Humanity Healing Syrian Refugee Relief Please Donate Here
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.� Yes, it really is as simple as that.
humanityhealing.org
Does your Radio Show stand out from the crowd? It will if you broadcast on the OMTimes Radio Platform!
Be Seen Be Heard Build Your Brand
Learn More
Looking to connect with the Conscious Community? Let OMTimes point the way!
omtimes.com/advertise
October A 2016
Cover Story
Metaphysics
24
86
Chakar Khazaal Confessions of a War Child
Health & Healing 38
Natural Remedies for Perimenopause
Spirituality 44 48
Reinventing Yourself Why Do Angels Exist?
OM Living 56 62 66 72
Coping with Death Feng Shui and the Secrets of the Door The Journey of Grief & Loss OMTimes Radio Spotlight Linda Frisch
Relationships 78
The Science of Unchaining Your Mind and Living Your Truth
Dismantling Our Own Image
Personal Growth 94 98
How to Keep an Open Mind Simplicity - Returning to Basics
Books 104 Book Spotlight - The Miracle Problem Solver 106 Book Spotlight - The Secret - 10th Anniversary Edition
Chaker Khazaal
Confessions of a War Child Chaker Khazaal is a Canadian-Palestinian writer and author who grew up in a refugee camp in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War. At the age of 17, he was honored with the Prestigious Global Leader of Tomorrow Award from Toronto's York University. After graduating in 2009 with a BA in International Relations, he became a public speaker and writer. The author of the Confessions of a War Child trilogy, he travels to war zones conducting interviews for his books and articles for the Huffington Post, and speaks internationally about the plight of refugees today and the world crisis.
OMTimes.com
October A Edition
Chaker Khazaal Regardless of our race, culture, creed or location, all humans have one thing in common, and that's the possibility of having to face a misfortune or tragic event in our lives. For the 60 million plus refugees struggling to survive in our world today, however, tragedy and misfortune have now transcended the realm of possibility to become brutal fact.
OMTimes.com
INTERVIEW BY SANDRA SEDGBEER
At a time when the narrative of world events contains so much hatred, barbarity and inhumanity, how do we hold on to the decent human values we were raised with like compassion, support, respect and love for our fellow man? And how does a human being who's been driven from their home, separated from their family, divested of all their belongings and deprived of all human rights survive with their faith in the law, in justice, and in the goodness of their fellow man intact?
October A Edition
Sandie Sedgbeer: Chaker Khazaal, your parents were secondgeneration Palestinians, and you grew up in a refugee camp in Lebanon. Chaker Khazaal: Yes, I was born in the Bourj al-Barajneh camp in Beirut. It's a refugee camp for Palestinian refugees who were born in Lebanon.
I remember in my early childhood, there was a lot of fighting outside, so we stayed in the camp. Today, people can enter and leave, but they can't go and buy a place because Palestinian refugees are not allowed to follow certain professions or own property in Lebanon. Sandie Sedgbeer: Living in such deprivation and fear, how does one hold onto hope?
Sandie Sedgbeer: How long had your parents been there? Chaker Khazaal: Their entire lives. My grandparents moved there in 1948. My mom was born there in 1959. My dad was born there in 1960. They lived there until the 2000s. Sandie Sedgbeer: What was life like in the camp? Chaker Khazaal: 20,000 people lived in that one-kilometer square camp. We got electricity for just one hour every few hours, and limited water, but there was a community. People grew very close to each other. Sandie Sedgbeer: How hard is it to get out of a camp like that? Chaker Khazaal: When I was born in 1987, it was amidst a Civil War in Lebanon. So, it was very hard to live.
OMTimes.com
Chaker Khazaal: Today, we have over 60 million refugees in the world. Hope is what keeps them alive. Hope is the vehicle that makes refugees breathe, because other than hope and dreaming, what else do they have? They have a narrative that is filled with hatred, anger, and some politicians — I don't want to name anyone right now — with a very harsh description of refugees, not knowing that these are people who went through a lot. So, for a October A Edition
refugee's mentality, hope is everything. Sandie Sedgbeer: It must be hard not to get bitter and resentful. Chaker Khazaal: Of course, when a refugee cannot work or cannot own property or travel, there is bitterness to life. I lived it, too. Thank God, Canada gave me the opportunity to study and start a life there. But later on, when life gives you kindness, you give kindness back. And this is what’s lacking these days. There's not much kindness in a lot of the narrative relating to the topic of refugees. But there are supportive people who are opening their doors and their countries to take in people who just need another chance in life. Sandie Sedgbeer: We forget that refugees don't ask to be refugees. It happens through no fault of their own, and could easily happen to any one of us. Chaker Khazaal: Yeah, no one's immune. Just a few months ago, there was a fire in Alberta in Canada. A lot of people became refugees. They lost their homes. So, there's no immunity from becoming a refugee. This is why we need to be in touch with our humanity; with our human instinct as to what exactly is it that makes us all human.
OMTimes.com
Sandie Sedgbeer: Tell us how you got your scholarship.
Chaker Khazaal: A lot of Canadian aid workers came to Beirut. One told me I should apply for a scholarship to York University. I was 15. I took a bus to the Canadian Embassy and filled out an application, had an interview, and they called a few days after to say that I got in. I moved to Canada, and my life from there changed forever. The scholarship included all my expenses at the university, and there were a lot of people, friends of the aid workers that came to the camp, who also supported me. Sandie Sedgbeer: Since graduating in 2009, you have become a reporter, a public speaker, and you've traveled to camps throughout the Middle East speaking to refugees living in conflict zones for your articles and books. What made you decide to go back to the Middle East and speak to these people? Chaker Khazaal: I think—and this is a message for every refugee who gets to resettle—we have a duty to each other. We're a community. Once a refugee, always a refugee in some ways. There are a lot of stories that need to be told, and it's our responsibility because we have lived the situation. If our life got better, October A Edition
there are still 60-plus million people whose lives are still in crisis. Sometimes, as a reporter, I put my life in danger. But there is a story that needs to be told, and it is not the story of one person. It's the story of an entire nation, an entire community displaced today. Sandie Sedgbeer: You've spoken on some platforms including United Nations Headquarters, Huff Post Live, Google San Francisco, MSNBC's Roadmap International Youth Conference and the launch of the Eight Arab Youth Survey, addressing global displacement. What is the most important thing that we who have not experienced this need to know. Chaker Khazaal: First, to not be detached from humanity. Six or seven decades ago there were many European refugees escaping wars, so let's not be too foreign to the idea of refugees. Instead of a politician saying he wants to build walls and block people from entering, let's not have that as even part of what we discuss because this is far away from our human nature and from who we are as human beings. Second, to make sure we are in touch with our politicians and our policies, to remember that we need to make the refugee crisis decline, not increase. Sadly, it's been increasing because we're investing a lot in wars, OMTimes.com
and it’s making the refugee crisis worse. So, policy plus humanity. Policy, we can influence in the way we vote. Humanity, we influence by just being ourselves as human beings. Sandie Sedgbeer: I was astonished to read in one of your articles that Palestinian refugees have been displaced since 1948 with no civil rights in their Arab host countries. Chaker Khazaal: Yeah, it is shocking, and it's disappointing for, again, it's not something new. This thing has been going on forever. I really want to salute the west and especially countries like European countries, Canada, and the States. The West has taken so many refugees in the past, given them another chance in life and made them citizens of their countries. And we can only salute these efforts and hope that other countries—like Arab countries—would wake up and take more refugees, not just as charity cases, but as citizens, and educate them, give them jobs, and let them be part of the economic structure of your country. We don't have to fight them and build policies and laws that fight them. These people have potential. Sandie Sedgbeer: You were on the panel discussion with the Arab Youth Survey, which conducted 3,500 face-to-face interviews with
October A Edition
Arab youth aged 18 to 24, who were asked to express their mindset on issues regarding the Islamic state and various other problems. What did that survey reveal to you?
