Positive Life – Winter 2018/19

TAKE A WALK

On The Camino

HO’OPONOPONO

I Love You, Please Forgive Me

TANTRA/JUDITH MCADAM Merge With Love And Romance

Are we living in a

Virtual Reality?

We Ask Tom Campbell

WINTER 2018/19 PRICELESS

positivelife.ie

Herbal revolution Herbs to ease busy thoughts and help you wake feeling refreshed*

*Wholistic Ashwagandha formula contains iodine which contributes to normal cognitive function and energy yielding metabolism

pukkaherbs.com

“Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself.”

Mawlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi In our main feature this issue, Tom Campbell says that from his research he feels we are living in a virtual reality and he draws the same conclusion as all the great spiritual teachers...to play the game well, you need to give love and forget about getting it. It’s about the giving, service to the self, the one, we are all connected. Throughout this issue you will find love flowing as a theme, follow it and see where it leads you. Love is making a comeback. You heard it here first. There is no stopping it. It’s who we are.

‘Tis the season of gift giving, give those gifts with an extra dollop of love and tell the people how much they mean to you. We have collected some of this love in our new eBook, our main interviews from the last ten years - it’s almost ready and will appear on our website soon, keep an eye out.

Meanwhile, love to you all this season. paul congdon, Publisher

Contentment 4 Winter Vibes Bite-sized highlights of the holistic scene 6 Positively Newsworthy News to uplift you 10 Spirituality and the City Exploring what love means 12 Positive Parenting At Ease for the Festive Season 14 Judith McAdam Momentum: the secret to cultivating romance 16 Amanda Collins The magic of flexibility 18 Sandy Newbigging Giving love without the limits 20 Jai Kartar Honour your elements 22 Earthsong Sneak peek at one of 2019’s most meaningful festivals 24 Winter Retreat Enlightenment on the Camino 26 Tantra Merging with love this season 28 Tom Campbell The consciousness pioneer testing bounds of reality 32 Be Winter Ready The might of vitamin D 34 Davie Philip The freedom of frugality 36 CNM How your tooth care influences your body 38 Hans Wieland The charms of chicory and endive PHOTO: DAVID KENNA

40 Winter Recipe The ‘fishless’ cake that packs a punch 43 Short and Sweet Winter’s most enticing holistic happenings 56 Positively Metaphysical Cultivating connections 59 Dr. Alweena Awan How a Hawaiian forgiveness practice taught her to heal 60 Pranic Healing We take a closer look at this revolutionary method 62 Astrology How the planets map our human experience

Publisher PC Media paul@positivelife.ie Co-Editorial Alison McEvoy and Aisling Cronin editor@positivelife.ie Design Conor O’Brien info@conorobrien.ie Ad Design Caroline Hanan caroline.hanan@gmail.com Advertising Paul Congdon paul@positivelife.ie 0861579518 Social media Aisling Cronin editor@positivelife.ie

Thanks to our advertisers, we can give Positive Life magazine to you for FREE. If you’re talking to them, let them know we sent you their way.

Please use the information provided in this publication as a recommendation only to better mental and physical health. We strongly advise you to consult your doctor regarding health concerns that you may have. The views expressed by contributors and advisors do not necessarily represent the views of the publication’s staff.

Printed, published, packaged and distributed in Ireland. positivelife.ie

winter vibes “SOMETIMES IT TAKES DARKNESS AND THE SWEET CONFINEMENT OF YOUR ALONENESS TO LEARN ANYTHING OR ANYONE THAT DOES NOT BRING YOU ALIVE IS TOO SMALL FOR YOU.” DAVID WHYTE

4 winter

preservation Super-Immunity With eleven species of organically-grown mushrooms, Bio-Defense capsules are at the ready to supercharge your immunity this winter. Superpowers like aiding recovery from viral and bacterial infections, and invigorating the cardiovascular system, make these little capsules a great way to fortify your winter defences. hifasdaterra.co.uk

Pure Mineral PrizMAGs Magnesium supplement with calcium has something worth boasting about – it’s the only magnesium supplement on the market without the bulky fillers that cause stomach upsets.

You’ll be counting your zzzs in no time with this easily absorbed, side-effect free, wonder of the magnesium world. mag365.co.uk

Winter Abundance Stock up on a wealth of nutrients, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants throughout the winter months with a daily dose of organic Aloe Arborescens Juice. Your skin and your immune system will thank you for it! greenhealthstore.ie

Stress-eaze Irish-based nutrition company Macanta has created a powerful winter stressbusting combo including B-vitamins, hops and lemon balm. Their L-Theanine and L-Ornithine complex will help you to ease your way into hibernation by supporting relaxation, restful sleep and a balanced nervous system.

nice! Check out Emma’s website for more seasonal fragrances. emmas.ie

Homemade Hemp Get your hemp fix this winter at The Hemp Kitchen on Capel Street. Try their delicious hemp-heart, superfood truffles, hempmilk eggnog or take a swig of their roasted hemp seed and Sumatra coffee. And if it takes your fancy, why not check out their DIY hemp milk kits. thehempkitchen.ie

Homage to the Divine Feminine

upliftment

Moon Mná have created a way for you to honour, empower and nurture your inner feminine force, through their beautifully illustrated Celtic Moon Diary.

A constellation of heartwarming women’s stories, Celtic Goddesses, self-care tips and affirmations adorn each page.

Scents of the Season

moonmna.ie

Light up the darkness and call in the wonderment of the season with Emma’s So Naturals winter edition, spiced orange soy candles. Woody, warm, sweet and spiced, you’ll soon be in the mood for all things

Freeze-dried Delights

Macanta.ie

Chocolate modeller, Vera O’Sullivan has recently added to her array of creative baking and eating possibilities. You can now add a topping of summer to your

Beacon of Positivity Our New Year series of Positive Nights will inject your heart, mind and soul with rays of inspiration, upliftment and enchantment. Join in the wisdomsharing and connect with like-hearted individuals...

Green health store

Rock in the New Year hearty winter porridge with her freezedried fruit range. And there’s no added sugar, additives or preservatives. Just pure fruit-jewels. veramiklas.com

Gut-health Guru

The Pendulum Summit looks seriously cool this year, with the main man himself Colin Farrell as one of the key speakers, along with Basil Fawlty aka John Cleese.

This is a rocking event to start your new year… pendulumsummit.com

In the newly established Yoga Kitchen in the heart of the Liberties, you’ll find a variety of yoga dishes to delight the senses, from Prenatal to Vinyasa, slowflow and yin. And the vision pulsating at the centre of it all is “[the] intention to embody the warm hearth of the Irish kitchen where the door is always open and a welcome waiting.” yogakitchen.ie

Keep the roses in your cheeks this winter and check out the Whole Health Centre’s gold-standard array of remedies, health foods, cosmetics and on site health and holistic practitioners. Keep an eye out on Facebook for their pop up events and healthy tips too.

Pendulum Summit

facebook.com/Wholehealthballybrack

Live Sustainably

Haven of Compassion

The Organic Centre, Co. Leitrim invites you to start sowing some new resolution seeds for 2019. Ever wanted to find out more about organic gardening, growing and sustainable living? Check out their full-time one year horticultural course and a host of mini courses they offer on natural cosmetics, fruit growing and willow basket making.

