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CARMEN HARRA
Karma Queem
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CONTENTS • OMTIMES
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Table of Contents 46
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CARMEN HARRA The Karma Queen by OMTIMES
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Face Yoga: Energizing Exercises
52
The Day I Became a” Spirit Whisperer"
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Practice the Seven Keystones of Rock Balancing
64
Danielle Collins
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By John Holland
Travis Ruskus
Shamanic Yoga- How to Pave the Way to a More Empowered You
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Selene Calloni Williams
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C O N T E N T S 6 8
The Wind Phone
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How I Flunked the Science Fair but Saved the World
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Erase Fearful Feelings from Your Life
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Compost: The Real Organic Garden Black Gold
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Radio Host Spotlight Kathy J. Williams
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What's Inside?
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Dharmic Ubuntu: You are Your Ancestor’s Dream
108
When Conflicts Are Giving You a Headache?
100
The Human Ladder
114
Blast Those Limiting Beliefs In Four Steps
110
Letting Anger Fuel Positive Change in Our Lives
120
Sustainability, Deep Ecology, & the Sacred
130
Zen_The Book By Alan Watts
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Carmen Harra The Karma Queen
A town with no electricity and no running water seems like the least likely place to birth to a star. But Carmen Harra started dreaming of the world outside her small village of Transylvania, Romania at a young age. As fate would have it, an otherworldly Omtimes.com
accident endowed Carmen with a gift that would carry her far beyond her modest birthplace… even far beyond this world. For over 25 years, “The Karma Queen” Dr. Carmen Harra has helped people from all walks of life as a renowned intuitive psychologist, best-selling author, relationship expert, and radio show host. Today she reveals her fascinating story, shares the secrets to better relationships, and explains how we can resolve our karma to experience greater joy. Dr. Carmen Harra is a world-renowned intuitive psychologist, best-selling author, radio show host, and relationship expert. In the past 25 years, Carmen has helped over 40,000 people rediscover peace of mind, reclaim personal power, and regain joy. Her clients include people from all walks of life, from the lady next door to Hollywood celebrities and eminent politicians. Carmen uniquely combines the normal with the paranormal to deliver
powerful positive change: tried and tested cognitive therapy coupled with the ancient arts of numerology, mediumship, and incredible intuition. Carmen has been featured in such publications as The New York Times, New York Post, and New York Daily News, and on shows like Good Morning America, The View, Good Day New York, the Today show, and many more. She’s the author of international best-sellers like Everyday Karma, Decoding Your Destiny, The Eleven Eternal Principles, and Wholeliness, among others. Her seventh book, The Karma Queens’ Guide to Relationships, was released by Penguin Books, and she’s now working on her eighth book all about commitment! Carmen has also hosted call-in shows on Hay House Radio, WOR Radio, and WABC Radio. She currently hosts a popular weekly show called Miracle Guidance for Everyday Life every Tuesday on OMTimes Radio. Omtimes.com
Visit her website at www. CarmenHarra.com. OMTIMES: You’ve been working as an intuitive psychologist for many years. How did you discover you were intuitive? CARMEN HARRA: I gained my intuitive abilities when I was five years old. I was born and raised in the beautiful countryside of Transylvania, Romania. One spring day, my family took me on a picnic by the river. My childlike curiosity made me wonder to the riverbank, where I lost my footing and slipped into the icy water. The current carried me away, and since I didn’t know how to swim, my body started sinking. I remember seeing a flash of bright light and looking back upon my sinking body as I ascended. The bright light consumed me, and suddenly, I emerged into a picturesque valley of green and flowers. I heard serene music, and all panic left me; I felt only pleasure being in this splendid place. Several familiar figures were beckoning me towards them, but I don’t Omtimes.com
know who they were; I just knew that I knew them. Then I was reeled back to the physical world and woke up with my father kneeling over me, sopping wet and trying to resuscitate me. Life was never the same after this event; I became like an open portal for energy. I started picking up things, sensing things to come. One day my father walked in during the middle of my class at school, and before he could open his mouth to speak, I blurted out, “You’re here because grandpa died!” I had no idea how I knew the things I knew, but they kept coming. As I grew, I grew to revere my abilities. I became fascinated by all matters spiritual. I constantly took out books from the library on numerology, karma, Kaballah, mediumship, and ancient teachings, trying to learn as much as I could. OMTIMES: How did you come to be known as “The Karma Queen”? CARMEN HARRA: In my
youth, I was a famous singer in Romania. But after I came to America on a singing tour, I knew it was time to reinvent my career and work with what came to me most naturally: my intuition. So I started offering intuitive counseling sessions to clients in New York City, incorporating everything I had learned about the philosophy of karma. Word spread quickly. It was a fairly untouched topic at that time, and I enjoyed tremendous success with my first book, Everyday Karma, published in 2002. I started appearing on TV shows like The View, Good Morning America, and the Today show. I was also featured in such magazines as The New York Times and New York Daily News, with New York Post naming me “The Karma Queen” when referring to my work. OMTIMES: What is karma, really? CARMEN HARRA: Karma is so much more than “what goes around comes around.” It is the accumulation of our
thoughts, intentions, and actions. In many ways, it is memory imprinted into the soul. So there exists good karma just as much as there exists bad karma. Karma carries over from lifetime to lifetime, like a suitcase we carry with us every time we reincarnate. Only unlike luggage at the airport, it never gets lost! If you want to lighten your load and experience greater joy, you have to be curious and courageous enough to open that suitcase (painful as that may be), sort through its contents, and get rid of what you don’t need—particularly patterns that might corrode your relationships. OMTIMES: Can you tell us a little bit about your last book, The Karma Queens’ Guide to Relationships? CARMEN HARRA: The Karma Queens’ Guide to Relationships teaches readers how mastering their personal karma will help them navigate through relationships. It demonstrates how karma affects our human Omtimes.com
bonds as well as the different kinds of karmic relationships we all experience. Often when a relationship is marked by constant ups and downs or stirs up mixed emotions, we say that it’s “complicated.” But in reality, it’s just karmic! Karmic relationships can be quite intense, as the memory of prior lives is playing out again. But as my book explains, this is not the only type of relationship we encounter. There are four types of relationships in total: karmic, compromise, transitory, and soulmate. Not all relationships are created equal; different partners come into our lives for different reasons. I believe that understanding the kind of your relationship you’re in is crucial to your wellbeing and reinforces your free will. We all want to be in a soulmate relationship, of course, and my book also shows how to attract and recognize soulful unions. OMTIMES: What can we do to resolve our karma, and how Omtimes.com
will this reflect in our lives? CARMEN HARRA: By healing your karma, you will heal your life. You will experience peace of mind and a deeper understanding of all situations in your life. The only way to resolve karma is to go back and close open doors. This requires action, namely, forgiveness. When we forgive, we detach from bitterness, anger, resentment, and other negative emotions that keep us stagnant and dissatisfied. Resolving karma is a combination of introspection and action. It means telling the ex-partner who hurt you that you forgive him or her, for example. It entails doing things more mindfully than in the past to produce better results— breaking out of karmic cycles by breaking habits and behaviors that have kept you stuck in an unhappy place, job, relationship, or home. Our karma stays with us until we address and correct it. Our spiritual goal is to liberate ourselves from any outstanding negative karma.
It’s all outlined in our karmic contract, which we signed as souls on the other side before reentering the physical world. We forget this contract once our soul enters a body and must rediscover its contents the harder way: through experience. Working through karma can be very onerous. Clearing old karma can take a long time. Think about clearing the contents of a very old house in which you’ve lived your entire life—there will be ancient stashes of stuff you long forgot you even had. But coming across old photographs and clothes and trinkets will bring back submerged memories and an understanding of how far you’ve come since then. That’s what digging through your karmic suitcase does: it makes you aware of what you’ve worked on and what still requires work. Patience with the process is essential. If you give up quickly out of frustration, you’re just going to end up dealing with the same issues, only in a new relationship. But when you
push through and make progress, ah! Then you feel yourself being liberated. You feel yourself mastering your karma, and there is no feeling more powerful than knowing you are in control of your circumstances. By resolving your karma, by bringing love and patience into the situation and acting from your highest, most evolved and spiritual self, you end the cycle of going from one similar relationship to another and repeating the old patterns that bring you and others pain. You open yourself up to attract new people into your life—a romantic partner, a group of friends, a business or creative partner who complements you, or a neighbor who makes life much more pleasant. Resolving your karma and becoming a master over it involves some discomfort. You’re going to have to look at yourself honestly with all your flaws and address your behaviors and your hidden thoughts that drive them.