extremist group, it does help us understand how all these stupid decisions we've made in our history of politics destabilized a whole region, and economically demolished the Middle East, Iraq, and Syria into Lebanon, which left whole nations with economic poverty, no means to advance in life, and then a group like ISIS sees desperate people that need money or support or a father figure, and this becomes the first wave of recruitment. I do hold accountable for the recruitment of ISIS every single politician that actually contributed to the wars in the Middle East. This is what we've got today—violence, fear, and chaos. And sadly, ISIS preys on that.
Chaker Khazaal: It revealed that the number one recruitment tactic for ISIS came from the lack of opportunity. We made a mistake in the Iraq War. We displaced so many people, we destabilized a region. People lost their homes, their jobs. When you don't have any opportunities in life, and someone preys on that and gives them false hope… while it’s not an excuse for someone to join an OMTimes.com
Even more interesting, aside from the recruitment of ISIS, it revealed that Arab youth, they don't want war. They're sick of it. They want stability. Sadly, we are not serving that. We're not serving the stability of the Middle East. We are actually contributing to the destabilization of the Middle East. Sandie Sedgbeer: Since you left the refugee camp, you have worked tirelessly. Your articles are very poignant. One article that really touched me was about your journey
October A Edition
back to Palestine for your grandfather. Chaker Khazaal: Yeah, that was like a pilgrimage. I was writing my new book, and I had just finished a reporting trip in the Middle East. And I wanted to spend a month or two in Palestine/Israel. So, I went to Jerusalem where my grandfather came from. Palestinian refugees are not allowed to go back, but now, as a Canadian citizen, I can go back. So, I rented a car, followed the map, and got to the village. I asked around, and eventually, I found his house. It was closure plus a pilgrimage plus a right of return back to your roots. And that is, I think, the dream of every refugee—whether Syrian, Iraqi or Afghani refugees, everyone dreams to go back home one day. And I feel so lucky that last year, I managed to actually have this dream become true. Sandie Sedgbeer: Your grandfather passed away in 2002, and all his life, he had talked about going home, the day that he would return, and he never made it. How emotional was that for you? Chaker Khazaal: It is a very emotional thing. I've got goosebumps right now just thinking about my grandfather because he left when he was a teenager. One day, they told him, “You have to leave your home, and you'll be back
OMTimes.com
in 15 days.” He walked on foot from Tarshiha to Lebanon and ended up in a refugee camp that eventually became the refugee camp I was born in. He always talked about his village, and I think I visited Tarshiha a thousand times before I physically visited it through his stories. When I did visit, last year on December 29th, I think my grandfather sort of came back to life during that visit. I planted an olive tree in the backyard of the house he grew up in. Sandie Sedgbeer: Did you have any ambitions as a child to be a writer? Chaker Khazaal: I love telling stories. My grandfather would tell us stories. And remember, in a camp where you have no electricity, and you can't watch television, you grow up around storytellers, and it becomes part of who you are. Sandie Sedgbeer: Tell us about your Confessions of a War Child trilogy. Chaker Khazaal: I really wanted to take that experience of being a refugee and put it in a narrative that anyone can relate to. Whether a refugee or not, white or black, Arab or American, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, straight or gay, every human being in the world will experience love in their life. So, I took that October A Edition
element of love plus the message I wanted to convey, which is that a refugee lives a journey of survival and tries to make something from nothing. So, I put these three together, and Confessions of a War Child was born. Sandie Sedgbeer: Did you find the process of writing the trilogy cathartic?
you're not even 30 yet. What’s next for you? Chaker Khazaal: I want to try different things. I've done writing, and I actually enjoy it. So, it's part of my career. I enjoy speaking. In my 30s, I want to do the acting. In my 40s, I'm gonna’ get into politics. And these days, to be in politics, you have to have good experience in acting. But, hopefully, I'll be a good actor and a good politician. For more information about “Confessions of a War Child” and Chaker Khazaal’s new book “Tale of Tala,” to be published at the end of the year, visit www.chakerkhazaal.com.
Chaker Khazaal: Writing for me is like praying, it's like meditation. If you're going through anything in life, I say write about it because you're gonna’ heal much faster than talking about it or thinking about it. Sandie Sedgbeer: In 2015 you were named Esquire Magazine’s Man of the Year. Arabian Business magazine ranked you first in the 100 Most Influential Arabs Under 40. You speak all over the world, and you’re hosting the Thomson Reuters Foundation conference in London in November. You've accomplished a great deal, and OMTimes.com
October A Edition
Health & Wellness Innovative new approaches to Healing as well as holistic methods for dealing with health issues and personal growth
Natural Remedies for Perimenopause by Usha Panigrahi
Deciphering Perimenopause and What It Means Perimenopause is the time between menstruation beginning and ending. Just prior to menopause, a woman will enter perimenopause. This time frame will vary from one woman to the next.
Omtimes.com
It will all be affected by how many hormones her body is producing. On average, a woman’s cycle will be from 28 to 35 days. As a woman eases into menopause, her ovaries begin to change and her ability to release eggs is affected. Thus, the woman’s cycle will vary widely from what was once the norm. For some, this may mean that she has heavier menstrual flow as well as other discomforting symptoms. for others, it may be that she has less menstrual flow.
Get to Know the Many Symptoms of Perimenopause Such symptoms are due to the lowered levels of progesterone and estrogen, hormones in the woman’s body. As the cycles begin to stop, the woman may experience frequent periods. Her flow may be heavier and she may become
stressed much easier. Her breasts may become more tender and she may begin to suffer hot flashes, headaches, chills, flushed skin, night sweats, fatigue and even mood swings. Depression may set in as well as irritability and anxiety (Just ask my husband LOL) Short term memory may also be affected as well as a lowered sex drive and vaginal dryness. This is all due to the lowered levels of hormones in their body. Many women start to retain water and gain weight more rapidly. It’s not unusual for women to suffer from incontinence during this phase of their lives.
