meditation can improve cardiovascular functions –

Stress reduction is perhaps the

regardless of the person's age,

best known, and most widely

gender, or BMI. [2] The connection

OM TIMES | March 2023

4. Meditation improves brain

between heart health and meditation is very encouraging.

3. Meditation can improve

function While meditation is best known to

depression.

help ease stress and anxiety, it can also improve our attention span

Meditation interrupts the cycles

and memory. Meditation improves

of ruminative thought that can

cognitive function and the ability

lead to depression. There is

to sustain focus by increasing

significant scientific evidence

gray matter and cerebral blood

supporting mindfulness as an

flow. Neuroscientists have studied

adjunct treatment for depression.

mindfulness and discovered that

Mindfulness meditation is as

meditation changes the brain's

effective as physical exercise in its

physical structure. Even those

antidepressant effects.

who briefly practice mindfulness OM TIMES | March 2023

meditation tend to experience

7. Meditation can slow down aging.

significant improvement in Perhaps one of the most

working memory.

impressive benefits of meditation 5. Meditating can increase

is that it can slow down, or even

compassion.

prevent age-related memory loss like dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

Meditation helps us better understand ourselves, increases positive feelings and actions towards strangers, and improves

8. Meditation can help improve sleep

levels of love and effective compassion. In addition, a growing

Meditation brings relaxation

amount of research illustrates

responses that are conducive

the effects of meditation on

to sleep. Research suggests

our interpersonal relationships,

meditation helps one fall asleep

including increased feelings of love

quicker and improves sleep

and compassion in the brain.

quality and duration. It also boosts melatonin levels, which are

6. Meditation promotes emotional

necessary for sleep induction.

health and well-being 9. Meditation can help pain Meditation is associated with

management

various health benefits, which may contribute to an individual's

Meditation can help one relate

overall well-being. For example,

differently to unpleasant feelings

when we meditate, we get a clear

and provides an effective tool

picture of our mind to promote

for pain management. Together

positive thinking and become

with medical care, this may

aware of the thoughts that drive

help treat chronic pain. Several

our emotions and actions. In

studies confirm that people who

addition, studies have shown that

meditate regularly experience

meditation improves self-image

less pain than those who don't

and self-worth.

meditate.

OM TIMES | March 2023

10. Meditation can boost

judgmental acceptance associated

relationships

with meditation lead to better communication of feelings and

Meditation has been proven to

reduced social anxiety. [2]

help us across a range of social FINAL THOUGHTS

situations: it makes us less judgmental, increases empathy, and positively affects how we

Meditation has been practiced for

relate to others. In addition,

thousands of years, and the positive

increased self-awareness and non-

effect it has on people's lives and well-

OM TIMES | March 2023

being. Whether you say a mantra or

About The Author:

just focus on breathing, meditation

Darshan Goswami has more

can help with many physical and

than 40 years of experience in

mental health benefits.

the energy field. He worked as a Project Manager for Renewable

Meditation is a powerful tool to take

Energy, Micro-grid, and Smart

you beyond the limitations of body

Grid projects at the United States

and mind. Scientific studies have

Department of Energy (DOE)

documented that regular practice

in Pittsburgh. Earlier, he retired

of meditation can boost health by

as Chief (Head) of Renewable

increasing function of the immune

Energy from the United States

system for healing, stress reduction,

Department of Agriculture

boosting brain function, increase

(USDA) in Washington, DC.

happiness, and emotional self-control,

Mr. Goswami is a registered

and improve overall health.

Professional Engineer (PE) with a passion and commitment to

Finally, we can't always control

promoting, developing, and

what happens to us in life. Through

deploying Renewable Energy

meditation, however, we can control

and the Hydrogen Economy.

our attitude and our response to

In dedication to his life serving

these critical situations. Meditation

humanity and poor people,

is something everyone can do to

the author supports the India

improve their mental and emotional

Foundation for Children

responses. Meditation also improves

Education and Care, Inc.

one's ability to focus even when one's

(www.ifcare.org).

not meditating. So, I encourage you to enjoy one of life's most valued

REFERENCES

treasures - Meditation. Why? Because meditation works. It's free, can be

"Methodological challenges in

done anywhere, and typically requires

meditation research," By - Opher

only a small amount of time. So, what

Caspi and Katharine O Burleson,

are you waiting for? Start meditating

PMID: 15973854

and transform your life. Enjoy your

Mental Health Daily, Scientific

meditation journey!