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Relationships are the ground on which we resolve our old karma because they are the way through which karma manifests itself. They mold us into karma queens if we don’t run from the work that relationships require. Whether they are with someone we love or someone we can’t stand but can’t avoid, relationships cause us simultaneous pain and joy. Our patterns depend on what is in our karmic luggage. If you want to stop suffering and heal your relationships so that they are supportive, loving, and nurturing, you must stop focusing on the problems other people cause you and start looking at yourself. What is the only common element in every relationship you have? You! You’re in every relationship, and you bring to it a suitcase full of karma that you, and only you, can sort through. If you do so, your relationships will be less complicated and much more rewarding. OMTIMES: Besides unresolved karma, what Omtimes.com
do you feel is a problem in relationships today? CARMEN HARRA: I feel that many relationships lack emotional intimacy, the “glue” of all love relationships. Intimacy isn’t restricted to intercourse; it knows what your partner needs before he gets a chance to ask—feeling his emotions and wishes as if they were your own. Emotional intimacy is much more powerful than physical intimacy because it delves deep into your loved one’s ambitions, fears, and hopes. Truly, it’s a subconscious connection. You can reach this sense of sacred connectedness by digging deeper than superficial conversation; reach heightened intimacy by engaging in topics of true substance. Over time, we become immune to the excitement of our relationship. Dopamine levels in the brain drop as we get used to a person. You can avoid this by being consistently aware of your partner. Develop a strong
sense of his tendencies. Pay attention to how he’s behaving from day to day: what’s really on his mind? Understand when he needs a hug versus when he needs to be alone. Comprehend what it is that your partner needs most at different moments. To be truly intimate with your partner is to be in tune with him on all three levels: body, mind, and spirit. This sense of “knowing” your significant other will keep you in sync as a couple. OMTIMES: What is your best advice for a healthy and happy love relationship? CARMEN HARRA: There are many actions two partners can take to establish a mutual sense of satisfaction in the relationship. The first step is to simplify the relationship. Often we forget that simplicity is key when it comes to love. In wanting to do too much, to build too much, we can quickly lose sight of the simple values that fostered love. I urge the couples I counsel to return to
simplicity. Nothing is more valuable at the end of the day than tender moments shared in silence, with no mention of what was, could have been, or might be. De-clutter your relationship. Cleanse it of all toxicity: people who interfere, harmful emotions, hurtful memories, and bad habits. Maintain a love as pure as water. In simplifying matters, our ego gets scaled down to size. The ego is the most destructive force of all relationships. It tears down human bonds because it favors me and neglects the we. If you want to have a good relationship, you have to let your proud guard down. Take nothing personal; even if your partner does something wrong, understand that he may have personal issues that you know nothing about and that also have nothing to do with you. Realize that, yes, in a perfect world, everything would be fair play, but that in relationships, everything is compromised sacrifice and endurance. Hold your partner closer to your heart Omtimes.com
than you hold your own ego, and you will succeed in holding a healthy, long-term relationship. The quality and duration of your relationships revolve around choices you make each day. You have the choice to build your partner up or tear him down to nothing. Remember that weaknesses are far more visible than strengths. We become so used to our partner’s flaws that we think those around us are used to them, too. You may joke to people about your loved one’s imperfections and think this is no big deal. But you don’t know just how deeply run the emotional wounds carved by these failings. As a rule of thumb, refrain from speaking negatively about your significant other in public. You may want to vent to others, but keeping silent is wiser. Instead of starting the day by reminding your partner what he did wrong, thank him: “Thank you for being next to me and with me. Thank you for being you,” you can say. Tolerate
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his defects as you tolerate your own. Nurture the person who has stood by you; he is more sensitive than you can imagine. A simple “I’m proud of you” can uplift your partner’s entire day. One of the biggest mistakes I see people making is pressuring a person to commit. Pressure may make diamonds, but in relationships, it only makes your partner resent you. The commitment must come from free will and free will alone; no amount of convincing or begging can influence someone else’s feelings for you. Many people live with the false notion that they can change their partner. No one can change anyone else; we change ourselves. Forcing change on a person only forces him out of your life, and ultimatums ultimately end relationships. Allow your partner to pass through his own phases while showing support and gently ushering him in the right direction. Accept your partner’s struggles and internal
conflicts as he performs his inner work. He will change, but in his own time and at his own pace. Until then, work to improve yourself. The single best way to inspire change in someone is to lead by example. While you should never force change, you should anticipate it. People are constantly changing. Who you are now is not who you were last year, last month, or even last week. But unlike a teenager passing through puberty, change isn’t always obvious. It’s easy to become oblivious to your partner’s changes because you see this person so often. Understand how your loved one is transforming and adapt yourself to him or her. In the case of physical change, make it known to your partner that you notice the new look: always compliment a different hairstyle, weight loss, and fresh wardrobe. Remain well ahead of changes by preparing for the next phase of your relationship and strategizing how you’ll pass through it side by side. You
should also ask yourself: is my relationship evolving, or only changing? A relationship should not only shift but shift positively over time as both partners work to fix outstanding issues. Evolve in the same direction as your significant other. If this is not happening, it’s time to evaluate at what point the relationship became stagnant. Stagnancy can be avoided by going on new adventures with your partner. The daily grind becomes boring, to say the least, so break out of routine as often as you can. Travel with your partner, even if it’s a road trip or a weekend getaway. Try new restaurants and take up new hobbies. Even if it’s something out of your comfort zone, find joy in the fact that you’re doing it with your other half. And finally, learn to ask your partner the right questions. There’s a right way and a wrong way to communicate. The wrong way is bombarding your partner with all of your problems as soon as he walks
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through the door after a long day at work. The right way is waiting until he unwinds, then gently bringing up one subject of concern. Ask about his day before you begin. Find out what’s important to him, what are his plans, how you can help, etc. Listen intently when he opens up to you before responding. It’s important to get your partner to let his guard down before embarking on a subject you’re keen to discuss. If you start off too aggressively, your partner will respond with equal force. He’s more likely to be receptive if you’re already engaged in a comfortable conversation. With the right actions and added awareness, any couple can stimulate a strong, healthy dynamic. OMTIMES: You incorporate many elements in your practice, can you tell us how you do this? CARMEN HARRA: I combine my knowledge of cognitive therapy with my intuitive
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skills to offer clients the greatest potential for positive change. I have a Ph.D. in psychology, and I believe in traditional counseling techniques. But they are much more effective when combined with spirituality and wisdom. My goal is to heal and uplift, to help my clients recapture the joy that is their birthright. So when I sit down with someone for a session, I first perform an intuitive scan. I go step by step, exploring the various aspects of her life with which she feels dissatisfied then offering real-world solutions. I clarify the work she’ll have to perform on her own, both on the inside and outside, and the actions she’ll have to take once she leaves my office. I answer specific questions and pass along messages from the other side. My absolute favorite part of my career is when I see a client breakthrough. She may have walked in broken, but I want her to leave whole. OMTIMES: Would you like to share any upcoming projects
you’re currently working on? CARMEN HARRA: I’m currently working on my eighth book called Committed. I’m excited about it because it explains the seven archetypes of people that exist and how to achieve a healthy love relationship with each of the archetypes based on his or her unique needs, fears, desires, and limitations. I host a weekly show on OMTimes Radio, and I invite listeners to call in with their life questions every Tuesday at 7pm ET. I contribute to Huffington Post, OMTimes Magazine, Sivana East, Thrive Global, and other great publications. I also encourage readers to visit my website at www.CarmenHarra.com and reach out to me with their questions and comments at CarmenHarra@aol.com. OMTIMES: How do you envision the future of the world? CARMEN HARRA: This
world can be the utopia it was meant to be, but we must stop thinking of me and start focusing on us. I don’t believe the world can ever be changed through politics, but through arts, ingenuity, and collective humanitarian work. I envision our world undergoing largescale changes shortly. These changes are inevitable because things have been unfair for too long, for too many people. I believe corrupt institutions will crumble, and we will establish more balanced systems to run our world efficiently. Some of the most powerful people will suddenly fall from their high and mighty positions. This may seem like a complete upheaval of the way the world works right now, but it’s for our own good. When these major shifts start, they’ll happen in rapid sequence like a domino effect. The way things are in the present, our potential is stifled by the injustices we experience every day. The universe is stepping in to help us reclaim our power and purpose.
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Health & Wellness
Innovative new approaches to Healing as well as holistic methods for dealing with health issues and personal growth
Face Yoga Energizing Exercises
Throw out the creams, get rid of the face masks and delete that surgeon’s number – try Face Yoga – the new way to keep you looking younger, firmer, and healthier.
2. Place the palm of your hand on the right side of your forehead. Press, or “dab,” your forehead gently, moving gradually across to the left, then back toward
THE FOREHEAD DAB – For Preventing and Reducing Forehead Lines
3. the right.
1. Start with your eyes either open or closed – whichever feels more comfortable. Omtimes.com
4. Start with one dab per second, then gradually slow it down to one dab every 10 seconds. Do this exercise for 1 minute in total.
BENEFITS Relaxing the frontalis muscle of your forehead means less tension. This exercise also improves circulation, keeping the skin refreshed and glowing. TOP TIP Use this exercise to practice keeping your forehead still while widening the eyes –a great way to avoid expression lines.
THE EYEBROW LIFT – For reducing and preventing hooded eyes 1. Place your two index fingers under the eyebrows. Very slowly close your eyes and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat twice more. You should feel a shaking in the upper part of your eyelids. 2. Lift your hands away from the eyebrows and place all your fingertips in the middle of the forehead. Very gently smooth the fingers away from each other toward your temples and then lift off. Keep the eyes wide and don’t raise the eyebrows. Repeat for 30 seconds. BENEFITS The muscles in your forehead
work against the resistance of the finger, which helps to build strength and tone. TOP TIP Because this exercise asks you to raise your eyebrows, it should be followed by a forehead massage to ensure that the forehead muscle is relaxed following the exercise
THE BUTTERFLY- For reducing and Preventing Lines between the Eyebrows 1. Using your index finger, middle finger, and ring finger on both hands, smooth the area between the eyebrows. Move your hands away from each other, and when they reach the hairline, look down and hold for 10 seconds. 2. Bring the fingers back to your starting position and repeat twice more. 3. Now do the same exercise (3 sets of 10 seconds) but with your eyes wide open, ensuring you don’t raise the eyebrows. BENEFITS The massaging action helps to relieve tension in your procerus Omtimes.com
muscle, which runs between your eyebrows, which can prevent lines being formed. TOP TIP Â Try not to drag the skin too much with this exercise THE THINKER - For preventing and reducing double chin. 1. Make a fist and place it under your chin, pushing upward slightly. 2. Open and close your mouth 30 times. Keep pushing upward with your hand slightly. Your chin should be parallel to the floor. 3. Now hold your mouth open, and very slightly wrap your lips around your teeth. Hold for 30 seconds. BENEFITS This exercise works on toning and strengthening many of your lower face muscles, and the fist acts as resistance to work the muscles in the lower jaw area.
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TOP TIP If it feels more comfortable, you can rest your elbow on a table. Danielle Collins is the World leading Face Yoga Expert and a renowned authority in Yoga, Nutrition, and Wellbeing. She believes in a holistic and natural approach to health, fitness, and beauty and her philosophy is that we should all have the opportunity to use simple, effective techniques to look and feel the very best version of ourselves. Danielle has appeared on BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Kiss FM Radio, as well as in hundreds of international media publications such as Vogue, The Times, The Telegraph and The Daily Mail. She is the face and creator of Groupon’s major health and beauty campaign ‘Face Fit.’ As a spokesperson for Nintendo, BT, Lotus Olbas and Sweaty Betty, Danielle is a sought-after presenter, writer, and Yoga model and has over 1 million views on her YouTube videos. For more information, contact Gail Torr at radiobookings@gmail.com.