Remedies to Relieve the Most Debilitating Effects The overall effect may be debilitating for some women. As their body adjusts
Omtimes.com
to the reduced levels of hormones, they may begin to feel stressed and suffer from distress. Hormone replacement therapy may help in some of the cases. However, it’s important to keep in mind that synthetic hormones may also make a woman more likely to suffer from a heart condition, breast cancer or blood clotting issues. Estrogen receptor modulators or SERM drugs may help in some of the cases, however, there are always side effects that must be considered. Here is a list of some natural remedies that may be a much safer alternative for most women. Hot Flashes: This sudden rush of heat makes a woman feel hot all over. It comes on suddenly and can be combatted by wearing lighter clothing from cotton or breathable fabrics. Sip on cold
Omtimes.com
water and consider a cold compress. Avoid caffeinated drinks as well as alcohol and spicier foods. These may cause further flushing. I had to cut way back on soda. Take in More Omega 3s: Omega 3 fatty acids are an ideal addition to any woman’s diet. Soy and leafy greens are also important as they have phytoestrogens that may help to lower the chance of hot flashes. Relaxation: Along with perimenopause, anxiety is another issue. It may result in mood swings and an overall feeling of anxiousness. Meditation, as well as yoga and deep breathing exercises all, can help to combat the effects of anxiety. Many women find it more challenging to sleep at night when they are in this transitional phase of life. If
they nap during the day, they may not be able to sleep at night so they have to learn how to relax and allow their bodies to focus on the priority of sleeping properly at night. Herbs: As the estrogen and progesterone decline, the women begin to feel more drained. Herbs can help to increase their overall feelings of health. Cornus, poria, Rehmannia and wild yam are all great for helping to promote healing. Mountain bark and Alisma are also ideal as herbal teas to help women feel better. Herbal teas are ideal for helping women to feel more relaxed. Dong Quai, chaste berry, ginseng (Siberian) and gingko biloba, as well as evening primrose and black cohosh, are ideal for teas to soothe and relax a woman during this transitional phase.
Other teas may also be made from Peruvian maca root. Always check with a doctor before using any herbal supplements or tea. A well-balanced diet and getting plenty of rest as well as lowering the intake of alcohol and processed foods is also a great plan. Stay hydrated and prepare mentally for the transition as well. It can be challenging at times and sometimes you feel like giving up, but believe me, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. References: https://www.womentowomen. com/menopauseperimenopause/five-steps-for... http://www.healthline.com/ health/menopause/alternativetreatment
Omtimes.com
Simply Spiritual To perceive reality from a different perspective is to open oneself to the wonders and unlimited wealth of creation. Simply Spiritual offers the opportunity to visit new places, new methods, and different ways to perceive the vast human knowledge of our Universe.
Reinventing Yourself By John Holland
The Question – What Makes You Happy? I think the whole concept of happiness, where it comes from, what makes you feel happy and so on is one of the most complex issues we all ask ourselves from time to time.
Omtimes.com
If you ask anyone the question--What makes you happy? --some will say it’s a result of personal success and achievement at work. Others will say it’s a result of having a healthy body and mind. Of course, these are true, yet when you observe people around you who appear to have it all – success, fame, wealth, beauty, etc., they’re often the unhappiest people on this planet in reality.
Struggles to Cope and Looking Within For me, I remember growing up in Boston as a child moving into adolescence and early adulthood. Yes, like many young people, I had my own struggles to cope with, such as: feeling good about myself, feelings of self-worth, wondering where my life was going, and so on. No, I wasn’t negative or pessimistic, but if anything, I just remained neutral, and it was more a case of observing life! When I moved to Los Angeles in my early twenties, the city where everyone walks around in a perpetual state of happiness (or not!), it dawned on me
that I needed to stop looking for happiness in the wrong places and do some work on myself for myself.
Reinventing Yourself – How to Do It? So I want to share some of my readings and thoughts, for those of you who want to either reinvent yourselves or at least reinvent the concept and meaning of happiness. In the Vedic and Buddhist traditions of ancient India, they believe that there are five causes linked to the feeling of unhappiness: The feeling that you need other people’s approval to be happy. The sense that you will be happy when you have … a bigger house, a promotion at work, those new shoes … and so on. You can only be happy when everything is going perfectly in your life! You’ll never be happy because of what happened in the past.
Omtimes.com
Nobody has taught me how to be happy.
Reinventing – Secure with Your Own Identity I believe that when you stop looking for other people’s approval, and you become secure with your own identity, so much of that unhappiness that was associated with wanting or needing approval will just dissipate and disappear. Enlightenment comes when you know who you truly are when you’re comfortable in your own skin when you look in the mirror and just say “I like me!” And yes, for anyone reading this who doubts it can happen - it can! If you’re not happy, then change! Reinvent yourself. Start off today with the intent to change something, no matter how small, at least start the process of change and reinvention. This is why I love writing these Soul Inspirations newsletters, as I hope that no matter how few of my readers actually do something as a result of reading this ... that for some – it inspires and fosters a mindset of positive change.
Omtimes.com
JOHN’S LESSON Start thinking of your body and mind in a different way. Don’t think of them as separate entities with some sort of boundary between them, but think of them as one ... as a single force. Become more aware of your body for starters. After all, your body and the universe are a single combined field of energy, providing a source of limitless information and consciousness. When you stop and listen to your body and learn to consciously respond to it, it’s only then that you can start to tap into a place of infinite possibilities, to find peace, harmony, and joy. Your body is an amazing vessel for communication when you’re happy or when you’re unhappy, so don’t underestimate or ignore the signals your body is sending you. It knows. It’s constantly sending you signals! Often unhappiness is a result of disharmony between mind, body, and spirit, so when you next meditate, try to tap into your deeper awareness, so you
can better understand the messages your body is sending you. Once you do this, you’ll know what to do (or not do) so that you create a sense of harmony in mind, body and spirit. Take time to appreciate and acknowledge what your body does for you. It has the capacity with all the intelligence that exists to play an instrument, to heal itself, to create new life and so much more. Equally, our bodies have an amazing capacity for creativity. We can learn new skills, paint, draw, dance or become a gold medal winning sportsman.
John’s Lesson in 3 Simple Activities So for my lesson in this editing of Soul Inspirations, here are 3 simple activities to try. Take 20 minutes of time alone with yourself. Don’t rush it, so pick a time when you know you’re not about to do something else. Sit in your favorite comfortable chair and just tell your body that it has your permission to do whatever it wants at
this moment without any restrictions. This is your time with your body to heal itself, and getting to know your body better. When you’re done, take a few minutes to write in your journal what you observed when you became more aware of your body. Was there something that made you feel uncomfortable? If so, what was it? Try and describe them in your journal. Finally, as you finish up, try and create an intent of how you plan to incorporate a renewed sense of body awareness into your everyday life. It’s like a body awareness check-up! Set your intent and see what happens. Live a Soul-filled life! About the Author John Holland is an artist, author, public speaker, and psychic medium. To learn more about John Holland, visit http://www.johnholland. com.
Omtimes.com
Why Do Angels Exist? by Belinda J. Womack
Incredible Help Is Available to Us from Angels Although we may be unaware of the incredible help available to each one of us, we do have great and benevolent forces of Light and Music surrounding our changing planet. These loving-kind Beings are none other than the 12 Archangels. Our protective and wise instructors of Schoolroom Earth teach us that our Souls have traveled from all corners of the great Universe to come and learn that fear is illusion and Omtimes.com
that only Love is real. And in our lonely hours of battling our fears, they tell us that our pleas for help are being heard! The 12 Archangels say that all Angels are the ears of God. God, the Creator of all that is, desires to hear the needs and desires of all life everywhere in the infinite Universe. Here on Planet Earth, Angels listen carefully to all that we wish to experience and create in our lives that resonates at the vibration of Love. They encourage us to voice each
desire, whether it is great or small, and to do this with a clear intention to receive what we believe will bring us joy or something even better. Asking for Angelic assistance to help us hold the vibration of our prayers and intentions in unconditional love helps the transmission to stay clear and true. Fear contaminates what we believe we want and love purifies our desires so that the blessings we receive from Source will be for our greatest good and for the greatest good for all.
