OMTimes Magazine October A 2019 Edition

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Danielle MacKinnon

October A Issue

HELPING YOU DISCOVER YOUR SPIRITUAL CONNECTIONS WITH ANIMALS


CONTENTS • OMTIMES

Table of Contents

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48

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DANIELLE MACKINNON Animal Lessons

by Sandra Sedgbeer

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7 Strategies for Empaths to Heal Trauma & PTSD By Judith Orloff MD

Absent Healing with Crystals By OMTimes

How to Speak to Someone with Chronic Pain

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By Elizabeth Kipp

Listening to the Body Through Illness By Nicola Lucie

October 2019 A EDITION


O M T I M E S

M A G A Z I N E

C O N T E N T S OCTOBER / EDITION A

6 4

7 0

7 6

8 2

8 8

Origami Swan- A Song of Love

6 4

The Inner Experience of Truth

The Sakshibhav Meditation

Coherence Hotspots The Underground Kingdom

8 8

7 6

8 2

Letter to the Editor P.O.Box 1333 Oil City, PA 16301 Email: Editor@Omtimes.com Customer Service: (Phone)571-266-8463 Or email inquiry@Omtimes.com

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What's Inside?

CONTENTS • OMTIMES

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112

104 118

122

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The 7 Relationship Pitfalls of Oblivious People

118

104

Heal the Feminine through Healing Your Relationship with Your Mother

122

112

OCTOBER/ EDITION A

What Is The Imposter Syndrome?

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How to Learn More about Your Strengths and Weaknesses The Heart of an Empath Flat Earth Theory and the New Dark Ages


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OMTIMES MAGAZINE

Danielle MacKinnon OCTOBER A EDITION


The secret is that there is no real secret to getting a vehicle to last a long time. The difference is maintenance.

According to pet ownership, statistics and America in the UK are both nations that really love their pets as is evidenced by the huge success of books and movies about dogs, horses, and animals. The characters like Lassie, flicker, a dog's purpose. And Marley and me, it's clear that to most of us, our pets are not just dumb animals, but could the role that they are here to play in our lives be greater even than many of us have considered? Could it be that our animals are here to help us evolve as Souls? MacKinnon is a gifted, intuitive and soul connection coach who's appeared on national TV and in numerous radio stations around the world.

A faculty member of the Omega Institute, the Lily Dale Assembly and the Kripalu Center. She's the founder of the Danielle MacKinnon scored of animal communication, and she's a popular facilitator of online and in-person seminars in animal communication, soul

contracts, and intuitive senses. Danielle MacKinnon joins us today to share how we can develop our spiritual connection with animals and discover what they are in our lives to teach us. Sandra Sedgbeer: Danielle, your book Animal Lessons, discovering your spiritual connections with animals, focuses on the idea that animals are in our lives to help us evolve as souls.


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Before we delve into the book and what it has to teach us, I would like to hear about your own journey, from a successful MBA in the corporate world in a fast track to Animal psychic, author, teacher of animal communication, and I want to know whether an animal played a role in your transition . Danielle MacKinnon: That's a good way to ask that question. I don't have the most, straight path to get where I am today is, I never planned on doing this, when I was, I planned on being a veterinarian, and I wanted to write books. So, I guess it’s kind of the same thing because I'm working with animals and people and helping animals and I'm writing books, but it didn't look like this in my head when I was 12.

Growing up I was the sensitive one and loved animals, my safety was in animals as I had an abusive childhood. So, my sensitivity was kind of what kept me going. The animals, my dog, my parakeet, my many, many hamsters and caterpillars and, and all of the other animals that I had in my life, they were really my lifeline. That wasn't quite normal, everybody else had their dog, and they love their dog, but they didn't have the same feelings about their dogs that I had. And I always thought that I could know what they were saying, know what they were thinking. It was kind of a tough childhood because nobody really understood, including myself, that my sensitivities were allowing me to connect with energy, with animals that all of this part of me existed.


OMTIMES • OCT A

So I spent a lot of the time growing up trying to be like everybody else, trying to not be sensitive, beating myself up for being sensitive as well.It wasn't until I got into college that I was more on my own and three to start exploring things. And in college I started exploring meditation. I had terrible panic attacks, anxiety, and depression. I know now that it's because I was so sensitive, and I didn't know how to handle this. As the part of the question where you asked if an animal, played a role and yes, animals played roles the whole time through. We'd been living in California, we moved back to New England. We were both going to Grad school. I was getting my MBA, and my husband is a scientist so he was getting his masters and our dog got very sick, very sick and nobody could figure it out. We didn't know why she suddenly got sick. She was very young. She was like an eight-month-old puppy, and she ended up being in the thing at the veterinarian for several days in a row. We had a $4,000 bill. We didn't have the money to pay for that. I was freaking out. I saw a friend, and she said, well, you know there's a pet psychic that lives in town. Why don't you go see him? So, I immediately said, all right, I'm going to see that guy. I took my dog out of the vet, and I grabbed my science-based husband, and we went to visit this guy at the event that he was doing. He looked at me, and he looked at my husband, and he went back to her and Bella was pretty mellow. Normally, she's not mellow the right of way. I was going, hmm, something is different here. And after a moment he came back, and he said, okay; the reason that she's sick is that she ate corn cob and she ate the corn cob because she was anxious. Since you and your husband have been fighting about your mother, and he was mostly right. It was my mother in law. He would've had no idea about any of that. That sentence that he spoke right there changed my life. My dog, Bella saying to him this exact stuff, and he being able to pass this on to me made me go, why am I in the corporate world? This is what I want in my life. This is how I want to help people. And that kind of set me off on this, this path of working with animals


Sandra Sedgbeer: So, you founded your own school of animal communication, which offers courses, classes, and training in soul level communication. What distinguishes soul level communication from say you know, someone else's method of communicating with animals? Danielle MacKinnon: I think it's a good question. Um, the best way for me to explain that it is for me to explain how I developed soul level animal communication because I never planned on doing it. So, when you think of animal communication, what do you, what I used to think of is, you connect psychically with the animal, and you find out what the problem is. Why are you barking so much? I'm barking because I don't like Harry. Then I as the animal communicator, I say, dog, stop barking at Harry that doesn't work, and it's causing a problem in the family, problem solved. I told him what to do, and it was over. Is that kind of what you think of? I think it's what most people think of that we've solved these problems with animals. Sandra Sedgbeer: It is what most people think of, but it's not what I think of because I happen to have a friend who is very psychic and has given me a lot of evidence of why my dog was in my life but I haven't found that to be incredible, common. Danielle MacKinnon: When I had that session with my dog Bella when she was sick, I was like, this is great. I'm going to start a business, I'm going to fix all these animals that are having problems in their lives, with their humans. And I thought I would just connect psychically and tell them all what to do. I didn't know at that time either what animals were really offering to us. But I wasn't having the success at making the animal do what the human wants and don't really understand why. And then finally I started asking the animal, why are you doing this versus telling them to stop doing it or telling them to change their behavior, which is a very human-centric way to be. When I started asking them, and we'll go, why are you doing this? They started giving me answers like, well, I'm barking this much because I'm all hyped up because she is anxious all the time, my human, if she can call herself down, I will calm down as well.

And their answers started to be about the human rather than they're the animal's own circumstances. However, that's not the business I wanted. I wanted a business where I just told the animals what to do and what to change, and it was all fixed. I resisted it for quite a while until I ran into, Jesus, the Chihuahua. His human brought him to me because he was peeing in the kitchen peeing in a plant in the kitchen. So, I thought, well, this is great. I can fix this. I can just tell him not to pee in the plant. I'm still resisting this other level of information from the animals. And when it came time for me to address the problem with Jesus psychically, I'm having a conversation with him, I'm saying, you know, you're peeing in the plant in the kitchen. You got to stop. It's causing a problem in your house. Your humans are upset. You've got to stop doing this. I said to him, are you peeing in the plant because you don't know where the outside is? And Jesus basically said, no, I know we're outside is Danielle, okay? Are you tired? Are you lazy? I Kind of played 20 -20 questions. I went through all these different iterations of why he could possibly be peeing in the plant. Because of course, at that time I was assuming that I knew more, so I would be able to find the answer that he would agree with and he didn't agree with any of my potential answers. Finally, I kind of broke down, and I said, all right, why are you peeing in the plant? And he proceeded to tell me that, his female human, the one who had brought him to me was in an abusive situation and whenever he peed in the plant was when the abuse was happening, and he was doing it to remind her that this is a time to take care of her own needs above all else. And that he would stop peeing in the plant when she started taking care of herself in that way. I really didn't want to tell her that. She didn't tell me she was in an abusive situation. She didn't open up to me that way. Then finally he helped me through, telling her what was going on. He gave me the words to say, and I said it in a very soft way so that I wasn’t, putting her in an uncomfortable position. OMTIMES • OCT A


And it was that moment that I realized, wow, this animal is putting themselves in a challenging, dangerous place to help his human evolve and grow and learn how to get out of this situation, learn how to take care of herself. So that is what soul level, animal communication is all about. It's all about that ulterior motive that the animals have at the soul level to take the people that involved with and help those people become the best people they can be, reached their potential, grow and learn the things about themselves that they've perhaps been resisting learning all along. Sandra Sedgbeer: So, rather than looking at our pets, is our creatures. OMTIMES • OCT A

We're looking at them as our guides. When I look at the statistics that show that by far, you know, dogs are the most popular animal for people to have. Um, you know, cats come second and then, um, you know, horses and another animals peak after that. Do would you say that it's more dogs that have this ability to be our guides or do horses, cats, birds and other creatures also, communicate in the same way and come into our lives to teach us lessons? Danielle MacKinnon:Â I agree with dogs, it's usually easier to see, but every single animal, whether that animal is a pet or a wild animal or an animal that you read about on social media, they all have this capacity.

They all access this capacity for everybody that they come into contact with or everybody who gets to know them in some way. So even the squirrel that has been hit by a car and is dead on the side of the road is there's something for you to learn from that. And that squirrel at the soul level knows that. Sandra Sedgbeer: So, do you believe that our animals choose us and that we have prearranged contracts to work together? Danielle MacKinnon:Â I do. And the reason I believe that is because, that's what they told me, the animals told me again and again. They've told me that, we as human beings, we have these soul lessons that we're working on learning.