Ireland’s first Tibetan Buddhist temple is being built in West Cork. With a planned finish date in 2020, the temple at Dzogchen Beara will be a place for practitioners of the Buddhist teachings of wisdom and compassion, and for meditation retreats and seminars that welcome people of all spiritual traditions. To learn more, or to donate and have your name included in the temple, visit:

theorganiccentre.ie

dzogchenbeara.org

Thrive Alive For two days, across five floors, thousands of people will gather at the Thrive Festival 2019 to celebrate, discover and learn new ways to experience better health. The folks at Thrive have gathered a team of professionals to guide you along the path of embracing new means of living a healthier life.

Thrivefestival.ie

The Art of Eating is a health store full of character and craic, run by Wenmi Mohaci and the brilliant Betty - ask for her if you pop in. They’ll take care of all your health-food needs plus you’ll find a variety of classes from mindfulness to Tai chi on offer, to get you moving this winter.

Picture of Health

dublinvitalitycenter.com

Hearth of Yoga

Flair for Health

facebook.com/ art-of-eating-128715807213281

Wanting to understand, once and for all, the whys, hows and wherefores of the evermentioned ‘gut health’? Check out Frances Flannery’s Ultimate Guide to Functional Gut Health, for an intrepid journey of discovery into the magic of your gut.

Available on Amazon.

shine in the dark

positivelife.ie/positivenights

Dzogchen Beara

5 Artist impression of finished temple

positively newsworthy GOOD NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE. POSITIVELIFE.IE

1 Day of Kindness YOUNG PEOPLE GET TOGETHER TO SPREAD LOVE

by Aisling Cronin

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In a world that that could do with more kindness, children are often the bright spark that gives us hope. This was certainly true this past autumn in the community of Mulgrave Park, Halifax, Canada. Young people in this community were inspired to celebrate a special Spread the Love Day, during which they took to the streets of Halifax, handing out candies and cards. The cards were printed with a variety of inspiring messages, such as ‘life is better with you in it’ and ‘you just made my day’.

As one Halifax police officer wrote a ticket for a person who had just been pulled over, a child named Chanea Parsons approached, giving a card to both the driver and the officer. “He was very receptive to getting a card while he was getting a ticket, so that was kind of fun,” she said. “I hope I made a small impact on his day.”

DeRico Symonds, a community outreach worker with the Phoenix Outreach Program, explained that Spread the Love Day aimed to present a positive image of the Mulgrave Park community. “It started through summer programme planning

with Phoenix Youth Programs. From there, we presented it to the kids and every idea after that was basically theirs.”

One of the children, Jayce Forgeron, agreed that Spread the Love Day revealed the positive side of his neighbourhood.

“Most people think that we’re a community that’s about violence and all that, but we’re more of a family who like to help each other.”

Youth workers hailed the success of this amazing event on their Facebook page, saying, “We showed downtown Halifax what community spirit and the community of Mulgrave Park is all about.

The youth are already talking about what we can do next year, to make it bigger and better!”

“The cards were printed with inspiring messages: ‘life is better with you in it’ and ‘you just made my day’.”

2 Autism-friendly services BREAKING BARRIERS

by Alison McEvoy As more and more people are touched by the phenomenon that is autism, many parts of society have started a wave of change in the direction of acceptance, inclusivity and co-operation with the needs of people on the autism spectrum.

The information which comes in through the senses of an autistic person is heightened, and often overwhelming.

These initiatives focus on making stores and businesses comfortable places for autistic people to be and to carry out their daily business.

“acceptance, inclusivity and co-operation” Here at home, Clonakilty has become Ireland’s first designated autismfriendly town thanks to the participation of over 212 organisations. In collaboration with the As I Am charity, these businesses have implemented four simple measures to make their services welcoming to customers with autism: - Availability of maps and visual guides

of their facilities - Accessibility of their buildings to service dogs - Creation of relaxation spaces where guests who become overwhelmed by their surroundings can rest and recover - Establishment of ‘quiet times’ where the environment is adjusted to be less stimulating In the UK, the shopping chain Morrison’s have designated 9am-10am on Saturday mornings the autism friendly hour.

During that time each of their 493 stores is dedicated to providing a calm shopping experience for autistic customers. They switch off the music, dim the lights, turn checkout beeps down and avoid public announcements over the in-store microphone. All in all, it doesn’t take much to make environments a little more autism friendly, wouldn’t you say?

3 From smoke to steam HYDRO-POWER TURNS TRAINS ‘GREEN’

by Alison McEvoy

As ever and always, human ingenuity, creativity and the drive to leave a sustainable earth to the generations to come, strikes again - this time in the form of the world’s first hydrogen-powered train.

Hydrogen is already used to power other vehicles, as in the Scottish town of Aberdeen where there exists a fleet of hydro-powered buses shuttling passengers to and fro. Trains however, are a much heavier means of transportation and thus this new technology could mean a sizeable step forward towards a zero-emissions world. Currently enroute along a 62 mile stretch in Northern Germany, their only by-product is steam and water.

The hydro-trains were created by a French company, Alstrom, for operation along non-electrified lines. A single tank of hydrogen gives them a run of about

1,000 kilometres, meaning these green bullets are just as mighty as their diesel ancestors. It’s no surprise then that the heads of British, Norwegian and Italian governments have turned, with France set to debut its first hydrogen train in 2022.

All around the world there are businesses, companies, families and individuals coming up with ways to reduce waste, to maintain the natural environment and ultimately, to sustain the animal and human life which lives from that environment. So, get on board (pardon the pun) and celebrate the shift to sustainability!

“…a sizeable step forward towards a zero-emissions world.”

positively newsworthy the little things

2C ommunity Spirit TRANSFORMING HARDSHIPS INTO BLESSINGS.

by Alison McEvoy It took a while for me to venture beyond the pool in my local gym. I simply had no desire to sweat it out on a static bike, or cram into a cardio class disguised as a dance lesson.

“The loss and loneliness he feels...(has) strengthened his determination to reach out to others.”

One day however, I took a less travelled route from the pool to the exit and came across a darkened room which housed strange and intriguing machines.

I learned that there was no entry to this room without an instructor present and so, surprising myself, I signed up for a class. The gravity tower and I have been meeting weekly every since and I love the heavy, settled feeling that sinks into my muscles after each class.

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The class atmosphere, on the other hand, tended to be on the chill, distant and formal side. There wasn’t much chatting, no one had questions, requests or feedback, and the dialogue consisted exclusively of the trainers’ monologue from start to finish.

This continued to be the case until one day a man (let’s call him Joe) showed up whose warmth and presence brought with it a sense of camaraderie and connection to each class, which I now consider a gathering, thanks to Joe. Joe is forever telling new personal anecdotes. He saves them especially for when someone is faltering on an exercise and needs the distraction. Sometimes he goes in for all out encouragement of the cheerleading kind - ‘you can do it!’ And he never fails to congratulate the trainers of a class well led.

I learned recently that Joe lost his wife a few years ago, after a long illness during which time he was her caregiver. The loss and loneliness he feels at her passing has only strengthened his determination to reach out to others, share humanity and create community wherever he goes.

1B etter Late Than Never…

ON (MAYBE) DRIVING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS.

by Aisling Cronin I recently started driving at the age of 28 – a full decade after I was legally allowed to learn. I put it off for so long because driving was never a skill that carried an urgent relevance in my life – as a lifelong Dubliner, I’ve grown used to being able to hop on public transport whenever I need to go somewhere. I’ve rarely found myself in a position where I cannot reach my destination by bus, Luas or Dart.

“Whenever I falter, I remember her great courage … and I drive on.”

In some ways, I think I should have begun to learn years ago, but as my wise mother often reminds me, there are no ‘shoulds’ in life. We learn whenever we are truly motivated to learn and we grow whenever we are ready to grow.

