Heaven On Earth
Diary Of A Kundalini Yogi Go Big And Go Home
Visit Your Dreams A Very Vegan Christmas
Cosy Winter Recipes POSITIVE ATTRACTION
tony robbins
Do You Believe In Miracles?
Giving Is Where It’s At winter 2015/16 priceless
positivelife.ie
Beginning here now…
This is just the beginning...
“We are the pivot point expressing as the many. It can be said that life around us is the one expressing as the many. We are that One, if we change the many changes.” ~ Almine
“If you smile no oneinelse around, you really it.” ~ Andy will Rooney “Nothing haswhen happened theispast; it happened inmean the Now. Nothing ever
Jigsaws - I haven’t done one in years, but in I heard a great~analogy which reminded me happen in the future; it will happen the Now.” Eckhart Tolle ofBRAIN. them recently. Some want to the world butissue, feel they are too smallthat IT’S got mepeople thinking. Inchange our research this I discovered toTHE makePRESENT an impact, but it made me think...when I orteachers YOU change, definitely when you smileMOMENT. your brain releases endorphins: dopamine andit.serotonin, All the spiritual talkwe about It’s affect the whole. If there’s one piece missing from a jigsaw it ain’t complete. So if the and this happens your smile is real or fake. in turn mentioned in our whether magazine all the time. Thich NhatENDORPHINS Hanh loves it, and world is our jigsaw, and if you want you to spark up your own path, you will change make you feel SMILE chemicals. Feel What better,isand this leads spoke about it good. repeatedly onand hisrelease recent visit to Dublin. so special how the whole picture looks. So let’s one of us at a time keep working away on this to another about it? SMILE that releases chemicals, and on it goes. NICE SEQUENCE. beautiful jigsaw with kind words, smiles, presents, presence, love, peace, laughter SOallsmile your way through our newyou and keep smiling 2012. says “What about the past? What areplace going to do inisthe future?” and the good stuff that makes this place aissue nice to be. This ourinto winter THANKS to Patrick Bridgeman for being a brilliant editor so my mind. “Isn’t that juicier? Come on, man. Think, imagine, worry, getand issue and it’s our gift to you, enjoy and goodwill of the season to you all. Peace. far
welcome Actually, to our new editorI’m Katie Roche. excited.” Mind, grand. Thanks for thinking of me though. Happiness of the our lovely reader.my KEEP paul congdon, Publisher This summer I’m season restingto inYOU, the NOW, navigating lifeSMILING. from here, paul congdon, Publisher centred, balanced, spacious, aware, free of thought. In the present, a different energy flow is available to us - clearer. Try it this Summer. NOW. What? Next. paul congdon, Publisher
Contentment Contentment
Contentment 44 Winter Winter Vibes Eat, drink and be aware Vibes Tasty treats, life lessons and holistic health. 66 Positively Positively Newsworthy green and strides Newsworthy BillionsGoing of positivity! Bigtaking and small.
1010 Spirituality Spirituality andCity theReaders City Tales of love and the share their magic moments of bliss.
At fit peace, in an atmosphere wisdom. CNM Get for winter 41212 Astrology Summer Vibes Out and about of and in store.
Attraction Youthe can believe in miracles. Astrology What do planets say? 61414 Positive Positively Newsworthy Running, feasting and camping. Bishop Waterford gets creative. 1616 Samuel The Powers of Raw in love with juicing 10 Spirituality and theFood CityFallTurning Points. cover photo: Robbins research international inc. photo: David Kenna
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Meditation from inner calm. PositivePhysical Homehealth Secrets of a feng shui goddess
Astrology A New Dawn by Andrew Smith. 20 Positive Beauty Letting go of what’s holding you back. 14 Rude Health Preview Dance Hidden gems old favourites. 20 The Law of Attraction with the and universe 22 Jai Kartar Kaur How do we live good lives? 16 Positive Personality Monk Cheongwol comes to Ireland. 23 Dee Wallace The best performance of your life 24 Positive Supplement Knock back some nutrition. 19 Confi dence Know that are. 24 Ireland 2012 Be where it’syou happening 26 Tantra From lovers to friends and back again. 20 Identity Who arePack you,your really? 27 Positive Power suitcase, we’re moving 28 Tony Robbins Giant purpose. 23 Reborn Julia Szvath travells to Costawill Rica. 2832 Feng Reshape Your Brain Reading change your life Shui Your personalised feng shuithis element advice. 24 Breathing Space Making Monday mornings magic. 3335 Davie Positive to bed, early to rise... Philip Beauty A story of Early sustainability. 27 Feng Shui for Peace and Health The home’s heart. 3436 CNM Awareness & Insight Getting bitter? You shouldExplore be... the world inside you 28 A Thriving Economy A revolution of consciousness. 39 Hans Wieland Growing greens forarrow great and digestion. 36 Embracing Change Be the not the target 30 Good Life 2.0. Collaborating for the future we want. 40 Winter A veryDay veganOpen Christmas. 39 YogaRecipes Saves the your mind, body and soul 3343 Short Gardening the Soul The nurturing benefits of Nature. SweetLife Experts share their snapshots 40 The&Good 2.0 Movers and shakers of wisdom. 3554 Elva ToCarri FeelGoand BegoBeautiful self-image. big or home? Why notPositive do both? 43 Hans Wieland Bread matters 36 Politics of Partnership Vote ‘Yes’ for Love. 44 WinterPersonalised Recipes Aduki bean stew and seaweed salad 38 CNM weight loss. 19 12
Publisher PC Media paul@positivelife.ie Editorial Elva Carri editor@positivelife.ie Publisher PC Media Design Simon O’Connor paul@positivelife.ie Publisher PC Media simon@postivelife.ie Editorial PatrickCaroline Bridgeman paul@positivelife.ie Ad Design Hanan Katie caroline.hanan@gmail.com Roche Editorial Patrick Bridgeman katie@positivelife.ie editor@positivelife.ie Advertising Paul Congdon paul@positivelife.ie Design Simon O’Connor 0861579518 simon@postivelife.ie
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winter vibes “Winter is a season of recovery and preparation.” Paul Theroux
Art of Zen Art of Zen Foods produce wonderful plant-based, foodie products so delicious that they might even convert a few carnivores and veggies to veganism. Try their Violife vegan cheese range and vegan mayonnaise, ‘Vegenaise’ in your next sandwich. artofzenfoods.com
Go Nuts Dr Bronner’s produce two types of coconut oil to go nuts about. Choose from either white kernel or whole kernel. The only problem will be knowing whether to keep it in your kitchen for cooking, or in the bathroom for hair and skincare. I guess we’ll just have to take two!
the natural choice
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Natural Beauty
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Simply Natural is a one stop shop for all things natural for our hair, skin and beauty needs. To save you having to keep up with the latest products, they do all the research for you and simply bring you the best in all things natural. Try their Naturigin hair dyes and Seaweed Bath Co. products.
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foodie newbies You’d Be Crackers Nut To All Round Great Foods is a bold name for a business, but these guys live up to the hype. They ‘activate’ their organic nuts by soaking them in water to bring out even more nutrients. Then they add a dash of maple syrup for an extra sweet treat. allroundgreatfoods.com
Too Good to Be True Every so often, a business comes along promising something that looks too good to be true, but my goodness me, Goodness Gracious are real. Their stunningly beautiful desserts are raw, paleo and veganfriendly and contain zero refined sugar. goodnessgracious.ie
holistic healing Deep Sea Healing Not all of our nutrients need to come from the land and with most of our world covered in ocean, Cellnutrition Quinton is a wonderful solution. It’s mineral-rich seawater harvested from a natural plankton bloom, containing 78 minerals and trace elements to get you strong and healthy.
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We’re Smiling Already Trips to the dentist are about to become as lovely as a spa day. Dental House will soon be opening in Aungier Street and are working to incorporate complimentary approaches that both relax and enhance treatment. Think Feng Shui meets aromatherapy with specially designed relaxation chairs. Bye bye nerves, hello happy teeth. facebook.com/dentalhousesmile
Appointment with Energy How would you like to align yourself with your soul mission, and ride the changing energy waves in the world today? Orla Phelan’s healing sessions are customised to each client whether in person, or via Skype and might just be the catalyst and support you’re craving. orlaphelan.com
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Super Clean For a fresh, healthy start to the new year, how about giving your body a helping hand with the clear out? Besides helping you detox, Triphala Rose also aids the absorption of nutrients to reinvigorate your health, immunity and energy. ayurveda.ie
Heal Your Life
living & learning Wise Women
Patricia Lohan is hosting a Wise Women Summit with some of the most inspiring women around, all gathered to share their knowledge on life, love, happiness, health and change. It’s a game changer girls! wisewomensummit.com
Anita Moorjani
Laura Hilliard Brady is a licensed teacher of Louise Hay’s Heal Your Life workshops. Having been a holistic tutor and college owner for over 20 years, Laura is a caring soul with the expertise to bring your life goals to fruition. And she’s willing to share her secrets with you this January.
24 February, Dublin A year ago, we had the pleasure of interviewing beautiful soul, Anita Moorjani. She’s in Dublin this February to help you discover how to love yourself for who you are, not for who the world wants you to be. We have a pair of tickets to give away so keep an eye on our Facebook page.
lauraholistic11@gmail.com
hayhouse.co.uk
Angelic Abundance
Time Out
Healer and spiritual teacher Sandra Rea is passionate about helping others. During a one day workshop in January, she’ll share insights for attracting an abundance of love, health and happiness into your life. Working with the angelic energies, open up to receiving the life you deserve.
GirlCrew are beginning a series of events open to men and women that will create a cosy ‘time out’ space for grown ups. Phones will be checked in for the evening so you can truly chill while colouring in drawings by local illustrators, listening to some Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss and gentle tunes.
angelicbodies.ie
Facebook.com/GirlCrewHQ
positively newsworthy good news from around the globe
1 The Billionaire Monk By Elva Carri Manoj Bhargava is the founder and CEO of 5-hour Energy, the company which markets the energy shot drink. He attended Princeton University for one year but after that, he returned to India, where he lived in an ashram as a monk for 12 years. His net worth, in large part due to the energy shot he developed on returning to the US, is $4 billion. But he’s pledged 99% of his wealth to charity and he’s doing it in the most incredible ways. He created ‘Billions in Change’, a movement to save the world by creating and implementing solutions to the world’s most basic but most important global problems – water, energy and health – and he’s using the wealth he created to fund it. “We believe talking about change changes little. Creating awareness doesn’t stop pollution, grow food or heal the sick. These things take doing. And that’s what Billions in Change is all about – creating and implementing solutions...creating a positive impact on billions of people.” You can see what they’re doing in the video they’ve produced and put out on YouTube
and which tells their incredible and moving story. But they want your help too – though not through money. “Tell others – friends, coworkers and officials in local, state and national
“We believe talking about change changes little… These things take doing.” government. We have the technologies to change the lives of billions of people. With your help, these technologies will be adopted and implemented quickly.” billionsinchange.com
2 The Human Connection An eye-contact experiment.
3 A Surprising Campaign By Ciana Moulton
By Treacy O’Connor Inspired by a video of an eye contact experiment organised by The Liberators International, I brought this concept to Dublin as part of a global experiment, a wave of them took place in 152 cities around the world, involving a network of over 150,000 people, all longing to re-awaken human connection. How did it work? Very simply, busy passers-by were offered an opportunity to stop for one minute and connect with another person, by sharing eye contact. The very concept frightens the hell out of most people! Why? What are we afraid of as others gaze into our exposed soul? As we took our positions on cushions and chairs on Grafton Street, hundreds flocked around us, jumping in to try it. The curiosity was beautiful. Scepticism quickly melted into recognition and reconnection, with permission to step out past their everyday suit of armour for a moment. The deepening circle of people gathering around us was a sight to behold. Hearts were lifting just by witnessing. We saw eyes and faces soften as they smiled at the warmth emanating. Amongst the participants, a homeless man dared to step into his vulnerability and share his gaze for one minute – a lifetime in his eyes - to be seen as human again, hopefully making his world a little brighter. For two hours, a magical joy of connection descended, sending ripples of gratitude and peace far beyond. eyecontactexperiment.com
A recent funding campaign started by local girl Dia le Desma aimed to collect money to help out a 90 year old woman begging on the streets of Dublin. On seeing a photo of the woman, Dia was moved to tears, but then jumped to to action, launching a campaign and setting out to find her.