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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.
The Day I Became a ”Spirit Whisperer” By John Holland
Back in the 1990s, I was in a serious automobile accident that I’m convinced put me on my path as a Spirit Whisperer. After the accident, the psychic abilities I’d experienced as a child were now back, but this time, they were a hundred times stronger. I remember the first time I did a reading with these newfound abilities.
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An artist named Maury heard about me from a friend and came to see me. She had several career options and asked if I could give her some guidance. One minute we were talking about her design business, and the next I felt as if something had shifted in the room. These days I refer to this shift as “the quickening.” It felt like everything was going a little bit faster, as though someone had turned up the switch. It also meant that Maury and I weren’t alone anymore. As I looked at Maury again, I noticed that sitting right beside her was an elderly woman. I saw her there as clear as day. “Maury, an older woman, is sitting next to you, and there’s something strange about her clothes—nothing matches.” Maury let out a scream. I screamed, then she hugged me, and I hugged her! I calmed down a bit, and then I could hear this old woman’s voice in my head. She was relentless, saying the same thing over and over again, “She’ll know who I am. Mention
the diamond. Mention the diamond!” I did exactly as she asked. I found myself talking so fast, I didn’t even stop to check in with Maury to see how she was reacting. All of a sudden Maury let out a loud gasp for air and just burst into tears. It took me by surprise, and I got up to console her. “So, who is this woman?” “John, it’s my Great Aunt Ada who raised me. She was color blind, yet she insisted on choosing her own clothes. Our family never knew what she’d show up wearing, and this diamond ring I am wearing right now was hers!” Maury told me how she and Ada had a very strong bond, right up to her death 10 years earlier. “She loved me and was always so kind to me. I could always count on her. Even though she’s gone, I have something to remind me of her. She left me her diamond ring.” As she composed herself, Maury whispered, “Is she still here?” “She’s smiling,” I said, “and Omtimes.com
she’s asking me to tell you that she’s always close by.” Maury hugged me once again on the doorstep as she left. I collapsed on the couch. I couldn’t believe what had happened. I lay there and said to myself, Great. First, I have to accept that I’m a psychic with all that goes with that responsibility. Now, I’m talking to the dead!
JOHN’S MESSAGE This marked the first time I communicated with spirits who’d departed this physical world, and they were present during a reading. I had reached a new level. From that point on, they showed up at almost every reading and started to make their presence known. Many people ask me how they can move to the next level after taking the initial first steps of learning to awaken their psychic potential. In a way, it’s like becoming a world-class athlete. You don’t get to the top without the dedication and constant training. When you’re ready, Spirit will be there. Live a Soul-filled life! Omtimes.com
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Practice the Seven Keystones of Rock Balancing The Rock Balancer’s Guide By Travis Ruskus
If I could teach you one thing, it’s to remember to breathe during moments of peace. Then, remember to breathe during moments of chaos. Focus calmly on the air, entering and leaving the body. Be careful, as this moment will only happen once. Rock balancing reminds you to use this moment wisely. Like most meditation practices, rock
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balancing is about the power of the breath. We experience a state of physical and mental clarity whenever we stop to simply breathe for a few moments. This state of being is mindfulness, reached by quieting the booming voice of the ego to listen to the true voice of our soul as it interacts with the wisdom of the Earth. Rock balancing is a form of the soul’s interaction with nature. It requires patience and focus, which makes it a powerful form of moving meditation and mindfulness. Since this practice cannot be rushed; it invites you to connect with the present moment. After all, everything that ever happened in the history of time has led you to this moment. Practice the Seven Keystones of Rock Balancing Through countless hours of balancing, I have found that all rock balances embody a set of principles. By following these seven keystones of
rock balancing, you can tap into the flow of energy that surrounds us all in every moment: 1. Breathe: First, you must experience how the breath connects you with the energy of each moment. Discover your true power, one breath at a time. Throughout this process, be sure to bring your attention back on the breath. 2. Opportunity: As you select rocks and start to balance them, discover what your internal fears are and how to overcome them to unlock your abundant potential. Failure is a discovery process. 3. Believe: In my experience of teaching others how to balance rocks, 95 percent of people say “I can’t” before they even pick up a rock and try. By switching your internal mindset to “I can” before receiving external validation, our positive actions begin to manifest what was previously labeled “impossible.” 4. Balance: As you engage in the physical movements of
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balancing, you will enhance your connection with the Earth. A balanced rock creates a balanced mind, body, and soul. 5. Limits: Reconsider what your true limits are. When you think you’re done, try to add just 1 more rock. Then maybe a few more. Be careful not to get caught up in the “just 1 more” mindset. If you do, you will never be satisfied. A finished rock balance is simply the point at which you feel happy and content with yourself. 6. Release: In the circle of life, everything that is created will eventually be destroyed. Letting go is one of the hardest things to do, but it must be done. Knocking down your balance—despite the hours or even days it took to create— is an essential part of this process. The more you release, the easier it becomes. You will likely find being free from the past allows you to move towards the future in peace. 7. Evolve: I believe rock balancing can help change the way you see the world and your role in it. Each
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moment affects the next one. By doing something you believed impossible, you can discover how to evolve into your true self and manifest your dreams. These seven keystones of rock balancing are designed to shift your perspective on what is possible within yourself. No one else can do this but you. My intention is to give you the tools required to succeed in this art form, as well as experience its wider impact on your life. You might balance your first rock and then go wild sharing this gift with others (like I did). Or perhaps you keep your insights to yourself as you start to incorporate this art form into your daily meditation practice. Of course, you might not even touch a rock, but one of these sentences resonated with you at exactly the right moment. Whatever the case may be, this practice will help you transform stress into clarity. Every moment is a fresh start, including this one. Peace to you!
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OM Living For those living a more Conscious Lifestyle
Shamanic Yoga How to Pave the Way to a More Empowered You By Selene Calloni Williams
You’ve got a lot on your plate, you are busy getting results, you strive to become more productive and faster every day, you are racing and won’t give up. Well, now imagine a dragon suddenly appearing before you; not an evil monster, but an aspect of your animal spirit, coming to guide you on your path. At this point you have no choice: you have to stop. To Omtimes.com
you, it looks as if others are overtaking you as fast as bullets. In your involuntary stillness, you are called into the depths of your being. As you sink deeper and deeper, you feel something waking in your body: wild power, instinctive energy reconnecting you to the earth. And as others keep on rushing by you, you expand in your stillness. And you realize that the stiller you are, the more you expand, you take on the trees,
the sky, the wind, the mountains, the sea, wolves, eagles, marmots, gryphons, bears, wild horses. Once you’ve become so vast as to have lost the boundaries of your Self, the dragon grabs you gently with its claws and carries you upwards. From up there, you finally see where all the paths along which everybody is running, lead to, and you start weeping with joy and gratitude. Then, having overcome the initial wonder, you start realizing that from that high point, you can see the full picture of your life. You can’t comprehend it with your mind, for it is far too vast to be contained in thoughts, but you can certainly grasp it with your heart. Finally, the dragon takes you back down to earth, back to where you came from, and turning into a ball of fire, it enters within you. That is the truly breath-taking moment because it feels like you are dying, but you don’t – you become enthusiastic. Now you are alone, still; you have seen that all paths lead to nowhere and you are wondering why everybody keeps on running. You know
that what matters is the place where you are at that very moment, and you begin to listen. You focus on your breath, on your beating heart, on your organs, on all that comes your way: a gust of wind, a sound, a smell, an idea, an intention, a vision… you cultivate all this, you intensify it, exalt it, magnify it. As you are doing this, you realize all the others, the runners, have changed their direction and are coming towards you. First, they come sporadically, one at a time, but soon it’s a crowd – they bring opportunities, riches, reputation, respect, even love. You have remained what you’ve always been, you’ve simply stopped running and have seen life’s whole picture from above. The dragon is the symbol of shamanic yoga, an ancient, wild, animistic type of yoga. Shamanic yoga is based on psychophysical exercises and spiritual practices, and that is done in a so-called “imaginal forest”: a magical place reached through ecstasy. Ecstasy is an amplified, non-dual state of consciousness, a condition of self-transcendence reached by Omtimes.com
expanding oneself beyond the boundaries of the individual and of the usual sense of Self. Shamanic yoga leads us to think beyond our “person,” a word which originates from the Etruscan “persu,” meaning “mask.” The ecstasy techniques of shamanic yoga are numerous and range from active visualization to breath-control and fluid sequences (special yoga positions performed in a sequence and accompanied by controlled breathing, singing and psychic gestures), the repetition of mantras, shamanic song, prolonged stillness, dance, psychic formulae. The latter consist of repeated phrases and gestures which, if pronounced and performed correctly, can effectively change one’s state of consciousness. Once we have reached the psychic forest, which is a deep inner dimension, we can develop a full picture of our life path, acquiring previously hidden meanings. Having had this vision, one can, without leaving the psychic forest, draw the picture of their life by the most authentic meanings that have been picked up along the inner journey. Thus you Omtimes.com
realize that it is useless to constantly race, constantly aim for productivity, but rather that you should do the right thing at the right moment. The right moment does not always come about so that the psychic forest also teaches you to wait, to forgive others and yourself for mistakes done in the past; you learn to have faith in the future and to always love yourself and your life project. All this is done through rituals that engage the body as well as the mind, that work through your organs and breathing, as well as your thoughts. There is a saying in shamanic yoga: “there is no real transformation of conscience if there is not also a change in the physical conditions of existence.” There is only one energy, one conscience that at any one type is expressed as mind, emotion, body, so there cannot be any real change until the body has changed. Shamanic Yoga is wild and powerful because it takes place in the depths of conscience, where the psyche is the body and where the guideinstinct, like a flying dragon, can see beyond the usual boundaries of the Self.
