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DEVOTEE
Miten
October A Issue
CONTENTS • OMTIMES
Table of Contents
28
42
50 28
MITEN The Heart of the Devotee By Sandra Sedgbeer
42
Treating Allergies with Acupuncture and Herbs By Andrew Pacholyk, MS L.Ac
50
Dispelling the Diagnosis
54
Healing Emotions and Teeth Grinding with Yoga
58
60
By Gayle Madeleine Randall, MD
64
By Stefanie Arend
Jennifer Taps Her Way Into My Heart By John Holland
October 2019 B EDITION
O M T I M E S
M A G A Z I N E
1 2 8
C O N T E N T S OCTOBER / EDITION B
6 4
What It’s Really For
6 4
Do Insects Have Spiritual Consciousness?
7 4
Feng Shui and Politics 1 0 2
7 8
9 2
Roots and Antennas-What Brazil Can Teach the World The Burden of Suffering :Everyone Suffers
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What's Inside?
CONTENTS • OMTIMES
114
134
98
106
122
98
What to Do When You've Got the Business Blues
122
The Art of Self-Care for Sensitive People
102
Gardening: Final Autumn Murmurs
128
What It’s Really For
106
The Multifaceted Sandra Sedgbeer
134
The Surprising Relevance of Sanskrit for Today
114
Relationships, Shared Trauma and Tough Times
140
Thriving as an Empath
OCTOBER/ EDITION B
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The Heart of the Devotee INTERVIEW BY SANDRA SEDGBEER
OCTOBER B EDITION
"I thought to myself, this is the music I want to hear when I'm dying."
It's a pretty rare thing for us to devote an entire episode of what he's going on to music. But when we do, you can bet there's nothing ordinary about the music and the musicians that we've chosen to feature. We're going to be talking about the latest album from singer and songwriter, Miten who is celebrated worldwide, not only for his work with musical soulmate and mantra star Deva Premal, but in his own light as a composer, producer and creator of international inspirational albums that regularly top iTunes in the Amazon charts : Miten, We'll come back. It's so good to have you back on.
Miten: Thanks a lot, sandy. I'm happy to be back. I’m happy to be anyway. Right? Sandra Sedgbeer: Ever since the invention of tape decks, music lovers have been curating their own Playlist music, or have played in the background while they're working. But I think it's pretty fair to say that few people, if any, have thought of creating a playlist of music to die too. But your new album devotee is, in a sense, just that. Miten: I have to say to the musicians as we were playing it, and my band, they know me well for that, I had to keep reminding everyone, can you die to this?
OMTIMES • OCT B
Can you die as we were playing a piece, so it kept us on a kind of conscious level of empathy and compassion? It was a very beautiful journey for all of us because of that. By dying, I also want to make sure that you guys understand that anytime we let go into the moment, it's a little death, and it's a little Resurrection. So, it really is music. I wanted you to be able to play and just chill out, just relaxing to space in the music, which is what I like to imagine we all do in our concerts. Just forget the day today, superficial stuff that we all have to deal with to get through life. But underneath that, there's this other world where we have it with which we inhabit.
And that's the world of, you know, tears, and hopes and wishes and laughter and joy and, and, and longing and all those beautiful qualities that come with a spiritual name, but actually they're just human. We were playing one night, we would just come down at the end of the mantra, and it takes us a while, and it's like landing a 747 airplane, it takes a long time when you're to come right down to a silence space. And as we were coming down, I thought to myself, this is the music I want to hear when I'm dying. I just want to be able to create music that, that, uh, supports that journey of being able to relax into the moment for a while.
OMTIMES • OCT B
Sandra Sedgbeer: Miten, You, had open-heart surgery in March of 2018 and I spoke to Deva in an interview she and I did at the end of last year about, how your music, Gayatri Mantra, helped you with some of the emotional, and physical, the fallout from that. I wondered that because you've said about your new solo album Devotee that your priority is to express musical excellence without ever losing sight of the basic objective, which is to create support for vulnerable moments in life when our defenses are down, and our heart is open. It made me wonder how much of the inspiration for devotee sprang from your own experience of being vulnerable when your heart course quite literally opened. Miten: Well, it definitely amped it up. You're right. It definitely brought it all into focus. I feel like all the music that I've made in these last 40 years; since I first came to OSHO, I was a young guy, 30. I was a songwriter, that was my occupation, my career. I stopped that when I came to OSHO because I wanted to cleanse myself and get rid of the identification of being a musician, of song rights, or making music for money. So, all this, when I stopped playing, I just chopped the carrots and washed the rice in the ashram for many years, until the music came back naturally. It came back from the sense of gratitude and of being born out of a silent moment. Also, the other thing about the album is I revisited, and I haven't played electric guitar for years, but, uh, yeah, it's, it was, so that was a whole different palette we had as a band. The album and especially on the opening track, Eye's ocean, you get the feel of floaty, but with a subtle groove all the way through, some need to relax and, and just flow with. Sandra Sedgbeer: What's the significance of the title Devotee? Why did you choose that word? Miten:Â My story is that basically at 30 years old, I threw up whatever life I had been living and came upon an Indian mystic, and I lived basically with him ever since.
"I just promised myself that no record company is going to tell me what to do anymore. No manager is going to tell me what I should put on the cover. It's just Deva and me, and we're just doing it. We've just always put out our own music."
That was Osho. And over those years I understood the relationship between the disciple and the guru being very much mystical. It's not a follower- leader, a leader-follower. It's not what people think it is. It's very much this mysterious thing that happens between a disciple and a guru. I've come to understand this, and again, I'm not a great scholar, but what I understand is that to be a devotee is when you move beyond, any kind of a label, and I realize that I am a devote of life. I'm devoted to this mysterious unfold in that I find myself in, and music itself has become my teacher, has become my living guru. I see music as a very much as an alive spirit, something that exists in all of us all across the planet. Sandra Sedgbeer: There are nine songs on this album, and I had a hard task trying to choose three that we could play one in each segment. I liked them all, but I've chosen to play “Rhythm of the heart.” Can You tell me a little bit about the inspiration for that song? Miten: it's a love Song, Sandy, really. The heart is such a mystery and an understanding of what it is to be in the rhythm of the heart; it's not, it's love, you know? And so, it's way bigger than our minds and way bigger than us. We tried to manipulate love and relationships, anything like that, you come to see that we're just a tiny speck compared with the power of love. So, there's a mystery, and there's a rhythm that I like to feel. I always tell my friends and my younger friends who have kids, make sure to help them with rhythm, that's as important as speaking. Help them to make sure that they can feel where the one drop and the two and the three in the fall. It helps children to be grounded in the present in their own energy. Yeah. The rhythm of the heart. Sandra Sedgbeer: All the songs on “Devotee” are quite long. I mean, they range from four minutes to nine minutes. Why is that? Miten: I don't know. I don't know. Just because you can, I mean, I don't think in terms of the radio or anything, really sandy
So, I'm very grateful that you enjoyed the music and that you play a little excerpts from it. I 'm very honored that you do that; it's not my intention when I go in into the studio to make three-minute songs or something like that. I just like to let them roll and see. One of the things about making music, and I found that in the albums I've done with Deva or, I've produced, and it's that there's something about, repetition, and not following a specific structure that leads to an unusual listening because not many kinds of music does that. And I just found, yeah, that's what I like to do. And I learned that with David because when she started to chant the Gayatri Mantra, she mentioned back in 1996 or something when she was seven, she was born to the Gayatri mantra and, this mantra gave me as a musician the opposite, the possibility to enjoy a different landscape, a different palette. There was no nobody, there was no pre-ordained idea of what the music should be. Nobody was making mantra music back then. Only Krishna Dass made one CD, and Jai Uttal had made one. I put the essence out, and that was the first time we felt like, oh, we are just singing. Just don't worry if it gets boring, it's not, it doesn't matter. It's not about that; it's just about given the person who's receiving it space to just speak it, just have it there and relax. And so, I learned that lesson when I put the chords to the Gayatri Mantra and started to record that. It was a thing that Deva, and I coined a phrase we used to say to each other, “trust the chant.” And so, we were just singing it for 10 minutes or whatever, and you have this possibility to go into a deeper space, psychically and spiritually with the music that does that. So that's why I like to do it. I just promised myself that no record company is going to tell me what to do anymore. No manager is going to tell me what I should put on the cover. It's just Deva and me, and we're just doing it. You know, we've just always put out our own music. Whatever money comes, it goes back into the whole thing, and it just, we let that whole thing circulate. OMTIMES • OCT B
Sandra Sedgbeer: I think your audience knows that, and that's why people gravitate to you. You mentioned at the beginning, um, the album begins with Eye’s ocean, which is described as an expensive meditated journey. This one actually features Deva herself, in a guest role. Is there a reason she doesn't sing on many of your songs, many of your albums? Miten: Yeah, there is a reason. When we started to sing together in the Ashram, Deva still had a German accent quite strong, and she was very shy; she would sing a second voice to me. OMTIMES • OCT B
I was kind of lead guy back then when we started because everybody knew me from the Ashram. They didn't know Deva. Deva wasn't a musician, she wasn't known as a musician. She was actually a bodyworker. She was a masseuse, and reflexology and different things that she was focused on in the Ashram. What happened was that when Deva found her voice, which was much later, when she rediscovered the Gayatri Mantra she was singing in this language that didn't require her to sing in a certain way. Deva's German accent did her work at fitting in with my English words.
But when she discovered the guidance from within, suddenly she was free. She was singing in Sanskrit; and Sanskrit. And Sanskrit is not only an ancient language, but it's a very strong language. She does sing on many of my songs actually, but she's not featured as she is in this one. I have to say on this one, Eye's Ocean, who is featured is Manose with a beautiful Indian rock singing that he does on the, on the album and, on this track.
Sandra Sedgbeer: What do you feel when you listen to a piece of your own music? Miten: There's a sense of redemption and humility in there; I'm kind of speechless because, as a musician, there's nothing better than a feeling that your music is being appreciated.
OMTIMES |OCT B EDITION
People would tell us, we gave birth to my kids with your music, much magnificent silence, or the “Gayatri Mantra”, and “Ashes to Ashes”, that song that you wrote, that's what I played that for my father at his funeral, we were all crying and it was so beautiful. And so I've found a kind of a place where I feel comfortable to put music out that I know is going to be used for very auspicious moments in people's lives. I never really used it myself, consciously for that until I had my heart operation and, my body was in a traumatic state, but my mind was okay. I had about a period where I had to deal with the trauma, and I did that through cathartic procedures that I'd learned in my time with Osho in the Ashram and doing different meditations that he'd given us to help eliminate emotional stress from the body. I had one night when I was just all night, really, I realized I needed, I needed something. I realized I need my own medicine now. We lay down on the bed together, and we just cuddled out and fell asleep with this beautiful music.
We woke up the next morning, the Sun was shining, coming through the window and it felt like, oh, I'm reborn. It was the rebirth, the whole thing that happened at that time. Sandra Sedgbeer: I love the fact that, as you had your heart surgery and then you went on to, within a very short time afterward, you were also presenting your life Facebook events series on the medicine of mantra. And you've got to experience that medicine for yourself. I mean, you give it out, and it comes back to you isn't perfect.
Miten: That's absolutely perfect. In that 21 day meditation that we did the meditation every day for 21 days. That was incredible for Deva and me, we would take a candlelit in the evening and, uh, sit together, and we would decide what mantra we were going to talk about. What we did, it very spontaneous. We just sat there, and we would talk, and then we would challenge it. And uh, we, we used to, we put it out online, and we had 200,000 people registered to do that with us. It made us realize, wow, you know, there is hope. Sandra Sedgbeer: From all the songs on this album. If you had to sort of just one to play as you lay dying, which one would it be? Miten: I think it would be “Bring me Your love.” Sandra Sedgbeer: Yeah, that's a beautiful one, and I'm sorry we didn't have time to play it, but I'm sure if people go over to your website, they may be able to listen to it, a little clip from it. Miten is always a joy to speak with you, and I always end feed-in like we haven't talked for long enough, but I'm sure from your end, we've certainly talked long enough. Thank you for taking the time to be with us today.