Usually, the soul lessons revolve around mastering unconditional love, some form of mastering, unconditional love of ourselves and then of everybody else. So, I may believe I'm not good enough, or I'm not lovable. I'm not worthy, I'm not safe. That's usually how one of the four ways that these lessons manifest themselves. So, when we incarnate into our human bodies to evolve our soul, we're working on learning one or all of these lessons. Animals know this prior to incarnate, they basically get together with our soul and say, hey, the animals, they'll get together with our soul, said, hey, I'll help you learn. I'll help you work on that one in this upcoming lifetime. And so, when we incarnate it, you can call it a contract and agreement. Uh, but somehow that animal is going to come into your life and in some way give you the opportunity through your relationship with them to evolve and grow. Sandra Sedgbeer: In animal lessons, you make the point that animals not only possess the capacities that understand the full range of our human emotions, they often take those emotions into themselves; I want you to expand on that. Danielle MacKinnon: They basically choose one of three ways to help us. And the one you're talking about is mirroring. So, the animal will mirror your emotional state, will mirror your behavior. And it sounds like with you it was mirroring, mirroring your emotional state, because a lot of the time it's easier for us to see it in somebody else and address it than it is for us to be in ourselves. So that mirroring piece tends to be a pretty popular way that the animals choose to help us. So, there's, there are three ways that they do it. They can mirror, meaning they take, they take the whole, the same way you hold. OMTIMESÂ | October A


They feel the same way as you feel. They act the same way. They model, which is maybe somebody who's dealing with depression. And so, their dog decides, well, you know what? She's depressed. I'm going to be incredibly happy, so I can show her what that is like. The Third way. And it's a way that it took me a little while to understand. It took a lot of readings with animals for me to fully get it is when the animal provides you with, something that creates emotion and support that you've never had before. A lot of the time it shows up by, while I've never been able to talk to anyone before about this kind of thing. And yet my dog is my confidant, my horses are everything to me. Sandra Sedgbeer: So how, how do we figure out what lesson are pet is teaching us, what role they're playing in our life? Danielle MacKinnon: There are lots of ways to do it, but I've kind of put together, where to start because the first piece of this is that you have to go into the relationship with the animal, with the belief or at least the, trying to believe that this animal actually knows more than you.

That this animal is not just a 3D based creature, but actually has a bigger purpose and a bigger understanding. This animal in your life is a guru, a teacher, a mentor, a trainer. So many of us even complete and total animal lovers, we look at animals like they're in need of us. That we know more. And this is what I was doing when I first started connecting with animals. I thought I knew more. I know the answers. And yet what I hear from the animals all the time is they know the answer. They have mastered unconditional love. We haven't. They're ahead of us. So, the first thing that you need to do to understand your animal lesson is given in to that idea. Let it exist. The animal knows more than you. So that means any behavior with this animal, any experience, any emotion that comes up, all of this is part of the package. There are no coincidences. Now when you can do that, then you can go into, the big first step, which is looking for the place and the relationship with that animal that creates the biggest wave, the biggest emotional wave, brings up the most for you. And so, when you find that biggest wave, that's the area where an animal is working with you to teach you.

OMTIMES| OCTOBER A EDITION


OMTIMES Magazine

Sandra Sedgbeer: Danielle, can we learn to communicate with every animal species? Are they all open to doing it? Danielle MacKinnon: In my experience, Yes. Now have I spoken with every animal species? No, but the big picture that the animals have given me is that this is why they're here. They're here to connect with us, to communicate with us and to help us grow and master unconditional love. So, while I haven't spoken to every single species out there, it wouldn't make sense to me that some species would be like, "no, we're not talking to you." I know they want to do everything in their power to help us. So, my answer would be yes. Sandra Sedgbeer: Well, have you ever seen the documentary, the octopus in my house? Danielle MacKinnon: No. Sandra Sedgbeer: I watched it a couple of weeks ago about a scientist in Alaska who specializes in studying octopus. And he decided to have one in his home, one of the local species. He had a big tank installed and they actually this and discovered how intelligent these octopuses. When the man's daughter used to come and sit down in that room to watch television, the octopus would go to one end of its tank where it had the perfect view of the television and watch with her. You know, it made me think about animal communication because I mean this man was just besotted with this octopus and it brought so much into his life, and just really opened up a whole new avenue of thinking about animals and intelligence, and our ability to communicate and bond with them. Danielle MacKinnon: I will absolutely watch that.

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. I have a hard time watching, um, movies or TV shows or even the news when animals come up because I can connect them at three-level. A lot of animals in our lives right now on earth are uncomfortable. There's something at the soul level, they're not, but I can feel that 3D suffering levels, so I tend to stay away. But that one sounds like something I could completely and totally do. Sandra Sedgbeer:Â About animal communication, your presenting in-person courses, um, and training. You also have an online study course. Tell us about your online course. OMTIMES |OCT A EDITION3

Danielle MacKinnon: Â My instant access course. It's actually pretty cool. It's video-based, and you can basically take it whenever you want, and there's one lesson a week delivered for six weeks. Then there's homework in there, and I basically take you through the whole process of learning. Start with the energy management piece, which we talked about before. Putting yourself in that position where you're most primed and ready to be able to receive the information. And then I take people through my technique for connecting intuitively with the animal by the second class, the second lesson. That's when they actually do their first communication, which is really, really fun. And then, um, there's another course after that. And then I actually certify people to become animal communicators. They are called soul level animal communicators and help them start their businesses. Cause so many people want to help animals.

Sandra Sedgbeer: Danielle Mackinnon, Thank you. I really enjoyed your book and thank you for joining us today. Animal lessons discovering your spiritual connection with animals by Danielle MacKinnon is published by Llewellyn publications. For more information about the book and Daniel's courses, visit DanielleMackinnon.com

She's got a course coming up in November at the Kripalu Center in Massachusetts and do check out her youtube channel, which features many short videos and series of very interesting topics.






Health & Wellness


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


Empaths and sensitive people often experience some level of posttraumatic stress. This is, in part, because they’re on sensory overload for so many years their systems are flooded with adrenaline. Other reasons include early

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neglect, abuse, or simply that they didn’t feel “seen” or have their sensitivities supported in their families. I’ve written about this topic in my new book, “Thriving as an Empath.” Early trauma can come in many forms. Possible sources include: • Hearing your parents or siblings frequently argue • Being repeatedly yelled at • Physical and/or emotional abuse • Being shamed or blamed for being “overly sensitive.” • Being bullied Even experiencing intense ongoing household noise and chaos can feel traumatic. An empathic child’s highly sensitive system can absorb more stress than others would in these situations. When empaths are exposed to early trauma or abuse, their young nervous system may develop without healing making them hypervigilant. They can become exquisitely attuned to their environment to ward off threats and ensure they are safe or enter a state of hyperarousal. This

hypervigilance is extremely draining for empaths. Your past can still affect you now. When you are exposed to a similar stimulus as an adult, such as a disagreement with your partner, you may have an exaggerated emotional response because you are flashing back to the original trauma. (This is similar to a veteran who misreads a car backfiring as an exploding bomb.) With post-traumatic stress, your system can’t fully return to its calmer state before the upset or even the initial incident. You are never quite at rest and remain aware of protecting yourself from further threats. Empaths are often mistaken for being aloof or snobbish, but others don’t realize that the distance you seem to keep is because you’re focused on protecting yourself and ensuring that the ground is solid. The Buddhists say, there is always a groundless ground there to support you. Even when you are inundated with excessive stimulation, the groundless ground is always there. Omtimes.com


To find your solid ground follow these seven strategies from “Thriving as an Empath” to help heal your past trauma.

7 Healing Strategies 1. Journal about your early traumas. Then you can be aware of them. None are “too small” to count. This is the first step to freeing yourself from the past. 1. Retrieve your inner child. In a quiet moment, think back to when the early trauma occurred. How old were you? Where did it take place? Then picture yourself returning to the house or other location where it happened and retrieving your wounded inner child who has been stuck there. Tell the child, “I am sorry you were hurt, and I will never allow that to happen to you again.” Then take the child home with you to care for with love. 1. Emotional Release. As you heal, many emotions will surface anger, fear, depression, self-doubt.

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Let yourself feel and express these emotions—a supportive therapist can create a safe environment for you to do this. 1. Set Clear Boundaries. Learn to stick up for yourself. Don’t be a doormat. If someone isn’t treating you well, say in a firm, neutral tone, “Let’s discuss this when you’re calmer” or “It hurts my feelings when you say…I’d appreciate it if you would stop.” Also, remember that “No” is a complete sentence. Sensitive people are often afraid to disappoint others, but it’s essential to get in the habit of saying “no” when something doesn’t feel right. 1. Conscious Breathing. When your old traumas are being triggered, take a few slow deep breaths to calm your system before you respond. 1. Meditate. Regular meditation calms the mind, body, and soul. It decreases sensory overload and keeps your system in a peaceful state.


1. Practice Self-Compassion. Shower yourself with love and kindness as you go through the healing process. You are a caring person who deserves to be loved. It is often helpful to consult a therapist to work through the original trauma. Useful techniques for clearing trauma include EMDR, the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), and somatic awareness. Since trauma often lodges in the body it’s also useful to get regular massage or energy work to clear any remnants that are hanging on. Give yourself time to heal. Be patient and loving with yourself. Mourn the losses you experience. Allow yourself to experience your feelings and memories without any judgment. Healing is an exercise in loving yourself. The great news is that past trauma can be healed. In that process, you will become more at ease with your empathic abilities and learn to protect your sensitivities using the

strategies I suggested. As a result, you’ll be able to relax more. The world will feel like a safer place to inhabit. SET YOUR INTENTION I will identify my early traumas. I will notice how my reactions to them may be repeating in my relationships today. I am capable of healing from these wounds. (Adapted from “Thriving as an Empath: 365 Days of SelfCare for Sensitive People” and “The Empath’s Empowerment Journal” by Judith Orloff, MD) Judith Orloff, MD is the New York Times best-selling author of The Empath’s Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People. Her new book Thriving as an Empath offers daily self-care tools for sensitive people along with its companion The Empath’s Empowerment Journal. NYC Event! Join Dr. Orloff October 25-26 at the NY Open Center in New York City. Info for the event and Dr. Orloff’s Empath Online Self-Care Course at www.drjudithorloff.com

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HOW DO CRYSTAL HEALING WORKS?