One of the simplest exercises that anybody can do to enter the psychic forest is the following: • Take three breaths through your mouth, just slightly deeper than your usual breathing. • As you breathe in feel your unbreakable bond with nature and the cosmos. Be aware that, breathing out, you are emitting carbon dioxide which will be absorbed by trees, and that, breathing in, you take in oxygen produced by the same trees. Think of your breathing as a ring that binds you with nature and asks yourself, “who is actually breathing?” Admit that “I am breathing” is a something we say due to a social convention; in truth, there is no such thing as a “breathing I.” • Hold your breath and imagine a cosmic power wave running through you, dissolving you. Strive to abandon yourself to this wave, finding yourself beyond ordinary boundaries at the next breath.
• Carry on like this for a few cycles: three breaths following by a held one whereby you strive to become ever vaster. Hold your breath with full lungs, then hold it with empty lungs, noticing the differences between internal and external retention. You can practice this exercise any time of day, even multiple times a day. It is a small exercise, a short one, but if diligently repeated for at least a couple of months it will turn out to be the dragon lifting you up to the skies. Selene Calloni Williams, with a degree in psychology and master’s in screen writing, has authored several books and documentaries on psychology, deep ecology, shamanism, yoga, philosophy, and anthropology. A direct student of James Hillman, she studied and practiced Buddhist meditation in the hermitages of the forests of Sri Lanka and is an initiate of Shamanic Tantric Yoga. She is the founder and the director of the Imaginal Academy Institute in Switzerland. https:// selenecalloniwilliams.com/en Omtimes.com
The Wind Phone by Mark Nepo
On March 11, 2011, a mammoth earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami that wreaked havoc in more than fifteen cities in northeastern Japan. Waves reached as high as 120 feet. More than nineteen thousand people were killed, and twenty-five hundred more have never been found. In thirty minutes, the town of Otsuchi was destroyed.
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In trying to make sense of his grief, a gardener from Otsuchi, Itaru Sasaki, said that he needed a place to air his grief. So he moved an empty phone booth into the remnants of his garden and put an old rotary phone on a wooden shelf inside it, even though the phone wasn’t connected to anything. Then he dialed his lost loved ones and began to talk to them. Word spread about the wind phone in Otsuchi, and in time thousands who had lost loved ones in the tsunami made pilgrimage to visit the phone booth in the garden, so they could commune with those they lost through the disconnected phone. There was the seventy-yearold grandmother who’d lost her husband. She brought her grandchildren so they could tell their grandfather about school. And the fifty-year-old widower who just wept into the phone and listened. And the thirty-three year- old man who lost his parents, his wife, and his one-year-old son. He dialed the old, battered phone and listened to the wind
encircle the booth and finally said, “I don’t know what I’m waiting for. . . . I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you.” And the fifteen-year-old who lost his father, who whispered into the phone, “Why did you have to die?” A month later, he brought his younger sister. She dialed the phone and in her tears, asked, “What happened to your promise to buy me a violin? Now I’ll have to buy one myself.” Of course, this story holds great sadness. But when we can listen to the sadness, not skipping over it, until it brings us to the bottom of all feeling, it becomes beautifully clear that it’s the power of raw feeling that moves us to express our fundamental being. And the power of that expression is what draws us together to heal. It’s the unmitigated depth of expression that releases resilience. This belongs to everyone. When raw enough, tender enough, and honest enough, we’re not ashamed to stand in a phone booth in a garden and speak through the ruins into Omtimes.com
a phone that isn’t connected to anything. From the outside, this may seem like desperation. But having been this desperate, I can attest from the inside — that this reach into the heart of our grief is a courageous act of being that rips through all the excuses we can construct, landing us in the heat and wonder of direct living. And the heart of this courage and the heat and wonder of direct living belong to everyone. The phone whisperers of Otsuchi are profiles of inner courage. Each of them is a poet. And each of us is a poet, when we dare to swim to the bottom of whatever we feel in order to bring up a taste of what we all have in common. The elixir of our commonness is the reward for diving so deeply and speaking so tenderly. Thousands who had lost loved ones in the tsunami made pilgrimage to visit the phone booth in the garden, so they could commune with those they lost through the disconnected phone.
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How I Flunked the Science Fair but Saved the World
In the ninth grade, I did a project for the city science fair. It was about photosynthesis. I set up a little lab in my bedroom with colored lights on African Violets. I had no idea what
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I was doing, and I learned nothing. I would rather have been playing baseball. When the big event came, I displayed my experiment in the sprawling exhibition hall, next to kids who knew what they were doing. Science teachers milled around the hall, inspecting the projects, and quizzing the students. A teacher approached me, and the conversation came around to genetics. “If you cut the tail off of a rat, will its children have short tails or long ones?” The answer was obviously “long ones.” But since my mind was with the Yankees more than hypothetical mice, I answered, “short.” The teacher nodded briefly, said nothing, and moved on. I didn’t win the science fair. Fast forward many decades. I’ve moved on from the Yankees to A Course in Miracles and other spiritual studies. The Course Workbook
repeats one lesson more than any other: I am as God created me. One morning I wake up, and a stunning realization gobsmacks me like a hundred-mile-anhour fastball: The baby mice have long tails because the external changes to their parents cannot alter the genetic blueprint passed along to them. The parents’ innate wholeness is their legacy to their children. What is embedded deep within the parent is not affected by external manipulation. Our spiritual nature ensures that we are whole and perfect. We are created in the image and likeness of God. What goes on in the external world cannot change who we are or affect our true nature. No matter what happens to our body, personality, relationships, career, finances, or worldly politics, external events cannot affect who we are at our core. Our divinity remains intact. I learned about a healing
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method in which when a child is born, the parents save the placenta and freeze it. If, later on in life, the child contracts a disease, the parents take some of the placentae and infuse it into the child’s body. The placenta contains the original code for the child’s wholeness or, we might say, innocence. When a threat or denial of innocence attacks the body, its strongest response is to return to innocence. The title of Marianne Williamson’s book Return to Love captures this principle. When the world assails our well-being, we will not prevail by pushing harder, working more furiously, or attempting to manipulate external circumstances. Instead, we must drop into the place deep inside of us that has never been touched, changed, or damaged by the world. At our core, we remain who we always have been and always will be. I am as God created me.
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If I am as God created me, so are you, and so is everyone. We don’t need to fix or improve ourselves. You cannot improve upon perfection. The only thing we need to fix is the thoughts that define us as less than we are, limited, broken, ugly, unforgiven, and unsavable. The Course tells us that it is not what we need to be saved from that is important. It is what we need to be saved for. Our destiny is to come home to our original innocence. All that appears lost will be restored as we recognize that we can never lose ourselves. There is no loss in heaven. In the movie Bedazzled (2000 version), nerd Eliot has an industrial-strength crush on the gorgeous but unattainable Alison. The devil comes along and offers to help Eliot woo Alison in exchange for his soul. Eliot agrees. What the devil doesn’t tell Eliot is that every scene in which he gets the girl will leave
him disappointed and suffering. Finally, Eliot ends up in jail, awaiting the devil to take her due. When he tells his cellmate about his predicament, the fellow (who is an angel) tells Eliot, “No devil can take your soul. It’s not yours to give away. Your soul belongs to God.” What God created cannot be damaged, compromised, or lost. God in you is God forever. Many of us regret the decisions we have made. We believe we have sinned, offended God, and set in motion karma that will hurt us and others. A Course in Miracles tells us that none of this is true. It declares, “. . . all that you believe must come from sin will never happen.” The world in which sin seems real; the Course explains, is an illusion. The world of forgiveness, love, and wellness is a reality. The title of a book based on the teachings of spiritual master H.W.L. Poonja, known as Papaji, captures this
liberating principle in three simple words: “nothing ever happened.” After the science fair, I went home and studied the mice and their tales. I realized that my answer to the teacher was dead wrong. Even if a parent has been damaged, the child is born whole. Now, many years later, the lesson has sunken in. I flunked the fair but learned how to redeem the world. You can lose your tail, but not your soul. 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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Any seemingly scary condition in your life, whatever it may be, is not the real problem. It’s your reaction to it that has you shaking. Which is why, if you become truly conscious of a fearful condition instead of afraid of it, you’ll change forever your relationship with fear.
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Being conscious of your fear empowers you to interact with it in an entirely new way. This new inner relationship gives you the power to be awake to fear’s scary influences, instead of being their unconscious slave. And as each day you discover something new about the shaky nature of your own fearful reactions, they lose their power over you. Why? You see them for what they have always been: unintelligent, mechanical forces. To be consciously afraid means that you know you are frightened. You feel it, but at the same time, you know that these very fears, as real as they may seem, are not you. Fear is really nothing other than a self-limiting reaction that we’ve always mistaken for a shield of self-protection. It’s time to let it go, which you can do anytime you want. Here’s how: Dare to proceed, even while being afraid. Employing this simple but higher instruction to proceed
even while being afraid will not only show you the strange faces of all those habitual reactions that have had you on the run, but it will also empower you to start seeing through them. And, as you’ll gratefully discover, each of your new insights into their actual nature removes some of their power over you. Better yet, their loss is your gain! The following step will help you face those fearful feelings and erase them from your life once and for all. Do you know someone whom you would rather run from than run into? Most of us do! Nevertheless, starting right now, resolve never again to avoid any person who scares you. In fact, whether at home or work, go ahead and walk right up to that critical or aggressive person. If you have something to say, say exactly what you want, instead of letting the fear tell you to do what it wants. Have no ideas at all about the way things should or shouldn’t go. Of course, this exercise is not an excuse to be cruel or rude.