The process of learning how to drive has been both daunting and joyful. It has helped me to refine many of my mental skills: how to stay calm when faced with unexpected obstacles, how to be more flexible and sharp in my reactions, and above all … how to have faith in myself, knowing that despite the odd setback, I really can do this.

During one lesson, my instructor shared an amazing story about a past student of his: a 70-year-old woman who, when faced with the tragedy of her husband’s death, had taken it into her hands to learn how to drive. He had always driven when the couple needed to travel, as she was too scared to learn. And yet – in the face of her overwhelming grief, and the anxiety she had undoubtedly felt at being a learner driver at such an advanced stage of her life – this woman took the wheel and eventually triumphed in her test.

Whenever I falter, I remember her great courage … and I drive on.

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spirituality & the city WHAT DOES LOVE MEAN TO YOU? Paula Ginnell When asked to write a piece on what love means to me I felt like Winnie the Pooh when Piglet asked, “How do you spell LOVE?” The wise bear replied, “You don’t spell it, you feel it.”

The love I have for my son Harry is a particularly special one. I struggle to describe the love I have for Harry. Harry struggles with words too: he is five, has cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user. He cannot tell me he loves me but a hug from him would cut off your carotid artery.

He gives love unconditionally and teaches me the value of kindness.

He is resilient and determined, and watching him make progress (however slowly) reminds me that in times of adversity I must dig deep and persevere.

He is my bright, shining star, and I wake every day so immensely grateful l that I am the lucky one who gets to be his mum. So dear Pooh, I totally get you. You don’t spell LOVE, you feel it.

Zoe Moore

Cian O’Reilly

As a child I understood the words, “Love others as you love yourself.”

Then, I began to live in the world. I grew with the world and, from a misguided sense of service, I unbalanced the sentence. I leaned towards loving others alone.

The world liked my loving projections and I gladly supplied. Like a fragile bird my love flew, flapped, and fluttered. It struggled. It couldn’t keep up with the insatiable demand for love.

Flying so far away, my love lost its balance and sought shelter in notions of love. The bird becomes trapped. Eyes dulled, its beauty wanes and its strength weakens.

Unless it wakes up and remembers its wings. That it can still fly, and seek its rightful place - Home.

As an adult of 36, I realise I need to learn the words the other way round. “Love yourself. Only then, can you love others.” Not selfish love, or self-less love; Self- Love.

Only now am I beginning that journey. So, at the moment, this is what love means to me.

Love is pretty popular in mainstream culture. We like it. It feels good. It seems safe enough...right?!

I think not. I say that love is the most radically subversive idea of all time. It’s totally anarchic, taking no heed of bureaucratic decisions, political borders or family feuds. It does precisely what it wants (which is always profoundly unpredictable) with a blatant disregard for any rules. This is a wild and terrifyingly free force living in us.If we were all to start loving one another, just think what might happen to law enforcement! Prisons, courts, police, the entire war industry and even bicycle lock makers would become obsolete.

Love’s true danger to our known way of life runs even deeper still. What if we were to love deeply enough that we saw through to the perfect truth, purity and goodness at the core of our beings?

We would have no choice but to acknowledge that we in fact are Love itself and that the problem-filled things we thought we were never even existed in the first place.

Sandra Cafferkey I used to dream about growing up and falling in love!! That makes me laugh today because I now realise Love has many faces - from family to friendship, not just the romantic love experience.

It’s experiential, expressed in and through the dynamics of our relationships. But somehow it goes beyond that too. I think it’s the fundamental law to the meaning of life itself.

We all have hearts, the planet too. Love nourishes the heart, mind and spirit of each person. We flourish whether receiving or giving it through actions of kindness, compassion, sharing, caring, truthfulness, or just simple goodness.

But, sometimes, I find it hard. Then forgiveness becomes part of the deal. So, I pray for God to open my heart a little further and keep practicing. Love transforms our lives, our consciousness and ultimately heals, but we have to practice it.

Every day presents opportunities to choose. Maybe I’m a dreamer, but I want to live a life that answers the question, did I love well rather than did I live well?

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Gar Duignam For a long time love was something outside of me. If I was smart, or funny enough, or looked a certain way, I might just be lucky enough for love to enter my life - and it did on occasion. There would be butterflies and excitement, longing and craving for the source of love to come along so I could experience my next fix.

I realised though that with this love came its opposite, Fear: if love was outside of me, I could just as easily lose it again.

Then, one day, something changed in me. Fear just fell away. The only way I can describe it is as if my ego just got up and packed its bags and walked out the door.

I now started to see the world through the eyes of a child and I started to feel what real love was. All that was left was love. It wasn’t selective; it didn’t pick or choose who or what it would love. It was all-inclusive; it was the love of what is.

Sandra M. Kwiatkowska I don’t know what love means...

But I know how it feels.

I know this gentle feeling of the space of an open heart.

That still, vast dimension between let it be and let it go.

That sensation, when my heart is tired of the constant chasing of the mind, And when it realises, that the only right thing is to surrender...

When you ask me what does love mean to me, I assume that you want me to analyse something which by its nature cannot be analysed.

Would you be able to analyse the feeling that fills up your heart when you see life waking up at sunrise?

Would you be able to analyse the feeling when you watch butterfly wings flapping in the wind?

Would you be able to analyse the warmth you experience when you look into another being’s eyes, and when you see their soul?

Love doesn’t need an explanation.

Love is the essence of life.

Love is the emptiness of fear.

Love is the limitless nature of every sentient being...

With love, Sandra (Heart Singing)

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thriving

POSITIVE PARENTING

tips for

SURVIVE THE FESTIVE SEASON.

by Anna Cole It’s late November, and with mixed feelings of horror and hygge I see the Christmas decorations are popping up in shops all over town. Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? Possibly not, if you are shoulder-high in festive shopping and your children are screaming at each other about who ate the last mince-pie. Here’s an elegant strategy for the holiday season, and beyond, to help your child (and you) release some of that building festive tension: initiate play.

You can’t force your kids to play, of course - coercion is the antithesis of play.

But you can try some humour, mix it with affection, a dash of imagination and rolereversal, and follow the laughs. At Hand in Hand Parenting we call this ‘Playlistening’.

One laugh and you’ve lightened the load for everyone. And because, as Victor Borge once said, “laughter is the shortest distance between people”, Playlistening can be as restorative for you, as it is for your child.

The holiday season can be a special family time with rituals, festivities, presents and treats, but disruption of routine, obligatory parties, competitiveness among siblings (big and small), the wrong present and too many sweet treats, can just as easily become a recipe for stress. Try playing family connection games and get rid of bad feelings with big belly-laughs.

Games that include grown-ups and kids work wonders for dissipating tensions. Tag, dodge-ball, hide and seek, or sardines (where you find the person hiding, crawl in with them, until you are a stifled giggling pile of humans waiting for the final person to find you all) - can work wonders.

If the thought of presents, special foods or family gatherings have your children over-excited, plan to play off the energy before bedtime. That’s right! Rile them up, get the giggles going, get that release of high spirits of the silly season

happening in a good way.

A friend, and fellow Hand in Hand Parenting instructor, recently introduced a ‘Family Time’ before bedtime game.

“We do Family Time most nights right after dinner, where all five of us do something that’s usually high energy and full of laughter and that connects us all. The past couple of weeks we have done a few nights of Family Time where we playfully ‘make’ all three boys go to bed, although, of course, it’s not actually bedtime. They immediately jump back out of bed and then we chase them all willy-nilly throughout the house trying to get them all ‘back into bed’. I pretend to guard the door and they slip past while I brag that, No one will get past me! Then, after they’ve all escaped, I turn around and pretend to be very surprised that they’ve all gotten out again! They think this is great fun, and there’s lots of laughs and excitement. When it comes to real bedtime there’s much more ease and co-operation than before. Our 2-year-old has requested the game again, so we know he feels it’s helpful with his bedtime issues.”