ABSENT HEALING USING CRYSTAL

Stones and crystals can function as energy amplifiers, their main strength is the ability to amplify and direct our own energies and frequencies. Therefore, the most important thing when dealing with stones and crystals is to be able to tune our vibrations with those stones, improving and enhancing our resources. We may bring to our benefit the internalizing the vibrational characteristics of the stones and crystals we are needing by constantly working with them.

The importance of knowing them is that they help us become aware of our internal processes, thereby participating more consciously, achieving more balance, harmony, and inner fulfillment. Â We know that the diversity of conflicts, imbalances, and problematic situations in our daily lives is immense. Sometimes external aid is the support we need to turn this moment of crisis into one of learning and evolution. Holistic Therapy offers us this help with its stones and crystals. A path of balance between our inner truth, our essence, and our personality.

By OMTIMES Photo by Bigstockphotos NOMADIC

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OMTIMES magazine Oct • A 2019 The type of therapy’s goal is to be aware of the things that are important to our “Higher Self”, things that bring soul satisfaction, as well as help us deal with family conflicts, eliminate hurts and anger, soften moments of insecurity, offer an extra dose of self-love and selfconfidence, bring more mental tranquility and clarity of vision. Several techniques of holistic therapy make use of stones and crystals to work on deep, delicate and difficult issues, such as Reiki, Puncture Massage Therapy and Energy Harmonization (with stones and crystals in the Chakras). Each of these techniques is special and extremely effective. The choice of the “best” technique is made through a good analysis by the part of the professional Therapist to identify the energy imbalances that are currently acting and in which fields (energetic, emotional, mental and physical). Only then, it can be decided which Technique would work most effectively on a particular person. That is, there is a better technique for one person at a given time, but there is no better technique than another. Stones and crystals can be used in various ways daily. They can also be used to facilitate absence healing. NOMADIC

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OMTIMES magazine Oct • A 2019 The type of use depends on the person, but the easiest and most effective way to work with this therapy is to place the stones and crystals in the chakra. On specific occasions, you can also carry the stone in your pocket or purse, hold it when you need it most, have it close to where you spend the most time (office, headboard, etc.) or wear an accessory with it.

So, choose the way you will actually use it, and that will most help you connect with the energy and intention you need. CRYSTAL CLEANING When it comes to cleanliness, it is always wise to use common sense. If you found, won or bought a stone or crystal, the first thing to do is clean it! When we find these gifts in nature, there are certain materials stuck to them.

When buying or winning a stone or crystal, imagine how many hands and places it has gone through in the last millennia. The “traditional” cleaning of any stone has always been done in a very simple way, by the most diverse cultures and peoples. That is, just leave the stones exposed to the sun for a few hours, either for personal or professional use. To remove dirt or materials stuck to the stone, use a cotton cloth or soft bristle brush. Water cleaning is recommended for higher density stones and crystals, i.e., those that do not dissolve easily.


OMTIMES magazine Oct • A 2019

If so, use running water - the more natural, the better. After that, do the energizing that most closely attune your stone to you. ENERGIZATION The energization of stones and crystals can be done by using sunlight or moonlight; or fire, earth, storm, rain, waterfall or sea, etc. The best form of energization will depend on the type of energy most suited to the stones and/or the work that will be carried out with them. For example, to deal with apathy, it would be appropriate to place the stone to be used close to the fire or even, depending on the stone, to burn it for a few seconds. If this is not possible, leave the stone absorbing sunlight for a few hours.

If the search is for greater receptivity, it is appropriate to use moonlight, a symbol of the feminine/receptive. Now if the goal is to create a stabilizer, anchoring, and safety, nothing better than leaving the stone in direct contact with the earth. Using these associations, along with the knowledge of stones, your therapeutic work with stones and crystals becomes more efficient and appropriate to the needs of the moment. Distant Healing using Crystals


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Have your materials ready. I map or grid space, the crystals you would like to use for the grid based on the needs of the intention. Choose two kinds of crystals. One a master crystal and the others should be the same for the outer circle. Have a crystal wand or crystal point to trace the light energy. 1. Hold all the same crystals at heart level and allow the transfer of your heart energy, the positive energy you wish to convey into your crystals. You may use an affirmation or words of intention to “program” these crystals for a purpose. This can take anywhere from 2-5 minutes, depending on your guidance.

2. Then take your master crystal in your hands (this is the crystal that is different from the others). Hold this crystal at heart level and ask the Universe to have the full power of the Reiki energy flow through you as you empower your stone to heal with love and light. 3. Create an affirmation to do this. It can be something like: “I empower this grid to heal, with love, with compassion, no judgment and, with pure energy and light.” repeat these three times as you connect the grid lines moving counterclockwise around the grid. Positive intention is the greatest process when using any healing technique.


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4. Laying of stone. Place the same color or similar stones into your grid pattern: (Choose your pattern from the healing grids in the front of the book). These crystals go on the outside of the grid with the master crystal in the center. Now you have a pattern on your surface that will serve you.

5. Connecting the stones with Reiki Energy. To connect the grid lines, start by pointing a crystal wand or crystal point toward the central crystal holding it a few inches above the grid. When you feel the energy flow move the crystal wand up to the crystal at the top of the grid drawing a line of energy, then move diagonally to the crystal on the left, then back to the center, then retrace the line you just drew, then move to the next crystal on the left. Go back to center and then retrace that line you just drew, then continue around the grid as you say your affirmation.


How to Speak to Someone with Chronic Pain

When I was suffering from chronic pain, I noticed people were decidedly awkward around me. Their sentences became hesitant and stifled. They were noticeably uncomfortable with my condition, and they had no idea how to truly communicate helpfully.

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Once you understand what’s happening inside the brain of a chronic pain sufferer, you can more easily converse with them. The human body is a finely tuned instrument honed over countless generations to endure at least long enough to reproduce. Our nervous system is designed to react to stimuli in our environment so that we survive regardless of the adversity we encounter. We come equipped with a powerful threat assessment system that moves us toward safety. In people who are chronically stressed, this system becomes dysregulated, and we feel we are constantly under threat. The whole body is doing all it can to handle the effects of stress. So, understand that chronic pain as a response to stress is an adaptive behavior, however maladjusted it may be to the sufferer’s current reality. Chronic pain is a disease of the brain. No matter where we feel the sensation of pain

in the body, it is the brain’s perception that is driving the sensation we feel. The way chronic pain changes the brain sheds light on its solution and ways to help when you are with a chronic pain sufferer. The brain becomes chaotic, restive, and hypervigilant. Problems show up, such as difficulty with memory, focus, sleeping, and impulse control. A chronic pain sufferer experiences higher levels of anxiety and depression because of the insidiously negative bias in the brain. Since chaos reigns in the brain of chronic pain sufferers, things that bring ease and peace are effective in healing such changes. In a nutshell, when we bring calmness back into the system through the mind, body, and spirit, we have direct access to healing chronic pain. Too often, sufferers of chronic pain feel we are somehow at fault for the pain we feel. Yet, we haven’t

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done anything wrong. We experience disconnection from the world as we knew it, the people we know and love so much, from the person we used to be, and disconnection from whatever our concept of a Higher Power is. We can get so hooked by this negativity. We have lost all sense of who we were and who we are. And we even forget that we were ever connected… to anything. Our self-esteem collapses. And we live in fear. How we interact with a chronic pain sufferer can either help to heal them or add more stress. Here are a few ways you can help: 1) Do what you can to connect... for real. The experience of isolation in chronic pain suffering can lead to utter hopelessness.

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Do what you can to bridge this gap as compassionately as possible. 2) You have entered a no bulls**t zone. People in chronic pain can spot bs a mile away. Please be sincere. 3) This space is also a no-pity zone. Compassion is warmly welcome. Pity is soundly rejected. The subtext of pity is, “I see you from above, or from a distance.” The subtext of compassion is, “I am meeting you where you are.” Remember that you are going for connection here rather than inviting any sense of rejection. 4) Look them straight in the eye. Meet their gaze and hold it. 5) Take care of how you connect. In such vulnerable isolation, the potential for grabbing onto a codependent relationship is there. 6) Be present. And stay present, no matter how


uncomfortable you may feel. A chronic pain sufferer spends more of their time remembering their past and fretting about their future than staying in the present moment. They need the reassurance of your steadiness here, affirming that it is truly safe to be in the present. 7) Tell them how much you appreciate having them in your life. 8) Hold space for them. 9) Listen actively. 10) Ask permission before you touch them. Their sense of safety has been threatened, so they are on high alert. 11) Be supportive and encouraging rather than judgmental. 12) Speak to their soul, not to their condition. 13) Ask them if there is anything you can do for them… and mean it. Then

make sure to follow up. 14) Keep your visit, whether in person or over the phone, limited. Your visit is welcome and so helpful. Pain is an energy zapper. Be cognizant of the time and how they are managing. While social visits are healing, they can also be taxing if you overstay your welcome. Make a graceful, loving exit so they can rest again. 15) Tell them you love them... and make sure they take that in. Elizabeth Kipp is a best-selling author, stress and chronic pain management specialist, Ancestral Clearing practitioner, Bilateral EFT/Tapping practitioner, and Kundalini Yoga teacher. She overcame chronic pain and addiction caused by childhood abuse and chronic health issues by using spiritual and scientific methods. Her upcoming book is “The Way Through Chronic Pain: Tools to Reclaim Your Healing Power.” Find her at https:// Elizabeth-Kipp.com

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Listening to the Body Through Illness by Nicola Lucie Have you ever noticed how much we have become disconnected from the body? How we have forgotten how to listen to it when something is wrong? Yes, we have started to pay attention, making changes to our diets, bringing in supplements, turning to alternative

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therapies to relax and soothe, engaging in yoga and meditation and so forth, yet when it comes to the deeper signals the body is trying to communicate to us, we have the tendency to bypass them completely. We all have something ‘wrong’ with us at some point in our lives - illness, disease, or malaise - manifesting as the physical, the mental, the emotional, sexual, or spiritual. Sometimes we will have to take a day off as a result, while others will completely wipe us out, forcing us to change our lifestyles and our way of being. We look to the external to heal - the medicines, balms, and therapies - to ease the symptoms, to make them go away, to lighten the load so we can function again as normal. Yet, amidst the crisis, whether long term or short term, in our need to fix and control, to fight, take flight or completely ignore, we miss the vital messages which are signaling an imbalance

much deeper than the actual physiological, mental or emotional symptoms. As a Shamanic Practitioner who specializes in shadow integration work, every woman I have had the honor of working with has something out of balance, and the first question I ask them is - “Have you asked your body why it has manifested this?” Imagine, asking someone who has MS, or Lymes Disease, or even Cancer, why they have manifested it, yet this is the very question that nobody has ever asked them and although they look at me shocked and surprised, and it triggers something in them, the answer is always, no! Yet it’s the simplest of questions and one that prompts them to suddenly see themselves and their relationship to their body in a completely different light. It’s as if a lightbulb suddenly flashes in their head, and they wonder why they had never thought of this before.