Miten: Thank you so much sandy. I wish you all the best. Take care of yourself.
Devotee, the new CD from Miten can be found at https://devapremalmiten.com/ and Facebook @Devapremalmiten
Health & Wellness Innovative new approaches to Healing as well as holistic methods for dealing with health issues and personal growth
Treating Allergies with Acupuncture and Herbs by Andrew Pacholyk MS L.Ac
Why people develop allergies remains a mystery in the medical community. Until we know more about allergies, the best line of defense is to eliminate the offending agents. Sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, sinus congestion, hives, swelling are all symptoms of allergies.
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Allergies can affect almost any area of the body. Substances that irritate the skin, allergic reactions to drugs, detergents, and other chemicals are all culprits. Also, grass, cow products, house dust, pets, wheat, colorants, additives, and preservatives are all possibilities. Dust Mites. The dust mite is an almost-microscopic relative of ticks and spiders. But the living mite is not the problem. It’s the fecal material they expel in their wanderings about our carpets and furniture their primary residences and the bodies of dead mites that cause reactions. Mold. Mold grows wherever it’s dark and humid under your carpet, in the basement. It just doesn’t matter which one you encounter. Inhale any one of them, and if you are allergic, you’ll start sneezing. Hay fever is an allergic condition triggered by inhalant substances (frequently pollens), which leads to sneezing and inflammation of the nose and conjunctiva of the eyes.
Any skin inflammation may be considered Dermatitis. Redness, scaling, and thickening of the skin may occur with dermatitis. Pinpointing the cause of the problem is the first step toward alleviating the symptoms. Eczema is a type of dermatitis that is allergy related. It appears as dry, cracking, crusting and red patches on the skin. Often there are swelling, weeping blisters. The skin can become inflamed and itchy. Many factors can contribute to eczema. Stress is a significant factor. Exposure to cleaning compounds, perfumes, detergents, household chemicals, soaps, food allergies, as well as nutrient deficiencies. Hives are lumps or weal that are very itchy. They can appear suddenly. They can be related to a particular food or as another complication from allergies; stress. Anaphylactic shock. This is the most serious of allergic reactions. It can kill by suffocation, the result of swelling of the larynx and Omtimes.com
obstruction of the airway. Anaphylactic shock can occur in response to insect stings, ingestion of allergenic foods in sensitive individuals, and injected or swallowed doses of medication. It is a medical emergency, but it can be treated effectively. An injection of adrenalin (administered under medical supervision) will usually end the reaction promptly. It is known that white blood cells (also known as lymphocytes) are a fundamental component of the immune system that protects our bodies from invaders. When they make a mistake, an allergic response can occur. When a lymphocyte encounters a particle or cell and identifies it as a foreign invader, it produces antibodies specifically engineered to fight that particular threat. There are five basic types of antibodies, called immunoglobulins, or Igs. Each is classified by type with a letter suffix: IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, and IgM. The Ig known to be responsible for most allergic reactions to food is IgE, although IgG is also commonly mentioned. Omtimes.com
IgE allergies occur when the immune system, to reject a certain food or other substance, creates an antibody to that food, immunoglobulin E. In other words, the blood cells of an allergic person are “misinformed’ at the genetic level and cause the production of large quantities of IgE antibodies. The antibody becomes attached on one side to the food/substance molecule and on the other side to a mast cell (mast cells are a type of cell containing histamine and other allergy mediators instrumental in the allergic response). When this happens, histamines and other chemicals are released from the mast cells, causing such immediate responses as runny nose, itchy eyes, skin rashes, and indigestion. IgE can cause anaphylaxis, an extreme, sometimes even lifethreatening response in which the airways swell, sometimes to the point where the person cannot breathe. The most common tests for food allergies are IgE skin tests, where the skin is scratched or pricked, and allergens such as wheat, eggs, and milk
are applied. Within 15 to 30 minutes, a local reaction may occur. Other types of tests include blood tests and patch skin tests. However, there are reports that blood testing for food allergies provides more reliable results than skin testing. The latter is problematic because of their tendency to yield false positives. This means that people may show a positive result but are still able to eat a certain food. To summarize this difficult and confusing field, it appears that the efficacy of all allergy testing is under suspicion. Managing Your Allergies Tree and Plant Pollen are one of the biggest culprits. When you come in from the outdoors, take off your clothes, and threw them in the washer. Take a shower, wash your hair, and change your clothes. We trek pollen into the house from the outdoors, and this is one of the biggest, yet unseen problems with people who suffer from allergies. Antihistamines interfere with brain activity, causing drowsiness and depression.
Never use antihistamines if you have a tendency to depression or mental dullness. Even when these drugs do not depress mental activity, they merely suppress allergy rather than cure it. As a result, the pattern of immune over responsiveness is strengthened rather than weakened, meaning that more treatment will be required in the future. This is even more so with steroid drugs (cortisone and related compounds). Never use cortisone, prednisone, or other steroid drugs to treat allergic reactions unless they are very severe or life-threatening. If you must take these powerful hormones, limit your use of them to two weeks. Steroids perpetuate allergy through their suppression action. They also lower immunity. Air-conditioning your house is probably the single most important thing you can do to alleviate pollen problems, and it can help with two other chief inhalants molds and dust mites. Vitamin C has antihistamine activity. Vitamin C supplementation has been Omtimes.com
reported to help people with hay fever in preliminary research. Consider 3,000 – 6,000 mg of Vitamin C in divided doses, per day. Bioflavonoids such as Quercetin might act synergistically with Vitamin C as both have antihistaminic activity. Although some doctors of natural medicine advise people with hay fever to take 400 mg of Quercetin two to three times per day, only limited preliminary clinical research has yet suggested that Quercetin benefits people with this condition. Proteins in food can cross-react with pollen we bring in from the outdoors. Wash all fruits and vegetables before eating them, and don’t forget to wash if you just came in from the outside when picking these fruits and vegetables. Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the oldest, continually practiced, and professionally administered health care system in the world. It is a documented medical system Omtimes.com
spanning over 2,500 years based on comprehensive philosophies, rational theories, clinically tested, and empirically verified by over 100 generations of highly educated practitioners. Chinese Medicine is a total system of internal medicine which is comprised of a diagnostic procedure based on signs, symptoms, and treatment styles, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, exercise, diet, and meditation. Its foundation is based on the principles of balance; the interdependent relationship of Yin and Yang. Through this balance, health is achieved and maintained. Traditional Chinese medicine often views allergic rhinitis as related to Wind, noting that symptoms come and go rapidly, cause congestion, and make the person want to avoid windy situations. This Wind often coexists with a deficiency of the Protective or Wei Qi. The nearest we associate with Wei Qi in the West is resistance to colds and other respiratory infections. People with Wei Qi deficiency catch colds easily, and allergy symptoms may be particularly bad in the spring
or fall seasons which are generally windy.
nostrils, at the widest point of the nostrils.
Acupuncture and herbal medicine are effective therapies for the treatment of allergies (especially if done BEFORE the season starts for you). Acupuncture redirects your Qi into a more balanced flow. It provides support to the underlying energetic spheres affected by your allergies, helping to resolve the cause or effects of allergies and allergic reactions. During pollen season, the intention of treatment is towards acute symptoms. After pollen season has passed, or once symptoms have cleared, the focus is on treating the underlying (root) problem by strengthening the immune system.
Hegu (LI-4): Located at the highest spot of the muscle between the thumb and index finger on the back of the hand when the thumb and index finger are close together.
DIY Acupressure for Allergies Consider applying some acupressure on these areas for self-relief: Bitong: Located on each side of the nose, at the bottom edge of the nasal bones. Yingxiang (LI 20): Located in the groove on each side of the
Gently start massaging these points S-l-o-w-l-y in a clockwise motion. As you get used to the light pressure, start going deeper, which will allow these main areas to release. Observe the power of these points about 15 minutes after you have massaged them. The acupuncturist also looks for constitutional or more deeply rooted signs in each person who presents with allergic symptoms. The principle here is treating the whole person. Often people with chronic allergies show signs of Spleen or Kidney Deficiency as well as Lung signs according to TCM. Herbal Remedies Herbs that are beneficial for allergies (if you are not allergic to them) are Burdock Root, Dandelion, and Echinacea. These herbs help to purify Omtimes.com
the blood, boost the immune system, and improves organ function. Bee Pollen can strengthen the immune system. Start with a few drops at a time and work up to a dropper 2-3 times a day. Coenzyme Q10 improves oxygenation and immunity. 30 mg, twice daily. In traditional medicine, some herbs whose pollen can cause symptoms of hay fever have been used as a way to reduce symptoms of hay fever, which is the homeopathic theory of “like cures like.” The most important of these are Goldenrod and Ragweed (Ambrosia ambrosioides). Eyebright and Elder also have a reputation for use as hay fever remedies. However, an individual allergic to one of these plants should avoid them unless under the care of a doctor of natural medicine. Bee Pollen – has been used to build up the immune system to fight colds and to counteract depression. Bee pollen has also been used internally to increase antiallergenic properties to enhance the immune system against allergies to pollen.
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Burdock Root – Burdock root contains high amounts of inulin and mucilage. This may explain its soothing effects on the gastrointestinal tract. Bitter constituents in the root may also explain the traditional use of burdock to improve digestion. It also contains polyacetylenes that have been shown to have antimicrobial activity. Dandelion – Dandelion is a natural diuretic that increases urine production by promoting the excretion of salts and water from the kidney. Dandelion may be used for a wide range of conditions requiring mild diuretic treatment such as poor digestion, liver disorders, and high blood pressure. Echinacea – Echinacea is another herb useful for the relief of allergy symptoms. With a rich history of use in Native American traditions, echinacea possesses natural anti-inflammatory properties. Echinacea also helps relieve the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections and is useful for sore throats and even acne.
Green drinks – green drinks are filled with antioxidants and other nutrients, which help to detox the body. Detoxification can calm allergy symptoms by helping to flush out toxic build up in the system. Made from spirulina, wheat, and barley grasses, these drinks are one of the best allergy medicines. Nettle Leaf – Nettle leaf can help in the reduction in symptoms of hay fever, including sneezing and itchy eyes. For help with hay fever symptoms, consider taking 450 mg of Nettle Leaf capsules or tablets two to three times per day, or a 2-4 ml tincture, three times per day. Do not take this herb if you have high blood pressure. Horseradish – The “heating” qualities of horseradish are a clue to its most popular therapeutic use: clearing up nasal and chest congestion. As well as helping to clear the respiratory passages and eliminate excess mucus, this herb is effective for the relief of cough symptoms and sinusitis. Garlic – One of the oldest
recorded culinary spices, garlic (Allium sativum) is mentioned as a food in the Bible and is known to have been part of the diet of Egyptian workers as long ago as 2600 BC. It is the dominant flavor in much of Mediterranean cuisine but is also a more subtle addition to many Asian dishes. But alongside its popularity in food, garlic has a long history of medicinal use a traditional history that has gained increasing recognition from science. Garlic preparations have long been used to relieve the congestion of colds and hay fever. Reishi Mushrooms, Ganoderma lucidum, (Ling Zhi) is documented to have great medicinal value. The reishi extract is effective in clearing up a large variety of allergic skin conditions either due to food or airborne allergens. Ganoderma extract is useful in detoxifying the kidneys and improving its overall function. Visit Your TCM practitioner for a proper diagnosis and treatment. Learn more here: http://www. peacefulmind.com/allergies Omtimes.com
DISPELLING THE DIAGNOSIS By Gayle Madeleine Randall, MD
Have you ever felt that a diagnosis has placed a spell on you and placed you in a state of shock or fear? This story, of the beautiful and famous Olivia Hussey, is an example of how a diagnosis can drive an illness further into you.