“...play away the pressure...”

If your kids are getting insulting to one another, or rude in front of guests, play away the pressure of being well-mannered and on guard around older relatives by holding a ‘bad manners’ contest in another room. Patty Wipfler, founder and programme director at Hand in Hand Parenting, and now a grandmother herself, describes playing away family pressures by taking her young nephews into a quiet room: “We burped, blew bad breath, made farting noises and laughed all that tension away” - and rejoined the table relaxed, connected and co-operative.

Indeed, there’s nothing like sitting at a table full of family to bring out bad manners – for adults and kids. Assign

any family members not assigned to kitchen prep to connect with a child.

Play what they are playing, watch what they are watching, or simply join their conversations. When dinner is called have them beg to sit next to the child. You’ll enter dinner with high connections that helps with co-operation.

Dr Larry Cohen, child psychologist and author of Playful Parenting, says don’t get caught in the ‘should’ - you may believe that family holidays should feel wonderful, but in fact they can be highly triggering, and fact is more important than ‘should’.

You and your children are going to need some extra lightheartedness to get through family festivities, so focus less on how things should be and focus more on following the laughs. And what’s the fastest way to do that Dr Cohen? Try going DEAP: Drop Everything and Pillow-fight!

We’d love to hear about games you use in your house and wish you a merry winter season.

Anna Cole, PhD is a researcher, writer and certified Instructor with Hand in Hand Parenting. She specialises in helping parents with sibling rivalry, aggressive behaviours, school struggles, peer pressure, screen time issues, tooth-brushing avoidance and all kids of frustrating daily struggles! Anna was recently a guest along with Tosha Schore at Positive Nights, Bewley’s Cafe, Dublin and was delighted and grateful for the care and warmth shown there by Orla and Paul.

Stay tuned for her next in-person talks and workshops in Ireland. Meanwhile Anna offers consults by phone, Skype or Zoom.

Find her at www.handinhandparenting.org.

Or email directly: annacole.uk@gmail.com for more information.

Hand in Hand Parenting with Anna Cole handinhandparenting.org

POSITI V E AT TR ACTION

positive

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attraction BUILDING THE MOMENTUM OF LOVE.

by Judith McAdam

Believe it or not, it is possible to deliberately create what you desire in your life. People do it all the time. Life is like a game: there are great advantages in knowing the rules.

Understanding the importance of momentum in this glorious game of life is crucial if you want to positively attract and deliberately create your own reality.

Especially if you desire a Lover. If you would like to attract a winter romance to warm the cockles of your heart, or to light a cosy positive fire under your existing relationship, then observing what kind of momentum you are creating is a must.

Anything that is in motion has momentum. This includes your thoughts, words and actions. You are generating many different types of momentum daily.

In the case of kindling the fires of love, it is important to recognise what kind of momentum you have underway. Have a look at the following scenarios, then ask yourself: ‘what kind of momentum am I creating around my love life?’

Stop-Start Momentum and Indecision You feel like a recluse, so you have decided to entertain the idea of a partner. The spark of positive momentum has been ignited.

But then the thoughts of exposing yourself on an online dating site curdles your blood and nearly gives you apoplexy. You unceremoniously knock your first positive thought on the head, ceasing the tiny spark of momentum. This is like planting a seed in the ground, then digging it up again, but still expecting the seed to grow.

Negative Momentum You have been asked out on a date by a new or existing partner. As you get ready, you begin to focus on your slightly protruding belly. Negative momentum is slowly underway. Pulling everything out of the wardrobe, you decide you have nothing to wear. Casting your eyes on your face, you go into a good rant about how you look. Your anxiety and self-disgust have gathered further momentum, until finally you have created so many negative feelings, you talk yourself out of the date entirely.

What your subconscious feels, it believes and creates.

Positive Momentum You really want a healthy relationship.

By deciding not to let fear stand in your way, you take a leap of faith. Standing on the balcony of your life, you observe your negative internal chatter. Acknowledging that this is just fear, you comfort that part of you and continue to step forward, even if these steps are tiny. You slowly begin to become aware of all the negative momentum you have been creating. It dawns on you that this is what has kept

“Positive momentum creates positive attraction and this will eventually lead you to a fulfilling relationship.”

you blocked in your relationships all these years.

You decide to look for ways of creating positive momentum – you are not completely proficient at playing the game yet but you do know that somehow, positive momentum creates positive attraction and this will eventually lead you to your Lover and a fulfilling relationship.

You are now beginning to mindfully play the game of life and in doing so, you are deliberately creating your own reality. Well done!

With love, Judith.

Judith McAdam is an author, theologian, kinesiologist and holistic life coach. She is passionate about helping people to create their own positive reality.

judithmcadam.com

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POSITIVE HOME

survival of the flexible LEARNING TO SWAY WITH THE WINDS OF CHANGE.

by Amanda Collins

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“… imagine you are free as a bird, free to fly, to change direction and know that all will be well.”

We all know the evolutionary principle ‘Survival of the Fittest’, but life is about so much more than surviving. It’s about thriving. In order to thrive, we must be flexible and acknowledge that the only thing we can be assured of in life is change. The more we release our rigidity and control, the more we free our energy to align with the Divine flow of the universe.

Among other things, Yin and Yang symbolise that change is happening in every moment. Morning dawns, yet every second afterwards moves toward night. In the depths of winter we still move towards the growth of spring.

Think about trees during a windstorm. The ones that move and bend with the wind are the ones that do not break. When we are rigid and inflexible we invite frustration and disappointment, which stifles our creativity, sensuality and joy. Trees have this and more to teach us.

Their growth is quiet, slow and they always reach for the light.

Acceptance is crucial to flexibility.

If you get up in the morning and spill your tea, then go out to your car and have a flat tyre, you can let these experiences destroy your day or you can accept what is, wipe up your tea, make another cup, repair your tyre and choose to enjoy the rest of your day. You have a choice.

Mindfulness can help us release control.

We cannot control everything, especially others. This includes our children, partners and friends. And why would we want to? By bringing mindfulness to our interactions, we can become aware when our frustration with others is just our inability to control them. When things do not go as planned, or people do not behave as we wish, take a moment, BREATHE, and ask yourself: “Is my life and happiness really at risk in this moment?” You will soon be able to differentiate old emotions

resurfacing from present realities and thus regain balance in the NOW. When you notice yourself worrying about things not happening as you had planned, allow yourself to become the observer of your thoughts. When you feel yourself becoming reactive or defensive, imagine you are free as a bird, free to fly, to change direction and know that all will be well. You can also just feel a gentle breeze on your face. Allow that to remind you that you can gently move with the winds of change and know that any change of attitude like this takes awareness and practice Enjoy the messiness of it all. My children are my greatest teachers, showing me the lessons of letting go. They have taught me that I must adapt to change when these little beings come into my life. I really had to get used to loving the messiness of it all and still remind myself to just find the joy in messiness to avoid inner disharmony.

Do the dishes have to be done now? How about a run in the forest with the children instead?

If we really trust there is a higher power at play, and our lives are always being orchestrated for our highest good, then we can trust and surrender to Source with this prayerful affirmation: Where there is rigidity, let there be surrender; Where there is control, let there be trust; Where there are expectations, let there be acceptance So I may instead move with grace.