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We have invisible conversations in our head every single day, revisiting events, relationships, and interactions that may have caused us distress or discomfort and what we would or wouldn’t say if the opportunity arose again. We converse day in, day out, with other people, personally and professionally, and in fact, there is not a single day that goes by where we do not talk to someone, even if it’s the cat or the dog, or to ourselves. So why would we not have a conversation with our bodies when it is ill? When it is screaming for our attention to stop and listen? To pay attention, go in and explore what exactly is going on and what is out of balance? The answer is simple, we’re afraid of what we might find, just like we avoid seeking medical assistance as we’re afraid what they’ll find. Yet, when we give ourselves permission to actually sit for a moment and ask our bodies what is happening, Omtimes.com

and why we are feeling like this, we are stepping into our personal power, and suddenly things change pretty quickly. Instead of running, avoiding, and suppressing, we are opening ourselves up to the deeper knowledge and wisdom of who we are under the surface, deep within the body. I’m not going to lie to you, at first, it’s not easy because we have been conditioned to fear what is hidden from the light of our consciousness, although this is the most rewarding part of the journey. We are finding the courage to step into our vulnerability, and in doing so, we get the unique opportunity to explore, heal and integrate all that has been causing the imbalance in the first place. We get to understand ourselves on a much deeper level than ever before because we have made the commitment to take control of our bodies, to get to know what is going on inside and work with the body to bring


balance back into our lives on every level - physically, emotionally, mentally, sexually, and spiritually. We’re quite simply coming home, making the decision to get our inner house in order and bring ourselves back into right relationship with it, rather than staying disconnected, disengaged and dis-embodied. We connect back to the entire eco-system that is the mind, body, emotions, and soul, and this, in the long run, is priceless. Nicola Lucie is a Shamanic Practitioner, Shadow Work Coach and the creator of Shadow Walking, a deep meditative process that supports women in making friends with their shadow to reveal, heal and integrate all that is hidden there through body consciousness, emotional intelligence and soul healing. She is also a menstrual health advocate who loves to write and travel and has all her life in a suitcase and a rucksack while she looks for a place to call home. 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.



Origami Swan A S ong o f Love By John Holland

When I was first starting out, I participated in an event with well-known psychic medium John Edward. I was excited, nervous and anxious all at the same time. I knew this was my test to see if I could take my mediumship to the next level. I sat in the green room for a while, thinking how much I wanted to be the very best I could, and I hoped that my Omtimes.com

guides would be there to assist me. Before long, I started to receive information in a series of images. In my mind’s eye, I saw what seemed to be a piece of paper being furiously folded. Were they trying to show me a paper plane, a paper toy, or was it just a cut-out doll? I tried to interpret what I was receiving as quickly as I could. It finally turned into a beautiful origami swan. I knew immediately that


this was the link. Suddenly I heard John Edward announce my name and I was on. Putting any fears behind me, I strode confidently on stage. The atmosphere was electric as I gave a short talk about myself, how I work, and what people could expect, as well as what not to expect. I could feel my energy rising. Conscious that I had less than an hour left, I couldn’t wait any longer. The image of the origami swan jumped back into my mind and at that very moment, I felt a young boy draw close. I could feel myself being pulled to the top balcony, so I raised my hand and said, “I have a boy here calling out to his family. He wants to talk to his Mom! Would someone in that section understand an origami swan?” A woman stood up frantically waving her hands back and forth and yelling, “Up here John, I think it’s for me!” “So, you lost a son?” I asked. “Yes!” she cried out. “Then you understand the origami swan?” I asked her.

To an almost silent audience, she told how her son had died suddenly a few years earlier, and how a friend had given her an origami swan in remembrance of him. She’d even brought the little folded swan to the event and had it in her wallet. All eyes were focused on her as she reached in and revealed the beautiful paper swan. You could feel the love that was being sent to her at that moment from each and every person in the auditorium. After the event, I found out that in the Celtic tradition, a swan symbolizes the Soul – the aspect of all beings, which is eternal. I’ve since heard that this woman who lost her son now receives these precious paper swans from people all over the country. And every time she receives one, it’s like a hello from her son.

JOHN’S MESSAGE My soul was filled with energy that special day because Spirit had infused me with its own love, enabling me to pass on hope to those people at this event. I wonder if John will ever know the kindness, he showed me by asking me to be part of that event—one that boosted my confidence to continue my work as a Spirit Whisperer. 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



The Inner Experience of Truth Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all. –Aristotle I have always felt most alive when telling the truth when the sudden utterance from within—be it a question or a feeling—rings through the entirety of me. And though I’ve been trained to focus on the objective rewards of truth, such as insight and understanding, I realize now in my sixties that it is really the experience of truth—the empowerment of the authentic—that has kept me going.

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While uttering the truth or questioning the truth, electricity is turned on that connects us to that immeasurable vastness so close but always out of view. When experiencing the truth, especially the truth of feeling, I feel most like a dolphin breaking surface only to dive. The affirming thing about such moments is that they are wonderfully contagious. In a room full of skeptics, one truthful utterance can shift the entire ground of dialogue, even if no one else dares to say a word. As a young man, I had no idea of any of this, any more than a hawk is aware of its aerodynamics. Now, I can see that this desire not to be alone in truth-seeking and truthspeaking is what made me want to be a teacher. I really didn’t want to talk about anything outside of truth. I wanted to examine everything by sharing, reflecting, and questioning whatever I would meet through the lens of authentic feeling. With the exception of a few friends, I couldn’t find such companionship readily in the world, and so, without realizing it, I began to write and teach

in order to create a sacred place where the experience of honest truth could happen. This very quickly necessitated my introducing my students to the vastness out of view and to their own experience of authentic feeling, so we could enter this sacred place together. I’ve also learned that each time we experience truth—each time we suffer or love—the range of our compassion widens. Like a mud-filled pipe that is hollowed out by rain to carry water underground, the force of each experience clears us out. Listening, expressing, and writing are conscious ways to clear ourselves out and to expose and extend the range of what we feel. And so, the poet or artist in us is that deep part of who we are that keeps extending the range of our compassion. Throughout history, those afraid of the life of feelings have undermined their power and dismissed their rightful role in experiencing truth. For much of my life, I’ve been called a Romantic, which is true, but not complete. It’s like defining the sea by its surface. Romantic is a term that has been diminished Omtimes.com


over the years. Today, it denotes a sentimental outlook on life fueled by unwarranted optimism. At heart, though, it has always been an outlook that assumes there’s something larger than the individual. All the energy surrounding such a view arises from a belief in the interconnectedness of all Life and the experience of Wholeness. At its core, Romanticism suggests that we can become whole through inwardness, by feeling and inhabiting our “inscape,” as Gerard Manley Hopkins calls it. “Feeling is all,” as the German poet Goethe says. I would suggest that a mature Romantic is someone who accepts the hard realities of life as well as the unseen connections that knit all aspects of reality together. The great Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz was, in my view, a mature Romantic. He was accurate and realistic about the terrible hardships he experienced and witnessed growing up during the Holocaust. Yet, from under all that, even in his darkest poems, there is a light emanating, informed by something larger than what anyone individual can go through or bear witness to. Omtimes.com

This is what a mature Romantic commit to a devotion to the truth of living while never diminishing or giving up on the majesty of life that holds that messy turbulence of truth. I am deeply Romantic in that I believe feelings are the threshold to Spirit. I also believe deeply in the act of expressing and how it helps us move toward being whole and complete. In our experience of truth, perceiving, feeling, thinking, and expressing are all parts of a lifelong process that is equivalent to inhaling and exhaling. Some of us develop our abilities to feel, see, and hear more deeply than others, though I believe we are all born with the same capacities. Some of us are distracted by the noise of the world—even hypnotized by it— while some of us are tossed below the noise, hearing frequencies the rest of us have yet to access. Consider how dogs hear well beyond the range of human hearing. In California, it’s been reported that dogs have heard the beginnings of earthquakes before seismographs could register their initial tremor. In just this way,


there are those of us whose ability to feel, see, and hear is beyond our normal range of compassion. We call them empaths or psychics. And we often discredit them because what they know appears to be beyond what we can sense.

surface in search of the surface when I bottom and the ribbon of God’s sea passing through my gills is what I feel, and think, and speak.

The poet in us is not only committed to the deepest form of feeling, seeing, and hearing, but also committed to learning from those who feel, see, and hear more deeply.

I think the work of all poetry is to have us live on the inside of truth, so we can accept that everything is alive. The gift of all poetry is to listen to what everything has to say.

We are, at once, individuals and ripples in the sea that is life. And the want to know who we really are and to know the truth of our existence is, to me, the fundamental life-giving questions that the heart commits to once opened by love or suffering.

An Invitation to Explore Your Personal Relationship with Truth

This all makes me want to share a small ritual I do every time I finish swimming. I slip into a smaller therapy pool filled with warm water, float on my back and, with my arms spread and my ears submerged so I can hear my own breathing, I softly recite this small poem of mine: My Life I am a fish in search of the bottom when I

• In your journal, describe who you explore your experience of truth with. What qualities or conditions make that sacred place between you possible? • In conversation with a friend or loved one, tell the story of a moment in which you felt both the harshness of reality as well as the unfaltering presence of life-force below the situation. Then go back to your journal and, through metaphor or story, explore the relationship between the harshness of reality and the unfaltering presence of life-force that never goes away.