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Remember, your aim in working with this step in self-liberation is not to win an ego victory, but rather to watch and learn something new about yourself. Drop any other misplaced selfconscious concerns. Let that person see you shake, if that’s what starts to happen. What do you care? It’s only temporary. Besides, that unpleasant person before you can’t know it, but you’re shaking yourself awake! Stand your inner ground even if it feels as though you might fall through the floor. Allow your reactions to roll by you -- instead of letting them carry you away as they’ve always Omtimes.com
done in the past. If you’ll fight for yourself in this new way, it won’t be the floor beneath you that you feel open. It will be your inner eyes! And what you see is that this flood -- of what were once unconscious reactions -has its own life story; a shaky story that up until now you’d taken as your own. But it’s not. You see these fears do not belong to you, and that they never have. Everything about your life changes in this one moment. Here’s what has been revealed to you: You have never been afraid
of another person. The only thing you’ve ever been frightened by is your own thoughts about that person. Yes, you did feel fear, but it wasn’t yours. And it wasn’t towards someone stronger than you. The fear you always felt was in what you thought he or she was thinking about you. You have been afraid of nothing but your own thoughts! Amazing isn’t it? This article is excerpted from Design Your Destiny by Guy Finley. Guy Finley is an internationally renowned spiritual teacher and bestselling self-help author. He is the Founder and
Director of Life of Learning Foundation, a nonprofit center for transcendent self-study located in Merlin, Oregon. He also hosts the Foundation’s Wisdom School — an online self-discovery program for seekers of higher selfknowledge. He is the bestselling author of The Secret of Letting Go and 45 other books and audio programs that have sold over 2 million copies, in 26 languages, worldwide. Guy’s latest book Relationship Magic: Waking Up Together applies decades of spiritual wisdom to practical relationship challenges, transforming any relationship from mundane to magical! www.guyfinley.org Omtimes.com
Compost The Real Organic Garden Black Gold
After a short Autumn snooze, there still may still be time to spread some compost in your garden, that is, if the ground hasn’t already frozen. It doesn’t usually happen until mid-November in my neck of the woods, depending on your location. Woodchuck gardeners of the organic bent like myself consider composting the “soul food” of the soil.
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Compost or what some enthusiasts call “black gold,” is the heavyweight champ of the organic gardening world. Compost is becoming rather “in” these days as natural food, and organic gardening and farming are making resurgence throughout the United States. Healthy food without the use of harmful chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified seeds is a priority for many families. It is especially true because of the increased rates of cancer. Ironically, most farms and gardens used nothing but organic methods as late as the 1930s. (That’s about the time nitrate fertilizer, (Chilean of nitrate), was dug from the rich bat caves of Chili where the soil is sandy, dry, and easy to mine.) Animal Manure and compost were inseparable in those days, and rotted manure was the main source of fertilizer on small New England hill farms. Mucking out animal stalls was as much a part of life as milking. It was a hard but necessary task. Farmers knew instinctively that animal manures and other vegetable matter were more beneficial
to the soil after going through a process of breakdown and stabilization. *Animal manures add beneficial organisms, disease resistance and organic matter to the compost pile. Some commercial compost operations no longer use animal manures in their mix of organic ingredients. It significantly lowers the value of the compost. The soil needs the addition of composted animal manures. Studies show that animal manure is critical in creating the right balance of bacteria, fungus, and microorganisms in a pile. Today, you can drive through the rich farmlands of Ohio where miles of soybeans and corn are grown and not see a cow. It was not the case fifty years ago. To view a farming landscape without animals is not only sad; animals and their manure are essential to healthy soil. The art and science of composting began over 5,000 years ago in China where compost is still the fertilizer of choice even though chemical fertilizers were introduced Omtimes.com
in the 1950s. When you consider that China comprises one-quarter of the world’s population on seven percent of the earth’s cultivated land, there must be something special about compost. The Nature of Soil - To understand why compost is so critical, we need to learn about the nature of the soil. The soil in a healthy condition can be pictured as a collection of crumbs made up of one or a combination of sand, silt, clay plus minerals, fungi, and other decaying matter- and the bodies (both living and dead) of millions of microorganisms. These microscopic organisms give off sticky substances which hold the particles together into a cluster-like structure. Roots of plants move through a honeycomb of passageways made possible from this structure. Fine feeder roots meander through this maze of tunnels searching for nutrients, minerals, and moisture. Chemical fertilizers and poisonous insecticides destroy the micro-organisms, fungi, and bacteria and can change the very structure and life of the soil. It is where Omtimes.com
compost comes in. Ron Krupp, teacher, writer, entrepreneur, and community organizer has been farming and gardening in Vermont for more than thirty years. He has a master’s degree in teaching from Antioch University and a master’s degree in agriculture from the University of Vermont. He studied biodynamic gardening and farming at Emerson College, U.K. In the 80’s he edited The Green Mountain Farmer. In the mid 90’s he had a garden column in The Vermont Times and a garden commentary show on Vermont Public Radio. He is a frequent guest for features on the Vermont Public Broadcasting System and does garden and farm commentaries. His book The Woodchuck’s Guide to Gardening is going into its tenth printing revised 2013 with over 20,000 books sold). His second book titled Lifting the Yoke: Local Solutions to America’s Farm and Food Crisis is in its second printing. He is working on a third book titled The Woodchuck Returns to Gardening
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KATHY J. WILLIAMS INTERVIEW WITH KATHY J. WILLIAMS-
ON CREATING AN ABUNDANT LIFE Sexy Mom Abundant Life is not only a show, but a philosophy to help you tap into the support of the Universe and access the abundance that’s available in all areas of our lives. So often the messages we receive when we are young lead us to think there is not enough and that we have to struggle. Yet the only thing that can really cut us off from the natural support of the Universe is believing in lack and believing in the need to struggle. Listen in for conversations and tools to create more ease, joy, and possibility with family, relationships, business, money, and creation
OMTIMES: What is “your message” and why is it important? Kathy J. Williams: You can have what you want. The Universe is an abundant place, and you’re part of that. I truly believe the universe supports us in every way. It conspires with us to bring us our desires, as long as we aren’t too fixated on them showing up in a certain way. As we are creating our lives, we think the past, other people, or lack of money, time, or information can stop us, when really truly the only thing that can stop you is you. OMTIMES | SEPT A
Society is filled with messages that we are not enough, or that life is hard, and it’s hard to get what you want. I’m not saying that you won’t have to take action, but when you’re taking inspired action, the actions are much less effortful because you’re working with your own inner wisdom and tapped into the wisdom of the Universe. OMTIMES: How do you start your life as Expert Life Coach and Transformational agent? Kathy J. Williams: My career has been a journey in which one thing has organically lead to another. I began as a professional ballerina and started taking yoga to alleviate my knee pain. I became fascinated by why yoga made me feel better, not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally, so I attended teacher training in the year 2000. Once I started working with students one on one, I quickly realized the need for more tools for mental and emotional healing, so I studied and started to integrate guided meditation and imagery, NLP exercises, tapping, Pranic Healing, and Reiki into my sessions. Years as an intern with a Hawaiian Shaman fine-tuned my intuitive and energy healing skills, and Michael Neill helped me become the expert coach I am today. Over the years, I have taught and practiced almost 20 energy modalities with clients all over the planet, and it’s been an aweinspiring journey. I love traveling around the world, facilitating classes. Now what I teach, and use is a culmination of all that I’ve practiced over the years, and additional information that comes through. OMTIMES: What are the specialized services you offer to your audience?
Kathy J. Williams: I have a signature course called Radical Abundance that continues to awe me because it really amplifies participants’ ability to manifest. I literally sat down one day, wrote the manual, and didn’t get up until it was complete. I run a Free Radical Abundance Challenge several times a year. On my website, I have powerful “energetic exercises” that help you pull in more money, and expand your ability to receive, to connect with Light Beings and Guides, and more. I also have a class called Conspiring with the Universe to Receive Your Desires which is being made into a book. OMTIMES: Do you offer private courses, mentoring or coaching, 101 bases? Kathy J. Williams: Yes. I’ve enjoyed coaching one on one since 2005. I offer workshops, Radical Abundance retreats, silent retreats on Maui, private coaching and healing sessions (in-person and distance), and small group masterminds. OMTIMES: Do you offer a followed-up consultation for those that wish to have a consultation with a professional like yourself? Kathy J. Williams: Yes. I’ve found often the way for people to make the fastest progress is either 1 on 1 or in a small group session. OMTIMES: Do you use any techniques to inspire & motivate and build strength for yourself? Kathy J. Williams: Meditation is a primary tool I use to reconnect inward. . I have several different guided imagery and energetic practices to help me disconnect from other thoughts, feelings, and emotions and other outside influences so I can really tap into what’s true for me.
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KATHY J. WILLIAMS Interview
Kathy J. Williams: Whenever we desire something that’s beyond our comfort zone, the better job, the talk on stage, asking someone out, there can be fear (and we sometimes misinterpret excitement as fear; just breathe deeper to change it)! The thing is if we don’t move through the fear, it becomes our limitation, keeping us from expanding into the life we truly desire.
I’ve found that asking questions of myself, others, and the Universe is a great way to invite new information and ideas to come through. What also inspires me is nature. I live near the beach, and Maui has several great hiking areas that I love to retreat into. In a really challenging moment, I might tap into the teachings of Sri. Karunamayi, Auraya Magdalyn author Michael Neill, Paul Selig, or Mel Robbins or turn to one of my friends or coaches! OMTIMES: How do you fare with concepts that have to do with fear, courage, and resilience? Do they interfere in your life?
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Our comfort zone is the known, what we know is safe, and it’s so lifeexpanding to move through the fear that keeps confined in that zone. In the past, I’ve created a challenge for myself: I realized at one point that I hated hearing “no,” so I took on a challenge to have people tell me no. If I heard no, I succeeded! It’s amazing to realize that asking for things and hearing no or being rejected is not a big deal. And sometimes when I set out to fail, I actually succeeded – like in asking someone to write a song for me!