“Dia urged us all to visit our older relatives friends and neighbours…”
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In looking for the person Dia believed to be homeless, she discovered this woman actually went out to beg for the social aspect. According to charity Alone, loneliness among the elderly is believed to be as damaging to their health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Dia shared the update with funders and urged us all to visit our older relatives, friends and neighbours - maybe even to that stranger you pass on the street. Funds raised were donated to The Seniors Fund and Focus Ireland. alone.ie
2 Coffee Culture
positively newsworthy the little things
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Brought to you by Niall Mac Giolla Rua.
Beautiful events and moments are happening all around us. Look around, smile, see kindness everywhere you go. If it’s not there, you have been gifted the wonderful opportunity to be the person to introduce it to that space and time, create it, watch the ripples...
1 On the Bus About six weeks ago, I was on the bus and a woman with a reasonably mild intellectual disability was showing her card to the driver to board. It wasn’t valid but she didn’t understand. The bus driver was trying his best to explain it to her but she was looking more and more upset and the bus driver was looking more and more helpless.
He turned his head to give a pleading look towards a Dublin Bus official who happened to be standing by the back door. The official gave the man one of those “It’s okay” reassuring type nods and the bus driver said to the woman “Go on, it’s okay you can go on.” But by now the woman was completely baffled. She had started crying and didn’t move, she just stood there crying and looking down. The Dublin Bus official gently led the woman down to a spare seat and stayed next to her for the whole journey reassuring her, comforting her, giving her tissues, talking to her and giving her the most enormous, generous and sincere smiles, telling her over and over, “It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just a mistake.” That’s just one scene in one day of people being out-of-their-way lovely and courageous and magnificent and really, really true. It happens every day, all the time and we don’t see enough of it in the news.
One day I dropped into Bewley’s on Grafton Street for a quick coffee. I sat next to a table where a woman was just leaving. All I remember about her is that she didn’t eat her amaretto. Bewley’s always sit a delicious little amaretto biscuit next to your coffee on the saucer, and I was a greedy monster for these things. I adore them; how anyone could just leave one there and not eat it was incomprehensible to me but it didn’t matter; that amaretto was going straight into my mouth the moment she was out of sight. I wasn’t fast enough. Before the woman got to a respectable distance a waitress came and cleared the table. I couldn’t help it – I let out a clearly audible “Aaw!” When the waitress turned to enquire there was no way out; I had to explain myself. “It’s just…I was going to eat that amaretto. What? I can’t help it. I love them so much!” I was working perhaps a bit too carefully on appearing non-embarrassed. She laughed and took my order. A few minutes later she came back looking very happy with herself. She proudly presented me with an Americano coffee on a saucer packed full of amaretti. Her smile had that endearing “Look what I made” quality and I couldn’t thank her enough. There are very few times in my life when I’ve felt so truly loved. She took the opportunity to be beautiful that day and to show who she really was behind the anonymous waitress role. Opportunities like that don’t always come along, but obviously beauty must have already been strong in her to seize this opportunity with such expressive fl air. Looking back I realise I was aware of her inner beauty before we spoke, which is why I was so relaxed and honest with her. There’s always a beauty there waiting to express itself. I’ve been learning that when I’m aware of this beauty, when I’m tuned in and listening to it, the world fi nds more and more extraordinarily beautiful ways of presenting it to me. Now, looking back, that girl was being perfectly normal, I just hadn’t quite learned to see at the time. She was one of my teachers.
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spirituality & the city Magic Moments – Readers share their moments of utter bliss.
Eimear Quinn Singer
Aisling Fitzgibbon Occupational Therapist, Nutritionist and Fragrance Alchemist A chance encounter online with a kindred spirit, through a common vision of a healing centre in Ireland, has given me one of my most magical moments to date. Although I had attained a degree in Occupational Therapy and was studying to become a Nutritionist I felt that there was something missing in the jigsaw of my knowledge. When I finally met Ciara Young I felt an instant connection, feeling she was part of my tribe. Ciara introduced me to Fragrance Alchemy oils and explained their power to bring about profound changes in our entire energy field. I used to worry about things not working out in life but using the oils has led to a greater sense of self mastery allowing me to open up to the unknown and to cultivate a deep trust in life. I am now incorporating the oils into my practice as a transformative tool. healingwithaisling@gmail.com
Ian Claxton Acupuncturist and Holistic Fertility Expert Last year, almost to the day, a special little man was born into my clan! His name is Awen and he has touched our lives in so many ways. As a man, during birth and the rhythm of contractions, you can only be there, doing everything possible to make it just a bit easier for your partner. Childbirth is an amazing process - you can only be in wonder of the whole process of life. It is nature at its most pure. My magical moment came during the transition period of labour as Ellie and I locked eyes. The pause before a little soul is exhaled into the world! We were completely inseparable spiritually, emotionally and physically – Pure Magic. elmtreeorganics.com
As a student singer, I worked hard and was dedicated to the dream of becoming a professional. Even though I knew the dream was a big one, deep in my heart I felt it was the only path that would suit me. Then, one of those magical moments that seem to be fictional actually happened. I was singing a song called ‘Winter Fire and Snow’ at a Christmas concert with a choir called Anúna, but I didn’t know that the composer, Brendan Graham, was in the audience. He came to me after the concert and invited me to sing his song ‘The Voice’ in the national song contest. The song went on to win the Eurovision Song Contest in 1996, and my life was never to be the same again! I still love to sing ‘Winter Fire and Snow’ at my Christmas concerts and am excitedly looking forward to this year’s two shows in the Pavilion Theatre Dun Laoghaire. paviliontheatre.ie
michael ryan Yoga instructor The truly magic moments in my life have always felt like an unfolding or a waking up, the moments in which the universe conspires to show us a bigger, more expansive picture, an invitation to grow and hold a greater perspective moving forward. One moment in my life that was a game changer was the birth of my son, Soilse. The moment I held him for the fi rst time, it redefined my understanding of Love. I realised that I had never felt love for another of this depth. I was shocked and awed at the potency of the feeling. This was a feeling that cut straight through all my bullshit and brought me straight to my heart; to clarity. I now understand it as a marker in my relationships with others. I recognise it as the potential within me to love another human being deeply and through that connection to awaken to a deeper sense of myself. This is the gift we offer each other on the journey Home. Thank you Soilse. michaelryanyoga.com
Caroline mcmullen aka tiny Pixie Arts and Crafts Teacher Children come to Pine Forest to learn about many art activities. We take time out from the creativity in the classroom to connect with Nature in the incredible Oak plantation. As we embark on our walk and hear the crunching autumn leaves under our feet, I tell them how magical the forest is and to look out for the Fairies. As we continue, I tell them that the sounds they hear are the Fairies and Pixies, and these are the energy spirits of nature. They do lots of hard work to look after our beautiful Earth, and I tell the children that they love it when you thank them for what they do. “So, let’s all thank them together”. It melts my heart to hear the chorus of little voices saying “Thank you Fairies!”. In that magic moment, I know I’ve helped to expand their minds by showing them how to be grateful for Mother Nature. pineforestartcentre.com
Corina arcus I was in Bali earlier this year, abundantly living in a beautiful home fi lling my days with yoga, kirtan, beach bliss, loving food and time with and for me, only me. It was the life I’d wanted for so long, yet I was very unhappy. I was at home one particular day when an overwhelming sadness took over my body and I burst into tears, feeling so alone, half way across the world away from everything I knew and everyone that knew me. My heart crumbled with each thought that entered my mind, of feeling unloved, unappreciated, unsupported. After a while, I felt a brush of warm wind against my skin, suddenly my uncontrollable tears turned to sweet laughter. So sweet that if you were there, you wouldn’t have heard it but you would have felt it - loving and fi lled with pure joy and thoughts fi lled with loving emotion. That in my book is a magic moment.
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positi v e a strology
access courage &
calm Choosing wisely in a new atmosphere.
By Andrew Smith
“Keep your heart clear and transparent, and you will never be bound. A single disturbed thought creates ten thousand distractions.” ~ Daigu Ryokan (1758-1831) 2015 has been a profound year. Your values tested, your dreams challenged, your sense of reality questioned, your beliefs re-evaluated, your hopes reborn, your heart enriched and reignited, nothing has been left untouched. Nothing. Every structure in your life has been torn down; nay the structures of our entire social infrastructure has been challenged – work, politics, finances, communication, social, religious, spiritual and most importantly, our friendships and intimate relationships. A frenzy of letting-go swept through your consciousness ultimately affording you a space to create a new matrix to house your life, at all levels of your life.
“Hold fast to your dreams and listen to your inner voice”
13 Yet, as 2015 wanes and another solar year dawns, a relative calm descends upon the Earth Plane as the intensity of planetary activity dulls down, leaving you in a space to reflect and bathe within a gentle and restorative tide of cosmic energies. December is marked by a strong impetus to retreat, to be still and to simplify. The karios is ripe to start planning what you need to fill the space left by the massive deconstruction you have gone through. There is no need for action, yet, especially considering the state of your physical energy after a long, hard but profound year. As the Sun moves across the fourth and final spiritual gateway of 2015 and ingresses into Capricorn on the 22nd December, and as the Light is reborn on the 25th December, you are reminded that
at the very core of YOUR being; within the fabric of YOUR cellular structure; you are literally housing the Divine; you are literally creation. Creation first forms and comes into being on the inner planes of your consciousness, beginning with the most ordinary things – a thought, that stimulates your imagination, fuels your emotions and ultimately your actions. Those thoughts are initially INVISIBLE - they can neither be seen nor plucked from a tree. The source of your material world therefore lies in the invisible realm of energy, which is exactly the stage that Mercury is preparing for when he retrogrades on the 5th of January. Between December 28th and January 5th, as Mercury approaches his furthest distances from Sol, our Star, you can clearly see how each thought you have and every word you speak has an impact in the cosmos. In terms of spiritual process this is a phenomenal time to reflect and meditate, as your consciousness is more likely to be quieter and more receptive to HEARING your inner voice. This is not an easy feat as your mind is active all day long, thousands of thoughts passing through you on a daily basis like a meandering river winding across a floodplain. Most of these thoughts are scattered, undifferentiated and noisy. Since your thoughts are the energy that you act upon and given that energy follows the attention you give something, it is important to examine those thoughts. How many of them are negative? “There will probably be NO place to park”; “With my luck it will never work out”; “I’ve not prepared enough”; “If only I had more time”… The list is endless. Moreover, are your thoughts influenced by some external factor – like your parents; your culture; your gender; your age; your education? Do those thoughts originate from a positive and conscious place? What purpose are they serving you? Do they match with your personal philosophy, or are they deeply etched into your soul? As your Mind (Mercury) becomes more reflective (retrograde) and sensitive to your inner voice (Fixed Air), it would be useful to pause and reflect upon the nature of the persistent thoughts that underlie your actions. Are they YOUR thoughts or are they someone else’s? Perhaps you can start with the negative thought forms such as I’m not good enough; I’m not worthy; I’m too busy; I should/I could/I ought to. Those thoughts create their own reality and since we reside within a world that will eagerly support those lower vibrational entities,
Highlights of winter’s Cosmic Activity 1 Dec9 Jan 11 Dec 5 Jan 14 Jan 16 Jan 25 Jan 8 Feb
Saturn rises ahead of the Sun Sagitarrian New Moon Mercury retrogrades in Aquarius Replenishing your mind as Sol and Mercury conjoin Capricorn New Moon Mercury Direct Aquarian New Moon
it is not hard to see how virulent those negating concepts are within each of us. Those thoughts are encouraged because they keep you trapped and keep you conformed within a consensus reality. Given that you perceive with your mind, you don’t see with your eyes – by freeing your mind, choosing wisely who you read, listen to and being mindful of the intention underlying what you speak, you take the first step in creating a more conscious reality. Imagine what your world would be like if you stripped away the layers of external thought forms that influence your reality and focused only on what you truly think and believe! During this Aquarian start to 2016, hold fast to your dreams and listen to your inner voice, as they are the seedlings of your reality. Access the courage and strength that surges through your veins, after all you know what the right thing to do is and let this moment be the ground from which all of your future actions and intentions manifest. In summary, I would love you to take the time to reflect on some of the following questions as 2016 dawns: »» What ideals have moulded and shaped your mind? »» Who has moulded and shaped your mind? »» What are the underlying scripts that have shaped and influenced your thoughts? »» What idea or ideal do you want to infuse into your very being?