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Sakshibhav Meditation: Mindfulness and Heartfulness for a Peaceful, Happy World by Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari

Many of us are feeling a lot of anxiety surrounding the environmental climate crisis and the current state of political unrest in our world. Through Sakshibhav or witnessing meditation, we can learn to move past this fear and into space where we can center ourselves within Omtimes.com


and then be more helpful to the situation. Sakshi means the witnessing mind and Bhav means the feeling heart. We need both to transcend the material world and truly embrace a spiritual life. The Heart of The Sakshibhav Meditation Nothing Happens in the World Accidentally Many of us are feeling a lot of anxiety surrounding the environmental climate crisis and the current state of political unrest in our world. How do we move past this fear and into space where we can be helpful to the situation? Anything that happens in an individual or collective life at any point of time and space has its own purpose, which is ordained by a higher intelligence. Nothing happens in the world accidentally. If we read through the pages of the history of mankind and the world we will see that we have always passed through great upheavals and suffering, wars and bloodshed. There was never a time when everything

was perfect. What is happening now globally is no exception to what happened in the past. However, what we see now more than ever is the most damaging influence of the human mind’s increasing greed and selfishness, the erosion of all moral and ethical values. This pollution of the collective mind of humanity is causing all the crises in the world. Political or environmental, whatever is causing the fear and anxieties to the sensitive populations of countries around the world needs to be addressed at the root. It is collective unconsciousness. Unless people are educated in the art of true spiritual values and are inspired to practice mindfulness, heartfulness, meditation, and a simpler life, it will be difficult for all of us to survive longer on this planet. Greed is eating us up. We all know, yet the diabolic forces are so strong that it is overpowering every small effort for a better tomorrow. The night is Darkest Before the Dawn But be assured of the reality Omtimes.com


that night is the darkest before the dawn. All these crises that humankind is creating will come back to demand a price. Then humans will awaken to a higher collective awareness to love mother earth and each other, and create a better world for the progenies to come and species of life to regenerate and coexist. Already millions of good people around the world are working for this awakening to a new dawn of conscious awareness. Yoga, meditation, holistic healing, vegetarian, organic food, the planting of billions of trees;all is becoming mainstream, which is the most positive sign.

there, and the rest will follow.

The solution comes first and foremost to change one’self. Unless each individual changes, nothing changes. When one person changes to living a quiet, peaceful life, even if there are distractions and distress on the periphery, then that person becomes the first vehicle of a lasting change in the environment, and peace becomes a possibility. Let us get into a deeper quest of our inner world and bring change

Sakshi is mindfulness, and Bhav is heartfulness. Sakshi is our witnessing self within that never changes our conscious awareness of our self, our thoughts, emotions, and actions. Sakshi is our true state of “Being.� Bhav is the pure feeling of love from our heart, the beauty that we all have within us. Sakshibhav is our natural state that brings the ecstatic awareness of truth and beauty.

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Each one of us needs to strive earnestly to take each day at a time and live it to the full, to the brim, living moment to moment in the awareness that the divine is taking care of everything. Our practice needs to be rooted in the wisdom of the sages and masters that all sense of our being, the doer of our thoughts, emotions, and actions, is false. We are only a Witness, and we need to always remain in that state. That is our sadhana, our practice, the practice of Sakshibhav Meditation. What is Sakshibhav, or Witnessing Meditation?


When our mind is full of random thoughts and unpleasant emotions, we are living in our past. Emotions are only born regarding past experiences. Through meditation, we consciously shift our focus from the past to the present moment as we become more aware of our witnessing self-inside. When the mind is given a pause through our shift of consciousness, we become calm. Our attention is sharpened. Our attitude becomes more proactive and life-affirming. We see things and people more clearly. Our words vibrate with the light of awareness. We become more powerful, successful and peaceful. This is the art of mindfulness and heartfulness that comes through the practice of Sakshibhav Meditation. We move from having our mind full of stuff to being lovingly mindful of the witness within, the one who simply observes without judgment the clouds of circumstance (our thoughts and emotions) that pass over the pure unscathed sky of our

mind. Then the magic happens, and we are truly at peace! We enjoy the journey that takes us beyond the fears and anxieties of the mind in a state of unconsciousness to the trust in the universal higher powers, and then we experience the bliss of oneness. Bodhi Shuddhaanandaa (formerly Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari, India): Globally acclaimed spiritual teacher with 40 years of meditation experience, author, and visionary social advocate; founded Lokenath Divine Life Mission, 1985, which serves thousands of poverty-stricken individuals. Received Lifetime Achievement Award, House of Lords, UK, 2015. www.courseinmindfulness.com www.facebook.com/ shuddhaanandaa10/ www.amazon.com/ Baba-ShuddhaanandaaBrahmachari/e/B003W5XP5W/ To learn more about Bodhi and Sakshibhav Meditation, contact susan@feelinghearts.org.

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Coherence Hotspots Change Happens when we Connect By Dirk Terpstra

Research has proven that our emotional state directly influences our experience in life, as well as our worldview, and the lens in which we view others. This affects each decision we make and the quality of life we have. Could it mean then, that when we collectively change our Omtimes.com


emotional state, life, as we know, will change? Pretty close and understanding the science in this process is just the beginning.

energy-draining situation. We see this not only in our own personal lives but on the world stage as a whole. Global network

Proof in science Science shows that ‘coherence’ is a healthy state when our heart, mind, and emotions are in sync. How can we shift into a coherent state? It is a simple yet highly undervalued tool – our breath. It doesn’t matter what part of the world we come from, our background, faith, or our belief systems, we all have the capacity to tune into our breath, and with intention, listen to our heart. Many of us feel we might not be intuitive, however we have the capacity, with practice and intention, to become coherent, in turn creating a pause so that we can make more clear decisions, have better communication with ourselves and others, and fully see things from another person’s perspective, regardless if there is agreement or not. It becomes a conversation rather than a chaotic defensive,

The global Coherence Hotspot network has been founded for exactly this purpose. Like with a WiFi Hotspot, we come together, connect, and communicate in a highly coherent way. So, the official definition of a Coherence Hotspot is: “Any place where people get together on a regular basis, learn the science behind our connected universe, use the tools to see and feel in realtime what coherence ‘feels’ like, and ultimately bring it into their own body before radiating it out into the world, just like the Washington DC experiment.” Some things, especially those we have a hard time explaining, are often the most powerful in life. In 1993, a two-month national demonstration project

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conducted in Washington, D.C., showed how a coherencecreating group can reduce crime and social stress and improve the effectiveness of government.

reversal in the predicted crime trend occurred when the size of the group was at its largest in the final week of the project and during a blistering heatwave.

Before the project, violent crime had been steadily increasing during the first five months of the year. A week or so after the start of the study, violent crime (HRA crime: Homicides, rapes and aggravated assaults, measured by FBI Uniform Crime Statistics) began decreasing and continued to drop until the end of the experiment.

An important belief, the statistical probability that this result could reflect chance variation in crime levels, was less than 2 in 1 billion (p<.000000002). It was achieved in a simple, profound way. A group of people got together and became coherent.

Before the project, the researchers had publicly predicted that the coherence group would reduce the trend of crime by 20%. This prediction had been ridiculed by the Chief of Police who asserted that the only thing that would decrease crime that much would be 20 inches of snow. In the end, the maximum decrease was 23.3% below the time series prediction for that period of the year. This significant

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To date, there are more than 40 Coherence Hotspots around the globe, where people like you and I see the value in educating people in each of our communities. By meeting regularly, weekly, or monthly for example learning the connection between coherence and growing our resiliency, so we can not only manage our busy, hectic lives but find a “pause” in a part of every day. Both the HeartMath® Institute and the Resonance Science Foundation, endorse the global Coherence Hotspot


network because they have the science to prove, that the real change we wish to see in the world actually happens when we connect. In science, this process can also be referred to as ‘entrainment.’ This entrainment is found in all living systems, and when we tap into this coherent state personally, connecting with others as a group, moving into a social change, and ultimately a new worldview, we can have a profound effect on those around us. Training You have now the unique opportunity to enroll in a science-based training, provided by the Coherence Hotspot network, and delve into the dynamic and science behind our connected universe, our belief systems, and our changing worldview. But you also learn about the influence of epigenetics, placebo and coherence have on our immediate life experience, from personal coherence to the quantum field, and how to master the

breath, using biofeedback to create entrainment of our physiological systems. We can shift not only our own state but directly affect the ‘field’ by doing so. When we come together regularly, and spend a short time collectively syncing up our intentions, it ripples out into the field, affecting even those who are not aware. Maybe you have already carved out a practice that brings you this sense of connection – In your workplace, at home with family and friends. If you are curious to learn more about your own physiology, and the powerful way you can facilitate a change in your own community, or are interested in learning about the innate wisdom you already possess, this online training is carved out for you. There’s no need to commit to creating a Coherence Hotspot at this time, but after finishing the training, you might change your mind. http://coherencehotspot.com

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THE UNDERGROUND KINGDOM

Many old farmhouses had earthen floors; they were cool and damp in the winter, ideal for storing root crops, potatoes and apples. Sometimes, a small stream ran through the cellar floor, which provided a cooler for milk, cheese, and other food and drink. Rural folk traditionally stored food

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in their home cellars or outside root cellars. All that changed when urban food production came into place after the “Great Depression” of the l930s along with central heating and refrigeration. You can still find root cellars in the hinterlands of Vermont. I call them The Underground Garden. Elliot Coleman, in his book, Four-Season Harvest says, “I think of my root cellar as a secret underground garden into which I spirit away many of my crops when winter threatens.” Many woodchuck gardeners used to have root cellars; I am afraid it is becoming a lost art. I once had a friend who lived on the side of a mountain. He built a root cellar in the l970s on the hillside just south of his home. Easy access came from the gravel road, where he could drive his truck right up to the root cellar. The site was protected from the north wind and snow drifts. The door opened to the east, not the south where it would have received too much sun. My friend used the Scott Nearing simple stone construction

method. First, pour concrete footings and then, using movable wooden frames, fill them with cement and rocks and let them dry. Then move the frames above the firstpoured section and start again. It’s simple and practical “Woodchuck” technology. Externally, the root cellar was seven feet wide and thirteen feet long, which translated to five feet wide and eleven feet long inside. He built a framed, flat tar roof and used orange foam board to give the structure additional insulation then filled in the sides with soil. Before you entered the root cellar, there was a mud room that provided an air-lock space between the outside and the cellar. It was why the structure was so long and why he could enter the root cellar with ease in the winter. Two half-doors swung in, then the main insulated door with two-barrel bolts kept it shut. For ventilation, a four-inch aluminum pipe went through the top of the cellar. The pipe had a damper, just like those used with a wood stove. If it was too moist, the damper was opened all the way. Omtimes.com


Timing is critical when using a root cellar because the temperature has to be cool enough to protect the vegetables. You don’t want carrots ripening in September when the cellar is still too warm. The key is to grow crops that ripen late in the season when the cellar has begun to cool down. The way to do this is to start opening up the doors in the evening and closing them in the morning. A rhythm of lowering the temperature starts in October and November. On a cold November day, a decision is made to harvest the root crops and fill up the root cellar, which now is the correct temperature.