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In 2017, Olivia came to see me after undergoing intense chemo and radiation therapy for metastatic breast cancer. She had a large estrogen receptor-positive mass near her heart. Like most, she came, her eyes shiny with fear. After telling me her story, with words falling out one after the other, almost without breath, she circled back to her trauma and then to her illness, making me know they were attached. She finally said, “Dr Randall, I just can’t do it anymore. They won’t stop. It’s killing me.” I dispelled her fear by telling her she didn’t have to do it anymore if she didn’t want to and that I loved her and would be there for her. “Let me hold the burden.” She took a deep breath and said: “but it’s still there.” I said, “OK, I understand. We can do everything possible naturally to treat an estrogen receptor-positive tumor and monitor you closely. As long as you continue to improve, we know things are good. You have our support, the
support of your lovely family and God. Your husband David and your lovely daughter India are devoted - you mean everything to them.” I recounted stories about patients who healed from cancer and spoke about healing my mother from cancer at age 72, she died at 98 from old age. “Everyone gets healed, Olivia, and some people get miraculously cured.” We created her program; vegan diet, exercise, prayers, meditation, and an herbal regimen. Recent studies showed a vegan diet for only three months can reverse genes for cancer. So why not for her! We gave her herbs to reduce estrogen in her body using a diet free from high phytoestrogen foods such as soy. She was given many supplements in her program. However, everyone is unique, and each program needs to be individualized. The understanding that all cancers are inflammatory
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is also crucial in treating patients. However, the most important ingredient was to “dispell” her diagnosis: remove the spell of the trauma and the treatment and of the words “metastatic cancer” and to fill the space with love and hope. The role of the healer is to share a different light or perspective on the problem or illness of the client. By changing the client’s perspective of their illness, their relationship to it is changed almost magically. This activates changes in consciousness which allow for a portal for the wholeness to return to the body. So, in July 2019, I asked Olivia to repeat an imaging study. I read the images with the radiologist. After two years, not only had the mass not grown bigger, as it certainly would have been expected to do,
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but all that the scan showed was chronic scarring and that the tumor was smaller or gone. Either of which tells us our program is working! It was such a blessing to be able to share the good news with Olivia and her family that day at Randall Wellness. We all laughed, cried happy tears and hugged! Dr. Gayle Madeleine Randall is a unique kind of crosscultural practitioner with many degrees in Internal, Gastroenterology, Integrative and Functional Medicine. She is UCLA and worldly trained. She has studied with Shaman and Medicine people all over the globe. She brings all of her talents and knowledge together to help heal us and the planet. Share in her wisdom on amazing topics by tuning into the Vibrantlivingnetwork on Omtimesradio.com every Thursday 1 PM EST.
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Healing Emotions and Teeth Grinding with Yoga Stefanie Arend Be Healthy with Yin Yoga
In our busy world, where physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion are common complaints, yoga has never been more popular or more varied. In a society where many of us are overworked and overwhelmed by the daily stresses of our hyperactive environment – emails that haunt us even after working hours. We have performance pressure in the office and at school, tightly scheduled days for ourselves and our children – more people than ever before look to the ancient practice of yoga for health, happiness, and release of tension. But in many cases,
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mainstream yoga—ashtanga, power, Iyengar, etc.—may not be the best remedy for what ails us. We all experience challenging emotions such as sadness, anger, uncertainty, and anxiety. From a holistic perspective, emotions are neither positive nor negative, even if we are inclined to evaluate them this way. They cannot be permanently suppressed or held under, and they persist until they are accepted. However, especially in Western culture, we tend to categorize these feelings as “bad” and quickly learn to repress them. Our troubles may,
therefore, arise at a deep level but manifest physically at our body’s surface. One of the most common subconscious expressions of worry or anger is the grinding or pressing together of the teeth, especially during sleep. Teeth grinding has a wide range of consequences, from disrupted sleep to tooth and jaw damage. Although the symptoms of teeth grinding can be addressed quickly with a mouth guard, for example, to discover the root causes of our ailments, we must listen carefully to what our body is telling us. By bringing the body, mind, and spirit into harmony, Yin Yoga activates our capacity for selfhealing. It helps us find the serenity for self-reflection that we need to look inwards and interpret the body’s various signals. Yin Yoga’s long, deep stretches, which are held for minutes without any muscular tension, and focus on observing our gentle breathing, create a calm that allows buried memories and emotions to emerge. If we relax and align our bodies and minds, then we can identify what is causing us stress, accept it, process it, and ultimately let it go.
If you see yourself confronted with emotions that you would rather suppress, then please try this little meditation in addition to the Yin Yoga poses below: Sit up straight or lie down. Recall an unpleasant feeling—anger, annoyance, anxiety, sadness, or whatever comes to mind. Name this feeling and welcome it. Meet your emotions and feel them openly without rejecting them. Also, ask yourself why they are there and what they want to show you. Watch how your emotions change the more you watch them mindfully. Perhaps they become less intense and seem a little less threatening. If you accept your feelings, you can also let go of them more easily via the process of accepting them. Dangling (Uttanasana) This exercise stretches the whole rear side of the body and gently presses the stomach organs together at the same time, which has a massaging effect and supports the digestion. It works on all the long fascia chains on the rear side of the body, and the hanging also releases the neck nicely. 1. Stand upright, open the legs Omtimes.com
to hip-width, relax the back, and bend your upper body downwards to the thighs. Do not tighten up, but simply let yourself sink down gently. If the stretch is too strong on the backs of your thighs, you can bend the knees slightly. Let your arms either hang down long or cross them loosely. Keep your head and neck completely relaxed in the position. Remain in the position for three to five minutes. Then bend the legs and roll your upper body up slowly. Come into a neutral position and relax into Supine Position. Lying Butterfly (Supta Baddha Konasana) This exercise opens your pelvic area, has a positive effect on the organs of the lower abdomen, and stretches the insides of the legs. It also expands your chest area, which can help you with deep breathing. Lie back on the mat; place a yoga block under your head, and a second one at shoulder height under your thoracic spine. Alternatively, you can use a soft cushion under your head. Bring
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the soles of your feet together, and let your knees sink outwards slowly. Should the stretch be too intense on the insides of the legs or the groin, you can place more blocks or cushions under your knees. Stretch the arms out long next to your head, and place them on the floor so that you can feel a stretch in the chest and shoulder area. If your fingertips go numb doing this or you do not have the range of motion to do this, change the position of the arms so that the hands are more at your side or on your stomach. Stay in the position for three to five minutes. Take the arms back next to your body, close your legs, and push yourself up with an activated pelvic floor. Place the props to one side and relax into Supine Position. Twisted Roots (Jathara Parivartanasana) Lie on your back, pull your knees up to your chest, and let your bent legs sink onto the floor to the left. You can place your arms to the side at shoulder height, or stretch them out on the floor above you. Look towards your right hand if you want to include a rotation in the cervical spine. Give all your weight to the floor
and breathe into your stomach to intensify the massaging effect on your stomach organs. Stay in the selected position for three to five minutes. Then come back to the center, grip your knees and press them briefly to your chest, rock to and fro a few times, and then change sides. Protective Meditation Concentrate on a color that gives you strength. Now imagine a column of light appearing in front of you in this color. Take a step forward in your mind and place yourself into the light. You are completely protected in this column of light. It connects you with the energy of the earth on the one hand, and with the energy of the sky on the other hand. You can help the effect further and use the following affirmation if it feels right to you: “May only light and loving energies come through to me, and may all negative energies remain outside, starting now.” Then give thanks to the universe for this energetic protection. Also, this meditation is one of my favorites. I often use it before
going to bed to bring my energies into harmony. Enjoy the practice! https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=MFkACymvEdI Excerpted from Be Healthy with Yin Yoga: The Gentle Way to Free Your Body of Everyday Ailments and Emotional Stresses by Stefanie Arend (She Writes Press, August 2019). For more information, visit: https://www.yinyoga.de/en Photo credit: Forster & Martin Fotografie, Munich About the Author: Stefanie Arend is a renowned Yin Yoga instructor, holistic health coach, nutritionist, and energy worker. As the first German author to focus exclusively on Yin Yoga, she is the author of six books, including the classic bestseller, Yin Yoga: The Gentle Path to the Inner Center (2011) and Surya Namaskar: The Sun Salutation (2014), both of which were named Best Yoga Book of the Year in German-speaking countries. Be Healthy with Yin Yoga is her first English language book. For more information about Stefanie or to watch her videos, website and YouTube channel.
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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.
Jennifer taps her way into my heart By John Holland
A young woman named Melinda came to see me for a reading. As she sat quietly across the room from me, there was a full line-up of relatives from the Other-Side stepping forward one by one.
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In the background, I was acutely aware of a faint tapping that I was psychically hearing. It wasn’t the familiar tempo of a waltz or even a song that I’d recognize; yet, there it was again—a definite rhythm. It sounded more like: Clackity-clack, clackity-clack, clackity-clack. Oh my God, heaven was actually tap dancing! I thought to myself. At that moment, a little girl stepped forward and gave me her name. I didn’t hesitate a moment longer, “Melinda, I have a little girl here, and she is giving me the name of Jen or Jennifer. Do you understand that?” “That’s my daughter!” Melinda’s eyes instantly filled with tears. Jennifer was her five-year-old daughter who’d tragically died after a kidney operation. Melinda recalled that day when the hospital staff had begged her and the rest of the family to “go home, relax, and get something to eat”—
just for an hour— because nothing would happen. Yet, something awful did happen. Three years had passed since her death, and Melinda had come to see me with one burning question. She needed to know if her baby was safe in heaven. I wanted so terribly to give her some answers, but at first, I felt frustrated, as I couldn’t see or feel Jennifer. Instead, I just kept hearing the same noise, over and over: Clackity-clack, clackity-clack, clackity-clack. I couldn’t ignore the sound any longer. “Melinda, did Jennifer take tap-dancing lessons?” Melinda started weeping again. “No, but I understand the sound,” she whispered. “The Christmas before Jennifer died, she received a pair of clogs that had metal heels on them, which tapped when she walked. “The shoes were really too big for Jennifer’s little feet,” she went on. “She loved those shoes and
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insisted on wearing them, even though they almost fell off with a clacking thud every time she walked.” This was one of those readings when I struggled to hold back my own tears. Melinda told me that Jennifer had been buried in those shoes. I could feel the link fading away, but Jennifer had a message for her mother, “Please tell Mommy that it doesn’t hurt anymore. And I love the balloons.” Melinda was almost speechless. “On the anniversary of Jennifer’s death, and on her birthday each year, we stuff balloons with a message for her and release them into the sky. We put her name and her photo on each and every balloon!” JOHN’S MESSAGE This story doesn’t end yet. When a parent comes to see me due to the loss of a child, I find that it can often be a
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very emotional experience between the parent, the child in Spirit, and myself. After the reading later that day, I went to the beach to clear my head and recharge my soul. It was quite late, and the sun was setting, and I was the only one out there on the beach. I sat down in the sand to watch a brilliant sunset. As I stared off into the horizon, I couldn’t help but notice something bobbing just off the shoreline. As I walked closer, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was a single red balloon. A personal thank-you had been sent by special delivery ... compliments of Jennifer. I sat there on the beach for a little while longer, holding the red balloon in contemplation. Readings like this only convince me more and more that I’m in the right profession as a Spirit Whisperer. Live a Soul-filled life!