Benefits of Meditation (List).

OM TIMES | March 2023

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.

Conscious Coupling in A World That Thrives on The Shiny New Object Relationship

by Rene' Schooler

OM TIMES | March 2023

I

n modern love and dating,

in our world of love, sex, and the

many of us have a love-hate

relationship, we also are not willing

relationship with it. However,

to become vulnerable and trust one

there is so much freedom,

another nor give proper time to

adventure, and what feels more like

develop a healthy foundation for a

truth to it because we can easily have

relationship.

the style of relationship we want and not have to explain ourselves for

It takes about 200 hours of face-to-

it. We are finding more and more

face time with someone for the very

variables in modern love and dating,

first veil of who they are to be seen.

and the dating field is most certainly

Then another 200+ hours for the

becoming an equal ground for both

next veil and so on. This translates to

sexes.

time spent, and in our modern speed dating and relating, we don't do

However, with this equality and

this. Instead, we hop into a situation

freedom to relate and the sex we

instead of exploring a relationship

want and feel best for us, we are

and do so unconsciously. If we truly

also experiencing a massive amount

desire a love story that becomes a life

of heartache, frustration, and lack

story with our soulmate, then why

of commitment or stability with all

not become more conscious in our

parties involved. Creating emotional

approach, to begin with?

wounding that often supports our worst fears that speak to our inner

Conscious coupling is pretty simple.

child and say, " Yep, I was right. I am

It means that we take the time to

not lovable." This belief that so many

know ourselves and understand that

of us have that we are not worthy of

our intimate relationships only reflect

love can show its nasty face to us in

ourselves. So often, we are attracted

many ways, f rom telling us that we

to what we see as the opposite.

are too much or not enough, that we

However, the opposite is the parts

are victims to (fill in the blank) or that

of ourselves that we have not

we just cannot seem to get it right.

acknowledged or accepted. We are

We seek the perfect love story hoping

attracted to this other soul because

we can also turn it into a life story.

we feel complete with them. When

Still, because we all feel replaceable

we consciously look at relating, we

OM TIMES | March 2023

see that the ideal relationship shows

non-negotiables, and ensuring

us our fullness. The connection is a

we are courageous enough to not

union that harmonizes and creates a

sidestep and ignore them because of

ground for the full expression of each

some pretty packaging shown to us.

soul involved to feel their totality

From here, we can look at how our

within the relationship container.

lives blend with this other soul - we often overlook what seems like small

Next, conscious coupling focuses

things in a relationship, such as our

on knowing what we need, want,

diets or sleep schedules. However,

and desire to expand, therefore,

when we truly want a soul union

what we want to look for within a

with someone else, we must explore

partner. Knowing our core values,

and be realistic with bendability in

understanding our boundaries and

the relationship. It's not just good

OM TIMES | March 2023

enough to feel chemistry with

f rom this human desire to explore

someone. Compatibility is a must

something new. We thrive on new

for the long game of life partnership

relationship energy where butterflies

and relationship success and

fill our stomachs, and we get a rush

happiness. Chemistry will ebb

f rom our partners to kiss. However,

and flow through the life of the

a real and conscious relationship

relationship. Compatibility is the

is about the union and support of

glue that holds it together in times

this other soul. It is about finding a

of struggle.

place to call home and feeling secure there. This we can only have if we

Our world loves shiny new things

become conscious of who we are and

in everything we do and enjoy.

what that means to our needs and

Our relationships are not secluded

vision for intimate relationships.

OM TIMES | March 2023

Metaphysics

How to Recognize a Karmic Relationship?

K

By Ascending Hearts

armic Relationship

Are You in A Karmic Relationship?

Unfortunately, a karmic

How can you find out if your

relationship is seldom

relationship is a Karmic one?

good for you. They are relationships charged with soul lessons, and some

Do you feel a strong sense of

of them may be very painful.

familiarity when you meet someone?

OM TIMES | March 2023

As you know, this person from

Three marital bonds exist Karmic,

other lives? This baffles you, but it

Dharmic, and Cosmic. The first area

also pulls you closer to them due

is pain, misery, hunger, nakedness,

to a strong sense of curiosity that

and disgrace. The second is success,

bubbles up in your mind. This sense

bliss, love, financial progress, etc.

of familiarity might be more than

The third is only for the select,

infatuation.

pure, and holy souls and brings inexhaustible happiness.