Andrew’s private practice is in Blackrock, South Dublin. Email him on dastroc@gmail.com for further information on consultations, workshops or classes. Join him on Facebook for daily updates.
PosiTi v E AT TR ACTion
creating as
the less confidence you experience in the When I go into creation process. And then the pattern of an audition, I limited creation begins again. have to have I mean, I couldn’t walk into the confidence Mr. Speilberg’s office without any within me that I confidence and book E.T. You can’t even can deliver a good have successful love making without read. I have to have confidence. And yet, we ask the Universe confidence in my to deliver to us when we aren’t confident healing that I can in the trust within ourselves to create it, make a difference or to handle the creation when we do. So, in someone’s life by the information that Anconfidence ExPAndinGtheCiRCLE GREATnEss. Universe,oF being the very wise director comes through. I have to have it is, must experience your confidence to before I even sit down to write this article. By Dee Wallace manifest your desire. The one common principle in all these So, how does one create confidence? adventures: I have learned to trust my channel. Always and without question. That is, of course, quite the opposite of what we have been taught. The definition of confidence is: full trust. And yet, our society has educated us in the belief that we can never trust our own judgment, and God forbid we really trust anyone outside of ourselves; and it is actually impossible to trust ALL energy. Quite a conundrum, don’t you agree? If creation takes confidence, and confidence is trust, and we are taught we can’t trust, then we can never be the confident vibration that creates. Ergo, the more you go into your mental mind to reason, figure and stay safe,
second nature
‘I mean, I couldn’t walk into Mr. Speilberg’s office without any confidence and book E.T.’
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» Am I loving myself? » Do I live in endless love for all energy? » Am I living in the Present Moment? » Do I know I Am the God and Creator of me?
Thankfully, there are only four
Whenever you feel out of sorts Dee Wallace has worked as an author, teacher, or imbalanced, ask yourself these four dancer and actress intofilm, television and guiding questions bring yourself back the over 30expansive years (E.T.,circle: Cujo, The intostage flowfor with the Howling). Her book, Bright Light, tells that tale and the myself spiritual she has 1. Am I inshares love with in lessons this moment? learned from a life in acting. 2. Am I loving others in this moment?
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www.iamdeewallace.com 3. Am I here, in the present, or worrying about
the future or the past? 4. Am I remembering I am my own creator? Or have I given my creation away to something or someone else in this moment?
Everything that we will ever continue to learn and understand, comes 05/06/2012 from being conscious of these four questions. We must consciously choose to hold ourselves there. I advise printing or cutting out this article, or writing up these questions for yourself and sticking them up somewhere to use as a reference and a reminder again and again until it becomes second nature. Make up a little copy to carry with you. Every time you read over it, allow it to become second nature instantly and with joy too.
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Believe in miracles. Believe in all possibility. Believe in the new. During an amazing private session with one of my clients, the following information was delivered, and establishes the guiding points we need to always remain in balance and creation.
meet in harmony, and create the child, a.k.a. the creation. The divine idea/ instinct/guidance must be taken out into the world with power by the masculine to successfully create. When that happens, confidence is truly in place. So, yourself: do I havecalls a lot Thisask is what the channel of great, inspired ideas that I never do ‘The Circle of Creation’. When these are anything with? If theinanswer is yes, know circulating together a continuously that you circle, need towe balance masculine so flowing expandthe and the you have more power to deliver your ideas understanding of creation expands. to the world. Orout do of you push and When they are harmony, it work affects and strive doing ANYthing, just to try the others and the circle is pulled and create, without a lotdown of success? Stop within itself, like water a drain. It and take time to nurture your feminine. constricts, rather than expands. Allow When your channel to and openloving and receive the circle energy divine guidance, and then use thenew power expands continuously, we create that is in place to radiate that out. patterns, new neural pathways andThen the creation automatically in place, and and synapses. Weiscreate new perspectives confidence is reinforced. belief systems. We create new lives. When Confidence not something the circle collapsesiswithin itself, we create you get.When Confidence is the vibration of stress. we create stress, we create knowing that you are.and Be unhappiness the knowing disease and struggle of the Creative Force that is you, which ‘drains’ us even more. Ourand nervous confidence is a no-brainer. systems become disrupted.Literally.
main things to remember. Everything else is remembering one, or all, of those cornerstones. When these four cornerstones are in place energetically, conscious, complete creation is happening.
“We create new perspectives and belief systems. We create new lives.”
» » »
Do you believe it is possible? Do you believe you deserve it? Do you believe this can be easy?
Because, “As You Believe, It Is Delivered Unto You.” dee Wallace has worked as an author, teacher, dancer and actress in film, television and the stage for over 30 years. (e.t., Cujo, the Howling). Her book, Bright Light, tells that tale and shares the spiritual lessons she has learned from a life in acting. iamdeewallace.com
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derelict potential WATERFoRd’s CREATivE CommuniTY PRoJECTs. By Samuel Bishop At a time when regional towns and cities have really struggled, creative projects tackling vacant space have provided an uplifting and refreshing boost for communities and I have been so inspired by the work of Edel Tobin and her collaborators in Waterford. First came New Street Gardens, a crowdsourced park in the city centre on a derelict piece of land, followed by Waterford Walls, a three day street-art project that flooded the city with colour.
new street Gardens Edel, a primary school teacher with no experience in gardening or horticulture, simply had a vision to convert a privately owned wasteland into a thriving community park. Its aim was to bring greenery, activities and life back into a disused space. A team of volunteers came together to build the garden in 2014 and although originally planned as a temporary project, it appears it will stay open for the foreseeable future, or until a planned shopping centre is eventually built. The gardens are situated on a piece of land that is part of a collection of sites earmarked for a shopping centre postponed
due to the crash. Entire streets were bought to be used in the original scheme. So Edel and her team first had to convince all local stakeholders that this was a project worth having. Apart from Granby Park in Dublin, there were no real examples of people-powered parks in regional towns, but once she had gained enough promises of assistance from local businesses, organisations and the community, support from the council followed.
getting Waterford Walls off the ground was the lingering perception of graffiti or street-art as a form of anti-social behaviour and vandalism. In the end, this concern turned out to be unfounded as the community completely embraced the event and the artworks. Waterford Walls exceeded expectations with great feedback from businesses, the community and the council and they’ve already begun planning for 2016. Most of the 24 murals still dot the Waterford landscape so Edel urges you to visit them before they fade or get painted over! Edel claims these projects could be replicated in any town or city in Ireland. That’s the beauty of them. “It’s all about having a vision. You
“don’t let money and permissions and people get in the way. they will come. you need a vision” These types of projects capture people’s imagination, build pride in the community and provoke thought and discussion. They challenge the status quo, and shift the conversation within the community and the cultural narrative. Edel was delighted to hear “I can’t believe this is part of our city” on numerous occasions.
Waterford Walls Waterford Walls brought 24 talented street-artists to Waterford, including some well known artists such as Joe Caslin, DMC, Louis Masai and James Early. Edel teamed up with artist and curator Louise Flynn and together created a small team. The challenge with
need to be able to point at a space and see what’s possible in a very clear way. It’s important to acknowledge that each place is unique and different and special. Identify the real needs of your community.” They didn’t require huge funding, investment or experience. But she stresses the need to get clever with your resources and be willing to put in a huge amount of work. “Don’t let money and permissions and people get in the way. They will come. You need a vision for the place. Imagine it.” samuel Bishop is coordinator of happenings.ie and streetfeast.ie. street Feast is the nationwide day of street parties which next takes place on sunday 12th June 2016. Connect with sam on Twitter at @samue1.
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PosiTi v E mEdiTATion
body calm CREATinG PHYsiCAL HEALTH THRouGH mEdiTATion.
By Sandy Newbigging
We become what we focus on the most, so the Body Calm technique offers simple ways to connect with the power of meditation and embody a series of positive virtues and focus points. When thought and felt regularly, these can transform your belief system and mental and emotional habits, in turn affecting your physical wellbeing. Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to observe a number of common beliefs held by people struggling with a range of health complaints, with some of the most harmful being, ‘I’m unsupported’, ‘I’m not good enough’, ‘I’m unworthy’ and ‘I’m weak’. The purpose of meditation is to rest within your real Self: the calm consciousness that is always within you, and to discover the aspect of your being that never gets stressed, sick or suffers. Even if your body is uncomfortable or presenting undesirable symptoms, you can find wellness within. Body Calm meditation helps you to befriend your body, give it the rest it needs to recover and improves the communications between mind and body. With regular practice, it helps form new, improved beliefs; ones that encourage physical health. The ‘CALM’ part of Body Calm stands for ‘Conscious Awareness Life Meditation’ and involves two main elements: 1 Being Gently Alert with your Awareness Wide Open - a technique I affectionately call GAAWO. 2 Occasionally thinking Body Calm Thoughts that help to heal the sources of stress.
Calm Thoughts are short statements used during open and closed-eye meditation that act as the
19 antidote to any attitude that might be having a detrimental effect on your body or behaviours, and consists of three components: I am + Positive Virtues + Focus Points. Despite being two of the shortest words in the English dictionary, ‘I’ and ‘am’ together are two of the most powerful. When you think or say ‘I am’, you are referring to the absolute aspect of your Self that is unconditioned consciousness, unbounded being and infinite awareness. ‘I am’ is pure, powerful and infinite. To harness the power of this statement, we marry ‘I am’ with a series of ten positive virtues. These encourage the mind to form healthier beliefs and help you to embody healthier states of being that support good health. Each Calm Thought also has a recommended location within or around your body on which to put your focus when thinking it. With the inclusion of these focus points, the power of the Calm Thoughts is magnified significantly by working in a number of ways. All of the focus points are symbolic and appeal to the mind–body connection. For example, when it comes to the interconnectedness between the mind and body, most people I
“you reduce mental and physical resistance and more easily shape a new, healthier belief system.” meet who feel they are ‘unsupported’ also tend to present lower back problems. So thinking ‘I am supported’ while focusing on the base of the spine can heal the belief and perception that you are unsupported. By working in harmony with the symbolic nature of the mind–body connection, you reduce mental and physical resistance and more easily shape a new, healthier belief system and a more supportive attitude towards yourself and your body. sandy’s new book Body Calm is out now and is full of more great tips and advice on using the Body Calm meditation technique. sandynewbigging.com
PosiTivE BE AuT Y
the beauty of
letting go As THE TREEs BEComE BARE, so mAY WE.