The right root varieties are also critical for storage purposes. Here are some hardy ones:

You should be able to store for a family of four eight bushels of potatoes, three bushes of carrots and two bushels of turnips and beets. Cabbage is tricky to store because the cellar has to be at the correct moisture level — store cabbages and leeks closest to the mud floor where there is more moisture. Moreover, make sure and leave the main root on the cabbage hanging up.

In November, my friend made the last batches of apple cider. He would fill glass gallon containers to within 1/4 inch from the top and capped them. The sweet cider was unpasteurized. By then the temperature in the cellar was down around 35 degrees, and the cider would keep all winter, believe it or not. Apples were not stored in the cellar because they gave off gases that affected the root

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• Lutz Winter Keeper, a variety of beet • Burpee’s Short and Sweet hardy carrots • Nantes and Danvers carrots • Gilfeather Turnips • Green Mountain Potatoes The root crops were stored in plastic milk crates. During the coldest times in winter, when there were seven days of subzero temperatures, a candle was lit in the mudroom that kept the thermometer at 33 in the root cellar. If it had been colder, you know what would have happened.


crops, but they did store a fivegallon wooden apple barrel of vinegar. One final note for all you cosmic gardeners out there: During the 12 holy nights right after Christmas, my friend placed his garden seeds in sealed containers in a box of compost in the root cellar. According to biodynamic gardening, burying seeds during the holy nights imbues them with cosmic life-giving forces. After the holy nights, the seeds were moved to the garden shed. Keep in mind, in nature seeds live in the earth, and look how well they do in the spring- especially those weed seeds in your garden. Most of the seeds the public purchases stay up on the fifth floor of a seed building all winter. Maybe we can all meet this winter in The Underground Kingdom. It would be a great place to see the many bins of potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips, and cabbage and perhaps have a sip of sweet apple cider. Us Woodchucks call it, “Si dah.” It makes me

thirsty just thinking about it. Ron Krupp, teacher, writer, entrepreneur, and community organizer has been farming and gardening in Vermont for more than thirty years. He has a master’s degree in teaching from Antioch University and a master’s degree in agriculture from the University of Vermont. He studied biodynamic gardening and farming at Emerson College, U.K. In the 80’s he edited The Green Mountain Farmer. In the mid 90’s he had a garden column in The Vermont Times and a garden commentary show on Vermont Public Radio. He is a frequent guest for features on the Vermont Public Broadcasting System and does garden and farm commentaries. His book The Woodchuck’s Guide to Gardening is going into its tenth printing revised 2013 with over 20,000 books sold). His second book titled Lifting the Yoke: Local Solutions to America’s Farm and Food Crisis is in its second printing. He is working on a third book titled The Woodchuck Returns to Gardening

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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.


The 7 Relationship Pitfalls of Oblivious People

Relationships aren’t always easy. Sometimes they go smoothly, and we feel like things are effortless between the other person and us, but sometimes we encounter someone who can really make a lot of trouble for us.

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Quite often, there are signs of trouble early on. We can protect ourselves from difficult people if we pay close attention to these “red flags.” If we don’t pay attention to the red flags that warn us of a difficult person in our presence or if we’re in denial about the possibility that someone is problematic, we’re going to be at a distinct disadvantage when someone like this comes along. On the other hand, if we’re on the ball and paying attention, we can spot the difficult people at work, at school, and at home and we can choose how to handle them, either by steering clear of them or by dealing with these difficult people as strategically and effectively as possible. Some folks don’t want to believe that there are difficult people among us. They want to believe that everyone is just as nice, reasonable, honest, and considerate as they are, even when presented with ample evidence of the opposite. When red flags are

waving in their face, they close their eyes and pretend to themselves that everything is fine. I call these people “oblivious,” not because they lack intelligence but because they’re willfully ignorant of the dangers lurking at work, school and at home. These oblivious individuals convince themselves that everything’s okay, but they’re putting themselves in peril. When we refuse to acknowledge the possibility that someone is problematic, we’re in danger of being exploited, manipulated and mistreated. Here are 7 relationship pitfalls of oblivious people at school, home and work: When you’re oblivious, you’re easy to trick, con, and manipulate. When you’re unwilling to face the fact that difficult people are out there ready to prey on you, you set yourself up as the perfect victim for these unscrupulous individuals.

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Predators are lazy and want to conserve energy. When faced with the choice between someone who’s easy to take advantage of and someone who presents as more of a challenge, most predators will go for the easy mark. Being oblivious makes you the easiest mark around. When you’re oblivious, you smell like prey. When you can’t tell the kind people from the cruel ones, the predators will always seek you out, and you’re doomed to be in bad relationships. Predators are always sniffing out the weakest animal in the pack. When you’re oblivious, you come across as more naïve and vulnerable than the other people around you. To a predator, that makes you smell like prey.

ignoring the red flags, you’re not going to be prepared when a difficult person comes along and tries to mess with you. If you remain in denial while they’re hurting you, it’s even worse. Either way, not knowing what’s going on makes it impossible for you to tune in to your feelings and your needs or ask for what you want. When you’re oblivious, people will take advantage of you. It’s easy to be exploited when you’re unclear about the other person’s motivations or intentions.

When you’re oblivious, you have no voice.

The more oblivious you are, the more attractive you are to those who want to use or exploit people. If you blindly trust people, you give them a free pass to really screw you over.

If you’re not clear about what’s going on, you can’t speak up on your own behalf.

When you’re oblivious, you get no respect.

When you’re in denial and

When someone is getting away with mistreating or exploiting

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you, it’s easy for them to look down on you.

helpless to extricate yourself from a bad situation.

Children are naïve and clueless. When you choose to be oblivious, you don’t come across as an empowered adult. You come across as a helpless child. That garners no respect. If you want to be respected, you have to open your eyes, stand on your own two feet, and ask for what you want.

If you can’t see what’s going on, you can’t change anything for the better. The starting point to improving your life is facing the truth that there are difficult people out there and acknowledging the red flags that are waving in your face.

When you’re oblivious, it always gets worse. When you don’t realize all the bad things the other person is up to, you let them get away with anything and everything. If you insist on denying how badly someone is treating you, you’re giving them a clear message that they can keep getting away with their hurtful behavior. The longer this goes on, the more emboldened this person will become in their cruelty or exploitation. When you’re oblivious, there’s no way out. When you’re in denial around being mistreated, you become

These 7 pitfalls are the reasons why it’s so important that you face the truth about what some people are capable of. When you’re no longer oblivious, you’re armed with the necessary tools for dealing with the difficult people who you might come across at home, at school, and at work. Marcia Sirota is a boardcertified psychiatrist and author. Her areas of interest include self-care, healthy relationships, overcoming addiction and personal empowerment. She is passionate about facilitating positive growth and change. marciasirotamd.com Subscribe to her newsletters here.

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Metaphysics



Heal the Feminine through Healing your Relationship with your Mother By Humanity Healing

Working the feminine in us is also healing our relationship with the mother. According to Bert Hellinger, a psychotherapist who created Family Constellations, and formulated the Systemic Laws of Love and Life, our personal “Success has the face of our mother.� Omtimes.com


...the dark ancestral cave, the womb from which mankind emerged into the light, forever pulls one back - but... you can’t go home again... you can’t go...back home to the escapes of Time and Memory. Thomas Wolfe He who does not achieve accomplishments in life, or ever had a successful, affective loving and enriching relationship, or had a healthy relationship with money, never attained intentional goals, or been happy in life, feels that way because “he didn’t accept the mother.” The Mother is the archetype that carries your creative powers. To accept the mother means to take her wholeheartedly, without judgment; lovingly in the heart, regardless of how the rearing, the upbringing, and the relationship with her were; whether or not you felt loved enough or the way you imagined to be “proper;”

whether unjustly punished, deprived or even feeling abandoned. I know many people, friends, students, patients, who, hearing these words with an anguished expression of anger or suffering, claim this to be an impossible task! They fail, and many sincerely claim they do not want, to open up to the possibility of acceptance. They carry deep hurts, abnormal scars that superficially cover chronic and sometimes incurable soul wounds. In today’s world, both men and woman need motherhood, the nurturing motherly feeling, the feminine energy. By receiving this energy, it will make them independent and free. Mata Amritanandamayi However, there is no way to say yes to Life without a maternal acceptance, before saying YES to our mother. Life was delivered to us through this woman: we

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were born from her body, from her flesh. Our body was forged in her womb through the food she ate and all the nourishment she took for us. There is a magical connection with the baby and the mother. These nutrients allowed us to evolve from the moment of conception, when two cells, motherly and fatherly, became only one; a person delivered through an act of love of Life, to trillions of cells at birth. The oxygen that kept us alive was inhaled through our lungs. The pulsing and soothing rhythm that rocked us during the nine months we were carried in the mother’s womb came from the rhythm of her own heartbeat. The emotions we felt, the bad ones that reflected our fears, uncertainties, and anguishes, as well as the good ones that carried dreams, hopes, desires, and ideals, both came from her soul. And from the familiar field of which she was a Omtimes.com

part of; a systemic field that reverberates the experiences of thousands of people who came before us, who’s DNA are related to us atomically and that constitute us unconditionally. To choose to rebel, or to have restrictions about her; to judge or criticize the mother (or also the father, which has other implications), means that we think we are more significant than they are. This behavior goes against the law of the Hierarchy, also means that goes against the law of belonging and results in not making a loving exchange because we received life through her. It is a type of behavior that creates unbalance in our lives for the lack of reciprocity. The inevitable truth is, no matter what you may think about your maternal relationship, there is a debt of gratitude that needs to undergo an energetic balance; whether you recognize it or not as real or necessary.