Kathy Williamns weekly show On OMTIMES Radio airs every Thursdays at 5 PM Easter Contact Kathy Williams Web: www.meetkathywilliams.com https://www.facebook.com/KathyWillia msTransformationAgent/
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YOU ARE THE STAR Coming soon
Metaphysics
Dharmic Ubuntu
You are Your Ancestors’ Dream By Humanity Healing
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise. I rise. I rise. –Maya Angelou You are a final creation of many dreams and also of many fears. Through you, all the life intentions of your ancestors are renewed and continue to exist, weaving itself in the fabric of our reality, as a constant flow. Omtimes.com
You may not be aware, but when you heal yourself, you help heal all your dharmic ancestry line. Acknowledging and Honoring their lives bring them closer to us as silent guardians of our Destiny. Because of their intentions, dreams, and projects, you can exist today. They channeled you into existence. Once you transcend the inherited fears and perceived limitations, the tapestry of energies weaved into your DNA will release light. Your Father’s line gives you the way to live. This power will move you, and once you accept this energy, you will be able to conquer the world and open your own path. The energy of the maternal ancestry is fruitful, it will bring you prosperity. It will also influence your personal success in our choices and relationships. Being in alignment with the mother’s line by accepting her in its entirety allows us to enjoy all the blessings that life has in store for us. For those that have problems with a particular parent, we
say, please look beyond their human forms, after all, they are just humans, with limitation and difficulties. But instead, consider them as archetypical characters that may not have had the clarity to transcend the challenges and dramatic demands of their own bloodlines. The acceptance is nothing but a genuine act of forgiveness and release. We need to consider ancestral cleansing. If we’re willing to clear our energy fields of the ancestral energies we don’t want, then we are ready to do something really interesting and beautiful which is to claim a connection with the wisdom of the kinds of ancestors we do want to be in contact with. But we can’t do this until we’ve cleaned out the lower stuff that is hindering us. –Robert Moss Honoring our ancestry is ultimately a way to honor our own lives. And as we follow our destiny, we open the windows to all our ancestors, offering a new horizon for future generations.
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Ubuntu - I am because we are.
I honor and bow to you.
Ancestral Healing Exercise to Gain the Strength of Your Inherited Line. Start by finding a quiet place to relax and ground yourself. Create a healing field;
Make a bow with your head. And put your mother behind you on your left. Visualize her by placing her hand on your left shoulder. Feel her presence and strength. Breathe this force. Behind her visualize her grandmother, with all her pains, joys, fears, dreams, and triumphs. Then see behind her your great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, and so on, in an endless female line of ancestors that goes back to time immemorial.
Ask for help from your, angels, teachers, guides, masters, and protectors. You can do this ritual facing your altar, sitting or standing, depending in a way you may feel more comfortable. If you wish, put on some sacred /spiritual music. Breathe a couple of times deeply and connect with the infinite Universal Wisdom. Bring your mother to your mental screen, and looking into your eyes say (out loud or inwardly): You were big, I was small. I’m sorry if I stood above you as your judge. I accept your destiny and respect your choices. I honor you for all that is and thank you for the part of my life that came from you. It’s up to me to make the best of it. Omtimes.com
Now visualize your father in front of you. Breathe deeply. Look into your eyes and say: You were big, I was small. I’m sorry if I stood above you as your judge. I accept your destiny and respect your choices. I honor you for all that is and thank you for the part of my life that came from you. It’s up to me to make the best of it. I honor and bow to you. Put your father now behind you on your right side and imagine him placing his hand on your right shoulder. Also, I feel his presence and strength.
Behind him, visualize his grandfather, with all his life baggage, his discoveries, his deviations, and successes. And behind your grandfather, their fathers, all your endless male line of ancestors. Receive the strength of this Dharmic lineage. Look then at all your Dharmic ancestry Line. See and feel how much history, how many memories, dreams, intentions, and how much of their lives are alive in your Spiritual DNA! All of their dreams carefully weaved into your every fiber of being, so that you could get everywhere and be everything in this Universe. There is an incredible curative blessing hidden in ancestral healing. Breathe a couple of times slowly, and look ahead the way that opens for you. Now you are facing your own destiny. We are the ancestors of the future generation, and what we do now will have an impact. –Luisah Teish
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THE HUMAN LADDER by Judy Carroll
In June 2001 a teaching was given to my friend and coauthor with me of The Zeta Message, Helen Kaye, by a tall Grey Elder whom we know as Oris. He explained that the Human Ladder is a path of evolution followed by all members of the human kingdom. It expands Omtimes.com
through what he called “ten galactic levels,” which are not physical places, but rather ascending levels of expanding conscious awareness. Earth is on the very first, the lowest level, with the average Earth human able to consciously access approximately 10% of the potential 100% conscious awareness that can be accessed as we ascend/evolve to higher rungs of the Ladder. The Human Ladder is not a physical hierarchy. It involves energy vibrating at everhigher frequencies. The separation between the levels is purely energetic and has nothing to do with “good” or “bad.” The levels are simply different frequency bands, most of which are beyond the third dimension because they are multidimensional, as is the universe. These frequencies also represent the evolutionary journey of each being as well as planetary cultures. Because we all are multidimensional, every one of us has a part of our being
manifesting on each of the ten levels of the Human Ladder. Our soul spans all levels on the entire Ladder. Self-realization involves coming to a conscious realization of this. The average Earth-human conscious-mind focus (note this is mind, not brain) is on the very first rung of the Human Ladder. There are about another 1,000 other planetary cultures focused at this level, all operating at more or less the same conscious awareness. The amount of DNA that is activated is intrinsically linked to the level of consciousness that we’re able to access. DNA is multidimensional. When the human mind awakens to Level Two of the Ladder, awareness expands to 20%, which enables fully conscious “knowing” that we are not just a physical body, but rather a spiritual entity. This soul essence has chosen to inhabit a physical body to undergo certain learning experiences. Omtimes.com
Once this concept is clearly understood, and the ability to tap into this expanded conscious awareness has been mastered, the entity can then freely leave the physical body at will and in full awareness. Many planetary cultures and some spiritual adepts on Earth have reached this point. They can control certain bodily functions such as blood pressure and temperature and can selfheal. Some of the “star children” now being born on Earth are tapping into this level of much deeper knowledge and awareness. Thus, the Ascension Process is starting on Earth. Planets like Earth are school planets on which learning involves positive rather than negative creativity. We are all co-creators in training at this level. Thus, our training process can be quite challenging. For Level-Two humans, physical illness and degeneration are much less of an issue. Hence, they have Omtimes.com
longer life spans. Having evolved beyond the Earthhuman state of fear and disharmony, they’re much more peaceful, lacking any warlike tendencies. Life may not be perfect, but it’s certainly an improvement over life at Level One. When Level Three of the Ladder is attained, with 30% conscious awareness and active DNA, the need and desire for physicality begins to drop away. One’s energy is focused much more on mind and spirit. At Level Three, the concept that we are far more than just a 3-D physical being is clearly understood. LevelThree people know that the physical body is simply a temporary “container,” or “vehicle” that can easily be stepped out of to enable the pure soul essence to manifest free of the limitations of physicality. Such liberated soul essences appear as orbs or light bodies. Level Four and upwards on the Ladder is not physical
as we know it on Earth. From this point on, the soul essence can consciously access higher and higher frequencies of reality and meld fully into the Oneness of Source Energy (what many Earthlings call God). As the entity’s consciousness evolves upwards through these finer levels, it moves into the “angelic” realms of Levels Nine and Ten – from planetary human to cosmic human what Earth humans perceive as angels are simply very highly evolved soul essences. They have moved beyond the need or desire for physicality, and are fully consciously aware. Such beings can take on a semblance of the physical form if they wish to make contact with beings on the lower frequency rungs of the Ladder. These are the “Creator Beings” who work consciously with creative Universal Life-Force Energy. In the greater reality, our multidimensional soul spans the whole Ladder. In many cases, when we have contact with a spirit guide an
extraterrestrial or an angel it is a part of our own Higher Soul Self. Judy Carroll was born and still lives in Australia. She has had 60 years of encounters with Grey ETs since her early childhood. She introduced her life-long connections to the Zeta Greys in her first two books, The Zeta Message and Human by Day, Zeta by Night. In her most recent book, Extraterrestrial Presence on Earth, she reveals that she is a “blended” soul whose conscious awareness spans two planetary connections—both Earth human and Zeta Grey. Judy’s mission, along with other blended souls now incarnated as Earth humans, is to be an interplanetary ambassador, introducing more clarity and deeper understanding of what has happened here in the past, offering an understanding of present time global events, and providing guidance on how to heal our future as a planetary civilization. For more information on Judy, please check out: www.ufogreyinfo.com 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.
When Conflicts Are Giving You a Headache?
The emotional stress of being in conflict with others can take its toll on you, even causing headaches or other stressrelated physical problems. When conflicts are giving you a headache, literally or figuratively, you can learn Omtimes.com
more about how to stop that phenomenon. One thing that can help is expanded awareness practices, in which you open a channel of communication with the aspect of your awareness that is hidden from you when you are in ordinary consciousness. Meditation is an example.
Calm your mind and open yourself to insights from your unconscious. Meditate. Then pose this question: “What am I not seeing about the conflicts I’m having?” One man did this, and he heard a snippet of a song that he realized was a message to stop trying to prove that he was manly. He took a walk afterward and thought about how he had heard this message—be a man! Be tough! Don’t back down!—again and again as a child and young man. Now conscious of this message, he wanted to replace it with a healthier one that would support him in better controlling his temper during conflicts. He hoped this would help him have fewer arguments and more discussions with others that were productive and respectful. He decided to write a new story for himself, one called, “Conflicts can lead me to creativity and closeness instead of causing me headaches.” It took listening to wisdom from his unconscious to recognize what message he wished he had received as a child, and he set a goal to live according to this new, better story.
What are old stories hidden inside you that need to be brought to light and rewritten? What headaches might go away if you were to access insights from your unconscious that have been hidden from your awareness? How might your relationships improve? A story called “I have to win arguments” may be getting in the way of something more valuable to you: having more harmonious relationships. Your unconscious might be able to offer you an insight into why you have such a strong need to see conflicts as battles between opponents—one who will win and one who will lose. The next time you meditate, consider setting an intention to gain an insight about winning versus losing or about how you handle conflicts. Carl Greer, Ph.D., PsyD, is a practicing clinical psychologist, Jungian analyst, and shamanic practitioner. He teaches at the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago and is on staff at the Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being. Learn more at CarlGreer.com.