Do Insects Have Spiritual Consciousness? By Cathedral Of the Soul
Hurt no living thing: Ladybird, nor butterfly, Nor moth with a dusty wing. –Christina Rossetti It is easy for us to perceive the life, feelings, and even thoughts of animals such as dog, cat, horse, and so many others. We have a substantial
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esoteric literature on the subject, and it will come as no surprise to many people that a dog cats and other Mammals also have a conscience, a spirit, just like humans. “Consciousness is the structure of virtues.” –Francis Bacon We have an ongoing relationship with these animals and also a closeness through identification, so much so that we always tend to “humanize” our pets. A dog is an important entity in the family, considered as “ Fur-son” as “ Furperson.” But what about other beings, such as Insects. Are insects aware? Is the ability to perceive the reality and existence of an insect too far from that of a dog? And how about from a human? INSECTS FEEL PAIN We can start this reflection from the scientific point of view. According to science, insects feel pain. They have nerve endings similar to those we humans have,
despite having an exoskeleton. Therefore, it is reasonable to suppose that they have some kind of sensory perception equivalent to what we call pain. They can learn to defend themselves by moving away from something that causes them discomfort. So, we may also think that they have their own cognitive way and environmental interpretation mechanisms to help them to react to the information they receive and to preserve their lives. Fortunately, the sensory structures of these small creatures are distributed in various parts of their exoskeleton, and they have more efficient pain-blocking mechanisms than humans. Thanks to these apparatuses, a cockroach continues to walk even after having a leg torn off, for example. But it is not because the sensation of pain may not be exactly the same as we feel. But we should not conclude that insects do not feel pain when they are injured. And if they feel pain, it is because they are subject to a
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cognizant process that permits this perception to manifest, even if this awareness is not handled in the same way as human consciousness would. IF THERE IS AWARENESS, THERE ARE EMOTIONS There is no fundamental difference between man and animals in their ability to feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery. –Charles Darwin Emotions are the proof, the consequence of having a conscience. The universal definition for ‘emotion,’ which is applied in academic fields such as neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, is challenging to be accepted by science. While there are hundreds of different meanings for emotion, the most universal definition we can find is that emotion as the result of expressive behaviors associated with different states of the brain. That is, emotions are detected by the brain and transmitted to our bodies in the form of feelings. This
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goes for the most instinctive emotions such as sexual desire, for example, even the most complex and social emotions such as embarrassment, grief, and shame. As we have seen, environmental stimuli can trigger emotions, which are processed through the brain and return in the form of feelings. If there is awareness, there is emotion. And if there is emotion, there is also a whole spiritual environment that will sustain the processes through which consciousness would undergo. PROVING INSECTS EMOTIONS “Even insects’ express anger, terror, jealousy, and love.” –Charles Darwin An experience with bees became well known amid psychology, as it showed that there is emotional behavior in insects. If someone broke into your home, surely the fright and dread you would feel would
trigger a process of emotions of fear, panic, terror, and struggle. Who wants to see your home broken into? Yeah. The experiment we are talking about has shown that a beehive can react in precisely the same way as us humans. The bees were placed near a moving fan blade for a minute to simulate a badger attack on the hive and make the bees angry. Then chemicals were thrown in to calm them down, but the technique didn’t work very well. Bees that were shaken by the “invasion” did not react to chemicals that simulated a tempting scent. In addition, there were significant emotional changes in neurotransmitter levels in the emotionally distressed and shaken bees, and alterations in their serotonin and dopamine levels, just as it happens with the human body. The Flies also demonstrate an emotional process similar to that of bees. When flies feel threatened, they react emotionally to a possible
attack. Researchers have done experiments where shadows that simulated an aerial predator were cast over the walls. When the false predator was introduced and then removed, anxiety levels potentially increased in flies, which immediately ignored any other stimuli such as food. This suggests that individual states of emotion are felt by these insects, altering their “mindset” and affecting their behavior. Animal empathy also has been measured through experiments and observation. This time, armadillos were used as a reference to realize how much the emotions of one of the individuals in the community could influence the emotional state of the others. They were also subjected to a stressful situation, while one of the elements was kept separate and fed. When this calmer animal was inserted with the others, without the stress burden they went through, the calm armadillo would eventually influence its companions, making them more peaceful and more cheerful.
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COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS & GROUP AWARENESS To understand how the awareness of Insects works, we need to abandon the preconception and idea of what Individuality is. As humans, we are a singular being, a single consciousness inhabiting our single body of flesh. But when we talk about some animals and insects, the consciousness embodied there can be understood to be a group, not individual one. A single consciousness, that is, an individual being is embodied therein as a collective- a hive, divided into smaller parts that form the whole. This would even be one of the explanations for the incredible network of communication that seems to exist between the members of the hive, an anthill or even a swarm of locusts. With ants, this behavior of “Being” the whole is evident: try to break the line of walking ants. Immediately
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the information spreads, and we see that ants that were far from threatening intervention, receive a warning of danger and change their course, deviating from the risk. And when one of them dies, they all feel, although the death was only partial, because the Being-organism did not die, but a small part of it. SPIRITUAL WORLD AND EVOLUTION As a thinker and planner, the ant is the equal of any savage race of men; as a self-educated specialist in several arts she is the superior of any savage race of men; and in one or two high mental qualities, she is above the reach of any man, savage or civilized! –Mark Twain We all share the vital energy, which descends from the universal energy source that animates all that exists. Thus, everything that is in the matter has a spiritual origin and fulfills a specific function inside this system, within a dynamic that sustains and
accepts the incarnation logic. If something exists, there is an impact on the astral world, which means that behind each world of the animal, mineral, and plant kingdom there is a spiritual dimension that works to maintain the energetic balance, the function, and relationship within these beings and their places inside the material world. Most likely insects and other species of animals are not subjected to the laws of Karma, as we are as humans. Their actions are likely not to generate karma, for their level of consciousness is mainly driven by instincts and power of the circumstances than reflection and broader perception of their very existence. But they exist, and have a function, they are beings, they are life, and they have the right to be treated with respect. Notice the nature and almost invisible interaction that exists between all animals and plants and their environment.
Even the most insignificant being has a role to play, an effect on the balance chain that sustains nature. If the flies are missing, so the frogs starve. Without frogs, other insects proliferate, and we lose control of important vectors in the spread of diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, malaria, yellow fever, zika, and many other conditions. Everything is connected, and all the pieces are important in the evolution puzzle. Insects evolve, learn, embody, return to the spiritual dimension of origin, and follow an evolutionary journey. Interesting to think that way, Yes? This view connects us more closely with the nature and diversity of life. Earth Spaceship is not ours, and we share the planet with thousands of other consciousnesses besides the human one. It’s funny to think, but even a mosquito is a being, has a mission, a function in a matter of which nature is made, and has a singular spiritual vibration as well.
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OM Living For those living a more Conscious Lifestyle
Feng Shui and Politics by Kartar Diamond
One can wonder how much Feng Shui influences a political career. Back in the early 1990s when I was a new Feng Shui practitioner, I saved an article from a major magazine, which mentioned the “feng shui” of the Oval office. My memory is a bit fuzzy right now, but either
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Clinton or Gore had gotten a reading on the West Wing, and I believe it was handled by a very well-known feng shui consultant based in New York, Pun Yin. Around the same time, she began advising Trump, and he was quoted in several articles about how he takes Feng Shui seriously since he works with so many Asians with real estate projects. The article about Clinton and Gore wasn’t a serious expose on the art and science of Feng Shui. Rather, I recall that it was more about glamorizing the relatively young ages of the new President and VicePresident and how hip they were. (Compare that to precampaign season 2020 with most of the front runners being elderly folks.) Certainly, some of Obama’s luster was in his relative youth. The concept of Feng Shui has worked its way into the western culture over the last few decades, and now people casually use the term feng
shui, most appropriately, if not ironically. I was watching a Netflix comedy Special recently with actor/comedian Colin Quinn remarking that having armed guards at all our U.S. Schools (as a solution to mass shootings) “didn’t sound like good feng shui.” And he would be right on that count. Throughout history, the average Joe did not have such easy access to feng shui information, which is why a lot of myths and superstitions came into being. When you hear about something thirdhand or taken out of context, misconceptions can’t help but be generated. It’s like the game that kids used to play called “telephone.” By the time a phrase had been repeated and passed long 30 times, it changed significantly. Early on, the kings, emperors and wealthy class had access to a feng shui master, but not simple peasants. At least this is the folklore that gets passed down, much like the
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telephone game. In modern times, we can interpret spaces and “flying stars” differently, but they still yield similar results. For example, there are energies which could exalt a king or political leader if he were to dwell in those energies in his personal palace or official governmental structures. Those same energies could today enhance a person’s political career, name recognition, and power. Instead of kings and emperors, we have presidents, prime ministers, and various Cabinet Administrators. The 6 Metal star is associated with power and authority, assuming more responsibilities. And it is still called the “Military star.” The 5 Yellow Star is often called the “Evil Emperor” because some of the ruling leaders were real sociopaths. It was hit and miss in the various dynasties. Some historical Chinese emperors were kind, and some were ruthless. Some
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of the emperors wanted to gather all the Feng Shui information they could, while others had the feng shui books burned and the feng shui masters killed. The symbolically coded 5 stars in feng shui, wherever it lands in a house, can contribute to mishap, arguments, accidents, and obstacles. The 5 star is the “monkey wrench” that can ruin or stall plans when interpreted in a Nine Star Ki analysis as well. And yet, when the 5 star is in a good phase, it can be the most benevolent and exalted, prosperous energy of all. In politics, name recognition can be key to leading in the polls, and the 4 stars can give someone that extra boost, as well as the 9 stars for intelligence and fame. The 7 stars are associated with someone being charming and charismatic. Unfortunately, this has driven the success of some individuals who really had/have no business pretending to be public
servants. In contrast, people like Ross Perot and Ron Paul had prophetic messages to deliver, but the packaging was not sexy enough for the masses. We can micro-manage the personal dwelling of a politician and predict how that person might do in any campaign. We can look into their personal astrology to see if their timing is helping or hurting them also. We can look at much larger abstract calculations in terms of what direction a country is going and the times we are living in. For example, we are four years away from the beginning of Period 9. The 9 stars are associated with a middle-aged woman. These energies can start to manifest before their official start, in the same way that labor might begin even a day or two before birth takes place. Because we are so close to Period 9, some people assumed that the
U.S. would have a female president by now. But that has obviously been delayed, in spite of other countries having female leaders. In fact, the “time-line” for many events and milestones on planet Earth appears to have been altered, and that is a whole other discussion in metaphysics beyond the scope of this little article. One other way in which Feng Shui and politics intersect has been in the practice of “Yin House” Feng Shui, which is the divination of gravesites. Using some similar techniques as “Yang House” Feng Shui, (feng shui for the living) and some techniques exclusive to gravesite analysis, early Feng Shui masters could predict if the descendants of the deceased would be kings, warriors, philosophers, and others of great fame and stature. From the Feng Shui History and Culture Series https://fengshuisolutions.net/
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Roots and Antennas What Brazil Can Teach the World About Art and Culture
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW CELSO DE CARVALHO
Celso de Carvalho is a Brazilian
Professor, Scholar, and Cultural Activist. His solid professional experience encompasses an eclectic background. Experienced in dealing with multinational companies such as Shell Company-Brazil (10 years), Brazil Telecom/Oi Telecommunications), and wide-ranging of work on the advertising field, product development, media and broadcasting including various show business companies.
Celso is the General Director of the International Accordion Festival, Curator and Executive Producer of the the Umbuzada Sonora Festival and is always involved with music production initiatives. OMTimes| October B Edition
EXCLUSIVE
l i z a r B ART & CULTURE
OMTIMES: “In 2003, the Brazilian government created an initiative called Points of Culture: thousands of community and arts projects of all sizes and types that would work to strengthen people's involvement in the life of their neighborhoods and the larger society…
The idea came from the legendary musician Gilberto Gil…The very act of having artists in the center of government sent a signal of serious intent. Throughout his ministry poets, playwrights and philosophers working in the executive, bringing a new language of aspiration and inventiveness to that of government.” (The Guardian, UK.) How do you evaluate this program and its impact on the Brazilian culture 16 years after implementation?