Angels Come in to Help Humanity When we are coming from ego, we may be unaware that we harbor a hidden fear that we are not allowed to ask God to bestow us with abundance. This is where Angels come in to help humanity. When we infuse our prayer requests with Angelic love, our voice is amplified and we are heard, loud and clear, by our Divine Parents. Angels know, implicitly, that the Creator is the Source that can fulfill us, completely. On Schoolroom Earth, Angels exist in many guises from our
all-loving canine or feline companion to the great oak tree in our front yard. These incognito Angelic beings work around the clock to help human beings remember our true origin and to respect our birthrights as Children of the Creator. They want us to claim our blessings and use our creative power intelligently. Our intelligence grows in capacity when we understand that every particle of energy that exists in the Universe is a child of the Creator and all particles, and beings, are equal in value to each other.
Honoring Where We Come from, with Angelic Lessons As we wake up to this truth, we have the support to change the perspective of our selves or of others from being weak or bad to having the potential to transform anything that holds us back from experiencing greater happiness, freedom and health. Angels exist in our lives to teach us to honor where we come from and what we are made out of. We all come from the Central Sun or Soul of the Universe, the sacred birthing chamber for all Souls. Omtimes.com
The Central Sun is the Heart of Heaven, a place of pure love that is unconditional. Our Planet Earth was birthed from the Central Sun and designed to be a school that would provide an incredible education for all Souls willing to attend. In order to protect Schoolroom Earth and its purpose of teaching that the vibration of unconditional love can conquer and transform anything less than itself, our Creator gave Angelic Souls the ability to sing.
The Music of the Angels It is the music of the Angels that holds the Earth and all of her inhabitants inside the Light of the Creator. Their music is profound and fantastic. The sound of Angels’ singing, inaudible to most humans, works deeply on our cells to open us at the molecular level to receive the Love and healing of the Central Sun. Our Angels surround us, singing to us, subtly nudging us to open our minds while they gently plant the suggestion to ask God to fulfill our needs. As we send our prayers and meditations to the Universe, we shift the vibration of our entire vessel in a positive direction. Omtimes.com
We move ourselves out of fear and fear’s manifestations of lack, denial, guilt, and suffering. We lift ourselves out of the muck and rise up to receive with open arms all that we need and desire that is for our greatest good. When we receive what we have asked for or something far better, we start to comprehend that we are connected to a Source far greater than our little ego self. This comprehension is miraculous because it expands our consciousness and we instinctively respect our planet and her inhabitants to a greater degree.
Angels – Never Far from the Heart of God The 12 Archangels designed our curriculum to guarantee our success. No matter how many times we fall back down into fear and forget where we come from, we are supported as we climb back into the Light and Music of Divine Love. They say that we all climb together and if we hear a rumor that an Angel has fallen into the abyss of fear, it is only to go to the lowest depths of separation and catch the particles of energy (the human being) that has
become lost in the darkness. All humans and all Angels never actually leave the Heart of God, no matter how convincing the earthly drama appears to be. Angels exist to help us find our way to Heaven’s grace and abundance and we can do this right now.
Healing Exercise from the 12 Archangels Take a long deep breath and bring it in as deep as you can. See yourself at the bottom of a deep and dark cavern. Say, “I AM calling on my Angel to help me climb up and out into the Light of Grace.” Hold the hand of the Angel and together, climb the ladder that appears in front of you. Do not be afraid because your Angel will make certain that you are successful in your climb out of the abyss of fear. Step into the Central Sun Light and feel the joy of Divine Love fill your being. Listen with your heart to the music of the Angels and allow the Sound of God to
fill you with healing. Watch what happens tomorrow. Give thanks for every wonderful surprise that manifests for you! Angels ask us to remember who we are and to respect where we all come from. Angels exist to help us. As we are filled with their music, we awaken to our potential. Let’s ask to see the results of our divinity in our every day, mundane life. Let us celebrate that Angels are here and everywhere to help us feel seen and heard. © 2016 Belinda J. Womack About the Author Belinda Womack is the author of Lessons from the 12 Archangels, Divine Intervention in Daily Life. Learn more about Belinda, sign up to receive her complimentary meditation, and experience her “Healing Power of Angels” audio course. To schedule a private session, visit BelindaWomack. com. To watch the book trailer, go to: https://youtu.be/ UgXb7z3Y1pk Omtimes.com
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
Coping with Death By Andrew Pacholyk, MS L.Ac
Is There Any Way to Prepare for Death? Death has been very close this year. From the sudden loss of my dearest mentor and friend, the passing of my young cousin and godmother to the greatest loss of all, my father. Death has made its presence known.Â
Omtimes.com
I have learned this year, that there are really no ways to prepare yourself for the moments when it occurs. You can tell yourself it is forthcoming or tries to envision what life would be like without them. You can even prepare your will and estate for such a day, but when the moment arrives, there is no preparation.
Each Instance Brings a Way of Understanding On the Holmes-Rahe Stress Scale, the death of a spouse and death of a family member are number 1 and number 5, respectively. In the case of my father, he was ill for over 4 years, so in many ways, my mother, brother and I had time to “prepare,” in some way. With the loss of my mentor, it was very sudden. I felt that we were going to grow much older together and yet, he left this world as quickly as
he came into it. In the case of my cousin, her death from breast cancer was a long and painful one. This death seemed unresolved and unfair, while with my godmother, her Alzheimer’s diagnosis left her bed-ridden and speechless for years. So in some ways, death was a welcomed relief. In each case, I found my heart and mind going through an entire range of emotions. Fits of crying one day, then laughing the other. Some days, it would be a conglomeration of both. I also watched as my mother, brother and family expressed their grief in many different ways.
How Awareness Can Help Us in Coping with Death I have learned that there is no right or wrong way in coping with death, only awareness. This awareness has shown me how to understand the
Omtimes.com
process better. By observing how people react and bringing attention to my own responses, I have learned to be conscious of the events, objects, thoughts, emotions, or sensory patterns that present themselves each day. Grieving such losses are an important part of moving forward. Until we grieve in our own way, we are likely to find the present, a difficult place to live in. The end product of our grief is peace. Getting there does not mean having to drown yourself in tears, feel guilt or anger around the loss or feel like you need to forget to move forward. Getting to a place of peace with someone’s transition comes with awareness.