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the

POSITIVE PE ACE

love lesson GIVING LOVE WITHOUT LIMITS.

by Sandy Newbigging Many of my relationships ended in tears because of one core misconception in my attitude towards relationships, which led to either my partner or me reaching our final straws sooner or later. I believed that relationships were an opportunity to get love, when in reality, all relationships offer unlimited opportunities to give love.

This simple yet significant problem in my perceptions of love and relationships meant I had to ‘perform’ to be deemed loveable by the outside world. I believed the amount of love I experienced was down to them, and as a result, I didn’t feel the love that I yearned for. Not because people didn’t love me, but because I was withholding love by waiting to be loved.

Consequently, I didn’t experience love and frequently felt hurt: playing the blame game and defaulting to being the victim of an unloving world.

Wise people don’t pin their hopes for peace and love on the actions of others. I love this quote by Anthony de Mello: “If peace is what you want, seek to

change yourself. It’s easier to protect your feet with slippers than carpet the whole of the earth.” This a super reminder to be more empowered within relationships.

Instead of being a victim to the actions of others, look for opportunities to give love wherever love has been lacking.

Seek to see what button within you may have been pushed, then be willing to ‘heal thyself’ so that you can become the most peaceful and loving person you know.

You’ll be amazed by how much better you feel when faced with people that you previously perceived as being problematic.

We feel love when we are giving love, so if you are really giving all of your love – with no eye on whether it’s coming back – then there will be no sense of anything missing.

We feel a lack of love when we are withholding love: when we have accidentally started loving in a ‘what comes around goes around’ type way. “I will only show love to you when you show love to me first.” This does not work and is back-to-front.

“if you are really giving all of your love, then there will be no sense of anything missing.”

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Play instead with aiming to be the person in the room that’s raining love, without care or abandon for where it lands, and see how it blows the limits off the love you feel for yourself, other people and life. Consider this: it’s obviously nice to hear the words ‘I love you’, but how does hearing it compare to how you feel when you say ‘I love you’ and mean it?

That’s the secret. That’s the love lesson. The people who hurt you or let you down need your love so that they may know what love is. And you need to give them love in order for you to find peace within your past and present-day life. It’s a genuine win-win. Start raining love and notice how it helps your body to heal and your life to improve.

This is an extract from Sandy’s new book, ‘Mind Detox: Discover and Resolve the Root Causes of Chronic Conditions and Persistent Problems.’ Published by Findhorn Press, February 2019. sandynewbigging.com

POSITIVE YOGA

we are

stardust 20 EMBRACING THE INFINITE.

By Jai Kartar Kaur Mohan

Joni Mitchell penned the words ‘we are stardust’ almost fifty years ago, when she wrote the song Woodstock.

When I was a child in California, her unfathomable words sky-rocketed me into space, where I’d imagine myself floating: timeless and weightless, like a heavenly body.

Decades later, the words ‘we are stardust’ still echo in the chambers of my mind and heart. Being a Kundalini yogi has been the primary pursuit of my life, and has deepened my understanding of this essential truth. Yogic philosophy expounds that everything in the universe (including us) is made from the same elemental building blocks of Earth (Pritivi), Water (Apas), Fire (Agni), Air (Vayu) and Ether (Akasha).

We are strongly influenced by the earth (Pritivi) element because we exist on its physical plane. You lack energy and motivation if there’s too much Pritivi in your constitution. When Pritivi is in balance, you are gifted with patience and forgiveness. The Earth is forgiving. She constantly gives to us, even as she suffers the onslaught of mankind’s unspeakable abuses. Like a loving mother, earth allows us to forgive, be constant, stable and patient.

Water (Apas) nourishes your creativity and adaptability. Water can be a solid mass like ice, or it can be vapour

or liquid. Its energy can be mighty like a raging ocean or still like a quiet pond propagating new life. People with Apas dominating their constitution are very amiable and pleasant to be around. When Apas is too pervasive, you feel like you are drowning in a sea of emotions. You may feel like everything is in flux and you’re not able to get any footing to fulfil your dreams and aspirations.

“Everything in the universe (including us) is made from the same elemental building blocks of Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether.”

Fire (Agni) is essential for energy, transformation and the power to manifest.

When in balance, Agni gifts you the ability to be self-sustaining and renewing. Fire also gives light, providing vision, direction and purpose to our actions. When Agni dominates your constitution, your ego may take over. You may be overly focused on success. You may keep going until the reservoir runs dry and you are completely depleted. You may be so fierce in your power that you overwhelm everyone in your wake.

Air (Vayu) is expansive. It calls us to spread open our wings and take flight.

Its all-embracing and far-reaching scope takes us to new heights. Vayu governs the realm of the heart and lungs. It allows us to be open and generous. Air also relates to the life force. It gives you health, vitality, purity of thoughts and the ability to be non-possessive.

The final and most incomprehensible of the elements is ether (Akasha). Akasha is the macrocosmic stage of Infinity. Akasha is beyond the senses. It is the sound in silence. It is everything in nothing. It is the One in all.

It is the imperceptible space between your earthbound experience and the wisdom of your soul. Akasha takes you beyond boundaries and limitations. It allows you to be authentic and delivers you to Infinity.

A barefoot walk in the garden (earth), a hot bath (water), a vigorous yoga practice (fire), an elevated discussion with a dear friend (air), or a deep meditation (ether) can make a world of difference if you are feeling insignificant and disconnected.

Remember: we are stardust, we are golden, we are billion-year-old carbon, and we’ve got ourselves back to the garden.

Jai Kartar Kaur Mohan is a Kundalini Yoga teacher and teacher trainer. She is also a Yogic Numerologist and a Sat Nam Rasayan therapist.:

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TantraCalendar112818Ireland.qxp 11/28/18 11:39 PM Page 1

TANTRA

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earth m

CREATING A COLLABORATIVE EXPERIENCE.

By Ruth Pinson The magic of Earthsong; wood smoke from a gentle fire cared for a by a family of new friends camping together in a circle of tents. Rainforest harmonies sing from the distance. Small children run across the field, chasing giant bubbles into the wind.

Two hundred hands on African drums thunder a tapestry that a single dancer interprets into beautiful movements against a backdrop of blue sky and green earth.

In many ways, modern culture seems to make people into passive consumers rather than active contributors – and whether this is with regard to entertainment or commodity, it has the effect of detaching us from the collective that supports us.

Earthsong camps offer an opportunity to slow down and invest in ourselves, which in turn can transform us into a resource for those around us.

The camps counter the illusion that the quickest, easiest and cheapest thing is best

by being a place that makes it possible to live and believe the opposite.

The question “Why make a basket when you can buy one?” could be “Why buy one when you can learn how to make one?” Increasingly, people are realising that they want to be more than a witness to this sped-up, amplified life. They want to participate, to engage, to learn and develop continuously.

We are noticing that real magic – the kind that nourishes and persists – requires us to slow down and realise that the more we invest, the more we stand to gain.

Buying ourselves time through convenience is only useful if we use that time meaningfully. Engaging lovingly in the doing, whether we are crafting, singing, dancing, cooking or collaborating with people creatively, is what can bring a real sense of connection and happiness.

Slow food gives true nourishment and it is this understanding of engagement as a personal and a collective experience

that informs many of the ways things are done at Earthsong.

It would be easier to have a café that serves dinner as well as lunch, but it is the coordinating and sharing of evening meals with your fellow campers in your home circle that helps you to get to know each other.

“real magic – the kind that nourishes and persists – requires us to slow down and realise that the more we invest, the more we stand to gain.”