SIGNS OF A KARMIC RELATIONSHIP

~ Samael Aun Weor

You feel an incredible desire for something you never wanted.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE KARMIC RELATIONSHIP?

You feel a divine connection with that person.

You tend to endure situations that

You feel like you already know much

are really destroying your self-esteem

about them without talking to them.

and preventing you from improving your self-esteem.

Love as a Karmic Glue If you are used to the hate within you, If that person becomes your loved

you will feel nothing wrong, even if

one, it will affect your relationship

other people make you feel that way.

with a tantalizing intensity. You will feel an overwhelming sensation

You are bound by your old family

inside your bones, unlike anything

patterns because you voluntarily

you have ever felt before, because of

believe to be subjected to loneliness

this unprecedented connection that

and acute despair. You may panic

you share with them.

when thinking of ending up alone.

Unfortunately, these are signs of a

Suppose you are in a relationship

karmic relationship, and it is seldom

that is under the power of karmic

good for you. They are relationships

influence. In that case, you need to

charged with soul lessons, and some

raise your vibration and earnestly

of them may be very painful.

open your eyes to reality. Karma OM TIMES | March 2023

means balance and lessons.

Sometimes these lessons involve

DISTINCTION BETWEEN LOVE AND KARMA

self-love, self-care, and sovereignty.

Otherwise, you will surround yourself

It is not that easy to distinguish

with negativity and old limiting

between loving relationships

behavior patterns. Do not hold

of souls and karmic ones. Love

yourself.

should reassure and calm you, while karmic relationships will

You do not even realize it, but you

fill your life with the energy of

unconsciously repeat these patterns

unrest, of the feeling that you are

and put your future at risk.

permanently walking on eggs OM TIMES | March 2023

when with the person. That is not a

need to choose to stay with that

comfortable feeling.

someone for unexplained reasons.

You can have insane physical intimacy

Suppose you are in a relationship with

with them, and that may lead you

someone who deliberately accepts you,

to think it is worth saving that

mistreats you, and takes advantage of

relationship, but no. It’s just a karma

your love. In that case, you are under

maneuver to make you feel all the

the amazing hypnosis of karma.

possible angles of that relationship.

Many of these feelings are solely yours

You may or may not be completely

and may not be reciprocated by the

aware of the situation, but you still

person in question.

OM TIMES | March 2023

OM TIMES | March 2023

Since karma is meeting self,

that you shape your own path.

we acquire karma as we meet

Otherwise, you will leave things

self in our many attitudes and

as they are and never do anything

emotions; when we serve in

about your debilitating situation.

loving-kindness and patience

Believe me, waiting and letting

or hold resentful malicious

things be will only make things

thoughts, what we do to our

worse.

fellow man, we do to our Maker our karma or problem is within

You need to evolve and grow

the self.

spiritually to get rid of old family

~ Edgar Cayce

patterns. Unfortunately, it is not easy to rid of patterns we grew up

ACCEPTANCE STAGE: HOW TO DEAL WITH AND REACH THIS LEVEL?

with and tend to accept as normal, even when they are not.

However, this is not always easy. It

Suppose you want to break free

may seem impossible. That’s why

from the fascinating spell of karma.

you need to ask for help and talk to

In that case, you must first accept

someone. Allow a f riend to reach

that you are really stuck in a karmic

out and help you out of this karma

relationship.

trench.

Once you understand that your

LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES

union with your lover is unhappy, you can remedy your condition.

Awareness is the first and most

Finally, when you decide to dissolve

important step.

your karma, you need to remain strong. You need to tell yourself

YOU ARE THE CAPTAIN OF YOUR DESTINY

with the conviction that you will never allow anyone to destroy your happiness and soothe your self-

You have to settle the matter with

esteem. And above all, you will not

your own hands and realize that

repeat the same mistakes in any

you create your own destiny and

other relationship.