Death and Letting Go of Expectations With someone’s passing,
Omtimes.com
expectations become evident. But, it is the letting go of these expectations, which will allow you to let the “natural” grieving process unfold. We are geared to handle this process, yet our need to control it often steps in. We may think that we are supposed to “feel” a certain way or grieve for a certain amount of time. If we release these expectations, observe our own processes and be more aware of them, we will find that grieving is an active process. Grief is ever-changing and constantly evolving. This active “unfolding” of emotions must allow us to accept the finality of the loss. No two people grieve exactly the same way, but it is important to acknowledge the full range of emotions we experience and to express them in a healthy
and balanced manner. This “balance” also gives us a way to adjust our own life, after our loved one is no longer with us. As we tend to pour all our efforts into finalizing our loved ones’ wishes and consequently, not giving ourselves adequate nourishment, attention or even love.
Hard and Fresh Realities of Coping with Death Realization can bring to the forefront, hard reality. But, it is through this realization that we must rally to its truths. My mom is now alone on a large farm, by herself. I am now made aware of the fact that I have to be there for her, even more. My cousin left a wonderful husband and two children behind. I found it important to try and understand how they must now cope with their
loss. My mentor only left his books, work and intellectual properties behind. Helping to keep these projects alive, are now my mission. Accept help when it is offered. Talk about your situation with someone you trust. Give yourself time to things you love. Try to maintain healthy eating and sleep habits. Journal about your experience or help someone else with a project or plan. These acts of self-balance will help you to grieve naturally without control, expectations or feeling you have to grieve by any set of rules, other than your own! About the Author Find out more about Andrew Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac, at: http://www.peacefulmind.com Therapies for healing mind, body, spirit
Omtimes.com
Feng Shui and the Secrets of the Door by Kartar Diamond
Do You Know What the Door Symbolizes? We have sayings such as “window of opportunity” and “the door to your future.” These metaphors stir up all kinds of images and in the mystical realms, the door is a
Omtimes.com
gateway or symbolic portal to higher consciousness.
Once in a while, this is a very lucky arrangement.
In a very physical way, the main door to a house acts like a mouth. This opening is called a “qi gate” in Feng Shui terminology. The word “qi” is associated with air currents, and qi is the supplier of energy. At the door, we have a mingling of interior and exterior energies.
The Unseen Energies of House Alignment
For example, if we have a road aligned directly with the main door, this exterior force will intensify whatever kind of energy resides at the door, for good or for bad. This is because of the understood flow of air currents or movement, similar even to a fan. It is commonly described as a negative circumstance when a road and door are directly aligned, but this is not necessarily the case.
Unseen energies are created in a house based partly on when the house was built and its precise magnetic compass alignment. Feng Shui tracks the influence of electromagnetism on people and animals, and there are twenty-four different sectors on the compass to determine orientation. The more wellknown classical school which factors in time and direction is the Xuan Kong Fei Xing Flying Star School. There is also another ring on the Chinese Compass (Luo pan) which divides the 360 degrees into even smaller segments of 5.6 degrees, which are each
Omtimes.com
assigned one of the 60 Hexagrams from the Yi Jing. Use of the compass has been a part of Chinese metaphysics and divination for several thousand years. Masters were using cruder forms of directionology and distinguishing between True North and Magnetic North a long time before the Chinese officially invented the compass.
What Does the Door Placement Determine? Exactly where a door opens in relation to the geometric center of the house can determine the number of things such as how well or how poorly an occupant can attract or repel financial success. The door can also reveal what kinds of health issues an occupant may encounter while living there. These predictions are often tied into the birth data of
Omtimes.com
the occupant. The energy residing in the house just behind the door is not confined to the entrance. A person may pick up on this energy and drag it around the house to other rooms. This is another reason why the energy field at the main door is taken so seriously in a Feng Shui audit. This door energy usually ranks much higher in importance than what kind of energy exists in a dining room or a bathroom.
It is Possible to Enhance Door Energies Common sense things you can do to enhance the energies at a door include clear, unobstructed access, as well as plenty of natural light. But aside from that, the decision to have a certain element at the door, inside or outside, will depend largely on the non-obvious, which Xuan
Kong refers to as “the flying stars.” One famous author espouses that if a fountain is placed just outside the main door that it can bring infidelity to a marriage. While this might sound so specific as to be accurate, it is actually still too generic to apply in most circumstances. A door might also be split between two different directions. This can be like entering a room with two different temperatures on each side. It can undermine equilibrium and sense of security. This is one of the design flaws a Feng Shui consultant should make sure does not happen if they are involved in the design phase of a project.
Know More About the Energies of Different Door Colors People often wonder if the
color of a door can make a difference in what kind of luck they can attract or repel. A door is a fairly large surface area, more so than the average sized painting. When a door is a solid color, it may resonate some of that color’s energy. The decision to paint a door red or blue or white or any other color is partially reliant on the orientation of the house. In other words, you should ignore generic statements such as “a red door is lucky.” Often, these pronouncements are cultural myths or superstitions.
About the Author Kartar Diamond trained classically in Feng Shui and is a practitioner since 1992. The author of several books, she helps many clients through her company. Find out more at: http://fengshuisolutions.net
Omtimes.com
The Journey of Grief & Loss by Diane Wing
Death and Fear Changes Us All Many fear the Death card in tarot. It is the idea of the unknown that shakes us to the core. We can theorize what happens at death, but won’t actually know until our time comes. Experiencing smaller
Omtimes.com
deaths throughout our lifetime prepares us for the final transition from the physical to the eternal. Death itself is a transition from one state to another. It may indicate the death of a state of being, a belief, or a situation. It could portend the ending of a relationship or the actual end of our time on the physical plane. The type of ending can be interpreted in the context of the cards around it.
Inevitably, loss urges us to review our relationship with the person we have lost, considering the ways we interacted, spent and wasted time, and replay the last conversations we had with them. A new way of being beckons as we adapt to the new circumstances, requiring us to choose to lose ourselves in despair or to honor our loved one by making the most of the time we have left on this earth.
Our Grief Over Loss and Honoring Loved Ones
The Soul Release and Our Beliefs
When death occurs, there is a loss of some kind, one that we grieve over. The stages of grief apply to all forms of death, change, and transition as they help us to adjust to the new state that is created by the ending of the old. The loss of a loved one can be shattering or it may bring relief, depending on the circumstances. It is always life changing and forces us to reevaluate our own lives and the way we live.
In some cases, the type of death calls us to create a charity or a movement to address the issues that plagued our loved one, eventually resulting in their demise. In others, we may look at the ending as blessed relief from pain or misery, our loved one released from the torment of illness, addiction, or emotional discord. Or it may seem senseless and untimely, as with death resulting from an accident.
Omtimes.com
Our beliefs regarding Spirit/ God/Universe and those constructs that organize our beliefs around the nature of the soul and where it goes when it leaves the physical body dictate our reaction to the death. Our subsequent actions, emotional responses, and ultimate acceptance of the situation depend on these beliefs. As such, a deep exploration of how we feel about the nature of Sprit and of the Soul help to put the loss into perspective. Without this, grief may linger and destroy our ability to carry on.