And it would be easier to play simple, ad hoc drum rhythms (or just put on something pre-recorded) rather than learn to play complex, mind warping polyrhythms, but in choosing to engage

Photography: John Bowker

h magic

with these challenges, we get to push the limits of possibility. Ultimately, the reward is far greater and the magic is stronger.

When we learn all the parts of a piece of music, not just our own, we start to understand not only how it fits together, but how we fit within it and in relation to those around us. We begin to see that we are important and that our presence is a contribution, whether we are drumming, dancing, singing or listening.

In this setting without electronic music, musicians have currency and their contribution becomes invaluable.

Choosing to camp on the earth and forego our usual home comforts means that being able to light a fire can make you into a hero, as can being the one with something delicious to share with everyone under the tarpaulin over the fire when it’s raining and the on-site shop is closed for the night.

The simple agreement to not use our phones on-site is actually an agreement

to be present with the people around us, and perhaps even more profoundly, to be present with ourselves and notice the feelings that fill the space left by the phone.

This can be surprisingly hard, but the reward can also be incredible.

The appeal of Earthsong is not an unnameable, indescribable thing. It is the slow unfolding of a thousand processes, each aimed in their own unique way towards nourishing some part of ourselves, whether it is late night saunas, early morning yoga, weaving a basket, or simply sitting round a fire telling stories.

Of course it’s not all rainbows and sunshine – how could it be? The intensity of being in this setting with so many people often serves to amplify where we are in ourselves. We are still people bringing our own unique set of values. Our reactions and expectations don’t always align with everybody else’s.

This is the real magic, the real work; the reality that people might want to be

there for each other. To learn to listen, and then listen to learn. They might want to sing and drum and dance with you. And they, like you, might be willing to invest, willing to open their hearts and tell a different story of how people can meet and celebrate the richness of life together.

There are four Earthsong Camps in 2019.

In June there are two long weekends in Co. Clare; Voice Camp and Midsummer Camp – both for adults and older teens. And in July, there are two 9 day retreat camps for all ages, Dance and Harvest both in Co. Tipperary. earthsong.ie

POSITIVE RE TRE AT

the

camino way PEACE ON THE ANCIENT PILGRIMAGE ROUTE.

by Brendan McManus It is barely light and I am struggling along a narrow mud track in northern Spain.

Around me are the impervious Pyrenees: impossibly high peaks straining for the sky. Sleep was patchy in the hostel and I’m bleary eyed and stumbling along, waking up to the dawn. The hand-painted yellow arrows point the way to Santiago, 800km away, but I won’t get there this time, only having ten days. The spiders’ webs brush off my face and arms and it thrills me to know that I am the first one on the trail. My muscles are a bit sore from the previous day’s walking, but I know that this will wear off. I am on the Camino and it is utterly thrilling and enveloping. An unexpected joy overtakes me and I rejoice in being alive, being able to walk and watching the world wake up.

The morning sun flares behind the Pyrenees: a reminder of the heat that will soon overtake me. Surrounded by mountains, they rear up into the sky on all sides. Far from claustrophobic, it is freeing to see the blue sky framed by ragged peaks.

It is like the risky adventure of life. Beauty

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is framed by danger and inaccessible climbs, yet there exists a safe track through: a pass in the terrors, passage in the storm, a rite of obedience, permitting a possible path. It is a day of fields of wheat and barley, shorn stubble and big bales stranded on the soil. The path follows farm tracks and an old road into a broad valley that eventually glitters blue-green, a reservoir that looks out of place in such aridity. Skirting the lake, I am mercifully shaded by an oak forest that stretched on for miles until a 10th century castle rears its head.

“I rejoice in being alive, being able to walk and watching the world wake up.”

The other hikers are behind me, strung out on the trail, but I won’t see them until the stop for mid-morning coffee. I look forward to the banter, the slagging and the check in. For now, I am

totally alone and loving it. I need to walk as far as I can before the sun gets up – it’s already 23 degrees, and after midday it promises to be scorching. In the stillness and half-light of dawn, the dewy grass wets my feet and the glimpses of harvest valleys and fields stir my soul. Travelling light, I go on and on through trails, forests, mountain paths and farm roads: alone, but not lonely. I hear the sounds of the country coming alive. Birds are singing and I’m surrounded by butterflies! At around 11.30 a.m., I wait at a bar for my companions to catch up. I’m drenched in sweat and sun cream, but I am happy to see the others arrive. The paradox of being largely alone and simultaneously being in a group is a key Camino value, giving people space to walk alone and yet enjoying the camaraderie of being together, especially in the evenings.

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winter

POSITIVE TANTR A

lovers MERGING TOGETHER AS ONE.

by Dawn Cartwright Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will move mountains. Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will shake the world.

-Napoleon Bonaparte

In winter, when everything’s asleep, love turns inward. The excitement of the year has settled, the world is quiet and we are more alert. Fires that burned with passion through summer, smoulder. Incandescent with treasures. The perfect time for making love.

Neo-Tantra is an inner journey that begins with sexual energy. The techniques and practices teach us to relax and let go of our typical peak-focus so that our sexual energy flows into the body, beyond the genitals. When we embrace and accept our sexual energy, we nourish the roots of our being. We are no longer swayed by fleeting attractions, day to day stress, or winds of change. Our bodies thrive, our relationships flourish and our hearts grow stronger. Rivers of energy that awaken sexual aliveness begin to flow in our bodies. A feeling of merging we often describe as ecstasy appears.

I invite you to create this ceremony for yourself, first. Then, if you wish, invite a friend or lover to join you.

Winter Lovers Ceremony Merging together as one.

I. Gather fresh sprigs of evergreen, juniper twigs and berries, fresh cranberries, white candles, gardenias, organic coconut oil, a warm robe, soft towels, blankets and pillows. If you’re unable to locate these items, feel free to make substitutions.

II. S witch off all electronics the night before your ceremony, prepare your space, sink into the silence. Then, wake at the lover’s hour, at least an hour before dawn. If you set an alarm, set it to ring with chimes, softly.

III. When you first wake up, be still. Listen to the silence. Then, take eight breaths

to awaken your sexual channels. Place your hands on your collarbones and draw two slow breaths. Then, hands to heart, two slow breaths. Diaphragm, two slow breaths. Warm your hands and bring them to your genitals, two slow, embracing breaths.

IV. W rap yourself in a warm robe or blankets, draw a hot bath or fill a foot basin. Place greenery, berries, flowers and candles around the bath, a spoonful of coconut oil and perhaps a few sprigs, flowers and berries in the water. Step into the bath. Close your eyes. Begin the journey from your mind to your body. Take in the aroma of the greenery, berries, flowers and oils. Feel the warmth in your body in contrast to the cold outside. See the candlelight through closed eyes. Invite the light to enter your body.

V. I n winter, the world turns within and life is drawn to the roots. Feel your senses turn inward. Meet your inner world. Sink into the warmth inside.

We are so accustomed to experiencing our sexual energy as something that is outward and genital focused. This meditation makes it possible for you to discover the river of sexual energy that is always flowing inside you. Feel the warmth and sink deeper into it.

VI. Winter is a time of sleep. A time of rejuvenation for our inner being. As you melt into the warmth in your body, focus your attention in the centre of your chest. Feel your heart beating.

Bring to mind something you love about yourself, something that is good. Are you kind? An accomplished musician? Are you a generous friend?

A devoted employee? What is good about you? Bring that to mind as you breathe gently into and out of your heart. Awaken the lover within.