OMTimes| October B Edition
INTERVIEW Celso de Carvalho: I personally participated in this program from the beginning and coordinated one of the first cultural points selected by the government. The idea is genius, based on an excerpt from Gilberto Gil's inaugural address as a minister, in which he spoke of doing an anthropological do-in in Brazilian culture. The program then sought the initiatives that were already running out of money, relying only on the dedication of small groups of artists, managers, and community organizations.Â
Cooking or cookery is the art,
As a result, a small financial contribution, combined with training actions and organization of these points inside of a national network, was enough to leverage the impact of their actions.
technology and craft of preparing food
OMTIMES: It is said that Brazil, a country with continental dimensions, has a culture that is primarily Western, but presents a very diverse nature showing that an ethnic and cultural mixing occurred in the colonial period involving Indigenous peoples of the coastal and most accessible riverine areas, Portuguese people and African people. Which factors do you think would explain the rare social Linguistic Phenomenon of having just one language and uniform dialects in its extended territory?
types of ovens, reflecting unique
OMTimes| October B Edition
for consumption with the use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric stoves, to baking in various environmental, economic, and cultural traditions and trends. The ways or types of cooking also depend on the skill and type of training an individual cook has. Cooking is done both by people in their own dwellings and by professional cooks and chefs in restaurants and other food establishments.Â
CULTURE
Celso de Carvalho: I think that initially, the Portuguese managed to acquire and dominate the indigenous population, using mainly the Tupi language, which was widely spoken throughout the Brazilian colony, especially until the 18th century. They also adopted a policy of hereditary commanderies, granting huge plots of land to partners of the Portuguese Crown, ensuring that each grantee would enhance and protect his region from foreign invasions. It is clear that from the beginning, the Portuguese strategy was not to create a policy of colonization, but one of exploitation, further intensified by the flow of the slave trade from Africa. Interestingly, this Colonial “renaissance� allowed the Portuguese to advance economically on the one hand by its dynamic which allowed the formation of a new mestizo (1) people - people of mixed ancestry with a white European and an indigenous background and Africans. OMTimes| October B Edition
The moving of the Portuguese Crown to Brazil in the early nineteenth century strengthened the domain of the Portuguese language and was soon followed by Brazilian independence, although sponsored and commanded by a Portuguese emperor, D. Pedro I. By this time, there was already a feature of what we call the Brazilian people, a human mass with no striking physical or cultural characteristics, but with a strong and varied Calderon of general races and diverse identity; Brazil possesses a varied “cultural broth”, due to the immense territorial extension and the diversity formed by the dynamic regional particularities. OMTIMES: As a musician, artist, and scholar, please share with us your version of a broader picture of the work of the Arts & Cultural Grassroot movements, specifically the regional ones, that carry the mark of local traditions. What is the importance they play in supporting the preservation of tradition and culture?
Celso de Carvalho: The traditional Cultural Movements are the wealth of each Nation; they are the real national treasure. I often say that Culture is the most collective imprint of any human group. Cultural traditions, festivities, knowledge, and body of wisdom, along with joyful dances and folkloric manifestations, are the most vigorous portrayal of a Nation and its people. To keep these actions alive is a big challenge in a world increasingly dominated by global icons, where entertainment engulfs art and culture. We have, for instance, in the Brazilian Northeast, a very strong tradition during June, celebrating the harvest, which culminates in the feast of St. John on June 24th. It is a harvest festival; the northeasters plant corn on the day of St. Joseph, March 19, to harvest in June. It is a cultural celebration that attracts people from all over the country, and the Northeasters themselves leave the big cities and to celebrate in smaller and rural areas. OMTimes| October B Edition
By this time, there was already a feature of what we call the Brazilian people, a human mass with no striking physical or cultural characteristics, but with a strong and varied Calderon of general races and diverse identity" Celso de Carvalho
OMTimes| October B Edition
Brazil possesses a varied “cultural broth”, due to the immense territorial extension and the diversity formed by the dynamic regional particularities
The celebration takes place on harvesting fields and farms, to live a rural experience, with bonfires, cornbased foods, and community and grassroots dances such as square dances. Unfortunately, this is changing. The Brazilian public has been focusing on medium-sized cities outside of the Capital of their states or in parties held in their State capitals, characterized by large stages, professional musical apparatus where the public can watch shows by artists most promoted by the mainstream media, with virtually no relation to the original cultural imprint. say that the people of Brazilian northeastern are being victimized by cruel cultural expropriation, OMTimes| October B Edition
and we do not even realize it, because they are completely manipulated by the entertainment industry. Worst of all, they even happily participate in these artificially engineered celebrations, and the result is that they are losing their cultural heritage. They get satisfied on dancing funk (from Rio De Janeiro), or other passing styles while eating hotdogs, at a party just like any pop music festival. Most of them don’t even remember that this was a Harvest celebration, a corn festivity, which was born and existed in a beautiful grassroots’ way in the interior of Brazil’s Northeastern region. OMTIMES: Can you tell us the importance of preserving the typical and ephemeral northeastern art of “Cordel Literature” and its many integrative expressions (including music and poetry) as a creative and colorful way to reinvent the art of storytelling?
"The traditional Cultural Movements are the wealth of each Nation; they are the real national treasure. I often say that Culture is the most collective imprint of any human group"
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Celso de Carvalho: We continue talking about the same universe as the previous question. These expressions can only survive if they captivate the new generations. It is essential to preserve Cordel literature and another northeastern poetry style called “Sudden,” which is the poeticalmusical brother of Cordel. “Sudden” is a genre where poetry is made by “sudden” improvisation, it is a live cultural manifestation that reveals the richness and talent of our cultural agents. Currently, it has not been an easy task to enchant our youth in general for the beauty and depth of the “Sudden” looming rhymes, far richer and more creative than the growing hip hop offered around the world.
The new generations are living in a world where creative cultural efforts are overlooked and neglected, but the consequence will come in the future. The resilience and strength of the CORDEL style and the activities close to this cultural manifestation come precisely from the difficulty of its production. The need of powerful imagination to tell and retell fantastic stories, along with the clever ways to tell the contemporalities and their facts; like from the hard work of wood to woodcut, from the handicraft involved producing the booklets, to the struggle on marketing them, etc. I hope this Cultural treasure will also be rejuvenated and attractive again for future generations to preserve. OMTIMES: Brazil has always been a multifaceted Calderon of cultural manifestations and rich traditions that seem to be always on a constant flux, in a movement of integrating and recreating itself, bringing strength and recognition to every facet of every community. How can an artist be connected with this creative flow, interrelate with the interactive world reality, and not lose its identity? Celso de Carvalho: As per my previous answer, I talked about the upgrading of the “CORDEL”; just think about how much of the richness of the Brazilian traditions should stay alive. We need to involve the children, the adolescents, and younger sections of the population. I do not believe that only by replicating and repeating the past will help us achieve this OCTOBER B EDITION
Culture is dynamic by nature, and it is in a permanent state of flow. Our challenge is to figure out how to use all the modern technological advances to our benefit, and that is possible. I love the expression “Roots and Antennas.” We are already connected, our antennas are on, the world is in every home, every cell phone. What we need is to deepen our roots, to really know our history deeply, to value our cultural heritage, so that we can dialogue with all peoples, but based on our local cultural wealth.
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Populations that have to seek to deepen a solid cultural base don’t consider the Internet and the Globalization process as a threat, but as great opportunity to promote and expand the reach of their cultural expressions and Identity throughout the planet. OMTIMES: The new Brazilian government is bringing some angst and worries to the international community, especially now after recent events such the fires in the Amazon and displacement of various Native Brazilian-Indian Tribes.
Are you hopeful that the Indigenous cultural patrimony will be respected and even preserved by this new alt-right government? What would you like to see as the cultural and educational directive in Brazil today? Celso de Carvalho: I see with great concern the advances on the Amazon rainforest, but I do not agree when you say that the Amazon fires are a recently developed phenomenon; It is not The destruction of the forest has been happening for a long time. It should have been addressed decades ago, but I believe it is never too late for a definitive action to be taken..
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"“Roots and Antennas.� We are already connected, our antennas are on, the world is in every home, every cell phone. What we need is to deepen our roots, to really know our history deeply, to value our cultural heritage, so that we can dialogue with all peoples, but based on our local cultural wealth."
I have hopes that the indigenous traditions will be strengthened, after all, they are the authentic Brazilians, owners of a cultural heritage that ultimately distinguishes us. OMTIMES: How do you evaluate the role and the impact of Brazilian culture in the broader context of South American culture? What are, in your opinion, the points of intersection and the ones of divergences?
In the field of entertainment, I see that there is a preeminent interest on promoting, mixing, creating music with participation of Brazilian and other Latin American artists, especially when related to funk and reggaeton styles from Rio De Janeiro. Perhaps this may lead to poor cultural uniformity in the future, so I hope the movement in the artistic field will be more powerful and create new, stronger and more authentic expressions that will enable future Latin Americans to enjoy, exchange and preserve their rich cultural treasure. (1) In colonial Brazil, most of the non-enslaved population was initially mestiço de Indio, i.e., mixed Portuguese and native Brazilian.
OMTIMES MAGAZINE | OCTOBER B
Celso de Carvalho: I currently see Brazil's virtual cultural boundaries as Latin America being torn down. In fact, we had walls that separated us more in the past, mainly due to language differences. In recent years, I realize that we increasingly know the culture of every Latin American people, and they know ours. There have been more and more exchange of ideas, rhythms, styles, and cultural productions. It is a path of no return that had strengthened us, provided that there would not be a predatory advance of one cultural expression over another.
The Burden of Suffering Everyone Suffers By William Arntz
So, that’s me (except I’m more the Willie Nelson look), sitting in my mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a cold martini shaker on the table, moping about my suffering. “What?” you ask. “How could you be suffering? You’re rich!”
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To which I can only reply, “It doesn’t look like it from the bleachers, but believe me, the rich share your burden.” Maybe not the burden of worrying about money and trying to pay for your kid’s education, but what I share with you and everyone else on this planet is: The Burden of Suffering. Everyone suffers. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining – at least not right now. I’ve had a great life. You could say I’ve lived the American Dream. Upon graduating summa cum something from Penn State, I worked as a Research Physicist in high-energy laser systems (later known as Star Wars) and retired two years later after creating the first wave optics simulator for high really high energy lasers. I drove around the country, hippy style, for a few years, got bored and did a film project with a friend. Then I got into spirituality. As part of a spiritual task assigned by my teacher Rama (aka Dr. Frederick Lenz), I created
a software product called AutoSys and built a company around it which I sold for a small fortune to Platinum Technologies. (Keyword there being small.) AutoSys went on to be Platinum’s #1 product for 16 consecutive quarters, propelling the company from a $100M/year enterprise to a $3.6 billion acquisition when Computer Associates bought it a four years later. Yes, I sold the goose that laid the golden egg. (I am still suffering over that one.) But not that much. I mean, I was 45 and had just bought my first house with cash and settled into the successful entrepreneur lifestyle. So what? Living the American Dream of success is one thing, waking up from The Dream is another. And in those expansive days of chewing over my successes, it began to dawn on me, that nothing had really changed. I didn’t have customers to bother me; I had barking dogs next door, contractors who didn’t show
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up and a girlfriend who split. Hmmm... something’s missing, let’s try the spirit again. Off to another spiritual school called Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment, where I learned that metaphysics and quantum physics were often saying the same thing and that creating reality is something, we all do all the time. So, if we create reality all the time, we should be able to create the perfect reality in which dogs don’t bark (at least near me), and girlfriends don’t split, right? Wrong. There were still good days and bad days. And by definition, bad days are ones in which you suffer. There must be something I could do about it. It was that golden goose! A year after I sold AutoSys, my main competitor, who I routinely beat in sales, was purchased by IBM for over ten times what I got!!! All right, I’m “spiritual” and all that, and, according to spiritual experts, the world’s an illusion, which means it’s a great idea to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
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neither moth nor rust doth corrupt.” But still, this was just too much. Besides, since it’s an illusion why not lay up some treasures in an interest-bearing Muni account? So, I created a second software product and just nine months after starting that it sold for twice what I got for AutoSys. For icing on the cake, I bought back the Lamborghini I had sold five years earlier to finance the first company. Now I really didn’t have to worry about money. In fact, I had some extra laying around and got the idea to make a little movie about that intersection of science and spirituality. I’d always wanted to make a movie, and here was my opportunity. Which is how I came to make the film What the Bleep Do We Know!? which went on to be the first successful, groundbreaking movie in the Transformational Media genre and one of the most successful documentaries of all time, playing in theatres worldwide with box office totals of $23M. I wrote a companion book to What the
Bleep that had the first run of 150,000 copies, going on to be translated and licensed in over 20 languages worldwide. My resume’ was varied and full, the bank account robust, everything I wanted to accomplish had been done and yet..., well, you know where this is going. Why? Because: Everyone Suffers. Whether it’s a bad knee, a lousy childhood, a nasty boss, an unfaithful lover, a hurricane, there always seems to be something right around the corner that can turn a good day bad. But here’s the kicker: we all are chasing The Dream. The Dream that if everything went my way, we would be happy – we wouldn’t suffer. And in The Dream, we ignore The Reality: Suffering is. A thousand and one “to do’s,” a hundred and one easy steps to success, a dozen or more ways to find your perfect lover, and yet we never take it straight on: We suffer, we don’t like it, why, why, why?