Reverence for the Transition and Soul Connection To consider the deceased to have transitioned rather than being extinguished allows for them to live on in spirit. The person has gone through a profound transformation and has joyously reconnected to Spirit. If the beliefs do not include a separate soul,
Omtimes.com
then the person lives on in our hearts, in our thoughts, and in our actions. We honor them by behaving lovingly toward ourselves and others and remembering them with kindness. In this way, we can keep them with us and the transition is made smoother. We still miss them, but understanding the role they played in our lives and in the lives of others puts their life purpose into perspective. With death comes the search for the eternal “why,� as we attempt to make sense of the loss. Whether this has to do with a physical death or the smaller deaths that come with change of any kind, seeing the bigger picture and understanding the lessons held in the circumstance allows for growth in the face of difficult transitions.
Death, Grief, and Loss Have Necessary Roles Death suggests the end of a
cycle and the beginning of a new one. An ending can be positive in light of a fresh start. To bring in new energy, a void must be created. Remember that an ending is not necessarily a bad thing; it may be timely to your growth process. Detach from the emotionality of the situation. Be aware of the implications of what is ending and consider how the death of a particular situation, relationship, loved one, or part of yourself is necessary for you to move forward. Death is part of the journey of life; death feeds life, just as a vulture feeds on the carcasses of animals in order to survive. The dead leaves of autumn feed the soil so that new growth can occur in spring. Death makes us appreciate life and enhances our gratitude for the time we get to spend with a person or doing a certain thing. Change is a form of death, which is why we find it difficult to shift from the old to the new. It
brings with it the discomfort of the unknown, yet allows us to expand our experience and regenerate ourselves as we navigate the journey of grief and many transitions of life. Š September 2016 Diane Wing, M.A., all rights reserved. About the Author Diane Wing, M.A. enjoys exploring the mysteries of life and the way that people experience themselves and the world around them. Wing’s books create a transformational experience for the reader while incorporating a bit of the unexpected. M any say that her fiction has a sense of Karmic justice rendered within the realm of the unknown and that her non-fiction brings about a heightened awareness of the self and the world to enhance understanding of our own internal transformations. www. DianeWing.com
Omtimes.com
Host Spotlight
Crystal Skulls Oracle, Light Speaker, Performer, Author, and Conference Presenter Linda Frisch, a.k.a. Grandmother Allayah, is a clairvoyant and star-seed facilitator who works with and care-takes many ancient energy relics reclaimed for the ascension process. Drawing upon her expertise with jade, quartz crystal, and bronze artifacts, Allayah’s spiritual work incorporates these ancient energy relics, including the use of several powerful wisdom-infused crystal skulls.
Learn how to become one of our Premium Hosts
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.
Studies Shed Light on Being Fully Present
and many other rats to play and have sex with.
Dr. Bruce Alexander, professor emeritus of psychology, performed an experiment in the 1970s. His team built two cages for laboratory rats. In one cage a rat was alone and isolated. It couldn’t see or touch other rats and had nothing to do. In the other cage called Rat Park, they had good food and lots of cheese, running wheels for exercise, colored balls, platforms for climbing, tin cans for hiding
Rat Park soon filled with babies. In both cases, rats had access to two drinking bottles: a bottle of water and a bottle of water with morphine. Morphine is pure heroin. Unlike street heroin that contains brick dust, bleach powder, cement and other contaminants, morphine is much stronger. At the end of each day, researchers measured the two bottles to see if rats preferred the pure water or the heroin water.
Omtimes.com
The rats in solitary confinement almost always chose the heroin water. They always became addicted and killed themselves. In Rat Park, they almost never drank heroin water. None become addicted or overdosed. Rats are social, sexual and working beings just like humans. People who become addicted don’t have to be put in cages. It’s enough for them only to feel caged—in a job, in a relationship, in a family or in a country. They will drink or take drugs to cope with the situation. Prof. Alexander concluded that addiction is an escape from an environment where human connection is impossible. Alcohol or drug dependence is the consequence of not bearing being present in your own life.
Behavior Changes Shown with Addiction and Combat While prof. Alexander was studying the effects of the social environment on rats, the Vietnam war was unfolding on the other side of the world. According to a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, 20 percent of the American soldiers fighting in Vietnam were addicted to heroin.
The public in the United States was terrified that hundreds of thousands of veterans will become junkies but this never happened. When they returned home, 95 percent of the addicted soldiers stopped using heroin within one year. Another study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry revealed that addicts who didn’t receive any treatment were as likely to stop using drugs as those who went rehab. They changed the environment, they changed their behaviors. Johann Hari, in his book Chasing the Scream, wrote that rats in solitary confinement and soldiers in Vietnam didn’t become victims of the drug but of their environment. Addiction was their way of coping with “being dislocated from everything that gave them meaning,” wrote Hari. When you feel caged, and your world becomes intolerable, you leave physically if you can or mentally if you cannot. When soldiers returned home to a meaningful life, they gave up the drugs.
The Importance of Connecting with Others People who live in a social environment where they can connect Omtimes.com
with others and bond with their work will not become addicted even if they have alcohol and drugs around them because they want to be present in their lives. But if you feel trapped or caged in a situation, a job or a relationship, if you cannot bond because of you in life in a social context that punishes you for expressing who you are and for living your truth, you will find refuge in whatever takes your pain away. Prof. Peter Cohen, director of the Center for Drug Research at the University of Amsterdam, suggested that we need to replace the word addiction with the word bonding. We have a fundamental human need to bond with our work and with others, but we can only bond if we live our truth and open our hearts.
Do You Feel Alone and Caged? You don’t need to live in a cage, or to go to war to feel caged, and not be to able to find meaning in life. Your own mind, your unconscious beliefs, a toxic friendship, a job environment or family relationship can choke your will to express who you are with the same tragic effects. Your heart’s calling - your will Omtimes.com
- is only love and cannot be anything else. Your will flows through your heart and pulls you towards what you most value in life. When you embrace it, you find meaning. When you block it, you find pain. Love is the force that pulls us to follow our dreams and step into the unknown, to reveal and express who we are, to explore, to discover, to create and to bond. Whenever your behaviors conflict your will, whenever you think and act against love, tension grows within yourself. Strain turns into pain. Anger, anxiety, and depression follow.
The Importance of Living Your Truth I have a friend who is project manager for a financial corporation, but her dream is to open a restaurant. Her will is to start this new business. Every time she thinks about her calling her heart fills with joy. She feels love. But immediately her mind drags her in the opposite direction: ‘What if it doesn’t work?’ ‘I am in my thirties, and I have a child. ‘What will my parents say about me quitting my
job after they supported me through college?’ She then acts as she thinks she should and stays in her job without actually willing to do so. Everyone envies her. She earns a great paycheck, has a loving husband and a beautiful child, and she’s sinking into depression. She feels even worse when she looks around her because apparently, she has no reason to feel depressed. The truth is she has the only reason to feel depressed: her heart is screaming from a golden cage, and she doesn’t listen.
Finding Peace of Mind and Joy with Truth The greater is the gap between what love calls you to do and what you actually do, the deeper the depression you can fall into. The way to find joy is to leave the cage, not to make it prettier. Why do you think the waiting rooms of psychologists and psychiatrists are filled with successful people who realized after twenty or thirty years of work that money, a career and a house in the suburbs do not bring peace of mind and joy of heart?