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By Mary Berkery
“Slowly he celebrated the sacrament of letting go First he surrendered his green Then orange, yellow and red Finally he let go of his brown Shedding his last leaf He stood empty and silent, stripped bare leaning against the October sky he began his long vigil of trust...” ~ Anonymous
The above excerpt is from a poem that speaks deeply to me at this time of year about letting go. As you read this, trees and branches are showing their shape without the cover of foliage and it inspires me to consider the things we too can let go of, with that same level of trust. let go oF possessions I have been preparing to move house. It’s a total surprise how much stuff I have accumulated and how many times we have had to trek to the local second hand
shop, dump and dropping things off as gifts to friends. It all brought me to the question, How much do I need to have? What can I continue to let go of? Books seem to have a habit of building in my office space. Just last year I purchased a number of bookshelves to home books that I no longer read! let go oF FiXeD iDeas Over the summer, sitting outside a favourite café where we live, two Buddhist monks walked by and to make a long story short, we ended up having a most inspiring conversation. I was at a turning point in the way I relate to my siblings and received such wonderful advice on how to stay in loving truth in relationships. But the part of this conversation that stood out the most, was their insights that while it can be easy to let go of possessions, the real task is letting go of opinions and fi xed ideas as to how things should be. That, I was assured, was the hardest practice.
“the real task is letting go of opinions and fixed ideas as to how things should be.”
let go oF Habits I notice too that there is a habitual way of showing up in the world. I can tell a similar story when I meet new people and react to others in a habitual way. Pemo Chödrön, author, mother and nun, would ask, “How could you do something differently?” She suggests holding the old reaction with a breath, wait a moment and then do or say something differently, letting go of old habits of interaction. For example, instead of reacting with defensiveness to a seeming put-down, stand in the other’s shoes and say something like, “Are you feeling upset about something that you would like to talk about?” How lovely to feel that there are deeper wells of self that can be accessed than the usual knee jerk reactions, all it takes to access it is a moment to let go and embrace the freedom to then choose our thoughts and actions. This wintertime can be an opportunity for you to be open to deeper and more reflective aspects of you. Rest into the emptiness and the vulnerability that the season and letting go offers, to emerge in spring with a different and refreshed aspect of you. May your continued beauty emerge softer, lighter and less habitual. May you have the courage to let go of what no longer serves you. maryberkery.com
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2 -Day Heal Your Life Workshops Heal Your Life workshops are based on the principles of the book “You can Heal Your Life”, by Louise L Hay and have been attended by many thousands of people worldwide. • • • •
The basic Heal Your Life philosophy is: What we think about ourselves becomes true for us Everyone is responsible for everything in their lives the best and the worst Every thought we think is creating our future experience We have the power to change the thoughts we think.
We can take our power back by becoming consciously aware of our words we speak, the thoughts we think and letting go of the old belief systems that hold us back.
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“i’ve found that the answer lies in continually asking this question.”
living a
good life sPACE And TimE To sEE THE PATH.
By Jai Kartar Kaur
How do I live a good life? This has been a paramount question for me for as long as I can remember. My extensive travels as a child made me aware very early on that there are numerous choices to be made by us, and there are also numerous choices that are made for us. I was baffled by the extreme variations that I witnessed in the world. I remember my father cautiously guarding his wallet from poverty-stricken children in Lima, watching decadently dressed adults swill cocktails while gambling in Las Vegas, a smiling, toothless Taiwanese
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woman touching my blond hair as she gave me a necklace of painted nuts. I was puzzled by why some had so much and others had so little. One thing that was obvious was that people’s happiness was by no means proportional to their material wealth or station in life. I knew that I wanted my choices to have a positive impact and to somehow satiate my longing to belong. The looming question was and still is, “How do I live a good life?” I spend some time every day in contemplation of this and I’ve found that the answer lies in continually asking this question. Day by day, step by step, it helps to guide me.
As a dedicated Kundalini yogi, I begin my day with sadhana, meaning ‘spiritual practice’ and derived from the Sanskrit word ‘sadh’ which means ‘to reach one’s goal’. My sadhana involves contemplation on the Divine Creator through the recitation of Japji, yoga exercises and meditation. They each give me time and space to listen for the answer of my ever-lingering question, “How do I live a good life?” Sometimes the path is very clear and at other times, it feels obscured, yet I’ve come to know that I won’t go off course, so long as I maintain my integrity. When the way forward isn’t clear, the Divine Teacher is guiding me to take pause and focus on being rather than acting. When my teacher Yogi Bhajan was once asked, “How can I lead a good life?”, he replied, “The question is what kind of death do you want to have? If you ask yourself this question you will know how you should live your life.” All of us wish for an easy transition from life to death and into the next realm. What we are wishing for is a scenario where we have no regrets, no unfinished business, to be able to let go with ease. Taking a moment to reflect on your course of action from the perspective of your death bed really sheds light on the matter! Dare to ask yourself, if I were to die tomorrow how would I feel about this situation and my integrity within it? I believe when I die, it is me who will decide my fate. My soul knows when I have and haven’t succeeded to live with integrity. I may very well return again to work out things I’ve yet to learn. It is all a process of remembering my divine nature and having the courage, strength and compassion to bring the heavenly realm to earth. Jai Kartar Kaur is a Kundalini yoga teacher and teacher trainer and works to empower her clientele, to encourage their own innate ability to be actively involved in creating and sustaining their wellness. wellwithin.ie
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Positive Supplement
“Every crop is nurtured in a pristine, chemical-free environment”
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terranova
life drink a foundation for health. By Elva Carri
While vitamin and mineral supplements are extremely valuable as tools for maintaining health, their effectiveness can be limited if your overall nutritional foundation is poor. Realising this, a thoughtful company called Terranova designed a solution for you. ‘Life Drink’ is an ideal foundation, not only for its own nutritional benefits, but also to enhance the effectiveness of a person’s normal food supplement programme. Life Drink features a balanced pea and rice protein blend; the antioxidant powerhouse stabilised rice bran; spirulina and chlorella; ten different
freeze dried super-greens; ten different freeze dried super-berries; freeze dried reishi and shiitake mushrooms; vegetarian omega 3, 6 and 9 oils; seven different digestive enzymes; and five different probiotic species with prebiotics! This combination of ingredients stands out because it isn’t provided by even the most comprehensive multivitamins. It’s light and easy on the stomach, quick acting, with people feeling results within thirty minutes and comes in jars as well as handy sachets you can pop into your bag. Terranova are a great little brand
who want to make nutrition work at a molecular level, getting right into the tiny, nitty gritty workings of our bodies and as a result, take great care at every step of the process. It makes for an interesting and authentic story as well as contributing to the health benefits of their products. The company was founded in 2008 by Stephen Terrass, the former Technical Director of well-known supplement brand, Solgar Vitamins UK. Going out on his own, Stephen set out to create Terranova as one of only a few broad-spectrum supplement companies, to use no fillers and to be 100% vegan friendly. Their ingredients have a wonderful journey before they reach those little bottles too. Many are either certified organic or ethically wildcrafted. The 90-acre certified organic herb farm of their primary botanical supplier is a secluded farm in Oregon, surrounded by native forest and the Sandy River canyon. They chose them as their supplier as every crop is nurtured in a pristine, chemicalfree environment and harvesting only happens when the plants have reached their peak levels of bio-active markers. And they care about their ingredients at the next stage too. Air, oven and and spray drying are the standard commercial methods to dry plant materials but as this can degrade important compounds and even alter a plant’s delicate biochemical balance, many of Terranova’s botanicals are freeze dried to retain all of the good stuff in order to benefit you. The next time you pick up a supplement in a shop, do a little digging to see how it’s been made. Ingredients and production methods can make a huge difference in the potency and value of a product so it’s worth knowing what you’re buying. The story and the methods just might be the secret behind their impact. terranovahealth.com
re-establishing
sexual connection FRom LovERs To FRiEnds. By Dawn Cartwright
Hayden and Lake had come to the crossroads so many of their married friends had warned them about. Somehow, without noticing, they’d gone from being lovers to being friends. Don’t get the wrong idea, Hayden and Lake had always been friends. In fact, their relationship began as friends years back, meeting at a music festival and sharing a rain tarp fashioned from a bin bag while watching their favourite band during a deluge. The spark between them grew slowly, until one afternoon stretched out on the bed together browsing Netflix, things took a passionate turn. It was weeks before friends and family saw them again. Things must have heated to the point of incandescence (which is 2,482˚c, by the way) because, once they did reappear, the two of them were radiating an awesome light. When things get that hot, you never expect they’ll cool down. But they did. We’re so often unprepared for that, we don’t see it coming, or see it happening. Some years in, Lake discovered that emotion was key to sexual arousal and
wanted more time talking and caressing. Lake wanted moments of closeness that didn’t always lead to sex, as well as moments that did. Lake felt sexual when met emotionally. Hayden had discovered that the act of lovemaking created more space for emotional connection. Hayden wanted sex to flow easily between the two of them as it had when they first became lovers. Hayden felt their emotional connection was a constant and saw sex as a way to nourish that stability and closeness. Hayden felt emotionally connected when met sexually. Sex was a boost for an already solid emotional foundation. According to award-winning writer and board-certified editor of the life sciences Kelli Miller, “Some seek sex because they like how it feels. Others, although they very well may also derive pleasure from the act, are generally more interested in the relationship enhancement that sex offers. Researchers describe these differences as body-centered versus personcentered sex.” Body-centered is when you have sex because you like the way it makes your body feel. The sensations create a feeling of shared joy and openness that
“Body-centered sex and personcentered sex are focused on the same thing — connection”
26 is a form of connection in itself. Personcentered is when you have sex to connect, the emotions involved and the relationship are the priority. It was tempting for Hayden and Lake to view one of these as better than the other - until they saw that both body-centered sex and person-centered sex are focused on the same thing, connection. It was as if they’d both been standing in a pitch dark room and the light came back on, they both wanted the same thing. Hayden and Lake began to listen to one another differently. When Hayden asked for sex, Lake heard a request for connection. When Lake asked for emotional closeness, Hayden heard a request for connection. They each created two lists that encompassed their Sexual Emotional Place of Connection Practice that I invite you to try too. The first includes activities, experiences, actions and words that create sexual connection for you and the second, activities, experiences, actions and words that create emotional connection. Seeing one another more clearly, compassion and shared passion grew again and they continued their journey back to one another. dawn Cartwright is a Tantric visionary, sacred writer, world traveller and innovator in bio-tantric fusion. Keep an eye out for her upcoming irish workshops including the deluxe Couples Tantra Weekend this April. dawncartwright.com
Support Your Voice Sacred Body Awakening With Anaiya Sophia (Women Only)
Experience the ecstatic reunion of your body, mind, heart and soul • • • • • • • •
Find places and spaces within your body that were holding into sexual trauma, heartbroken memories and rejected parts of self Open to a larger field of divine grace, love and surrender that is only possible in woman-to-woman healing, loving and presence Be empowered to embody the Mother, Lover and Mystic with no fear of sharing. Learn how to ‘hold and imbue’ sacred relationship to catalyse inspirational soul growth and depth of intimacy Learn to experience and replicate new forms of ritual healing Nurture the ecstatic flame at the core of your womb Ignite deeper spiritual energies in your body via transformational body practices Enjoy precious time for meditation and practice and be able to share the fruits of your awakenings with others
Join Anaiya Sophia on May Bank Holiday 2016 in Slí na Bandé, Co. Wicklow. This 2 day workshop is an initiation process into the revival of the Sacred Arts, the Mystery Teachings of Mary Magdalene, and the ones who came before her who knew the ‘ways’ of opening the body and heart to the fullness of life, both inner and outer. You will be invited to step out of your private, individual practices and enter into sacred sexual embodiment. Venue: Slí na Bandé, Kilmurray, Co. Wicklow Date: 30th April - 1st May 2015 Time: 10:00am – 17:00pm Cost: Suggested Donation of €220 for the weekend Reserve Your Place: anaiyasassistant@gmail.com www.anaiyasophia.com
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positive personality
tony robbins Giant purpose.
By Elva Carri
World-famous performance strategist, speaker and entrepreneur, Tony Robbins is a fast-paced, high-energy man who wants to change the whole world – starting with himself and moving onto you and you and you. He has worked with the likes of Bill Clinton and Serena Williams, has received numerous awards and a lot of press. In his Ted Talk, he introduces us to the most defining moment in his life.