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Letting Anger Fuel Positive Change in Our Lives By Judi Lynch
The minute news of injustice or heartbreaking challenge in our lives hits us, our first reaction is to feel anger. There can be several ways to channel that anger into taking action, which helps us cope with difficult situations to comprehend their place about our spirit. Anger has its energy, which can be transmuted into
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positive, productive, and lifesaving creations. It shows us our boundaries. What we will not tolerate sends us an internal message. What we do with that message is up to us. When we love someone or have a personal dedication to a cause or movement, a bond is created that sparks with
emotion. When those things are hurt or threatened, our anger tells us it’s time to act. If we have a clear and educated mind to the circumstances, there are ways to counteract the anger without violence or harsh words. Our instincts can result in closer relationships if they bring out the dialogue and action needed to correct the behaviors and misunderstandings.
our physical, emotional, and mental health. When we feel we have a voice, a platform, or methods in which to channel these emotions into positive change, it makes a difference in our well-being. Carrying around anger from past relationships, mistakes, and what other people have done and said can fill our heads with constant anxiety or rage.
Once we are angry enough to join in a protest or sign a petition to the right a wrong, we can save lives improving the quality of life for everyone. Support groups, laws, amendments, and rules have been formed from the act of channeling anger into action. Sometimes the anger we feel is at ourselves. Anger has passion, fire, and flame. Imagine that flame as a light; controlled calm, rational fire. This fire fuels the courage we need when it’s time to speak up, speak out, and be heard over those things held dear to established norms. Use this fire as the catalyst for practicing integrity and growth.
The entertainment industry is filled with the “reality” concept in which people are forever yelling, screaming obscenities, or throwing chairs. Their behavior is rewarded with high ratings and contracts for money. It gets into the consciousness of those who are addicted to watching the pantomime, who then start to believe this is how we show anger. Instead of these negative examples, we might be better served by learning how to use our emotions intuitively to synthesize their reactions for better results.
Suppressing anger has consequences which can harm
Anger can get us in a lot of unwanted situations and even put us in danger. We can learn how to process and respond instead of the act without the
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thought of consequences. If we react in anger to someone who is on the emotional edge, they may try to harm us, themselves, or an innocent bystander. If we can communicate to harness that anger energy in ourselves into positive life situations, we might be able to help someone else bring in calm and alleviate a lot of suffering. So many have let anger rule their lives by carrying it deep inside until it begins to manifest physically. Anger has caused alcohol abuse, drug addiction, physical disease, mental illness, and loss of the quality of life. It’s not okay to lash out at someone with anger just because you are mad at someone else. It’s up to us to recognize when our anger is unhealthily expressed it’s out of control. Being able to express it rationally, understanding why we feel it, using it to further our spiritual evolvement is key in transforming how the red sign is in flux with us. We can be inspired into action if we are angry at ourselves for not taking better care of our health. Someone who has been sedentary for many years
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can get angry about a medical test and start walking every day. Anger at someone else for critiquing our talents can push us into further education or instruction that takes us to the top of our game. Anger at injustice can start a revolution for a more compassionate world. Anger is a wake-up call. How we answer it depends on our view of its purpose. Judi Lynch is a psychic medium, intuitive counselor, healing channel, and author. She is president of the Crystal Healing Foundation, Inc. a 501(c) spiritual charity and writer for OM Times Magazine. She has authored two books, Friends with Lights and Conscious Ascension and has read for clients all over the world. To learn more or contact for a session see judilynch.com When we are angry enough to join in a protest or sign a petition to the right a wrong, we can save lives improving the quality of life for everyone. Support groups, laws, amendments, and rules have been formed from the act of channeling anger into action.
BLAST THOSE LIMITING BELIEFS IN 4 STEPS by Michelle Alberigi McKenzie
I’m not good enough. I’ll never earn as much money as I need to. No one will ever like the real me. I’m afraid of dying poor. I’m afraid of looking stupid. There aren’t enough good jobs to go around. I have to please people so that they’ll love me. Omtimes.com
Sound familiar? These are limiting beliefs, and we all have them. They are those nasty little stories we tell ourselves, and we learned some when we were kids from our family, friends, our culture, and our society. Even now, we continue to add these to our beliefs, even though we’re unaware of doing it. But before we can blast them, we have to identify them. So how do we know what our limiting beliefs are?
#1 Discovering your limiting beliefs Fear is a big part of our limiting beliefs. Start with this statement and fill in the blank. “I’m afraid that______.” Example: I’m afraid that I’ll never get my dream job. Continue this exercise until you have discovered 10 of your most painful beliefs. Consider all the areas of your life, such as finances, romance, social, career, etc.
Now that you have your ten beliefs written out write out three to five reasons you believe these. Why do you fear each one? Dig deep here. Examples: I’m afraid I will never get my dream job. I believe this is true because no one in my family had a real career, and they don’t think I will either. I’m sure I didn’t take the right courses in college, and that will make it impossible to get the job I want. I will never be wealthy. I don’t believe I know enough about anything to make money. I believe rich people are dishonest. I believe people would treat me differently if I had money. Can you see how believing these can affect how you take action on your life? These become not just real fears, but self-fulfilling prophecies. These beliefs stimulate
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feelings, which create our actions, and often this happens so fast we aren’t even aware of it. BELIEF STIMULUS = FEELING = ACTION = RESULT Now let’s prove you wrong! Write down evidence that proves each of your statements is not true. Start with: Is this belief always true for you? Or is it something you’ve just heard from your parents or friends.
#2 Identify the beliefs that are holding you back. Which of these beliefs is having the greatest negative impact on your life? We’ll start with those first. Examine your most negative belief and think about how your life and behavior would change if that belief were gone. Think hard on this and consider the change you would experience in your life if you weren’t held back by this belief.
Is it sometimes true for you?
#3 Challenge your limiting beliefs
Is it not true for you?
Write AT LEAST 5 reasons your belief is NOT TRUE.
Why or when was it not true for you? Where did this belief come from? Your parents? Were they experts? Rely on experts! Your beliefs should come from your own experiences and the advice of experts.
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Example: I will never be wealthy. I don’t believe this is true at all. I don’t believe rich people are all dishonest. I don’t believe my real friends will treat me differently. I’m afraid I will never get my dream job. I believe this
is sometimes true because some work I have to take before my dream job appears. I can take additional courses to make me a great candidate for the career I want. I was the top of my class, and I’m a fast learner, so it will be easy for me to learn what I need to know!
to join them.
#4 Create new empowering beliefs
Look at this twice a day, when you get up and before you go to bed. You can even put this on your phone so that you can look at it during the day.
Start by forming a new belief in the place of the old one. I believe that I will have my dream career. Look for supporting evidence! The people who told me it’s hard to find my dream career have never tried to achieve one. I haven’t yet started pursuing my career and just got scared. I know people are doing this work and I’m good enough
Find pictures in a magazine or online that reflect your new belief and create a vision board. Write your new belief on your vision board and place all your supporting images and evidence around it.
I’d love to hear what you think of this method for blasting your limiting beliefs! Michelle McKenzie is a certified intuitive life coach and Reiki master/teacher. She teaches Animal Reiki, Mindfulness, Intuition Development. You can learn more or contact her at www. MyPurposePath.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
Sustainability, Deep Ecology, & the Sacred by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
As our world stumbles to the brink of ecological collapse, the “tipping point” of irreversible climate change, sustainability has become a vital issue. But in order to consider the question of sustainability, it is important, to begin with the question: who or what is being sustained? Does sustainability refer to “sustained economic growth,” and an environment that is able to sustain our present human civilization with its energyintensive, consumer-driven needs and image of material progress? Or does sustainability refer to the whole ecosystem, an interconnected web of life with its vast and rich diversity of species? Which world are we trying to sustain? Omtimes.com
The first image of sustainability has economic models of growth and energy efficiency, often with accompanying “green” ideas such as green technologies or green energy to help our civilization develop. It is orientated almost solely towards our human wellbeing, which the environment is seen as supporting. This is sometimes referred to as “surface ecology.” The second image of sustainability is often referred to as “deep ecology,” and it considers the ecosystem as a living whole of which humanity is only one part. In this complex web of interrelationships, all species are dependent upon each other, and it is this dynamic pattern of inter-relationship that needs to be sustained. No one part can be considered as separate from the whole, and the idea that the environment is just here to support our human civilization is a travesty of real environmental consciousness. Deep ecology moves beyond the Newtonian idea of humanity being separate from the world in which we live—the image of humanity and its “environment.” It does not see humanity as a
“superior” species, which the rest of the ecosystem should support in a subservient manner, or that nature is for humanity to master and control. Rather than embracing a Darwinian concept of the survival of the fittest, deep ecology sees life from the perspective of cooperation and inter-dependence. It brings into question whether our present civilization, with its model of continued economic and material growth, is ethically or environmentally sustainable. Is it right that our human needs and desires take precedence over the whole of creation, to the point of unprecedented species depletion, pollution, and destruction of natural habitat—as well as constellating a climate change that is bringing our whole ecosystem into a dangerous state of imbalance? And if creation is an interdependent whole, how long can we all endure this present ecocide? An interdependent ecosystem is closer to the dynamics of particle physics, which we begin to understand as underlying our physical world. Here not only is no one part separate from another, but Omtimes.com
everything is interacting, both locally and at a distance. And consciousness itself is not separate from physical reality. We are interdependent in ways we are only just beginning to understand. And yet we still live in a civilization dominated by an outdated Newtonian image of separation. Sadly, even much present “environmental consciousness” remains within this paradigm, seeing the ecological imbalance as a problem that we can solve scientifically or economically. We have only begun to recognize the degree to which this unprecedented global crisis requires a shift in consciousness. If we are to truly respond to the need of an interconnected whole, we need a quality of consciousness that embraces the whole. Once we step into the reality of a holistic consciousness that is truly in “interrelationship” with the whole, we will find our self in a very different world in which everything is interacting with us in a continually dynamic state. Even our consciousness is affecting the physical world. The question then becomes, what is our role in this truly Omtimes.com