They keep hoping that by changing the external conditions of their lives – earn more money, be in a better physical shape, have another partner or travel more - will change how they feel. It never works because the emptiness is not around them. The emptiness is within them. And the only way to come back to life is to acknowledge that little voice rising from your heart and begging you to return to love, to return to truth. About the Author Dr. Dragos is an award-winning scientist, author, and speaker on six continents. He is the founder of The Amazing University, online teaching platform. It brings together the best minds in the world to inspire and empower one billion people in 140 countries to live their truth and transforms their dreams into reality anywhere they start. Forbes named Dragos’s team at Singularity University in Silicon Valley “among the smartest people in the world.” His work is translated into 20 languages. You can connect with Dr. Dragos at www.drdragos.co and join The Amazing University at www. theamazinguniversity.com
Omtimes.com
Metaphysics
How many of us feel the pressure of identity? Yes, even though for some it’s hard to admit it, we all create our own image and identity. Since childhood, we are raised in an environment that determines who
Omtimes.com
we will be become. This may be based on religion, country, society, family, friends, and so on. These factors create for us a way to act and to perceive the world and also what we call “reality.” But nowadays, more and more people feel frustration and anxiety with the “life” they have created or have been living. This is caused by the fact that we are at a time of awakening for humanity and of evolution for planet Earth. But how to dismantle that image of ourselves and to feel the relief as we release that heavy weight we have been carrying, trying to be what we are not? Well, I’m not going to tell you this is an easy process. This is something you must prepare for, and to do that, you must feel the inner call to change and open up
to living new experiences in a lighter way. First of all, you must resonate with this process. Do not try to understand what your inner call is telling you with your human mind. When we allow our thinking mode to talk to us, we open up space for our ego and drown out that internal voice that is guiding us. We all are actors in our own lives. Try to imagine you are watching a play, and the main character is you—yes, you! This is the first step of a process, to start feeling like an observer of your own life and the world. When we start being observers of everything, our perception changes. Our consciousness expands and we start reacting, feeling and understanding that we are one; as well as the “why” of everything.
Omtimes.com
Of course, our identity or “ego” will try to trick us. Fear could be one of the reactions you experience in this process of change. But the good thing here is that you will be watching yourself, and when you do that, you can recognize when any emotion is coming from the light or from the fear mode.
this and start removing layers, step by step, you will find yourself in a new direction of life. Since those old patterns are not serving your purpose anymore, you start being really conscious. In other words, you enter a phase of surrender where you feel release and just open space for new purposes.
Being observers removes that crystallized image we have created. As we dismantle this image, we can then recognize patterns that have helped create the same repeating circumstances in our lives again and again. And because these patterns are also recorded in the subconscious minds of our family members, it brings changes in them and in us, even though we may not be aware of it.
Carmen Vasquez is the author of inspirational and motivational articles that always send positive messages to people. Carmen is a writer for OM Times Magazine and the founder, along with her husband, of Journey Angels. com and Carmen Vasquez.net; both websites’ main purpose is to inspire people to transform and develop their lives. She’s a mom of three beautiful angels and is happily married; the family lives on the Pacific coast of the U.S.A.
Thus, when you understand
Omtimes.com
About the Author
Life Stages Heads up for next 12 Months
Make the most of meaningful events and encounters and lessen the effects of any negative experiences. Life Stages alerts you to specific occurrences, where you should best consolidate, or when to experiment; otherwise where to be cautious; when it’s down to you, or someone else; when to wait and when to act.
Life Stages Life Stages Life Stages
VIEW A Sampler REPORT https://az792155.vo.msecnd. net/samples/omtimes/life_st ages.pdfSAMPLER Awareness of potential development Your personality mask, material security and intellectual ability as well as emotional security, enjoyment of life and responsibilities. Your relationships and ability to deal with life and philosophical beliefs. Your personal status, social life, secret dreams. 20+ Pages delivered instantly on-screen & emailed.
We grow as individuals as we face challenges and overcome life’s obstacles. This section is dedicated to helping you chart your course
Personal Growth & Development
How to Keep an Open Mind by Maria Khalife
“Confidence, like art, never comes from having all the answers; it comes from being open to all the questions.� --Earl Gray Stevens Do you remember being openminded as a child, enthralled by learning new things, and
Omtimes.com
asking hundreds of questions to be sure you had a good grip on the subject? It was so much fun, and in the middle of all that fun, you grew up. The majority of us believed that what we learned from the mouths of our parents and family members was THE way life was supposed to be. We had no idea that there were other kids in other families who were learning about life differently, and we also had no idea that more than likely, each way was just fine. As we matured, we became aware of some of these ‘other ways,’ and we learned to accept or reject them according to our preference.
Opening Ourselves to Limitlessness and Infinity Today, let’s take a look at two words and see what they mean to us: limitlessness and infinity. I’d like to propose that we view life as limitless and we consider the concept of infinity as ‘life without end.’ If you
can agree with the concepts behind those two words, you could continue having fun for a long, long, time and learn lots more than you’ve learned up to this point. You might figure out that there are so many more ways to raise children than the way in which you were raised. You might discover that there are multiple options for behavior in polite society beyond the ones you were taught. Many families exist in a state of fabulous harmony while they do things differently than the way you learned to do them. Why? Because life is limitless and there is an infinity of time and space in which to learn more about things. You don’t have to sit in judgment because a mother sends different foods for her child’s lunch than your mother did. You don’t have to blame a father who chooses to stay at home and rear his children because that was your mother’s job.
Omtimes.com
Open to Being NonJudgmental and Accepting The phenomenon called Life is infinite in the ways in which it manifests. Don’t you think it would be fun to learn at least three more ways to do things than the way you were taught? There would definitely be no boredom in this kind of a life. You’d need to become more of a man or woman of the Universe and you’d have to be open-minded, nonjudgmental, and accepting. It’s good to be that way anyway, whether you pursue new ideas or not. Here are some tips to help you accomplish this open-minded perspective. Thought is causative and what you think does become what you get. Try this with just one small idea and grow from there. I put this first on the list for a good reason.
Universal Experiences Call for an Open Mind Limitless and infinite describe
Omtimes.com
the universe, but because this is an individual and mental experience, if you think other than that, you get what you think. It is not selfish to consider your Self first. It is virtuous. It allows you to filter out the chatter from others, whether negative or positive. What you think of you is the most important. You constantly collect data and systematize it. You get more bang out of using the data to create solutions for problems than in just collecting the problems. When you write down your goals, it serves as a form of commitment. In Harvard’s MBA program, the 3% who had written goals were earning, ten times as much as the other 97% of the class combined! If you don’t have your own love and your own self approval, you will never believe anyone else who tries to provide it for you. One of the best questions
you can ask is “How old was I when I decided this?” You will always need to refresh your decisions so you are living on your decisions, and not that of your parents, or family, or any other.
Be Open to Testing All that Life Brings You Have you discovered what your One Big Dream is? It is the only thing in this life that you must accomplish to feel satisfied. Finding your passion helps you fulfill your One Big Dream and nothing else will make you happy in the long run. You know how you like the way you are, the way you think, the way you do things, the way you make decisions? Allow all others to be how they are without any advice from you. The most practical form of love is acceptance. First accept yourself as is; then, accept others as is. Each of us is selfsufficient and can work our own dreams and our own life.