I’m partway thru the why’s. Having achieved everything, I wanted to; I know the answer is not “out there.” That leaves either “in here” or “(sh)it just happens.” What was that bit about laying up treasures in heaven??? William Arntz began his professional career as a research laser physicist, developing wave optics simulators for the high energy lasing systems that became the “Star Wars” strategic defense system. He then left the scientific world and spent 20 years studying with two spiritual teachers. During that time, he wrote the system management software product, AutoSys, and sold the company for millions. Following his lifelong passion for filmmaking, he used the proceeds from that to produce, direct and write the film What the BLEEP Do We Know!? incorporating his scientific background, spiritual training, and a desire to make people laugh and think.
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What to Do When You’ve Got the Business Blues by Nanette Giacoma
Do you ever feel lackluster, like your business or career is going nowhere? I know the feeling! They talk about the winter blues, but I’ve definitely come down with a case of the summer business blues.
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The business blues are often the result of feeling like you, or your business is stuck, and furthermore, you don’t know how to get unstuck. It’s a sign that something needs to shift within yourself, your professional life, or your business. For me, I’ve definitely been feeling stuck in my business. I’ve been doing the things that should create more growth, like working to increase my email list, posting on social media, networking, joining boards, speaking, writing articles, publishing a book, etc., etc. And yet, my profitability has to increase from these efforts. Of course, that doesn’t mean it won’t make a difference in the long run. Still, I am frustrated. My emotions range from anger to sadness, to apathy, to outrage! There are times, I just feel like giving up. I know many of you been there, or perhaps you are there now. Feelings are connected with the energy of the second (sacral) chakra and the element, water. So, when your emotions
energetically flow, you are more likely to be able to move ahead and create change. The lack of flow can cause an energetic shutdown, and keep you stuck where you are. Anger, sadness, and outrage, when released responsibly, can be a great way to energetically get things moving. However, when these feelings are turned inward, they may become apathy or depression, creating an energetic shutdown... resulting in the business blues. Ummm! Guess what I’ve been doing? Yep! Turning all those feelings inward, causing an energetic constriction. Not allowing my negative emotions to energetically flow has contributed to the lack of growth in my business. Your chakra energy, or lack thereof, moves out into your professional life and business. Often this creates more of the same, since like attracts like energy. Unprocessed anger can attract angry people into your business. Apathy may draw apathetic clients, and so on. Unprocessed negative emotions, Omtimes.com
no matter the source, will cause disruption in your professional life or business, regardless of whether your emotions are from yesterday, last month, last year, or 20 years ago. So it’s important to work through your challenging emotions. The first step is to become aware of the emotions driving you. Here are some techniques to help you do this: Make a list of the difficult emotions you are currently experiencing Journal about the situations or people associated with your emotions Keep track of emotional themes, for example, anger, fear, depression, or inferiority Make some time to allow yourself to really feel your emotions and to nurture yourself After you become more aware of your emotional drivers, you can continue the process of creating more energetic flow by balancing your second
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chakra using these 10 tips: Allow yourself to “dump� by writing in a journal about your difficult emotions. Complain! Wallow! (for a short time) Do this whenever feeling out of sorts See a counselor, life coach, or business coach Yell or scream in a secluded place (but not at anyone) Use a creative process to get in touch with your feelings. For example, draw, dance, tell/ write a story, or play music Have an honest, authentic talk with the person(s) involved in challenging situations Get body/energy work, for example, massage, reiki, or acupuncture Take a bath with Himalayan salts and essential oils Wear orange clothing or jewelry (the second chakra color) Eat fruit, a second chakra food, especially orange fruit
Say affirmations, for example, I have a right to my feelings; I allow my emotions to flow; I embrace my light and dark emotions; I have time and space to process my emotions With the coming fall, I feel a shift coming. Being present with my emotions and not trying to change the way I feel has been essential to letting more flow into my professional life and business. As a testament to this, I’ve experienced some synchronicity lately. In the last couple of weeks, two women have contacted me out of the blue, who also have alternative businesses. We have agreed to emotionally and materially support each other on our business paths. My Chakrapreneur email community grew by 5% last month. And a few days ago, I received an email from the Enlightenment Expo organizer looking for a couple of people to do a workshop. I immediately submitted a proposal. And now, in addition to selling my book as a vendor, I’ll be doing a class on “Your Professional Spiritual Path” at
the Expo on September 28th. My Higher Power has the map to my larger plan. It just isn’t always visible to me when I want it to be. Yes! I am impatient! Like many people, I, too, get caught up in the instantaneous expectations of our current culture. Often this leads to losing my perspective and self-sabotaging my efforts. For now, I am focusing on the areas of my business that give me joy...meeting with my current clients, selling my book, and teaching classes. These Joyful Acts bring positive emotional flow into my life and help to create a joyful, profitable business. My last bit of second chakra wisdom is Go with the flow! Nanette Giacoma is the Chakrapreneur. By walking between the worlds of traditional business and alternative practices, Nanette offers you a unique path to growth, discovery, purpose, and success. Find her at https://nanettegiacoma.com/
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Gardening: Final Autumn Murmurs
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By late October, the tourists or what we call “leaf-peepers� are gone. They love to come and take pictures ad infinitum of the lovely red, orange, and yellow maples leave and experience the hues and glow of the autumn colors. They also tie up traffic.
By late October, the hardand softwood leaves take on the look of washed- out watercolors, sort of like grandma’s tattered comforter. They eventually rest on the forest floor. Only the yellow needle-like leaves of the tamarack (larch) and the green needles of the firs and other conifers are left standing. A late cold October sun shining through them is a glory to behold. It almost makes the other gray; raw days seem bearable. November is a quiet time, a period in between, space where we wait for the snows to come. In the year 2000, we had three inches of snow on October 29, but that was early and only stayed for a day. The folks that live in the higher elevations and the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont always experience colder fall temperature, earlier snows and longer winters than I do in the warmer Lake Champlain valley. November is the last time of the year to finish garden
chores unless you are one of those non-stop gardeners who grow greens in their greenhouse all winter. My energy level begins to wane, but there are a couple more tasks to complete. I cover some of my raised beds with leaves so the earthworms can have a good meal, pick that sweet brussels sprouts, cut off some kale orchard and dig beets and carrots. Many root cellars are full, my pantry is packed with canning jars full of summer’s bounty, and the cold frame still has some fall greens waiting to be picked. The compost has been spread and dug into my garden. It’s comforting to know that the garden has been laid to rest. The Canadian Geese or what we call honkers have now flown south and at last, there ain’t no more weeding to do. Perhaps, I’ll sit in the easy chair next to the woodstove and think back to early spring when the first seeds germinated, and the young green plants grew in summer and finally produced
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their fruits in fall. There is much to be thankful for. I know from years of experience that working in the fall garden is like insurance for the spring season. I temper this with the idea that even though the gardening season is complete, the end is just another beginning. Of course, some tasks do not get done like the sumac patch that continued to grow and further its expansion. However, that’s okay. Sometimes we forget that the strong red hues of the sumac add glory to the symphony of autumn colors. I make applesauce and start carving pumpkins and roasting the seeds on the woodstove for Halloween or what some call, All Hallows’ Evening. After the pumpkin festival is over, a great autumn event festival unique to North America arrives. Thanksgiving is a special holiday in New England for this is where the Native Americans shared their gifts with the “newcomers” and the rest of the world.
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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
THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL
SANDRA SEDGBEER WHAT IS GOING
A veteran broadcaster, author, and media consultant, Sandie Sedgbeer brings her incisive interviewing style to a brand new series of radio programs showcasing the world’s leading thinkers, scientists, authors, educators and parenting experts whose ideas are at the cutting edge.A professional journalist who cut her teeth in the ultra-competitive world of British newspapers and magazines, Sandie has interviewed a wide range of personalities from authors, scientists, celebrities, spiritual teachers and politicians.
OMTIMES | OCTOBER B EDITION
Born and raised in the UK, Sandie Sedgbeer also is the author of 6 books published by major international publishing houses and has been a frequent guest on all of Britain’s most popular TV and radio shows. Her books have been translated into several languages. A firm believer that we cannot separate who we are from what we do, Sandie Sedgbeer combines her love of broadcasting with her pioneering work as a media/publishing and marketing consultant advising authors, teachers, speakers, and individuals how to apply the science of resonance to build their platforms, profiles, and develop programs and products that people don’t just like but love.
OMTIMES: How did you start your life as a broadcaster ? Sandra Sedgbeer: I started my career as a magazine journalist, working on Penthouse and Forum magazines in the UK. I also freelanced for teenage magazines, mostly doing show biz interviews with well-known TV actors and rock and pop stars. I then went on to write 6 books, two of which were serialized in one of the UK’s biggest tabloids. I did a lot of TV and radio interviews, and was often invited on programs as a ‘talking head’ or informed commentator/expert on certain subjects I’d written about. So hosting Talk TV and radio showed when I came to the USA was a way for me to keep in touch with my roots. As a Gemini and a journalist, I am innately curious. I am fascinated by perceptions, how and why people perceive, think, and act the way they do. I have studied the psychology of human nature for over 40 years. Naturally I have great curiosity. OMTIMES: What does it mean to be a thought leader today? Sandra Sedgbeer: I think the phrase ”thought leader” is too often applied to people who really don’t deserve the appellation. I don’t give much weight to it. OMTIMES: Tell us a bit about your story about your books and please name your latest book. Sandra Sedgbeer: I have not written a book for myself, so to speak, in some years. But I have rewritten, co-written, edited, ghosted, and coached many books with and for others over the past 20 years. I’ve also helped many authors either find publishers or navigate the self-publishing process.
OMTIMES | SEPT B EDITION
OMTIMES: How and to whom do you believe would benefit from listening to your shows? Sandra Sedgbeer: My goal for What is Going Om is to provide listeners with reliable, grounded, authentic, information that can shift their perceptions, open their minds, and expose them to thoughts, ideas, research, practical tools, and practices that can help them learn more about who they are, and what they have access to. OMTIMES: Were you motivate by someone, who would you call an Inspiration for your actual work? Sandra Sedgbeer: I’ve been lucky enough to have had a few mentors and motivators over the years. They always seem to have entered my life at the time when I was most ready to receive and comprehend what they had to share. OMTIMES: We live in a world of content overload. How can people break through and reach their desired audience? Sandra Sedgbeer: Authenticity and resonance are, in my experience, the two most critical keys. I have spent my entire career deeply immersed in every aspect of communications. I have worked in every arena of the media from journalism to writing books, to conceiving, developing and publishing online and print magazines and books, to working both in front and behind the cameras and microphones on TV and radio, and I have been a consultant to specialist direct marketing agencies and companies throughout Europe and in the USA. I have created innovative communication pathways and vehicles for clients that have proven successful in growing customer bases, increasing sales, and improving customer retention/loyalty, and have been much copied in the UK. The important thing in trying to establish and maintain any successful business is the customer. If you understand human nature, appreciate and respect people, and treat them as you would want to be printed yourself, you cannot help but create solid connections with individuals who will not just like your message, but love it.