In short, with the choice and attitude of not fully accepting the mother, we fail to experience the three Orders of Love, the essential and fundamental Laws of relationships and Life. We need to consider ancestral cleansing. If we’re willing to clear our energy fields of the ancestral energies we don’t want, then we are ready to do something really interesting and beautiful which is to claim a connection with the wisdom of the kinds of ancestors we do want to be in contact with. But we can’t do this until we’ve cleaned out the lower stuff that is hindering us. Robert Moss The result is the creation or continuation of a transgenerational phenomenon of family entanglement, and the subsequent failure to achieve a purposeful destiny, success, and full and happy life. These are relevant situations to be worked through ancestral

healing techniques. By increasing awareness of these issues, accepting everything and everyone as they are, we say YES to Life; this way we can transform our reality, fulfill our personal mission, and ultimately live a healthy destiny with curative effects throughout our familiar system. Free adaptation of the working ideas and reflections of Dr. Bert Hellinger; Bert Hellinger is a German psychotherapist associated with a therapeutic method best known as Family Constellations and Systemic Constellations. In recent years, his work has evolved beyond these formats into what he now calls Movements of the Spirit-Mind. Several thousand professional practitioners worldwide were influenced by Hellinger, but are not necessarily following him, continue to apply and adapt his original insights to a wide range of personal, organizational, and political applications. Omtimes.com




Personal Growth & Development


We grow as individuals as we face challenges and overcome life’s obstacles. This section is dedicated to helping you chart your course.


What Is The Imposter Syndrome?

When Jess came into my clinic in Manchester, she looked every inch the successful woman. Immaculately groomed, wearing a sharp suit and sporting an equally sharp haircut, accomplishment oozed from her every pore. A 42-year-

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old senior executive in a large international corporation, she had the salary, the car and all the perks that spelled ‘made i.’ So, why was she at my clinic? As she sank into a comfortable chair and began to explain her problem, her demeanor underwent a transformation. Her shoulders began to slump, her voice wavered, her knees shook, and her fingers began twisting around each other as she talked. Her entire confident manner crumbled before my eyes as she ‘confessed’ that it was all fake; all of her successes were built on luck, she explained, and she was actually really bad at her job. While she had managed to pull the wool over the eyes of her colleagues and bosses for many years, she was sure they would uncover her secret soon. She stood to lose everything, but that wasn’t even the biggest problem; the greater issue was that she was struggling to live with being a ‘fake’ – she felt that she should quit her job before she was exposed, and go and do something more suited to her real abilities. It would mean less money and perks, but at least she would be honest with herself.

Welcome to the world of Imposter Syndrome. It is a secret world, inhabited by successful people from all walks of life who have one thing in common – they believe that they are not really good enough. They might be men or women, young or old. And imposter beliefs are not always related to work; I have met ‘imposters’ who feel they are not good enough parents, husbands, wives, friends, or even not good enough human beings. These are all variations of Imposter Syndrome, especially when there is little objective evidence to support the sufferers firmly held self-beliefs that they are frauds. So, what is Imposter Syndrome? The term ‘Imposter Syndrome’ or ‘Imposter Phenomenon,’ was first coined in 1978 by clinical psychologists Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes in a paper entitled ‘The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention’1. The condition was described as being ‘internal experience of intellectual phonies’ that afflicted some high-achieving Omtimes.com


women. In their paper, Clance and Imes described their sample group of 150 women as follows, ‘despite their earned degrees, scholastic honors, a high achievement on standardized tests, praise and professional recognition from colleagues and respected authorities… [they] do not experience an internal sense of success. They consider themselves to be “impostors.”’ They go on to explain that these women believe they have only achieved their success due to errors in selection processes, or because someone has overestimated their abilities, or that it is due to some other external source. Clance and Imes claim that there are three defining characteristics of IS: 1. The belief that others have an inflated view of your abilities or skills 2. The fear that you will be found out and exposed as a fake 3. The persistent attribution of success to external

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factors, such as luck or an extraordinary level of hard work. So, do you have Imposter Syndrome? By now, you may have recognized some of the signs and symptoms of IS in yourself. Most of us will likely have some of the symptoms outlined above, but that does not mean we have IS. In fact, we should remember at this point that Imposter Syndrome is not a recognized mental health condition as such, and thus there are no standardized professional criteria for having it. However, below is a selfassessment quiz that I devised to give you some idea if any signs and symptoms you have might be enough to qualify you as having IS. This quiz is based on the common symptoms outlined above and is not meant to be a diagnostic mental health tool, but rather a quick and simple way to ascertain to what degree you feel like you are an imposter.


1. How easy do you find it to accept praise? Very hard

Quite hard

Quite easy

Very easy

1

2

3

4

2. When you do something well, how likely are you to dismiss it as not really much (e.g., it was easy, anyone could have done that, it was nothing special) Very likely

Quite likely

Not very likely

Not at all likely

1

2

3

4

3. When you do something well, how likely are you to attribute your success to luck? Very likely

Quite likely

Not very likely

Not at all likely

1

2

3

4

4. When you do something less well, how likely are you to attribute your failure to luck? Not at all likely

Not very likely

Quite likely

Very likely

1

2

3

4

5. When you perform poorly or fail, how likely are you to attribute your failure to your own lack of skill or not working hard enough? Very likely

Quite likely

Not very likely

Not at all likely

1

2

3

4

6. When you do something well, how likely are you to attribute your success to another people’s input (‘they helped me’)? Very likely

Quite likely

Not very likely

Not at all likely

1

2

3

4

7. When you do something poorly, how likely are you to attribute your failure to other people (‘it was their fault’)? Not at all likely

Not very likely

Quite likely

Very likely

1

2

3

4

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8. How important is it for you to be the best at something that matters to you? Very important

Quite important

Not very important

Not at all important

1

2

3

4

9. How important is a success for you? Very important

Quite important

Not very important

Not at all important

1

2

3

4

10. How likely are you to focus on what you have not done well compared to what you have done well?

Very likely

Quite likely

Not very likely

Not at all likely

1

2

3

4

11. How important is it to you to find a ‘hero’ to befriend and impress? Very important

Quite Not very important important

1

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2

3

Not at all important

4

12. How often to do feel afraid to express your views lest people discover your lack of knowledge? Very often

Quite often

Not very often

Not at all/ rarely

1

2

3

4

13. How often do you find yourself unable to start a project for fear of failing? Very often

Quite often

Not very often

Not at all/ rarely

1

2

3

4

14. How often do you find yourself unwilling to finish a project because it isn’t yet good enough? Very often

Quite often

Not very often

Not at all/ rarely

1

2

3

4

15. How happy are you to live with a piece of work you have done that you know isn’t perfect? Not at all happy

Not very happy

Quite happy

Very happy

1

2

3

4


16. How often do you find yourself thinking that you are a fraud? Very often

Quite often

Not very often

Not at all/ rarely

1

2

3

4

17. How worried are you that your lack of skill/talent/ability will be discovered? Very worried

Quite worried

Not very worried

Not at all worried

1

2

3

4

18. How important is validation from others to you (e.g., praise) Quite Quite important important 1

Not very important

Not at all important

3

4

2

How to score The score range is 18–72, and the lower the score, the MORE likely you are to suffer from IS.

As a rough guide, scores lower than 36 probably indicate that you have some element of IS. Read on to see what type of imposter you may be. You will also find the rest of the book valuable for helping you understand where your imposter believes may have originated – and how to cope with them and build your selfconfidence. About the author: Dr. Sandi Mann is a psychologist, University Lecturer and Director of The MindTraining Clinic in Manchester where much of her material for this book is derived. She is the author of over 20 psychology books, her most recent being The Science of Boredom. She has also written and researched extensively about emotional faking, culminating in her book Hiding What We Feel, Faking What We Do.

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Personal Enrichment: How to Learn More about Your Strengths and Weaknesses by Rachelle Wilber

It should always be among your top goals in life to improve. You should never be satisfied with who are you as a human being. It’s always wise to try to keep getting better and better. If you’re all about personal improvement, you should make a point to get in touch with all of your Omtimes.com


weaknesses and strengths. Learning about these things can be an indisputable gamechanger. Participate in Meditation and Yoga Sessions Meditation and yoga are two examples of activities that can aid people who care about wellness. They’re also two activities that can come in handy for people who want to get in touch with themselves. If you want to attain superior mental clarity, then you should start taking part in routine meditation and yoga sessions. Deep breathing exercises can help you pinpoint many truths about yourself. Pretend You’re Someone Else for a Day It can be hard to walk in other peoples’ shoes. If you want to be able to identify your own weaknesses and strengths, however, doing so can make an excellent first step. Try to assess your personality from the viewpoint of an outsider. Imagine how your actions make people feel. Think about how your actions affect others around you. Think about how they may affect you from a

distance as well. Speak with Honest Friends and Family Members Discussions with honest and sincere friends and family members can often accommodate people who want to be able to pinpoint the things that are good and bad about them. You should engage in candid and open conversations with people who are looking out for you. Ask them to give you constructive criticism that pertains to who you are as a human being. Ask for positive feedback, too. Your goal should be to accentuate the positives. Test out an App There are in-depth apps these days that can empower individuals who want to be able to discover their weaknesses and strengths. If you test out this kind of app, you may be able to learn invaluable lessons that pertain to your personality and direction in this world. Grasping interpersonal communication matters can do wonders for people want to understand who they are.