If I ever heard back that you accepted these ideas without testing for their validity, I’d feel sad. Test, test, test. Life is really a science and you can experiment in it, just as scientists experiment in their laboratories. Once you can see that there is more than one way to accomplish anything, you will have an open mind, greater tolerance for yourself and others. It’s more harmonious once you learn these lessons. About the Author With over 20 years of experience gained across television, radio and print, Maria Khalifé brings to her clients knowledge and understanding in holistic and motivational living. Maria brings to the world powerful life-changing experiences for those who seek extraordinary lives and want to reach their maximum potential. Maria can help you to uncover your true dynamic self. Please visit http://www.MariaKhalife.com
Omtimes.com
Simplicity - Returning to Basics by Debbie Peluso
Our Lives Today Can Be Complicated Instagram…. Twitter…. Facebook…. You Tube….and who knows how many other sources of social media and globally-collected information is out there!! It’s just a panacea of topics, opinions
Omtimes.com
and advice that bombards us daily from books, television, movies, gurus, advertisements, our communities, and the greatest culprit of them all, the Internet! It’s no wonder we are confused with our individual authenticity. This is not to say there is no value to all the information transmitted to us on a daily basis for without it we would still be living in caves, but sometimes it’s just too darn overwhelming!! We lose touch with our own natural heart wisdom and simplicity, and life becomes complicated. In 1946, Dr. Benjamin Spock came out with his book Baby and Child Care. It was a revolutionary and controversial way of approaching child rearing. He became the guru for raising children. Parents must have read and re-read his book a million times preand post-birth to make sure they were doing everything just right. But this also caused frustration when parents were not able to get their
children to respond the way Dr. Spock so eloquently and simply presented the material. This created stress that in turn manifested in the newborn. Of course there was value to his information, but sometimes it’s best to just get back to the basics of love and allow a natural unfoldment of our own inner wisdom to guide us towards what is best for our child. We can use sources of information as a guide, but in the end, it is we that are our best teachers.
Technology May Not Always Help And this is how it is in so many aspects of our lives today. We become so concerned with whether we are “doing” and “thinking” to the world’s standards. Careers, computers, economic challenges, making sure we fill our children’s lives with extra-curricular activities, having conversations with a computerized telephone that keeps repeating “Sorry, I didn’t understand that”, living up
Omtimes.com
to other’s standards in fear of failure, facing fears of aging in a society that seems to have lost respect for the elderly, terrorism, inequities in the world. Have you ever become so overwhelmed that you just want to scream out STOP…? things used to be so simple!! Can’t we just go back to the way it used to be? We become so enmeshed in these complications that we lose complete touch with our authentic selves, the simplicity of who we are in love. Though technology has brought so many advancements in medicine and other areas of our lives, especially in the dissemination of information and worldwide communication, it is also the source of tension, and in some cases even pain and suffering. Though social media can be a wonderful way of staying in touch with family and in spreading laughter and goodwill, it has also become the global court of social
Omtimes.com
condemnation. Every day you see stories of the misfortunes of others, and before you know it they are being judged for their actions. The whole world gets involved in stating their opinions, and it gets pretty vicious. And these people, who the world doesn’t know a thing about, are torn to shreds before the whole world after experiencing a devastating event or loss. Even postings you see that are in the nature of self-help can get your mind boggled. You begin to think: ‘Wait…. what was the last posting? Who or what am I supposed to think or be to be balanced and in tune?’ Then ask by whom is this intended.
We Can Overcome Challenges with Simplicity What causes this spreading of negativity towards others? Our own individual fears, frustrations, anxieties and tension that stem from a world that has become too complicated. We feel that if
we condemn others behind the safety of our computers, we make ourselves feel better. This ultimately leads to the dis-ease of us all. Unhealthy relationships, health issues, career challenges and on and on. But it is not just limited to adults. Think of our children. They do not know the joy of just being children living a simple life where they can ride their bikes until the street lights go on and they know it’s time to go home for dinner, or to use their imaginations to play games with one another. In the end it’s all very simple. We are not complicated beings. It is the external distractions creating the space between our simple hearts and minds that border neurosis. “Clear your mind of dogmatic theological debris; let in the fresh, healing waters of direct perception. Attune yourself to the active inner Guidance. The Divine
Voice has the answer to every dilemma of life.” --Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi Only we are our best healer, teacher and friend. Stop, silence the mind, “listen.” It is your own perceptual emotions and heart wisdom that will understand the message. This is how to uncomplicate life. We then begin to “experience” life and not just “react.” Getting back to the basics, simplicity, and the natural laws of life. About the Author Debbie Peluso obtained her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Metaphysics in association with the University of Sedona in Arizona. She is a certified practitioner in Meditation, metaphysical/ spiritual counseling, and is a working astrologer and coowner of Zion Yoga Studio in the Washington, D.C. area. Debbie is also a facilitator of and teaches the Kabbalistic Tree of Life and is an OMTimes Expert.
Omtimes.com
Books
Journaling Power teaches how to put the ultimate self-healing tool right at your fingertips—journaling. Through Mari’s moving personal story, you’ll discover how pen-to-paper journaling leads to selfgrowth and life-changing transformation. You’ll also learn that numerous medical studies prove journaling literally unleashes a healing agent that empowers your life in ways you’ve never imagined. “As the number of studies have increased, it has become clear that writing is far more powerful than anyone has ever dreamed,” reports Dr. James Pennebaker. No one knows this to be true more than Mari L. McCarthy. As a highly-successful business consultant, Mari routinely crisscrossed the country to provide solutions to a who’s who of Fortune 100 companies. However, at the height of her career she was forced to shut down her business due to the ravaging effects of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In Journaling Power, Ms. McCarthy details the amazing story of how journaling reversed her debilitating MS symptoms– and allowed her to ditch her prescription drug routine forever. Through step-by-step instruction, Journaling Power illustrates how you can use the holistic power of journaling to reduce stress, overcome fears, and heal your mind, body and spirit. All you need is an open mind and a pad and a pen.
For more information, or to purchase the book, click the cover or visit:
JournalingPowerBook.com
BOOK SPOTLIGHT Accelerate Your Book Marketing Success with OMTIMES
Various Packages to Fit your Budget
TREAT YOUR BRAIN ONLY WITH MINDFUL AND CREATIVE INFORMATION.
MAGAZINE
October A 2016 Contributors Writers Andrew Pacholyk MS L.Ac Belinda J. Womack Carmen Vasquez Debbie Peluso Diane Wing Dragos Bratasanu, PhD John Holland Kartar Diamond Maria Khalife Sandie Sedgbeer Usha Panigrahi
56 48 86 98 66 78 44 62 94 24 38
Copyright Information Original material generated by contributors is copyrighted in the names of the contributor, and commercial publication and reprint of material for distribution is strictly prohibited without written permission from the contributor. To read the OMTimes Reprint Policy, visit our website at: http://omtimes.com or click here: OMTimes Reprint Policy
OMTimes Media, Inc. PO Box 1333 Oil City, PA 16301 (571)-2OM-TIMES ©2009-2016 OMTimes Media
All Rights Reserved MMXVI
Please review the
OMTimes Reprint Policy Contact our Advertisement Team:
advertise@omtimes.com