SANDRA Interview SEDGBEER Creativity is what makes my heart sing. By this I mean when people come to me with their hopes, dreams, ideas, wishes, concepts, and seek my help in grounding their ideas, birthing their dreams, and creating practical, workable blueprints for creating a sustainable business, it really gets my juices flowing. I have been told by many gifted seers that I have a talent for “tuning in to the energy, seeing the entire picture in the morphic field, and knowing exactly which pieces to focus on and in what order to bring the project to fruition.” This process excites me beyond measure and really gets my juices flowing because it also enables me to tap into that part of me that knows everything I need to know, and allows me to be original and innovative.
Cultivating good, honest, respectful, and conscious relationships with your customers ensures that your customers will become your advocates, your salespeople, your most valued asset. OMTIMES: What would you regard as your life purpose? Sandra Sedgbeer: I’m not entirely convinced that we all have a purpose, per se. I believe we all come here with our own individual set of gifts. I think our primary job is to “shine our light.” And that it is in the expression of our (real) being that we create our “doing.” I am, by nature a creative person.
OMTIMES | OCTOBERB EDITION
I have come to understand that and own that. I am a connector by nature. I call myself a “shameless sharer” because when I come across people, books, ideas, inventions, businesses that are conscious, creative, and offer something practical to others, I cannot keep it to myself, I have to share it. This is one of the reasons I love interviewing creators and sharing what they have to offer with the world. I see myself as a guide, someone who has excellent intuition and been around long enough to be able to sort the wheat from the chaff, and separate the good from the indifferent, and pass insights and knowledge on to others for their own benefit.
OMTIMES | OCTOBERB EDITION
If I had a purpose, this is what it would be – to help inform, guide, to shift perceptions, open up new doorways in people’s minds, and in this manner, help them to grow and flourish. OMTIMES: Do you believe communication skills be learned?
that
Conscious
Sandra Sedgbeer: Absolutely. And I can teach them. OMTIMES: What is “your message” and why is it important? Sandra Sedgbeer: My message is, “we cannot separate who you are from how we move through the world. So, our responsibility is to know who we are, in every sense and on every level of our being, and become completely aligned with our true Self. This is foundational to everything we do in life. OMTIMES: What do you strive for, what is that you pursue? Sandra Sedgbeer: I have striven for different things at different times. Today, I strive to be kind, to be compassionate, to do my best to understand others’ perceptions and reasons for doing and being, to continue being true to me, to doing what I love, to sharing whatever good things come way with others, to keep on being curious and delighted by discovery, to keep on shifting perceptions, and using whatever talents and gifts I might have to elevate others’ understanding of themselves. OMTIMES: Who is or was your big influencer, the one that inspired you to trail your spiritual path? Sandra Sedgbeer: There have been several wonderful mentors and “angels” on my path. Many are unknown to the world at large but famous, and much loved within their own milieu. I carry each of those people in my heart and strive to be more like them.
Sandie's show weekly show On OMTIMES Radio airs every Thursdays at 7:00 PM Eastern Contact Sandie Sedgbeer www.sandiesedgbeer.com https://www.facebook.com/sandra.sedgbeer
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.
Relationships Shared Trauma and Tough Times By Mark D. Diehl
Shared trauma and tough times can hold couples together more strongly than religion, nationality, culture...
a mutual longtime friend, or possibly you and your partner are both marginalized by the culture in which you live.
If you plan on being in a longterm relationship, you’re going to go through tough times -really tough times -- with your partner. Every couple does. Life and aging bring challenges we’re never adequately prepared to face: job losses, difficult illnesses, financial woes. Sometimes, you may even experience trauma together: perhaps the death of
Even though these facts of life are incredibly painful, maybe there is also a silver lining:
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When you get to the other side, you will find that your bond has become even stronger. This was what my wife, Jennifer, and I experienced when we met and fell in love in Taegu,
South Korea. We are from opposite sides of the globe -Jennifer is from Taegu, while I am from Iowa City, Iowa. I grew up wild, running around my small American town without much parental oversight at all. Jennifer’s entire life had been mapped out and watched over by her parents to ensure that she would one day marry “well,” thus enhancing her family’s respected social status. When we met in 1993, we were both teaching English in Taegu. I was a 23-year-old college graduate with no money, looking for business opportunities that might arise as the Korean economy grew. Jennifer was 22, still living with her influential and controlling local family, and when we met, I was initially put off by her obvious wealth and social status. Her parents were allowing her to teach English only to build her “wedding resume.” We shared almost nothing in common -- or so it seemed. We did not share a religion, nationality, or culture. We had no mutual points of influence, such as going to college or grad school together or being long-
term colleagues, all of which can also help cement long-term bonds. Yet Jennifer and I had a different type of shared formative experience -- one that transcends religion, language, college or the workplace to shape our respective psyches at a level that was just as deep, if not more so. In our particular case, this experience was that of separate and different, though equally neglectful and damaging, childhoods. I write about this in my memoir Stealing Cinderella: How I Became an International Fugitive for Love. Both Jennifer and I had experienced painful abandonment by our families and the sting of our parents’ arbitrary, bewildering, and often violent behavior toward us. My earliest memories include feeling unwelcome at my father’s house and completely random scenes of screaming and violence with my mother. I grew up angry, distrustful, and ready to fight. By the time I graduated from college and met Jennifer, I was nothing but chaos and explosive energy. There was no way I was Omtimes.com
going to bond with a girl over benign hobbies and aw-shucks first encounters. Neither was Jennifer. Her scars from being viewed and treated by her family as a disappointment from birth, useful only as a bargaining chip in the matchmaking game for her siblings, were equally deep. She grew up like Cinderella. Before she was of marrying age, her parents dressed her like a boy or in her older sister’s discarded clothing; only when it came time to present her to prospective husbands did they buy her nice clothes, shoes, and handbags. She was reminded of her inferior status constantly, including through her parents’ coercive and punitive behavior. After a lifetime of forced sacrifice to an unforgiving social structure, Jennifer, too, was angry, distrustful, and ready to fight. She was a powerful reagent that had been sealed away, and I was lucky enough to be her spark. We also shared multiple significant traumas together, which repeatedly tested our relationship just within our first year together. South Korea Omtimes.com
was isolated and suspicious of foreigners, so even our very first platonic outings together brought angry stares, taunts, and threats. Slowly we grew closer, spending more and more time together. Our employer forbade us from seeing each other, but we continued in secret for a year. We were harassed by my landlady, who would let herself into my apartment and report to our company if she saw us together. Taxis ignored us. Restaurants refused us service. Koreans I’d come to think of as friends told me that spending so much time with Jennifer was wrong. We were insulted every day on the street for a year, but, afraid I would attack someone, Jennifer kept it to herself. One day, Jennifer’s family doubted her story and had her followed, discovering she was with me. They beat her up, locked her in a room, and told her they were arranging a marriage to save the family name. She escaped. The chief of police was part of her family, and they quickly became involved. After days of violence and hiding, we abandoned everything and fled to Hong Kong, where we got married,
but still became stranded for weeks by U.S. immigration policy and nearly starved to death.
that transcend labels and community allegiances do we connect over?
Every one of these complications was a shared trauma, but also a shared milestone. With each new struggle, we proved that the relationship was more important than avoiding whatever unpleasantness Korea was dishing out. We were disrespected, marginalized, belittled, and made afraid, not just of physical violence and harassment, but also of the real possibility that the societal machinery that enforced obedience would literally end our lives.
Now, looking back at all the amazing years I’ve shared with the best partner I could ever have imagined, our secret bonding agent is clear: the difficulties we encountered, harrowing though they were, showed us who the other really was, and helped us rely on one another. Over the years, that initial trust has grown ever stronger, and I can say with real certainty: together, we can overcome just about anything.
When Jennifer and I got married in Hong Kong more than 24 years ago, I didn’t have the frameworks to explain what I now know to be true: the trauma we endured together strengthened our relationship and continues to strengthen our marriage today. When tough times hit, consider them a new building block in your relationship. And if you sometimes look at your partner and wonder what you fundamentally have in common, ask: What deep-rooted experiences
Mark D. Diehl has been homeless in Japan, practiced law with a major multinational firm in Chicago, studied in Singapore, fled South Korea as a fugitive, and been stranded in Hong Kong. After spending most of his youth running around with hoods and thugs, he eventually earned his doctorate in law at the University of Iowa and did graduate work in creative writing at the University of Chicago. The first book in his Seventeen Trilogy won the Maine Literary Award for Speculative Fiction. Mark currently lives and writes in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. 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.
Thriving as an Empath: The Art of Self-Care for Sensitive People by Judith Orloff, MD
Self-care is essential for all empathic people. When you mindfully and lovingly practice it each day, your sensitivities will flourish. The self-care practices, perspectives, and meditations I present as daily offerings in Thriving as an Empath
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will support you in being a compassionate, empowered empath without shouldering the suffering of others or trying to “fix” them. All people deserve the dignity of their own paths. Day-by-day, I’ll offer gentle reminders about how you can be loving without becoming codependent or a martyr. As a psychiatrist and empath, I am fierce about my own selfcare practices and teach these principles to my patients. I feel so strongly about them because I want to keep enjoying the extraordinary gifts of sensitivity--including an open heart, intuition, and an intimate connection with spirituality and the natural world. Shallow emotional waters don’t appeal to me. I love going deep--and my sensitivities take me there. Still, a big challenge for all sensitive people is how to be compassionate without absorbing the stress of others and the world. We don’t have the same filters as most people. We are emotional sponges who feel everything and instinctively take it in.
This differs from “ordinary” empathy, where your heart goes out to others in pain or happiness, but you don’t take on their feelings. We empaths are helpers, lovers, and caretakers who often give too much at the expense of our own wellbeing. Research suggests that our mirror neuron system (a part of the brain responsible for compassion) is hyperactive, which can burn us out. This is not how I choose to live. I want to be loving, but over-helping or absorbing someone’s distress just put me on sensory overload which is painful to my sensitive body and soul. It also doesn’t serve the other person in any lasting way. To stay healthy and happy, you must be prepared with effective self-care practice so that you’re ready to deal with stress. Throughout the book, you’ll learn to keep yourself balanced and whole by trusting your intuition, setting boundaries, and protecting your energy. The secret to an empath’s well-being is to break the Omtimes.com
momentum of sensory overload before it consumes you. The strategies and attitudes that I’ll share, which have been lifesaving for me, will quickly bring you back to center when you are overwhelmed or emotionally triggered. Here are two selections from the book I hope you enjoy. The Gift of Being Different Like many empaths, you may feel as if you don’t belong in this world. You experience life so intensely, and love so deeply, it’s sometimes hard to find kindred souls to whom you can relate. As a child, I always felt “different” from my peers. Other kids loved going to crowded parties and shopping malls whereas I preferred climbing trees with my best friend or writing poetry. As an only child, I was alone a lot and found companions in the moon and the stars. Often, I felt like an alien on Earth, waiting for a spaceship to take me to my true home. Similarly, Albert Einstein said,
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“I am truly a ‘lone traveler’ and have never belonged. I have never lost… a need for solitude.” As I’ve grown as an empath, I can appreciate the gift of being different. I am moved by this anonymous quote: “If you feel you don’t fit into this world, it’s because you’re here to create a better one.” Sensitive people are meant to bring light into the world. Empathy is a strength, not a weakness. I applaud everyone who looks different, feels different or thinks different. The world needs the difference you will make. Set your intention. I will honor the gift of being “different.” I will fully be my unique self and not let anyone take my power away. I will shine my light brightly. It’s Not My Job to Take on the World’s Pain As an empath, you have an open heart. You don’t have the same emotional guard up that many others do. You
feel people’s pain--both loved ones and strangers--, and you instinctively want to take it away from them. In fact, many of us have been taught that being compassionate means it’s our job to remove other people’s pain. This is not true. You can hold a supportive space for someone without absorbing their distress in your own body. Finding this balance is the art of healing. Inwardly you can say, “This is not my burden to carry.” It is impossible to fix someone, and it is really none of your business to try. More than twenty years of being a physician have taught me that everybody deserves the dignity of their own path. Set your intention. I can be compassionate without becoming a martyr or taking on another person’s pain. I can respect someone’s healing process without trying to “fix” them. I wrote this book of days, this book of seasons, as my tribute to an empath’s loving heart and to the sacredness of time.