OM TIMES | March 2023

Books

THREE PILGRIMAGES FOLLOWING GEESE, STARS, AND HUNCHES ON THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

BEEBE BAHRAMI

El

Camino

When long-time trekker, writer, and anthropologist Beebe Bahrami made her first full 500-mile hike on the Camino de Santiago, via the Way of Saint James, across southern France and northern Spain, she met French and Spanish pilgrims who told her that the Camino was more than a Christian pilgrimage.

They explained that it was also a great leyline, a path of earth energy that could transform one by walking. They added that under the 1,200-year-old Christian pilgrimage road, a more ancient, preChristian initiatory path could take one deeper into spiritual experience and consciousness. A person engaged it by looking for signs along the way. Signs?

Many, she learned, but that the most potent were those associated with the goose.

Omtimes.com

Ancient Leylines The leyline idea made sense to her, for she was already feeling it as she stepped along, an uncanny hum from the earth that seemed to support her every step. But signs and geese?

What did this have to do with pilgrimage, let alone spiritual initiation? She dismissed it as a wonky idea, dropped it quickly on the trail, and forgot about it.

But the goose would not leave her alone. It appeared as Bahrami walked, in village and landscape feature names, on medieval churches and monasteries, and most unusually, as a part of a massive inlaid stone board game, the Game of the Goose, in the Plaza de Santiago, the Spanish name for Saint James, in the Riojan city of Logroño.

Omtimes.com

A popular European children’s game similar to Snakes and Ladders, in Logroño Bahrami, learned that the Game of the Goose was intentionally set there by city planners and with the church’s blessings to serve as a metaphor for the pilgrimage, as well as for life. She learned that the goose was seen as a creature of luck. But what else did the goose mean beyond luck, signs, and children’s game? What really led it to become associated with spiritual initiation, pilgrimage, and the Camino? No one seemed able to give her a straight answer, but by now, she was intrigued.

It took Bahrami three returns on three more through-treks on pilgrim paths in southwestern France and northern Spain to unearth the answers, ones that were rooted in ancient, preChristian times and that had survived to the present in the seemingly innocuous form of the goose. As Bahrami pursued the mystery of the goose, part skeptic, and part seeker, she encountered wise and humorous locals, quirky and questing pilgrims, and unusual evidence in stones, local stories, and practices that revealed that the way of the wild goose was indeed a real and vibrant pathway, a parallel universe to the Christian Camino de Santiago.

Omtimes.com

She discovered that though the medieval Camino was officially dedicated to Saint James the Greater, older native goddesses and gods still dwelled under the surface and continued to influence the way. Most stunning, she found that the goose was very likely an ancient Eurasian earth-centered mother goddess who took many forms, but the goose was among her most prominent forms or association.

Ideas about the goose were crumbs, clues, and survivors of an older spirituality, ones that even found their way into stories of Mother Goose. n all this, what Bahrami did not anticipate was that the outer goose adventure would take on an inner twist; that way of the wild goose would pull her into her own initiatory journey.

I She began as a curious bumbling trekker and ended a seeker on a full-blown medieval adventure in modern times.

This three-part, the outer and inner adventure of The Way of the Wild Goose is a travel narrative about wild nature, ancient roads, and mysterious lore that tells a modern story of initiation, challenge, trail magic, and deep personal transformation. Something of a cross between Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love, and Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, The Way of the Wild Goose is a travel narrative and a detective story unearthing an old mystery and unfurling with it a magnetically alive and meaningful long walk on the ancient roads in France and Spain..

Omtimes.com

Beebe Bahrami is an award-winning travel writer and anthropologist known for her travel narratives, memoirs, and guidebooks. Her most recent book, Moon Camino de Santiago (Avalon Travel/Hachette, 2019), firmly established her as an expert on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes in southern France and northern Spain. She has dedicated three decades to unearthing the mysteries, lore, and many-sensory experiences of this massive and ancient network of roads that are all destined for the northwest of Iberia. Bahrami is also known for her essays and articles on travel, archaeology, outdoors and adventure, food, and wine, and spiritual and cross-cultural themes.

A Colorado native based in southern New Jersey, Bahrami extends her idea of home on regular visits, seminomadic treks, explorations, and excavations in southwestern France and northern Spain, one of Europe’s most ancient, deeply traversed, wild, and culturally rich landscapes.

Ever since she first stepped onto the Camino de Santiago in 1995, she knew she had found her place in the world and has delved deeply into these ancient paths and places across France and Spain.

Omtimes.com

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