interdependent reality? Even our present image of “deep ecology” primarily sees the world through a consciousness of separation— the analytic and rational framework of our education and conditioning. We rarely experience our consciousness merged into the oneness of the world around us, as for example exists with indigenous peoples for whom even the idea of an individual being separate from their environment does not exist. Sadly, separation is so embedded into our present Western consciousness that we are not even aware of the limitations of our perception, or how our problem-solving mentality has a determining effect on how we see and interact with our environment. We have been educated to see the parts rather than the whole and to think and act from an attitude of separation. If we are to truly embrace the reality of ecological sustainability that recognizes the world as a living whole, we need to make the shift into a holistic consciousness, a consciousness that sees the whole in every part. Only then can we fully respond to the environmental crisis that is being caused by our
present Western consciousness and the values it supports. Deep ecology requires not just a shift in values or ideology but a shift in consciousness. We cannot return to an indigenous consciousness, and we need the tools of science and technology to survive in today’s world. However, within indigenous awareness, there is a key that can awaken us to an awareness of oneness. This key is the recognition of the sacred nature of creation. For indigenous peoples, everything is sacred, and they live this primal knowing in all of their daily activities. All of the world is sacred, and all of their everyday activities a lived relationship to the sacred. This is the heartbeat of their world. It could be argued that our Western civilization is unusual in not having an awareness of the sacred at its foundation. In our image of “progress,” we are unaware of having lost something so essential to life. The “sacred” is not something primarily religious or even spiritual. It is not a quality we need to learn or to develop. It belongs to the primary nature of
all that is. When our ancestors knew that everything, they could see was sacred, this was not something taught but instinctively known. It was as natural as sunlight, as necessary as breathing. We all have within us a sense of the sacred, a sense of reverence. However, we may articulate it. It is a part of our human DNA. We each need to find this key within us. What does it mean for something to be sacred, what feeling does this evoke? How do we recognize the quality of the sacred, and how do we then respond? If we sense that our world is not just a physical, mechanistic, or chance driven reality, but that there is a deeper mystery within and around it, we are sensing the sacred nature of creation. However, we may call this mystery, it permeates all of creation. It may be more easily felt in certain places, in ancient groves, beneath star-filled skies, in temples or cathedrals, in the chords of music. But this is a mystery that belongs to all that exists—there is nothing that is separate from it. As such, it celebrates the unity that is within and around us, the oneness of which we are a Omtimes.com
part. Our sense of the sacred is a recognition that we are a part of this deeper-all embracing mystery. Once we allow our consciousness to be present in this greater mystery, we will find that life will speak to us as it spoke to our ancestors. It will remind us of how-to live-in harmony with creation and how to restore the balance that is intrinsic to life. This is the ancient wisdom of the Earth itself, the Earth which has evolved and changed over millennia, been through previous ecological shifts. Unless we return to this deep knowing, real sustainability will remain a concept rather than a lived reality. Thomas Berry speaks to this: We need not a human answer to an earth problem, but an earth answer to an earth problem. The earth will solve its problems, and possibly our own if we will let the earth function in its own ways. We need only listen to what the earth is telling us. We still carry this primal knowing of the sacred within our consciousness, even if we have forgotten it. A relationship
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to the sacred is older than any formalized religion, even though it is found at the foundation of many religions. It is a primal recognition of the wonder, beauty, and divine nature of the world. It is a felt reverence, an inner sense—we even speak of “a sense of the sacred.” Once we bring this foundational awareness into our consciousness, into our relationship with the world in which we are present, we will find that it opens a door in our consciousness into oneness. The sacred is a quality of spirit in which all is one. Once we recognize something as, sacred, we feel its unity—the whole of which it is a part—the sacred naturally draws us away from separation towards oneness. The remembrance of the sacred is a key that can awaken our consciousness to the oneness to which we belong. The awareness of the sacred reconnects our consciousness to the primal structure of life, which was known to our ancestors. For them, the world was sacred and whole—they could not conceive of it being other. The greatest tragedy of
modern man is that we have lost this primal awareness, this knowing of the sacred. The most needed work is to reconnect with the sacred in our outer and inner life. Through this simple act of, remembrance, we can regain the balance we have so dangerously lost. Then we can see how we are a part of the interconnected web of life and know the work that needs to be done. Our outer actions, rather than reconstellating the patterns of separation, will naturally come from oneness and help life’s unity to unfold. We will again be a part of the evolving organic interdependence of life. Without this simple key of awareness of the sacred, we could remain lost in the wasteland world we are creating. If we remember the, sacred, we will find our self in a world as a whole as it is holy. This is not a world that sustains our models of economic growth and consumer desires. This is rather a world of wonder and magic, and a world that needs our attention—that needs to be sustained as much as it sustains us, sustains our souls as well as
our bodies. But first, we need to make this shift in consciousness, to see the earth with new eyes. To quote the Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki: The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it. If a mountain is a deity, not a pile of ore; if a river is one of the veins of the land, not potential irrigation water; if a forest is a sacred grove, not timber; if other species are biological kin, not resources; or if the planet is our mother, not an opportunity— then we will treat each other with greater respect. Thus is the challenge to look at the world from a different perspective. Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee (born 1953, London) is a Sufi mystic and lineage successor in the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya Sufi Order. He is an extensive lecturer and author of several books about Sufism, mysticism, dreamwork and spirituality. http://goldensufi.org This article was originally published by Spiritual Ecology, an edited version was first published online at The Huffington Post.
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Books
Zen Historically, Zen is the embodiment of the common truth contained in the HinduBuddhist tradition and the Taoist tradition, the synthesis of the contemplative insight of Indian religion, the dynamic liveliness of Taoism, and the down-to-earthness of Confucianism. Zen is rounded precisely in this faith or trust that ordinary life is Tao and is to be accepted or loved as such. The Zen master Chaochu was asked, “What is the Tao?” He replied, “Everyday life is the Tao.” “How,” pursued the inquirer, “does one get into harmony with it?”
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“If you try to get into harmony with it, you will get away from it.” The attempt suggests the absence of the Reality, and proceeds from lack of faith in the truth that harmony already is. Lack of faith in this harmony creates a sense of inadequacy and insecurity, which underlies all our aggressive and evil actions. But Zen is more than a synthesis of these various Trends in Indian and Chinese religion. The unique contribution of Zen to higher religion is its method of presenting the truth, a method involving “No dependence on words and letters and direct pointing to the soul of man” — that is, to the Tao, Buddhanature, or Reality itself.
Basically, there is simply nothing to worry about, because you yourself are the eternal energy of the universe. ALAN WATTS
August B | Edition
THE MOMENTOUS HARMONY WORDS BY ALAN WATTS
It is all too easy for ideas and concepts to conceal rather than reveal Reality. Thus, the Zen masters say that ideas are fingers pointing at the moon of Reality, but that most people mistake the finger for the moon.
statement that ordinary Furthermore, we have already The is Tao, or that we are one seen that it is quite impossible life Reality just as we are, here for ideas to describe or convey with now, is still the idea, and the deepest the truth of life, and it remains an idea it is still since ideas are forms and Reality while an attempt To capture the is too. truth in a fixed formula. Living to be held in any form. Zen, living to understand Zen we therefore, does not consist of Really to get away from this acquiring new ideas about Reality have and the dead realm of and our relation to it; it consists abstract concepts and come face-toof getting rid of ideas and with Reality as it stands feelings about life in order that face quite clearly before us here and we may get to life itself. now.
There is only one place where we are truly alive, where we come into immediate contact with Reality, and that is now — this present moment. The past was only real when it was the present moment, and the future will only be real when it becomes it. The past continues to be real to the extent that it lives on effectually in the present. But real life is always now.  OMTIMES MAGAZINE
THE MOMENTOUS HARMONY
In fact, we have no knowledge of any other reality than the present moment, and, strictly speaking, nothing Has any existence save in this moment. Yet what we call the present moment is strangely elusive. As soon as we try to catch hold of it, it seems to run away. We cannot delay or hold it in any of the forms which it assumes or contains.
We have moments of pleasure and moments of pain, but when we try to grab hold of the moment of pleasure, the moment, the movement, the life leaves the pleasure, and it turns to dust in our hands. So, too, when we try to examine the moment, we cannot discover it, for it is too small to see. The more we look for it, the tinier it becomes, until we realize that it is infinitesimal and thus infinite.
Yet however much we may try to delay or grasp the moment, the fact remains that while, from one point of view, it eludes us, from another, we cannot get away from it. We may try to lag behind in the past or to hurry on into the future, but inevitably we do our lagging or hurrying in the present moment. As soon as we realize that the moment is, in reality, inescapable, we shall no longer try to grasp it; for whether we know it or not, it grasps us. For the now, this present moment is Reality. All things proceed from it and exist in it, and yet when we look at it directly, it seems nothing. Now is Tao, and Tao is now, and even though we do our damnedest to possess it, we are still unable to get out of it. Our union with Reality is the truth whether we realize it or not, whether we strive to attain it or not.
But to say that the now is Tao, or is Reality, at once introduces a concept which, useful though it may be for a time, instantly distracts our attention from the Real now. At once our religion becomes dead and removed from life, for although this now, this eternal moment looks so void and so uninteresting to sense and thought, in fact, it is the mysterious source of all Liveliness and power. The genius of Zen lies in its way of pointing to the real now without distracting the Attention with concepts. But the human mind, because of its inherently possessive nature, let’s go of concepts with extreme reluctance, for which reason Zen has sometimes to attack and smash them quite violently. Thus, its technique has often the appearance of spiritual shock tactics.
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“There is nothing that men desire more than life… In one form or another, they try to possess it by every possible means,as happiness, as power, as joy, as wealth, as spiritual insight, and even as simple existence to which they cling with all their might for fear that it will be taken away. But one thing is certain: the harder you try to possess life, the faster it slips away from you, and the less you understand of its mystery.” — ALAN WATTS IN ZEN
The New York Times has called Alan Watts, “the foremost Western interpreter of Eastern thought for the modern world.” In a sense, this book embodies the aesthetic of Zen itself. Like a brushstroke in a Japanese ink painting, each word has been sparingly and precisely arranged, with no unnecessary embellishments. In seven brief chapters, Watts captures the essence of Zen Buddhism as a religion and a way of life. He explains fundamental Zen concepts, introduces revered Zen thinkers, places Zen within the broader context of Eastern religion, and traces the influence of Zen in the arts
OMTIMES MAGAZINE
Zen by Alan Watts • July 30, 2019 • Buddhism / Gift • Hardcover Roundback • 80 pages Black-and-White Drawings & Calligraphy •
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