My greatest purpose is to be in service to the goodness of empathy and love. As sensitive people let’s marvel at our lives and our many openings to grow. Every day the mystery unfolds. No matter what: keep loving, keep taking deep breaths, keep looking at the starlit sky. Allow time to help you remember your timelessness. (Excerpted from “Thriving as an Empath: 365 Days of Self-Care for Sensitive People” by Judith Orloff, MD (Sounds True, 2019) + The Empath’s Empowerment Journal, the companion to this book. 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 selfcare 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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What It’s Really For I was stunned to see the long line of customers waiting in front of the rental car desk. As I counted 50 people and just a few agents to service them, I realized I would be here for at least an hour. Never again will I rent from this company.
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As I chatted with Tom, a fellow in line behind me, I remembered I had a membership to the rental company’s express club. “If I go to the express desk on the lower level, maybe they’ll expedite my rental,” I thought out loud. Tom told me, “Go ahead—I’ll hold your place.” Wow, how thoughtful! I told him thanks, and if I didn’t return, I would save a seat for him in heaven. When I found the express desk also glutted, I returned to the regular line where my new friend let me back in as he had promised. As the line slowly advanced, Tom and I got to know each other, laughing and telling stories. The frustration of being in the long queue dissipated and the time went more quickly. When I finally reached the front of the line, I told Tom to go ahead of me. We shook hands warmly and wished each other well. A Course in Miracles asks us to remember, “I do
not know what anything is for.” It explains that rewarding relationships provide the express route to healing. While I believed my purpose in that line was to get a rental car, my more meaningful opportunity was to connect with another human being and help each other through a difficult situation. We gave each other a miracle. Jewish theologian Martin Buber said, “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” The ego’s destinations are always material. The spirit’s destinations run deeper. We believe we are here to get somewhere physically, while we are really here to get somewhere spiritually. Never accept an experience, especially a challenging one, at face value. There is always more going on than meets the eye, a doorway to a blessing. My friend Nadine had been
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housesitting at different homes in Hawaii for several years, and she yearned to have her own place in the small town of Waimea. One day while Nadine was sunbathing on the beach, a dog who had just frolicked in the ocean came and shook water on her, startling her. Soon the dog’s owner arrived and apologized. As the two women began to chat, the lady explained that she had been renting a cottage in Waimea, but she had to move out, and she was looking for someone to take over the lease. When Nadine heard the details, she couldn’t believe her ears. The cottage was exactly what she had been looking for. A month later Nadine moved into her ideal situation. The wet, shaking dog at first seemed to be a nuisance but turned out to be an angel. Don’t be hasty to just nuisances as bad. They always contain a gift if you are willing to look deeper. A friend told me, “Interruptions are the best part of my day.”
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The lofty practice of reframing calls us to take the facts of a situation and look at them from a different angle, to reveal an opportunity. Every situation has only the meaning you give it. If a circumstance feels painful, you are attributing negative purpose to it. When you find another perspective with higher purpose, the problem dissipates, and the path clears. Miracles proceed from a shift in perception. In the biblical story, Joseph’s jealous brothers sold him into slavery, and he was later unjustly thrown into prison. As a result of Joseph’s gift of prophecy, he was released and rose to become Pharaoh’s top advisor. Years later when famine befell the region, Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to beg for food, and they found themselves standing before none other than Joseph. When they apologized for their misdeed, Joseph said, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.”
So, it is with all challenging situations. What starts out as evil can be turned into good. Every minus is half of a plus waiting for a stroke of vertical awareness. As spiritual beings, material experiences alone cannot fulfill us. It is only when we find spiritual purpose that we feel fulfilled. A teacher posed a question to his students: “Imagine you wake up one morning, and you feel like having some French toast. But you don’t have any eggs. So, you go to the corner mini mart, pick up some eggs, and have a brief chat with the clerk. Since you know him from your regular visits, you ask him how kid is doing in his new school. Then you head back and cook your French toast. What was the purpose of your trip to the grocery store?” The teachers’ students answered, “To buy some eggs.” “Not really,” the teacher replied. “That was just the
excuse to get you into the store to connect with the clerk. Life is more about relationship than eggs.” There is a nobler purpose to every experience than meets the eye. No encounter is by chance. Everything that happens is designed to lead us to spiritual reward and growth. When we realize that life is about connecting more than getting somewhere, we find treasure right where we stand—even in line. Alan Cohen is the bestselling author of A Course in Miracles Made Easy. Join Alan and musician Karen Drucker in Hawaii, December 1-6, for an extraordinary retreat, “A Course in Miracles: The Easy Path.” For more information about this program, Alan’s Holistic Life Coach Training beginning January 1, his books and videos, free daily inspirational quotes, online courses, and weekly radio show, visit www. alancohen.com.
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When you look at the view of Earth from space, you are immediately in awe of what you do see: the incredible beauty of Creation. It is not until you look closer that you realize what you do not see. You do not see lines partitioning countries. You do not see separation between races. You do not see division between religions. You do not see the walls people build to isolate themselves from each other. There is only One Planet. There is only One Humanity. This section is dedicated to introducing thoughts and ideas to foster a greater understanding of Humanity’s interdependence.
World Vision
The Surprising Relevance of Sanskrit for Today Excuse Me‌ Did you Say Sanskrit? By Sarah Mane
I was recently on a longhaul flight from Sydney to Vancouver. In the row in front was a young mother with two little boys. The flight attendant announced that no one was to use peanuts as these boys had
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a severe peanut allergy. All through the flight, this mother provided her children with carefully pre-prepared food. Making sure the boys were occupied, answering their questions, resting when she could. It was very impressive. But what has this got to do with Sanskrit? I’ll get to that. First, what is Sanskrit? It is an ancient language, some would say timeless. It is described as the language of the Universe, and a Mother of Languages. These are grand claims to be sure, so let’s look at Sanskrit on two levels. First, Sanskrit is a spoken language with grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, and so on. As a Mother of Languages, Sanskrit is an etymological matriarch in the vast Indo-European family of languages, which includes Latin and Ancient Greek and the Germanic, Indian and Romance families of languages. English, of course, is an Indo-European language.
To get an insight into the care of that young mother taking her boys home to Canada, let’s look at the power of ‘matri,’ the Sanskrit word for ‘mother.’ Our English ‘mother’ is cognate with matri, so, when we’re speaking English every day, we’re connected with Sanskrit meanings whether we’re aware of it or not. The second, deeper level of Sanskrit is as the language of the Universe. But how is this so? And how did that universal language affect a young family on a transPacific flight? The word ‘Sanskrita’ means ‘purified and perfectly formed.’ When we are quiet, open and receptive, without mental distractions, we hear a still small voice within. That voice is always pure and perfectly formed— it is sanskrita. In that quiet state we just ‘know’ the truth of that voice. This communication occurs in our heart. This perfectly formed language then needs
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to be interpreted into our vernacular language so that our mind and body can take action. This sense of ‘knowing,’ a simple alignment and resonance with this Universal language, shapes itself into a form that our mind and body can use. Sanskrit reflects that universal language. It uses a subtle system of verbal roots to establish a connection to that universal language Each simple verbal root, called a ‘dhatu’ (धातु), gives rise to a myriad of words. The core meaning of all these words comes from the verbal root. This is the powerhouse of the meaning. These roots are verbal, that is the key to the system. Verbs are ‘doing’ words, they are actions. We generally think of ‘meaning’ as a concept or an object. We think a ‘table’ is a thing, not as the ‘act of tabling,’ the service that the table performs for us. Sanskrit, on the other hand, is based on the idea that the actual meaning of something is what it does, the action it Omtimes.com
performs. So if a table ceases to do the act of ‘tabling,’ in other words provide us with a surface upon which to put our dinner, then it is no longer a table, it becomes something else. Actions are a form of energy, so words in Sanskrit carry the core energy of meaning of their particular verbal root. This is one of the astonishing and perhaps unique features of Sanskrit - that meaning is conveyed in experience not merely in concepts. Now let’s go back to that flight to Canada. Consider the word ‘mother’ —matri —written as मातृ in the beautiful Devanagari script. It draws its meaning from the verbal root ‘ma’ (मा). Ma means ‘to measure.’ So, the essential meaning behind ‘mother’ is the act of measuring. Measuring what? A mother cares for and nurtures the body, mind, heart, and spirit of a child. She provides everything just
in the right measure, the perfect amount for the time and place. The measures of what is needed change all the time, but a mother is perfectly designed to give the child what is needed when it is needed. The knowledge of this measuring is innate and comes in response to the child. It is known and expressed in the very act of mothering, it is not a theory or a concept. The true meaning of ‘mother’ is in the action and the experience. Any woman, whether they have given birth to a child or not, has this natural and innate power of measuring or mothering in the presence of a child. Measuring love, encouragement, discipline, boundaries, knowledge, food, what to wear in the winter or summer, the list is endless. The measures needed to care for a baby, a young child, or a teenager are different, but the act of measuring is the constant. The greater the level of presence and awareness in the mother, the more precise the measure is. That was certainly in evidence on that plane.
Delving into the deeper meaning of words like this is very important. The meaning we give to things shapes our world. Things such as Values, Attitude, Truth, Being, Love, Mother, and Father are not actually things. They are actions. What is your attitude doing to you and to the people around you, what are your values doing? Through the timeless wisdom of Sanskrit, we can redefine, clarify, and realize new meanings, which can have a powerful and positive impact in our life. Sarah Mane has been studying Sanskrit since she was a teenager. Today she teaches practical selfawareness, philosophy, meditation, and Sanskrit to both children and adults. She also coaches individual clients and business professionals all over the world. Conscious Confidence is her first book from Findhorn Press. For more about Sarah go to www.sarahmane.com
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Books
Our world is in the midst of an emotional meltdown from stress. Twentyfour-hour news cycles inundate us with information overload. Thirty-five million people have been prescribed Prozac in the last decade, and the World Health Organization predicts that twenty years from now depression will be the second leading cause of death. We deserve relief. Dr. Judith Orloff ’s new book THRIVING AS AN EMPATH: 365 Days of Self-Care for Sensitive People, offers you daily inoculations against stress. This book provides a full year’s worth of meditations, reflections, and journaling topics to help you thrive as a caring, empathic person. These bite-sized readings will be your daily Rx against stress and help you to: • • • • •
Stop taking on other people’s emotions or pain Break the momentum of sensory overload Protect yourself from draining people by centering yourself Set healthy boundaries Stay in the now by affirming, “This is what I can do today to feel good,” without dwelling on the future
“THRIVING AS AN EMPATH supports you in honoring yourself each day of the year as a sensitive person so that your gifts of empathy and intuition will flourish...” ~ Iyanla Vanzant, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“In THRIVING AS AN EMPATH, Dr. Judith Orloff shows you how to embrace your empathic gifts and share more love and caring with the world. It’s a book of inspirations for sensitive people who want to learn how to lead empowered lives and savor the joy of being alive.” ~ Deepak Chopra
For more information about the Special Book Launch Promotion, click the cover or visit:
drjudithorloff.com
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