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picture than the man we see today. In working to help people achieve the success or the happiness they want, Tony works in really practical, logical ways – well, logic that fits to the sheer lack of logic that seems to motivate us! He says we’re motivated by emotion and gets people to do main things. Firstly, figure out what you want specifically. In relationships, in work, in health. Once you give your brain something clear and direct to focus on, it starts to navigate the path. It makes sense. When you want to walk to the shop, you walk that direction. You don’t walk whatever way you happen to be facing at the time and suddenly become surprised and disheartened by the fact that you’re at a dead end, nose pressed against a wall. Secondly, he wants you to understand why you want this and lists seven things that motivate us. 1. Certainty, we want to feel safe and secure. 2. Uncertainty, we get bored by too much of that and crave variety and change. 3. Significance, we want to feel important. 4. Connection. 5. Love. And the last two he says are spiritual, we want to grow, and we want to contribute beyond ourselves, to give back.
Leading a New Corporate Culture With important motivating factors like ‘connection and love’ and ‘giving back’ listed in his lessons, Robbins is one of the many people changing corporate culture today. It seems that about a decade ago, the biggest motivating factor was make more money – or at least borrow more. But that mind-set went hand in hand with a work culture where people prided themselves on working hard – in many cases, working too hard. To be the best and become the most successful, sleeping was not allowed, you probably didn’t make too much time for exercise and no one would have been surprised if you ate noodles in your office every night of the week for dinner. Meditation was for hippies – not something that was seen to optimise your life in general. Today, people like Robbins, Ariana Huffington and plenty more are instead pushing the idea of working smart, and creating a balanced life. It’s not fashionable to work yourself to the bone anymore. What’s cool and successful in 2015 is having time to spend with your family at the weekend and in the evenings, making time to eat healthily, having time to make your own beer.
photos: Robbins research international inc.
He was a kid, at home at Christmas. There was no money, no food and this was down to the actions of his father. But then there was a knock on the door. Someone had brought them food, charity. For Tony’s dad, this highlighted his own weaknesses and flaws, and he left his family. Tony however thought, “Strangers care. If strangers care about me and my family, then I’m going to care about them.” By the age of 17, Tony had enough money to fulfill one of his first goals, to feed two families for Christmas. The following year, he fed four families. After he fed eight families, he realised he’d need a little help and finally told people he was doing this and got others involved. Last year, Tony’s organisation fed millions. Many of us feel that in theory, one small gesture of kindness can have a big impact but it’s special to see that so clearly manifested in one human. But it was also down to Tony’s state of mind and gratitude. It makes me wonder how many of those moments have there been in my life? Did I notice? What was their impact? And it reminds us of the very real value of our emotional wellbeing. A defensive, negative, or hurt reaction could have painted a very different
“If strangers care about me and my family, then I’m going to care about them.”
TONY’S MORNING ROUTINE 1. Take the Plunge: Tony wakes up and takes a plunge in cold water! 2. Breathing exercise: Try one to suit you to become present. 3. Express gratitude: Take note of three things you’re grateful for. 4. Pray: For others and yourself, doesn’t have to be religious. 5. Nutritious Breakfast: Give your body great fuel for the day.
“I’ve learned that there are patterns, patterns that cause us to succeed and patterns that cause us to fail. And there are patterns that we can put inside of ourselves that create a sense of abundance, and strength.” Getting eight hours sleep is so hot right now and so is taking time out for yourself. People like Robbins, who can see that money isn’t the only thing motivating us, are able to tap into these more balanced goals and help people to see how they achieve all of that – not just how to achieve fame, or wealth. Alongside these trends for more balanced living is also a tide of corporate social responsibility. Today, a company can’t really get away with not having some sort of programme or initiative in place that at the very least looks like it’s going to help create a better world. I like to play the sceptic when it comes to things like Zuckerberg ‘giving away’ 99% of his Facebook shares because I can’t help questioning everything, but when you look at Tony’s list of motivating factors, the trend for more balanced living and a growing awareness of the serious impacts of climate
30
change, you actually can imagine that top level CEOs are as concerned as the rest of us. It’s as if the world’s problems have finally become close enough to each of us to feel the need to change for the better. And it’s not just us sensible, grown ups having a change of heart. The generation coming up behind us might be the ones really driving this shift. Millenials often get a hard time in the media, but according to Forbes, for 64 per cent of them, their priority when it comes to work is making the world a better place. That’s a pretty honourable goal. 88 per cent prefer a collaborative work-culture rather than a competitive one. Perhaps they’ve seen how far competing within an organisation has gotten anyone. And if you think they’re dreaming and the world of big business isn’t ready to offer them this yet, it doesn’t matter, because 67 per cent of them would be very happy to start their own business, one that aligns to their values.
Within this wave of corporate change and a very different generation stepping up to take the wheel, people like Tony Robbins gain further importance and relevance, because we haven’t all caught up with these new habits of balance that we aspire to, and many of us require direction and assistance in figuring that out still. For the twenty-somethings hoping to start their own business these types of teachers are important too, because as beautifully idealistic as they are, they may not fully understand the challenges they’re going to face in starting their own companies, the resolve and persistence they’re going to require and what innermost parts of their being is going to take them through it all. In his message for his first ever talk in Dublin he says, “I’ve learned that there are patterns, patterns that cause us to succeed and patterns that cause us to fail. And there are patterns that we can put inside of ourselves that create a sense of abundance, and strength.” Maybe these patterns aren’t something we learned in school or university but they are worth putting the time into, not only to shift our own lives forward, but if we can become as effective as he promises, these lessons could help us with everything from work-life balance, to climate change. If I learn nothing else from Tony, I will valuably incorporate these three lessons into my life. 1. Be grateful and notice what the universe does offer. 2. Write down the life I want. 3. Look at what my biggest motivating factors are, and let them become the energy to drive me there. Win a free ticket to Tony’s Masterclass in Dublin. Check out positivelife.ie for details. The Pendulum Summit takes place in Dublin on January 8th 2016. Tony Robbins will host a 5 hour masterclass but there are a host of other incredible speakers too. He also has some great free tools and videos on his website if you want to get a taster of his work before you go. pendulumsummit.com
positive home
in your Your personal best directions, fabrics and colours.
By Amanda Collins
Finding out your personal Feng Shui element can allow you to bring things in to your environment that will feed you to thrive and help you to position yourself in directions that will improve flow. Essence Colours are colours that feed you. For example, if you’re a number 9, then your element is fire. Wood is the element that feeds fire, so bringing in little amounts of red/sunlight, red colours and wood or plants will help support you in your home - red because it represents the fire element. Your essence colours also help to support your energy and are the best colours for things that touch your body, such as clothing, bed sheets, even the colour of your car. Also bring in wood and green colours, as these represent wood – which feeds the fire! Your Personal Best Direction is your best location for prosperity and great fame and it’s recommended to have your back face this direction for productivity. When setting up your desk both at home or in the office, position yourself with your back to this direction. In your living room and dining room again position your back to these directions and you will be constantly supported while sitting. If you want to improve sleep, put the headboard of your bed facing the best sleeping direction.
Calculating the Male Trigram Subtract 1 from the birth year if born between January 1st and February 5th. Add all the digits of your birth year until it reduces to a single number. Subtract this single number from 11. The result is your Trigram number. If the result is 5, the gua becomes 2. (i.e. a man born on 1/23/1978 would use 1977 – see rule #1, 1+9+7+7=24, 2+4=6, 11-6=5, 5 becomes 2)
Calculating the Female Trigram Steps one and two are the same as above. Add 4 to this single number. The result is your Trigram number. If the result is 5, the gua becomes 8. (i.e., a woman born on 1/23/1978 would use 1977, 1+9+7+7=24, 2+4=6, 6+4=10, 1+0=1)
“Your personal Feng Shui element can allow you to bring things in to your environment that will feed you to thrive”
usually even-tempered but you can have sudden outbursts. You like to be moving and hate a job where you have to sit still for long. You are enthusiastic and can be loud at times. Essence Colours Greens - but the colour is not as effective the element Colours that feed you Black and blue Element that feeds you Water Wood’s shape Rectangular, columns, patterns vertical or horizontal Wood material Trees, plants and fresh flowers Personal Best direction South Best location for sleeping East
Number 4 Element: Wood You are Number 1 Element: Water You are flexible, yet focused and determined. You’re empathetic, artistic and given to deep thought but tend to worry too much and may be overly sensitive. Essence Colours Black, indigo or dark blue Colours that feed you Gold, silver and grey Element that feeds you Metal Water’s shape Wavy and curvy patterns Water material Metal fountains, aquariums and pools Personal Best direction Southeast Best location for sleeping North
Number 2 Element: Earth You are a very strong caregiver and can be a great leader but with Earthly intentions. Essence Colours Terracotta, yellow, browns and beiges Colours that feed you Red and purple Element that feeds you Fire Earth’s shape Square, low objects associated with the feeling of stability Earth’s material Large scale furnishings, sand, clay, ceramics, marble, granite, river rocks, crystals, adobe brick and stucco Personal Best direction Northeast Best location for sleeping West
Number 3 Element: Wood You are
insightful and often driven but, like the wind’s direction, you can change your mind abruptly and often. You tend to be creative and artistic. Essence Colours Greens - but the colour is not as effective the element Colours that feed you Black and blue Element that feeds you Water Wood’s shape Rectangular, columns, patterns vertical or horizontal Wood material Trees, plants and fresh flowers Personal Best direction North Best location for sleeping Southeast
Number 5 Element: Metal You are a natural born leader and authority figure. However, you can be headstrong with very strong masculine energy. Essence Colours White, gold, silver, copper, reflective colours and pastels Colours that feed you Earth tones, browns, yellows, cream Element that feeds you Earth Metal’s shape Oval, arches and round as when metal contracts Metal objects or material Rod iron, steel and copper, any objects made of metal Metal’s texture Smooth, as are the surfaces of metal when formed or heated Personal Best direction West Best location for sleeping Northwest
element Number 6 Element: Metal You are artistic, creative, sociable and talkative. Essence Colours White, gold, silver, copper, reflective colours and pastels Colours that feed you Earth tones, browns, yellows, cream Element that feeds you Earth Metal’s shape Oval, arches and round as when metal contracts Metal objects or material Rod iron, steel and copper, any objects made of metal Metal’s texture Smooth, as are the surfaces of metal when formed or heated Personal Best direction Northwest Best location for sleeping Southwest Number 7 Element: Earth You
Number 8 Element: Fire You are extremely active, sometimes to the point of being ill or burning yourself out. You are very passionate however and you can be hot tempered. Essence Colours Reddish like a flame, reds and purples, burgundy, cranberry Colours that feed you Green Element that feeds you Wood Fire’s shapes Triangles, pyramids and tall pointed shapes Fire material Candle, the colour red, full spectrum lighting, candles, lamps and night-light Personal Best direction East Best location for sleeping South amandacollins.com
are very stable; however, you can be stubborn. You are very youthful. Essence Colours Terracotta, yellow, browns and beiges Colours that feed you Red and purple Element that feeds you Fire Earth’s shape Square, low objects associated with the feeling of stability Earth’s material Large scale furnishings, sand, clay, ceramics, marble, granite, river rocks, crystals, adobe brick and stucco Personal Best direction Southwest Best location for sleeping Northeast
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stories for
Good LiFE 2.0
change TELLinG THE TALEs THAT mAKE A diFFEREnCE.