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Getting in touch with yourself is a deep thing. It’s not something you should approach lightly. You can discover yourself by thinking things over in an honest way. You can discover yourself through the assistance of technology, too. Look into your interpersonal communication app choices now. Our strength grows out of our weakness. –Ralph Waldo Emerson Rachelle Wilber is a freelance writer living in the San Diego, California area. She graduated from San Diego State University with her bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Media Studies. She tries to find an interest in all topics and themes, which prompts her writing. When she isn’t on her porch writing in the sun, you can find her shopping, at the beach, or at the gym. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook: @RachelleWilber; https:// www.facebook.com/profile. php?id=100009221637700

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The Heart of an Empath By Judi Lynch

More than ever, humanity needs love and healing. It is empathy that changes and recharges the light of the soul. Empathy will bring us back to purpose and keep the light of hope alive. Empathy is one of the signs of emotional intelligence. It is the ability to understand another from their point of reference and emotionally feel what they feel. This means to feel a Omtimes.com


person’s joy as well as their pain. To look through the lens of their eyes and experience their events as if they were ours. There are kinds and degrees of empathy, and according to psychology it is both a part of our evolution and a learned skill or behavior. A person described as an empath is highly sensitive to other vibrational energies and experiences emotions physically as well. They are the first to feel, experience, offer help and when they say they care it is obvious. Dealing with loud noises, crowds, negative outlooks, cruelty of any kind can also set off alarms which elevate anxiety and fear. Learning how to function at a higher level during these events is key in maintaining emotional balance and keeping a positive outlook. The empath has a variety of abilities and skills which go along with this life theme. Their Earth missions are complicated and varied. The life plans they’ve made are not easy. Empathy involves caring from the deepest levels of the heart. It is the core of our humanity, the reason we can love unconditionally. For an empath,

it can be very confusing to understand if the feelings belong to them or someone else. An empath is capable of reading thoughts, emotions, and intentions of another person. It happens all the time although most people aren’t aware of it. Intuition is heightened, spiritual energy is at high volume. Psychic ability develops through our empathy with practice and devotion. When a psychic is highly empathetic, they are extremely accurate with reading and interpreting messages for others from spirit. They send out an energy of peace which helps put others at ease which helps develop trust between the reader and the person receiving the reading. Empaths can help protect their energy fields by remembering to detach in many situations. Being able to understand another and offering comfort along with channeling positive energy (without depleting their own) is key. Empaths can heal themselves and others without taking on the negative energy as their own. Meditation, self-care and a Omtimes.com


positive outlook on the benefits of being extra sensitive help greatly in transmuting energies. Setting boundaries, knowing when to end relationships and understanding the motives of friends and family members help greatly. Rising above situations that bring in anxiety and fear is a learned skill over time. Narcissists are drawn to empaths because they use the love and energy provided them to feed their need for attention. The empath is always trying to save someone needy and broken until they learn that relationships are about loving each other equally, unconditionally. Narcissists don’t have or understand empathy, only that they need and seek attention for their own selfish purposes. Even though we all can have selfish thoughts or tendencies, most of us learn how to share and understand each other as humans. An empath identifies the fact that love, patience, and understanding are more important than anything. They learn through time not everyone has the same energy Omtimes.com

or values and that is okay. They can learn to be responsible for how they honor life with their own growth through spiritual evolution. Learning to embrace their feelings without holding them in means expressing them in more positive ways. An empath can listen, be a calm and peaceful voice for injustice, inspire others not to be afraid to feel. More than ever humanity needs love and healing. It is empathy that changes and recharges the light of the soul. Empathy will bring us back to purpose and keep the light of hope alive. These special abilities were meant to be shared in helping this Earth to heal and flourish. The heart of an empath is the soul song we can all learn to sing. Judi Lynch is a psychic medium, intuitive counselor, healing channel, and author. She is president of the Crystal Healing Foundation, Inc. a 501(c) spiritual charity and writer for OM Times Magazine. She has authored two books, Friends with Lights and Conscious Ascension and has read for clients all over the world. To learn more or contact for a session see judilynch.com


The Magic Of Conscious Relationships Try Ascending Hearts.Com For Free


World Vision


When you look at the view of Earth from space, you are immediately in awe of what you do see: the incredible beauty of Creation. It is not until you look closer that you realize what you do not see. You do not see lines partitioning countries. You do not see separation between races. You do not see division between religions. You do not see the walls people build to isolate themselves from each other. There is only One Planet. There is only One Humanity. This section is dedicated to introducing thoughts and ideas to foster a greater understanding of Humanity’s interdependence.


Flat Earth Theory and the New Dark Ages

Astonishingly, there has been a movement that has been gaining strength in recent years called the Flat Earth Movement. Yes. Some people claim that the earth is flat: an undeniable, nostalgic, and medieval Omtimes.com


mindset. Many have questioned whether Flat Earth is a movement or a conspiracy theory, but, in fact, it is both. It is possible to have a belief in both God and Science. They are not mutually exclusive. Even with the separation between science and faith (God), we need not ignore scientific facts and discoveries relating to our own origin, to support a metaphysical and theological line of thought for the source of all creation and life on this planet. In fact, maintaining the balance between what is plausible, and keeping our mind open to mysteries of faith is essential to bringing us closer to the truth. Evidential Science is not a matter of opinion, it is a matter of facts. It is important to understand that the Flat-Earthers are not just skeptical of the facts surrounding spherical earth, they refuse scientific methods and evidence because they are only inclined to accept “facts�

that may confirm their theories, a classic case of confirmation bias. What is puzzling is that, how is it possible in the 21st century that there are still people doubting such an undeniable truth, and what does this have to do with spirituality, light, and darkness? At first, we may think that it is only ignorance, in a sense a lack of knowledge, but behind these visions concealed by lack of knowledge, we find darkness and strange interests. I will not bother to expose the obvious here, that is, I will not present arguments that prove that the Earth is not flat, that is, in fact, a sphere, a globe, so as not to mock the intelligence of the reader nor to waste our time. The idea is to understand the evil forces that feed on man’s spiritual unconsciousness and ignorance, as a warning to the importance of liberation through knowledge. Also, to point out that God will never be defeated by Omtimes.com


science, and that science can and should be an ally in understanding the truth and the mysteries surrounding our existence. The Documentary “Behind the Curve” In 2018 Netflix released a documentary called “Behind the Curve” that dealt with this theme. In it, we can take a closer look at the people who support the theory that the earth is flat and the explanations they insist on providing as evidence. But why do they believe this? It is the first question that comes to mind. In the documentary, a common trait among Flat Earth supporters is a distrust of the entire system. It is something of a new trend everywhere, the “infectious” claims of several current conspiracy theories have been seeding distrust, suspicion, and rivalries among all segments of modern society, both in our country and abroad. This wave of distrust reaches our moral values, ethical choices, and our institutions. Omtimes.com

The documentary also talks about the relation between the Flat Earthers and mental health. Seeded Fear and Otherhood All the conspiracy theories’ goal is to create division, separation, and, ultimately, implement a society based on fear of the Other. How do they do that? They achieve this by casting doubt upon what we, as human society, believe to be the truth: scientific advancement, in the medical field, in the discovery of natural laws, in new technologies, and even in the basic predispositions we have as human beings living in a naturally diverse world. Regretfully, this is not only an American phenomenon. These are disenfranchised people, with a little higher education or culture, few possibilities, and not only feel harmed by the system but tend to doubt scientific concepts. They unite around easily verifiable facts, and in this union, in their worship,


they find the support and recognition they cannot achieve in other aspects of life. In doing so, they find relevance. There they finally find some power. Flat Earth and the Vast Array of Supportive Conspiracies Flat-Earthers believe that their perception of life is only what their eyes can perceive. They believe this mindset is more valid than a more technical scientific understanding. Typically, Flat Earth is not the only absurd theory they endorse: all sorts of conspiracy are part of this network, from the certainty that man has never stepped on the moon, gravity as a lie, vaccines are dangerous, the Deep State, mass shootings are False Flag attacks...the list of absurdities goes on and on. “Three Things Cannot Be Hidden for Long: The Sun, The Moon, And The Truth.” –Buddha Undoubtedly, movements like these are proof that

we are failing as a society. We allow people to feel so needy, suspicious, and uneducated that they feel isolated and lonely to the point of clinging to such an ignorant and unscientific theory. Ridiculing them only increases their strength: the more a liminary group (fringe of society) is pushed back on, the more they identify themselves as part of a real movement. There is some controversy about whether Flat-earthers are growing in number or not, there. They may just be noisier, but nevertheless, there is a considerable danger in this movement. They are not as harmless as sympathy for them tries to induce. In addition to the terrible misinformation they are spreading, along with it comes another issue that is of prime concern to human life: global warming. Believing the Earth is flat means adopting creationism as the genesis of life, which clashes directly with the reality of global warming. It’s important to say that Omtimes.com


being a Creationist is very different from believing in God. Creationism essentially implies going against unquestionable scientific facts which, in no way, oppose the divine idea, such as contesting that the earth is billions of years old and, instead of evolution, we are descended directly from Adam and Eve. “Know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” –Jesus The adherents of this theory deny global warming because it does not fit in with their earthly and creationist logic. That is a danger, especially when we have certain political leaders from different countries helping to bring down scientific and undisputed facts. More people must become aware that the lifestyle we have adopted is destroying the possibility of life on earth, not the other way around. The denial of science is very dangerous to humanity at this critical time for the world.

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Ignorance of What Doesn’t Fit Established Preconceptions The most curious thing is that Flat Earth movement uses “science” to prove their theory, even with all the discredit with which they treat it. This makes them a “no salvation” case, as they are not looking for the truth but for proof of what they already believe, thus, there is no possible argument against this blind faith. Who Profits from this Conspiracy? Flat or round, there has always been hate in the world. –Tanith Lee Ignorance always matters to someone. In these critical times of Planetary Transition, we daresay that it matters to many. The Flat Earth Theory matters to the dark side. In physical, material terms, it is not news to anyone that control happens through ignorance and division.


Political leaders and Heads of State have known this since ancient times. We learned at school about “bread and circus” politics as a way of alienating the population, maintaining order, and gaining support. For those at the top of power, it matters little whether people think the earth is flat or that global warming is a lie, as long as they stay in power and profit from it. The ignorance of the people is a blessing to those who govern and control the flow of Earth’s resources. This is not only a matter of one political system, but this is also about the perpetuation of power: over Earth and over Humanity. Behind the manipulation of minds, there is darkness and a new way to facilitate the “brokerage” of power among a “New World Order” which, in truth, is as old as time and expresses the same disregard for human life and the life of this planet.

Spiritual and mental illumination should be goals we must pursue as a race because only in this way can we can actually bring enlightenment that removes one from the imprisonment of then ignorance that allows the system to renew itself and continue. Education, information, and the sharing of knowledge can bring life to wisdom, and only wisdom can fight Darkness efficiently. The Flat Earth Theory and the darkness behind it is a reality. The regression of science matters to Darkness. Human ignorance is the pillar of darkness. Our unconsciousness and ignorance are essential to distancing ourselves from the Light. His Holiness, the Dalai Lama says: “Ignorance is a weapon of mass destruction.” Also, Read Flat Earthers are now saying the Earth is a donut because why the f*%k not

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