VII. Feel the fire? Now, expand your breathing. Sink into the bath, feel the candlelight filtering through your eyelashes. Breathe the feelings of fire to the edges of your body as you caress your toes, the arch of your foot, your inner legs and behind your knees, your inner thighs, up the creases on either side of your genitals, around your navel, across your diaphragm, around your heart, underneath your collarbones, then gently touch your tongue. Activating the kidney meridians and the rivers of sexual energy in your body.

VIII. Settle back in the bath. Feel the sweetness of the cool air around you.

For the Neo-Tantra explorer, the inner warmth is Shakti, the feminine energy of love and creativity. Shiva, the masculine energy of stability and activation, is the coolness all around you. Feel your body expand and contract with your breathing. Let this oceanic movement take you over.

Bring the cool sweet air of winter into the warmth of the feminine energy in your body. Breathe the warmth of the feminine out into the masculine energy all around you. Merge them together as one.

Dawn Cartwright is a Tantric visionary, sacred writer, world traveler, and innovator in bio-energetic Tantra fusion. In 2019 you’re invited to join her for: The Red Tent . Women’s Sacred Sexuality, April 12th - 14th; The White Tent . Men’s Sacred Sexuality April 25th - 26th; Be Fully Alive .

Level 1 Tantra Immersion, April 26th - 28th, in the Wicklow Mountains; and Weaving the Beloveds . Couples Tantra Retreat, May 3rd - 6th, in Lower Rosses, Sligo.

dawncartwright.com

27

“When we embrace and accept our sexual energy, we nourish the roots of our being.”

we talk to

tom campbell ARE WE LIVING IN A VIRTUAL REALITY?

by Alison McEvoy

28

Tom Campbell is a professional physicist, author and a seasoned, scientific researcher of human consciousness. He has spent the last 30 years exploring the frontiers of reality, mind, consciousness and physic phenomena. I spoke with Tom recently to find out more.

MEET TOM – CONSCIOUSNESS PIONEER

part of a greater source, what some might call ‘God’ or ‘The Universe’, which he calls “The larger consciousness system”(LCS).

This system divided itself up into Tom began his professional life as a physicist for NASA. Around the same time, “individuated units of consciousness (IUOC)”. We, IUOCs, ‘log on’ to a physical he was also chosen to assist Bob Monroe form, the body, our ‘avatar’, in order for in his internationally-renowned research our consciousness to be able to experience into out-of-body experiences (OBE). Tom ‘life’ which is really a simulation of recalls that he and Bob would spend 15-20 events projected by the computer of our hours together each week, practically consciousness. Our consciousness is the exploring the realms of consciousness; real player. “[Bob Monroe taught me] how to go out-of-body, how I could put myself WHY ARE WE HERE? in an altered state of consciousness that would allow me to experience these other There is a profound purpose in this digital realities that Bob experienced....That view of reality. It lies specifically in the enabled me to do physics, to do research essence of what consciousness is – an and analysis there in a non-physical state... information system. because I didn’t know what it was...a As an information system, our hallucination...a mental state...your consciousness is here to evolve through the imagination – what was it? I’m a scientist experience and decision-making processes and I wanted to find out exactly what it of the avatar it logs on to. Evolution for an was.” information system means to create more 30 years of testing and research information, in an orderly way, and to raise in this non-physical state later, Tom the quality of this information which is published his Theory Of Everything (TOE), synonymous with raising the quality of our a trilogy of books aptly named ‘My Big consciousness.

Toe’. He presents his experience of the Consciousness has free will and so true nature of consciousness and not only we have a choice to fulfil this purpose, or that, but also answers to many of physics’ not. The way in which we interact with one outstanding paradoxes. another, make choices, express ourselves His research brought him to the and what we do with the consequences brink of a new scientific paradigm. Under of those choices is the manner in which the view of traditional physics, Tom’s we accomplish our mission. If the experiments performed “miracles....they consequences of our choices lead to a joyful, do things that should be impossible...[but] rewarding life then this is feedback that this tells us that our understanding of how we are on track in raising the quality of our reality works isn’t complete. Otherwise consciousness. we would understand why and that these The way to fulfilling this mission things are possible.” happens also to be the way in which a kinder and gentler society is born; THE BIGGER PICTURE – A VIRTUAL “Caring, co-operating, working REALITY together – you can produce so much more that way.... As we care, have compassion, The consciousness data he gathered co-operate, we increase our consciousness through his experiments and experiences, pointed to our reality being a virtual reality, and evolve...[This is] a love-based system” a simulation. This hypothesis makes all ENLIGHTENMENT IN A VIRTUAL that currently lies at the murky edges of REALITY science become clear, explicable and part of a complete vision and understanding of As consciousness evolves, it becomes less reality. Tom envisions that by “[piling] up fearful and more loving. Not the kind of evidence on the side of this being a virtual love that is an exchange of need-fulfilment reality,” science will soon have to “get over 300 years of belief in a materialistic reality.” (‘I’ll fulfil your needs if you promise to fulfil mine’) but unconditional love. This According to Tom’s research we are

love wants to serve, to give to others and to support the whole; “Enlightenment is not a final destination. We’re in a process of evolving.

Evolving is open-ended. There’s always something more that you can learn...do to help out...more that you can co-operate and give. Once you become love it’s about helping others, it’s not about you. So you’re never really done.”

When people experience spiritual ecstasy, or bliss, Tom explains that they withdraw from their sense-data experience to an at-oneness with the larger consciousness system. They become a “point of consciousness floating in the void – what I call ‘the point of consciousness state’.” When one is able to reside there for extended periods, one comes back feeling at peace, relaxed and connected to the bigger picture. When one can remain there, they are called ‘enlightened’. They have transcended this reality, realise they are part of a whole, have become love and live in a

“In one way this is all about science and the nature of reality, but...the important part is about people becoming love.” ‘bigger’ decision-space.

The system wants us to experience the consciousness that we are, to know who we are, so that we can engage more lovingly and purposefully in this simulation.

SOULMATES IN A VIRTUAL REALITY “I happen to have been told when I was fourteen who I was going to marry...and it all worked out like that, so you might think that that was one of those relationships that was destined to occur and yes, we were nudged together so that we ended up meeting and falling in love...so it exists...I’m a good example of it, but it happens only in the margins...with people who have been around the circuit enough times that they can do planning about their next life-time...

At the beginning you just need experiences. You get in, you get out, your get back in again... Eventually there’s a little

more planning...and eventually you get a lot of planning because there’s very specific things that you want to do and you have the ability to do them.”

On relationships in general, Tom says that “the winning strategy in the virtual reality we’re playing in is to get rid of your fear, grow up, care about other people. That’s why we’re here, that’s what our point is, that’s what makes good relationships.”

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY IN A VIRTUAL REALITY There are many kinds of avatars, Tom explains. Dogs, bees, ants and humans are all avatars of varying kinds. If the avatars that are human go on to make artificially intelligent robots, then they too become avatars in this simulation. For Tom, it is a question of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’; “One day we will have silicone based avatars, emulating humans...[and] they will have the same purpose as us.”

Right now we have artificial intelligence robots that are “expert systems”, meaning they can store a huge amount of data, have high-speed processing but ultimately are working from computational procedures which have been pre-programmed by human beings. They don’t have free will or variable outcomes. ‘Conscious computers’ will be altogether different. They will have free will, be able to make choices and have variable outcomes which cannot be predicted by human programmers. They will engage in this simulated universe, interact, make choices, encounter consequences and raise the quality of their information and consciousness along the way aiming

30

just as we are to become a “kinder, more compassionate and caring entity.”