By Davie Philip
We are hardwired to create and share stories; that is how we learn and it is what shapes our identity. An authentic and well-told story helps us reimagine our lives, gives us hope and offers us a sense of what could be possible. If we want to have more influence in shaping a better world, storytelling is a crucial skill to master. A great majority of the stories we are exposed to appeal to values associated with consumption, status and our self-image. Transformational stories need to engage people’s ‘intrinsic’ or non-materialistic values, rather than ‘extrinsic’ or materialistic ones. When the stories we hear appeal to extrinsic values, we are far less likely to be concerned about the environment or have empathy for others. Generally, what is deemed to be newsworthy is anxiety-inducing or cultivates self-doubt and apathy. Headlines of crime, terrorism and celebrity scandals dominate, and rarely challenge the economic and social status quo. This narrative of negativity alongside the increasing amount of advertising we’re exposed to keeps us shopping, disconnected and unmotivated to engage in positive change. To meet the targets required to avoid catastrophic global warming, we must consume less. Yet the dominant cultural narrative encourages us to do the opposite. However, making people feel guilty about their lifestyle rarely leads to real change and research has shown that ‘threats’ used in communicating environmental or health matters can instead lead to denial and even cause resistance to change. At a recent conference, Mary Robinson demanded that we take the climate change issue personally asking: “What can you do to make the transition to a low-carbon future?” We definitely need to hear more compelling personal stories
35 “We need to hear your stories.” to inspire us to transform our lives and the places we live. At the Electric Picnic this year, I hosted a panel discussion on the topic of culture change. One of the panelists, a former researcher at a national radio station, remarked that when she pitched stories like these they were deemed ‘too worthy’! Sustainability issues need urgent responses, and although there are many great examples of inspirational, community-led initiatives helping their local areas flourish, are we hearing about enough of them? As someone involved with and aware of many of these initiatives, it’s often a surprise to me how little is known about transition initiatives, eco-villages, permaculture and other grassroots projects that are prototyping a different future. We need communities and individuals that have been successful in developing local
energy or food projects, strengthening their resilience or reducing their carbon footprint to share their learnings. We need to hear your stories. Initiatives like Creative Islanders, Change X and Get Involved are all providing platforms that do this and social media makes it easier too, but we can’t just ‘consume’ the stories, we all need get out from behind our screens and live our own part of this unfolding story of change, co-creating a narrative that matters. davie Philip is based at the Cloughjordan Ecovillage, he is a group facilitator and trainer and manages the Community Resilience programme at Cultivate Living and Learning. davie is collecting stories of transformational community-led projects; if you know of something in your area, send him an e-mail. davie@cultivate.ie
nATuR AL mEdiCinE
a flavour for
balance GETTinG A LiTTLE BiTTER BEFoRE mEALs.
By Colleen Kennedy
Long before the advent of science labs, mass spectrometry/gas chromatography and isolated compounds, the traditional medicine man or woman relied on the art of taste to decipher the quality and use of a plant. Now, I’m sure there may have been a few human casualties along the way as some of the most potent toxins come from the plant world, but the essence of this art is still used today, and now, combined with the knowledge of the science labs, we’re able to understand and utilise plant properties without the casualties! All of the world’s herbal traditions, from Ayurveda to TCM, Native American and our own Irish Herbalism use a system of communicating through taste and using that taste essence to return our bodies to a state of balance. Through scientific research, we can identify phytochemicals that correlate to these tastes and to justify and rationalise our use of these plants. But we must take our hats off to our ancestors who had this art all figured out long before we came along! There are an average of six tastes which are used in a medicinal way: bitter,
36
“there are an average of six tastes which are used in a medicinal way: bitter, astringent, sour, salty, pungent and sweet.” astringent, sour, salty, pungent and sweet. In this particular article, we’ll be getting bitter! Since that taste is probably most lacking and most beneficial to the typical Irish diet. Bitters are a flavour and phytochemical component in foods
and herbs that exert a very specific action on the digestive system. We have overloaded our taste buds with so many synthetic additives, preservatives and sweeteners that no one likes to taste that bitter flavour anymore, but it’s so crucial to the efficiency of our digestion. On
stimulation of the bitter receptors in our tongue, a message is sent to the brain to release a myriad of digestive enzymes from the mouth to the stomach, pancreas and liver. Bitters stimulate the secretion of the hormone gastrin, which regulates the production of gastric acid. Inadequate stomach acid will prevent the uptake of minerals, which in turn can rob the body of essential nutrition, even if those nutrients are being consumed as foods or supplements. Low acid also weakens stomach tissues, and is often the foundational cause of oesophageal reflux - though most people mistakenly believe they have too much acid. As we age and due to stress and eating on the run, we have a tendency to actually produce less stomach acid. Bitters act on both the pancreas and liver/gall bladder, helping to normalise blood glucose levels, and promote the production and release of pancreatic enzymes and bile, which ensure good digestion of fats and oils. From a traditional energetic perspective, an out-of-balance liver can be associated with anger and frustration, and bitter herbs can often be a part of a prescription
CNM
to help balance this energetic symptom of liver congestion. So where do we find this bitter? Chicory, endive, mustard greens, watercress, wild dandelion leaves, dandelion root and rocket are all good bitter foods and can be eaten in small amounts with a meal to have a therapeutic action. This is where the ‘salad before a
COLLEGE OF NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE
TRAINING SUCCESSFUL PRACTITIONERS
CHANGE CAREER
main meal’ concept came from. We also have some very bitter tasting herbs, Gentiana lutea (Gentian), being one of the most bitter. Barberry, dandelion root, centaury goldenseal, yarrow and yellow dock are other examples, though they have varying degrees of bitter principles and other synergistic attributes too. Bitter tinctures can be used in smaller doses 10-15 minutes before a meal to stimulate the digestive juices, but are also added to a formula in larger amounts for a cooling, detoxifying and antimicrobial effect. The cooling effect needs to be balanced for a certain type of constitution as it may be too cooling and drying for some types. It’s interesting that the bitter flavour is one we often avoid and, much like the bitter side of our emotions, may perhaps be better faced up to, acknowledged and thanked for the lessons in life and in medicine we can learn from them. Colleen Kennedy graduated in herbal medicine and naturopathic nutrition from Cnm and also lectures in herbal medicine at Cnm Galway and dublin campus. naturopathy.ie
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the wonder of therapeutic horticulture PosiTivE Food
By Hans Wieland
and independent living skills. The project inGardening love with garden includes a polytunnel and is grant is
bitter greens
aided in 2012 by the National Lottery with a wonderfully flexible medium the specific purpose of ‘improving physical and mental health.’ that can disCovER FLAvouR sERiEs no. 4: BiTTER. The Senses Garden at The Organic transform lives, By hans Wieland Centre has become a well-copied feature, and, working family and include the broad-leafed Nuance detoxifying the blood. It all helps I discovered the tasteIofhave black coffee and Helen McCauley - who works asdigest a fats in The Before Organic Centre, seen firstand the curly-leafed Pancalieri. The latter is in a more efficient manner. as a student, I was allowed as a teenager virtually self- blanching. balance your taste to havegardening ‘Muckefuck’ or ‘Caro-Kaffee’, a everyone, ‘garden therapist’ inThey’ll Cregg House - buds got hand how can help I also try to produce ‘Chicons’ by and reduce cravings. Ayurveda cereal coffee made from the roots of many fromrecommends there. we “The use regardless agerye orand disability. forcing chicory in late autumn ideas and winter. consume all of chicory,of ground barley without the I lift the thickest roots, cut the leaves backhelps tastes for better health: sweet,using addictive was much people later in life say, raised beds our gardeners We allcaffeine. haveItheard just above the roots and force them in a pot salty, sour, bitter, pungent, and when I started growing chicory, radicchio participate “Gardening isastherapeutic,” but theofHSEcompost in a dark,wheelchairs warm place. It takes to fully astringent. Our western diet in the and endive part of my obsession with about three weeks to produce the ‘chicons’. primarily consists of sweet and taste and flavour for salads. They’re a garden project. Our sensory beds and funded Community Food Project (CFP) The ‘Witloof’ type Metafora is ideal for this salty tastes and it is to our benefit fantastic crop for winter harvesting in my purpose. to eat foods that activateplace all of our for all polytunnel and I love the bitterness their proves flower gardens offer a restful I coordinated from 2004 to of2011 taste buds. It’s also been suggested that leaves. ourbitter othergreens service usersbitter to enjoy through HealtHy, nutritious that with the following figures: consuming greens may reduce food Chicory, radicchio and endive aren’t since Bitter greens have a bold flavour that may cravings and aid in weight loss! common vegetables in Irish gardens, but vision, smell, taste, touch and sound,” starting with the CFP, participantstakehave some getting used to but the health that is going to change. Organic garden benefits are worth the effort. Bitter greens queen67% Joy Larkcom whenhealth, asked recently at more Hans Wieland has been working and teaching she says. reported better 91% are packed with vitamins A, C and K, and a public interview at the GIY Growfest in at The organic Centre since 1997. Essential active,Waterford 78% improved fitness less minerals like calcium, potassium and about what she wanted to seeand 81% reading: The organic salad Garden by Joy magnesium. Filled with folate and fibre happening, said, “I would hope gardeners Larkcom. And grab your own organic seeds for stressed. One of the other findingsand was low in fat and sodium, they are a grow more chicory, because they have chicory, endive and radicchio. Book and seeds nutritional many merits. They are naturallyprovided robust, are available from theorganiccentre.ie that gardening together ‘mentalpowerhouse.what is therapeutic horticulture? As mentioned in Colleen’s article mostly easily grown, have few pests and healthutilise gains forthatthose with specific also in this issue, eating bitter ground would otherwise be idle Social and Therapeutic Horticulture is the food activates taste buds that in winter.” difficulties.’ (J.P. Burke: Growing in Chicories are such a useful crop. They simultaneously stimulateformal name given to the use of plants enzyme production and provide salad leavesEvaluation from autumn rightReport) Confidence, 2007 and gardening to promote personal bile flow, promoting through to early spring if you stagger your Researchers at Bristol University healthyand digestion. The development, healing, health and sowing and choose varieties that mature better your food at different speeds. I sow into modules late University of London conducted research wellbeing. is digested, the July and early August and then plant early more nutrients September into ground recently vacated by which suggests that friendly bacteria which you’ll absorb from broad beans, garlic or potatoes. They are It can be part of a person’s rehabilitation are common in fertile soil your food. They’re not particularly difficult to growcause nor fussybrain to enable them to recover from a difficult digestive magic. soil type and arebeneficial very hardy. cells toabout produce the chemical What’s more, bitter The chicories (Cichorium Intybus) time in their lives such as drug addiction, greens also promote are wonderfully diverse and come in several serotonin. It also highlights the importance natural detoxification of bereavement or physical injury. distinct varieties. Radicchio is the popular of gardening organically without using the liver, regulating Italian name for chicory. Rossa die Treviso, It can help clients to learn new skills, and cholesterol, Palla Rossa and the green leafed Sugar Loaf chemicals and toxic sprays. balancing are my favourites. Endives (Cichorium has been shown to slow down the progress The CFP has group alsoinbeen working withand hormones Endivia) are another the chicory of a degenerative illness. Acquiring new the Occupational Therapy Department of skills can also improve the chances of “Consuming bitter the Mental Health Services in Sligo. The finding employment. greens gardening project,may as partreduce of a needs-based Other benefits include increased physical foodprogramme cravings and aid in therapeutic in the hospital, activity, social interaction, opportunities has supported a wide range of individual weight loss!” for voluntary work and social inclusion. goals, e.g. relaxation, exercise, socialising, (Thrive 2011) motor skills development, motivation
39
d d em to op an a ga co ga gi an
ov d sk u st b re ev su
ga do to to ac h C p
Iw su D a Cr in
40
recipes A very vegan Christmas.
By James Burke, chef at Cornucopia Dublin. For the past two years, we have been organising a vegan, Christmasthemed meal in the cosy upstairs dining room of Cornucopia, offering a set menu which includes an almost traditional plum pudding and custard. This issue’s recipe comes from what we serve there. The tempeh and Brazil nut roasts are individual, proteinpacked patties served with a rich plum sauce, resting on a creamy roasted cauliflower puree designed to soak up the flavours. I like to have some steamed, garlicy greens on the side.
In the recipe for the tempeh roasts, you’ll notice that it calls for either vital wheat gluten or tapioca flour. Both work very well but offer slightly different results. I prefer the texture of the vital wheat gluten flour, but using the tapioca flour is a perfect way to create a glutenfree alternative. For the sauce, you will see the addition of beetroot powder at the very end but it’s added just for colour and as it can be difficult to source, don’t worry if you can’t get a hold of it, though local health food stores are your best bet! Happy cooking!
Tempeh and Brazil Nut Roast Serves 3 to 4
Spiced Plum and Beetroot Sauce Makes about 500ml of finished sauce
50ml rapeseed oil 1 medium onion, diced 3 cloves of garlic, chopped 125g roasted Brazil nuts, chopped 400g tempeh, diced 35g vital wheat gluten flour or 35g tapioca flour 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 Preheat oven to 200 Celsius. Heat the oil in a medium sized pan and fry the onion for 5-7 minutes over a medium heat until lightly browned. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 5 minutes. 2 As they’re cooking, prepare the tempeh by finely dicing or mincing in a food processor. Place the diced tempeh into a medium mixing bowl then add the cooked onion, garlic and rapeseed oil. Pour the flour and salt into the bowl, and stir until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the chopped brazil nuts. 3 Use your hands to form into oval shaped patties (6 x 100g/8 x 75g). Place onto a baking tray and into preheated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until heated through. Remove from the oven and serve with the roast cauliflower puree and spiced plum sauce.
Roasted cauliflower puree
Photo: emma loughran
1 medium cauliflower, about 1kg in weight 120ml unsweetened soya milk, slightly warmed ¾ teaspoon sea salt 95 ml cold pressed rapeseed oil 1 Prepare the cauliflower removing the leaves and core. Break or chop into little pieces, place in a bowl and sprinkle the salt over. Add 15mls of the oil and mix to coat, then place on a baking tray and into the oven for 25 minutes until the cauliflower has browned and is very soft. 2 About 10 minutes before the cauliflower is ready, place the soya milk into a small saucepan and gently warm over a low heat. Once the cauliflower is ready, remove it from the oven and carefully place it into a large jug. Pour the warmed soya milk over the cauliflower and puree with a stick blender. 3 Once blended, slowly pour in the remaining 80ml of the oil, blending all the time until it achieves a lightly emulsified and smooth texture.
1kg plums 4 cloves garlic 40g ginger 400ml red wine vinegar 200ml water 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon chilli flakes 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns 4 star anise 2 cinnamon sticks 100ml tamari or shoyu soya sauce 100g agave syrup or apple concentrate 2 teaspoons beetroot powder 1 Quarter the plums, remove the stones and place into a
medium saucepan. Roughly chop the garlic cloves and ginger and also add to the saucepan. Pour in the red wine vinegar, salt, chilli flakes, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise and cinnamon sticks. 2 Cover the saucepan with a tight fitting lid, place over a medium heat and bring to a boil. Once boiled, reduce the heat and simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the sauce has been simmered, remove from the heat and pass the mixture through a fine sieve. Reserve the liquid and place it into a smaller, clean saucepan. 3 Add the remaining soya sauce and agave/apple concentrate. Bring this mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Stir regularly, as at this stage the sauce will be thickening up and therefore most likely to stick to the bottom of the pan. 4 Once the sauce has been simmering for 5-10 minutes it will have reached a sticky and glossy consistency. Now sift the 2 teaspoons of beetroot powder through a sieve and into the sauce and whisk to mix the powder thoroughly into the sauce. The sauce is now ready to serve, and can be cooled and stored for up to 2 weeks in a refrigerator. cornucopia.ie
positive food
winter
short & sweet
43
New Year’s Love A conscious New Year’s party. By Enda Donnellan Power of Love is now in its second year and originated from a desire to celebrate New Year’s Eve in a fun, loving, conscious way that also allows for stillness together while setting positive intentions for the year ahead. The event last year attracted people from all over Ireland. Together we danced, ate, chatted around a fire, laughed, meditated, caught up with old friends and made some new ones. We were
entertained through the night by World Music DJs, live music and drumming, comedy, an outdoor rooftop fire and tarot readings at the chai cafe. Because of the huge positive feedback, it’s happening again this New Year’s Eve. Perhaps one of the most special moments from last year, and sure to be again this year, is that at around midnight, we meditate together on sending love to the world for 2016. Additionally, this year we’re
continuing the celebration into the next day, offering breakfast and a sleep-over facility for those who would rather not drive home after the event. Space is limited for this option however. The location is in the heart of Greystones, away from the madness of the city and amidst the beautiful hills of County Wicklow. poweroflove.ie
sHoRT And sWEE T
the note from Heaven
Yogic Healing
HoW To sinG YouR sELF.
New Training beginning in Dublin February 2016
By Githa Ben-David
The Sat Nam Rasayan training is for anyone who wants to •
heal others with powerful tools
•
integrate silence and calmness into your life
•
develop awareness and intuition
•
learn more about meditation
By developing your meditative mind you come to a state of expansive awareness and ultimately to a state of silence. In this transcendent state of consciousness you have the capacity through your awareness to bring about healing. By studying Sat Nam Rasayan you enter a deep and wonderfully rich journey in consciousness. For more information on the new training email HarKiratKaur0013@gmail.com Mobile: 086 3722653 Web:www.satnamrasayan.ie
“In stillness lies the sound, which is the creative existence of God. Whoever masters the stillness and the silence and can read it gets all the knowledge that exists” Guru Dev Singh
Githa Ben-David is a Danish author, composer, singer and vocal sound therapist. She studied classical saxophone in The Royal Danish Academy and classical Khyal singing in Varanasi, is educated in regression therapy and healing, and in the work of Lars Muhl. She currently teaches a practice called The Note from Heaven. The Note from Heaven is an experience of wholeness. It is a state, where the voice sings you, rather than you sing the voice. The feeling of time disappears and the voice sounds like it descends from above and resonates down into and through your body. When the Note from Heaven manifests itself, the sound of the voice opens and gets full of light – over and undertones. The one single note you sing is opening like a rainbow of notes, and you are capable of expressing a power, that in many cases surprises people and makes them beam with happiness. Any human being with a voice can sing The Note from Heaven and it gives us access to self healing/healing power. How? Because everything is frequency. When you resonate with the sound you are, you return to being whole, and thereby healed. What is sought is a state free from any motive of achievement, where the ego feels safe to let the soul sing. Githa BD will lecture, breathe and sing with the audience, she will demonstrate soundscanning and how to sing your self free of traumas. You as the one you are. Githa will be at the Buddha Bag meeting for an introductory session in April 2016. githabendavid.dk
Make Your Soul Sparkle A bestselling, spiritual classic. By Calodagh McCumiskey
You are a guest at the memorial service of Apple chief Steve Jobs. Before you leave, someone hands you a brown box, containing a gift from Jobs to you, as to all the other guests. Inside you find a book. A book so good that Jobs thought everyone should read it! This book was Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. One of the bestselling autobiographies of all time and it continues to inspire people, year by year. The essence of the book captures the deeper purpose of yoga and meditation which is self-realisation, not by strengthening the individual ego and its attachments but by dissolving that little self, which blocks the view, and opening up a vaster, richer, cosmic view of reality – ultimately it inspires a soul connection. That’s why Jobs recommended the
autobiography of this supreme yogi. As Yogananda said: “All souls are equal. The only difference between you and me is that I made the effort...The soul always remains unpolluted, like age-long buried gold. All one has to do is wash off the dirt and spiritual rays will shine forth through one’s joy.” Every time I read his book, I feel connected to and grounded in myself, in my soul, in the present. After a difficult day, he makes sense of my day for me. He washes away the dirt. If you want to make your soul sparkle, try reading him! Calodagh McCumiskey teaches Japa Meditation, is a qualified Yoga teacher, offers Vedic Astrology consultations, and is co-founder of Spiritual Earth. hellenisticvedicastrology.com | spiritualearth.ie
Gratitude is Great Get your gratitude groove on. By Sarah McLean
Almost every moment offers an opportunity to be grateful. While practicing gratitude takes a bit of attention and time, scientists at the University of California have discovered that those who do, thrive. Grateful people enjoy lower levels of stress and depression, are more empathetic and generous, place less importance on material goods, are more satisfied with life and benefit from more vitality and optimism. Here are some easy ways to get your gratitude groove on. 1. Remember all who work on your behalf. As you go through your day, remember those who make your clothes, grow and pick your food, provide you with water and electricity, and those who built your car, house and place of work. Take a moment and look at the work that went into any item. Even this magazine. Many hands are a part of your life. 2. Attend to present moment. When you’re mindful, you can appreciate everyone around you and the environment you’re in. Right here, right now, your life is taking place. Savour life by slowing down to pay attention to each moment. On your way to
45 school or work you might notice the clouds form in the sky, or the sunlight reflecting off the leaves of a tree. Awaken to nature’s beauty and appreciate it. 3. Keep a gratitude journal. Before bed or first thing in the morning take a moment to jot down a list of people, things or experiences you’re grateful for. This will train your attention to look for what you’re grateful for all day, every day. Take a moment now to appreciate your life. This makes the world a friendlier place. mcleanmeditation.com
short and sweet
Take Back Your Power Diets versus mindset. By Caoimhe Harrison
Good Vibrations
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Be your energetic best. By Lucy Blyth Our mission at Phi Harmonics is energy excellence. We are innovators, passionate about maintaining energetic integrity. Today, we live with high levels of energy interference due to an increased amount of technology. From research and studies we’ve read, we don’t believe this is supporting our health, so we set out to find ways to create a healthier balance and this led us to creating the Energy Dots! How do you feel when you wake up? Do you feel energised and revitalised - ready for the day? What is your energy like when you use your mobile or computer? Stop for a moment, and tune in to how you feel. As Einstein said “Everything in life is vibration”. We are energetic beings finely tuned to resonate with one another and the natural frequencies of the earth and we wanted to tap back into this in a more positive way. The dots themselves are magnets acting as a storage device. They’re activated by Programmed Harmonic Interface Technology®, and similar to homeopathic medicine or other vibrational remedies where an energy signature is stored in a solid substance. Their powerful resonance retunes manmade electro magnetic fields (EMFs) to a natural harmonic by a process known as the ‘principal of entrainment’ and they operate like tuning forks on the immediate environment’s EMFs. There are other steps you can take too. Turn WiFi off at night when you don’t need it, switch to airline mode on your mobile when possible and try using a corded phone at home again. Changes are not always practical and we can’t escape entirely, but we’re happy to be helping people take little steps and feeling all the better for it. energydots.co.uk
We’ve all been there, trying every diet under the sun. So it begs the question – do diets work? It seems the only thing they are successful at is making people feel like failures when they can’t stick to them or the weight creeps back on and once again we are back in search of the new and latest diet. We are constantly weighing ourselves and allowing that number to determine our self worth. Yet on some level, we inherently know it’s madness giving so much power to this number. If we stop for a second and think how much better would my mood be today if I hadn’t weighed myself? The answer is: no feelings of self-guilt or shame. The flipside of course is that if we see the ‘magic number’ we are hoping for we are elated. However, this feeling of delight is very short-lived as that number has the power to relentlessly take the wind from our sails at any moment should it increase even slightly. When will we stop looking for the answer where it isn’t? I invite you to consider stopping this number from deciding your self worth. Regardless of how many times you have given it away – take back your power now. Taste the liberation! Look around you at the people who profess having the perfect number. Are they blissfully happy with perfect lives? For a permanent change, you must address the cause not the symptom. The cause is your mindset. Start today. Caoimhe Harrison is a Master Practitioner for eating disorders and all food, body and weight issues. armoin.ie
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Getting Healthy Naturally A new book on the naturopathic approach. For years, attention has been focussed on the medical management of disease rather than on proper investigation of its root causes. While the majority of drugs prescribed by doctors may seem to ‘cure’ or provide relief for a disease, most of them only relieve symptoms or pain associated with the disease. In ‘Getting Healthy Naturally’ by naturopath John Byrne N.D., B.H.Sc., he argues that in order to achieve a successful outcome for any ailment, one first needs to get an accurate diagnosis of the underlying causes or conditions. A central theme is that all major health conditions today share a common underlying trait that an increasing number of health researchers believe to be the ultimate cause – inflammation. John outlines many ways that inflammation can occur, as well as how to restore your body to health by combating these hidden factors through safe and effective, natural healing methods. “The symptoms of disease are the remedial efforts of the body attempting a cleansing process in an effort to rid itself of accumulated toxins. As such, the power to cure disease resides only within the patient’s body and that innate healing power cannot fully prevail until wrong living habits stop and the fundamental elements of nature in fitting measure, have been set in place.” Properly managed, the disease process is also the road to cure. naturaltherapy.ie
Daily Detox Tips Reboot yourself for the new year. By Maria Donlon
Winter is a great time of year for a reboot, whether it’s to offset the Christmas indulgence or to boost immunity in the middle of the coldest months. The good news is that our bodies are naturally designed to detoxify themselves every single day. So what is the purpose of all of this detoxing? The body is working hard all the time to maintain the delicate balance between acid and alkaline, the PH level. We can assist this natural process with some simple actions. Hydration: We should all be getting a minimum of 2 litres of fluids per day. Add fresh lime wedges to your drinking water for flavour and to help raise that delicate PH balance. Sleep: The deepest cleansing cycle occurs while we are sleeping so it’s really important to be getting 6-8 hours of restful sleep every night. If you have trouble falling asleep make sure to turn off your mobile phone, try some simple breathing exercises and avoid eating for 2 hours before going to bed. Start the day with warm water with fresh lemon and a pinch of cayenne pepper. This helps to flush out toxins built up overnight, kickstarts the digestive system and gets our blood flowing. Go green: Adding green vegetables to the diet is one of the quickest ways to help alkalise the body. Try adding green vegetable juices to your daily diet for a readily absorbable supply of alkalising nutrients. lifecleanse.ie
An Ocean’s Harvest Sea veg in our supermarkets. By Manus McGonagle
Imagine the full power of the Atlantic Ocean as its crashing waves meets our shores. Imagine the garden of sea plants that grows just below the surface and their amazing strength and resilience to survive and flourish in these turbulent conditions. These plants are described as “the most nutritious form of vegetation on the planet”. At Quality Sea Veg, there is a great satisfaction from making these wonderful natural source of vitamins and minerals available to the public through supermarkets and health food shops nationwide, as well as renowned restaurants including Chapter One, Cliff Town House, Cliff House Restaurant and Harry’s Restaurant. Feedback has been that the sea vegetables are exciting to use and versatile with unique tastes, textures and colours, not to mention their health benefits. It’s no wonder the interest and demand keeps growing. Each sea vegetable grows at different times of the year. It’s
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important it’s harvested when it’s at its peak – just matured and clear from settlements of other seaweed and crustaceans. It should be kept chilled, then dried as soon as possible with circulating air and low temperature so as to not damage the wonderful vitamins and minerals content. If you want to discover some recipes, including photos and nutritional information, look out for Prannie Rhatigan’s Irish Seaweed Kitchen. qualityseaveg.ie
short and sweet truth and feelings in an atmosphere of acceptance – it’s not a time for mutual criticism or judgement. Also remember, the hesitation might be to say something beautiful – it doesn’t have to be negative. As the giver and the receiver, respect the courage and trust required to make this work. Focus on the ‘I feel’ approach, with kindness and trust.
Creating Connection Even where it has been lost. By Mick Sawtell In my Tantric practice in Dublin, relationships are an important topic and often a pattern clearly emerges of a deep
longing, mainly in the woman, for a feeling of real connection with their partner that may have been lost over the years. Communication often degenerates to half truths in an attempt to keep the peace or protect our partner from hurt. There are some very powerful tools that can be used to help re-establish honest communication and connection. Create a quiet space where both partners are prepared to take this big step of opening up more honestly to each other. The purpose is to share your personal
»» As you sit or lie together, breathe consciously and open up eye contact. After a few minutes, when you feel ready, whoever’s going first, feel into your heart and say to your partner: “Something I’ve been hesitating to tell you is...” and say from your heart what you’ve been wanting to share but felt afraid to. As mentioned before, your partner should attempt to hear this without judgement or response. Then it’s the partner’s turn to share something they’ve been hesitating to tell you. Keep swapping as the feeling of connectedness grows. »» Follow up in the same manner with, “Something I’ve been hesitating to ask you...” »» Lastly, continue with, “Something I need you to help me with...” Tantra-TLC.com
The Benefits of Biomagnetism Gratitude for my return to wellness. By Wendy Harris I had found myself at breaking point. I was suffering daily with an ongoing right-sided pain, swelling, dizziness and nausea, unable to work and struggling most days just to get through. Doctors were unable to pinpoint or assist with the pain over the prolonged period of time that I was being referred and tested. I was recommended to the Institute of Biomagnetism and it was truly a saving grace and the only treatment that had any positive effect for me. As soon as I started Biomagnetism treatment, there was improvement, the pain would subside and the swelling gradually reduced. It turned out that I had multiple, reoccurring ovarian cysts and various other underlying issues caused by different pathogens, all of which have resolved following treatment. An added bonus was that the sessions also treated my ongoing sinus and throat issues that I had been enduring for many years not to mention the flu last winter as well! Not only did Raymond assist me in healing physically, he
Let Yourself Off the Hook Dr. Hensley’s message from heaven. By Elva Carri
51 has also assisted in raising my energy levels and returning me back to me. The Institute offers a truly unique service that has been of tremendous benefit for me. biomagnetism.ie | raymondcadwell.ie
Speaking to Dr. Mary Helen Hensley on the phone, she is chirpy, giggles at jokes with abandon and utter joy bubbles down the line. I wished I had more questions prepared than I did just to keep her on longer. She’s the author of a recently published book, Promised by Heaven. It details her journey here on earth, her
healing and psychic abilities and also her experience of heaven, following a car crash in 1996. If she could only share one message from heaven, what would it be? “Let yourself off the hook!” she exclaims assuredly, and goes on to explain further. “We’re too hard on ourselves, judging ourselves.” She encourages everyone to embrace all aspects of this human experience, the painful and difficult along with the pleasurable, and talks about her own difficult times as cornerstones of what make her who she is, saying “I love everything that’s ever happened to me.” She also notes that, “You are what you love, and what you love is what you give your attention to.” From mindfulness and meditation, you may have learned a similar point before, that what we give our attention to is often or always what becomes large in our lives, but seeing that we are what we love, yet we have the choice of what that love and attention gets focussed upon, is certainly a beautiful and helpful point to take away, and hold onto forever. maryhelenhensley.com
short and sweet
A Bio Break in Co. Wicklow
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Ultra luxury in Ireland’s only bio hotel. By Elva Carri The BrookLodge is a bio hotel that also encompasses the Wells Spa, Macreddin Village and ‘Strawberry Tree’, the only certified organic restaurant in Ireland. Much of the food across BrookLodge is grown or foraged on site – including the eggs from the free range chickens happily roaming the grounds when you arrive. It’s set in the stunning Wicklow Valley and although I went there primarily for the hot tub, there were so many reasons I didn’t want to leave. A two minute stroll, and on the grounds of the hotel is Macreddin Village, home to Italian restaurant La Taverna Armento. After three courses of some of the most amazing Italian food I’ve eaten in Ireland, I was well ready for bed but if you’re up for more fun, Acton’s Pub next door is perfect for cosy winter evenings.
The Wells Spa is famous for its outdoor hot tub, bubbling away next to the very brook the lodge is named after and didn’t disappoint. I was also treated to my first ever facial. Admitting that I’d never had a facial before led to the loveliest chats with my therapist and heading out, skin aglow and eyebrows perfectly groomed, I felt like I was leaving after spending time with an old friend. What stood out most during my stay were two things though. Firstly, the focus on local, home grown produce rings true throughout the lodge and leads to amazing food wherever you turn, and secondly, the staff were so calm yet friendly, that this seemed to have a knock on effect on the guests, leading to one of the warmest hotel vibes I’ve had the pleasure of being in the midst of. brooklodge.com
Relaxation is Happiness A new priority. By Manini Linuza I believed that progress is happiness, something I learned from listening to motivational speaker Anthony Robbins. Having movement in my life was my goal, because it’s easy to feel good if you are progressing, but my highest priority is no longer achievement. My priority is to relax. Your actions are based on what’s important to you. Values and priorities fuel your actions. As movement and success were my life goals, I would constantly ask myself ,“What is the most productive thing I can do right now?” I became obsessed with efficiency so that I could constantly be killing a few birds with one stone. If
I wasn’t, I was wasting my time. This caused stress in my body and mind. I knew I needed to change something. One day, I was having a cup of tea at my sister’s, a yogi tea, you know the one that has the little fortune note attached? My note read “mental happiness is total relaxation”. I thought for a second, is this true? I felt inward, I began to relax. Yes, it is true. I immediately began to feel good. When you relax, you automatically become more present. Life happens on its own, like a heart beating automatically. Whether I choose to get involved or not, life is constantly moving. Do you think if you stop putting in effort your life will stop? Actions are natural and it’s so easy to move from one thing to the next. But relaxation, being still, being silent, I think that’s more unnatural, in a sense. It can be more difficult to sit in silent stillness with yourself. But with relaxation, you open yourself to higher potential. Your life becomes less rigid. More happens – more flow, more movement, more progress. Relaxation is progress, is happiness. maninilinuza.wordpress.com
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go big
and go home
confronting your dreams.
By Elva Carri
“It’s much easier for me to make major life, multi-million dollar decisions, than it is to decide on a carpet for my front porch.” ~ Oprah Winfrey
in it. But one small word of warning – it might be scary! These are some of the things I wish I’d thought to do before I went or while I was there.
In October, I took a trip to San Francisco to look my (current) dreams in the eye. Along with some other amazing ladies, I run an online and offline community called GirlCrew that operates as a really easy way for women to make and sustain new friendships. We have 20,000 members in cities all over the world, and they flew us to California to find out more about what it takes to build a really successful, really big community. Everything in Silicon Valley feels huge. Investments and valuations are greater than in Ireland, numbers of users of apps created by ‘little’ start-ups are huge, even the buildings and portion sizes are massive. I found myself face to face with some of the most amazing realities of what is possible when tech and humans meet, and at the same time, face to face with the challenges and difficulties that come in merging the two at that scale. It was like flying into the future and seeing parts of your dreams realised by other people. One piece of advice we received, was to “Make new mistakes”, reminding us that no one gets it perfectly right, but we can learn from where others have struggled or failed. I’d recommend anyone with a big dream, a big goal or a big idea, to search out a place where plans like yours take shape and to go there. Find people to talk to, find things to visit, immerse yourself
1 Remind yourself of your individual, unique strengths. Your skills, life experience and knowledge might be similar to other people, you might even feel there are areas where you’re lacking, but your combination is unique to you. No one could do what you’re doing exactly like you. And if there are areas you need to strengthen or things you need to delegate or learn more about – you’re perfectly capable of that. If your factfinding mission highlights these things, all you have to do is jot down a note and take action on it. 2 Remind yourself of what you have. Looking at what others have done – be it opening an amazing restaurant, writing a book or building an app – can be intimidating. It’s great to learn from others, but don’t let it wipe your memory of what you have created. See what they’re doing brilliantly and what you admire about them, jot down a note, and take action on it. Look at their weaknesses too, and pat yourself on the back for how you’re doing in comparison. 3 Come home. That doesn’t have to mean flying home from another country, it might just be finding a spot or an activity that makes you feel at home, or at ease. Take a break or a breath, and then start
“It was like flying into the future and seeing parts of your dreams realised by other people.” working your magic the way only you know how, all over again. One day multi-million dollar decisions might feel like a breeze, but you can only take one step at a time. After visiting your dreams, you’ll at least know which direction you’re headed. Elva Carri is the editor of Positive Life, freelance writer and and one of the founders of GirlCrew. girlcrew.rocks
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