SCIENCE MEETS DAILY LIFE Tom is intent on proving to the scientific community that this is a virtual reality. He is supported by antiquity as his hypothesis is not new, and he’s not the only one talking about it these days either. Many other scientists are finding it plausible and probable, and indeed sages of old such as the Buddha also held essentially the same truth, that this world is an illusion; “People understood this idea, it’s not new, but it’s never been in the mainstream before...now, with these experiments there is science and logic behind it. It’s not belief based, it’s experience based.... instead of it being a puddle of enlightenment, a little eddy off the mainstream, this time it’s got all that it needs to become mainstream and affect everyone...

In one way this is all about science and the nature of reality, but in another way the important part is about people becoming love. The science end is only important because if we can convince the physicists that this is a virtual reality – and it’s getting easier and easier because their experiments are telling them that – when the physicists say this is a virtual reality they won’t want to take it any further, but for everyone else all these questions come

up and once these concepts get into the mainstream and the mainstream gets the idea that we are here to grow up, to become love...we’d live in a lot kinder, gentler world...and I hope to be part of getting us there.”

GET INVOLVED Tom and his team have recently launched a new and exciting crowdfunding campaign which will get as many people as possible involved in proving the hypothesis: can the theory that physical reality is a simulation (i.e. virtual reality) be tested through scientific experiment? You can join over 1,000 of their backers and become part of cutting edge twenty-first century science and a chance to be present during the experiments and potentially make scientific history. tomcampbell.info

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How will Tom prove his theory?

• With five relatively simple experiments and a scientific paper describing the results • The results will provide evidence for or against the hypothesis that our physical matter reality is computed virtual reality • The five experiments are all modifications of the classic double slit experimental • Experiment 1 will probe the role of the observer to find out if the virtual reality and all its interaction exists only in the minds of the players • Experiment 2B and 5B perform actions considered impossible by Quantum mechanics but easily explained from a virtual reality perspective

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Mighty Vitamin D HELPING YOUNG MINDS PERFORM BETTER.

Pharma Nord is a nutritional supplement brand renowned for its revolutionary approach to nutritional support. Its high grade supplements are backed by rigorous scientific research, which documents their products’ safety and superior bio-availability (which, in laymen’s terms, refers to how easily absorbed they are). Pharma Nord’s research database contains over 9,000 scientific studies which serve to inform their impressive product development program. To date, more than 300 scientific studies involving Pharma Nord products have been published, one of the most striking being the KiSel-10 study, carried out in Sweden.

Unsurprisingly, the study itself was conducted during the winter period the time of the year where Northern Europeans typically have low vitamin D levels due to the lack of sun.

Before and after supplementation, both the vitamin D group and the placebo group were asked to perform different types of problem solving that involved strategic thinking and planning. The participants were also asked to self-report externalising behaviour such as irritability, aggression and rule-breaking conduct.

The scientists observed that the vitamin D levels in the treatment group went up significantly (by 40 percent), showing that the supplement they took was absorbed well. Also, the vitamin D-treated boys and girls performed better than those in the placebo group, especially in terms of solving the most challenging mental tasks.

Stock up on mental mojo Simply put, young people perform better intellectually, experience better mental health and display fewer behavioural

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GOOD LIFE 2.0

free to be frugal

LESS IS MORE.

34

by Davie Philip “One must regard wealth beyond what is natural as of no more use than water to a container that is full to overflowing.” Epicurus (341 - 270 BC)

I’m fascinated by how we might live a good life in today’s context of a changing climate and obscene inequality, and how, systematically and creatively, we can co-create a world that works. In this article I want to explore how the concept of frugality could be reimagined and practiced as a strategy to live ethically and sustainably by.

In our current culture ‘the good life’ is achieved by spending and consuming more - less is seen as sacrifice. Frugality is understood today as being miserly, tight with money and shunning the finer things in life. Not, unfortunately, for valuing quality, simplicity and good relationships, avoiding waste and tempering extravagance.

The benefits of frugal living have been promoted for millennia. The often misunderstood ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus taught that to live well, one should value the delights derived from companionship, being in nature and love. He was on record as saying that the purpose of life was pleasure, although not luxurious pleasure. If you reflect seriously on what you actually need to be happy, you will, alleged Epicurus, arrive at a significantly unmaterial list of priorities.

He stated that simple foods provide the same pleasure as luxurious meals and recommended that one should never eat alone. Epicurus claimed that no life can be happy without friends and warned

that “if we’re at the mercy of odious and unpredictable superiors, it is better to have little money and be free, than be rich and vulnerable to the whims of others.”

“If you reflect seriously on what you actually need to be happy, you will…arrive at a significantly unmaterial list of priorities.”

Epicureans would appreciate occasional luxuries to the fullest, as long as they were within natural limits and caused no harm to others. They were frugal hedonists. Epicurus and his followers were green centuries before the modern environmental movement and their emphasis on community and selfsufficiency is more relevant now than ever.

Doing less, consuming less, flying less and being less wasteful has been the core message from environmentalists at this time. What gives this Epicurean approach to frugality its contemporary usefulness is that the focus is not on an angst and guilt-ridden need to make-do

with less, but of the rich pleasure to be had from doing so.

The Epicurean message is a call to liberation, where we learn to be content with what satisfies our fundamental needs while renouncing what is superfluous.

With his zest for self-reliance and minimal possessions while living simply in the woods, Henry David Thoreau expressed a similar philosophy in ‘Walden’.

Annie Raser-Rowland and Adam Grubb are frugal hedonists. They choose to live a third below Australia’s national poverty line but consider themselves rich in happiness and experiences. Their book, ‘The Art of Frugal Hedonism: A Guide to Spending Less While Enjoying Everything More’, gets to the very heart of the relationship between enjoying life and valuing resources.

In an age obsessed with owning more stuff the philosophy of frugal hedonism provides a welcome and necessary antidote. The simplicity of this message is transformative and profound; be frugal and be free!

Davie Philip is a group facilitator and trainer at Cultivate, the sustainability cooperative based in Cloughjordan Ecovillage. Davie is collecting stories of transformational community led projects. If you are involved in something in your area do send him an email: davie@ cultivate.ie

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POSITIVE MEDICINE

supporting

your teeth WHAT DOES YOUR MOUTH SAY ABOUT YOUR HEALTH?

by CNM Naturopath Gemma Hurditch

Having a healthy smile and pleasant breath is not only an aesthetic goal, but a crucial goal for good health.

Evidence is growing that the condition of your mouth predicts and influences your general health. Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and its complications, respiratory infections and stroke are significantly associated with dental issues such as tooth loss and periodontal disease (advanced gum disease). The health of your mouth can also influence pregnancy outcomes such as pre-term birth and low birth weight. Other conditions linked to oral health include chronic sinusitis, helicobacter pylori infection (responsible for stomach ulcers), neurological problems due to amalgam filling, and certain cancers, including oesophageal cancer.

So how do we support the natural health of our teeth and gums?

Food for gums and teeth • Lower levels of the nutrient CoQ10 are found in gums with periodontal disease. Increase your levels by eating more parsley, broccoli, avocado and extra virgin olive oil. If periodontal disease is a problem, it is best to take supplements along with increasing natural food sources.

• Vitamin B deficiencies can cause poor oral health, including receding gums and overall sensitivity of the mucous membranes in the mouth and tongue.

Mushrooms are a rich food source of B vitamins. Try shiitake mushrooms, as they are immune-stimulating

and include lentinan, a compound which fights plaque-causing bacteria.

Sardines, mackerel, cannellini beans, chickpeas, lima beans and pinto beans are also good.

• Raw onions have powerful antibacterial properties, and are also rich in quercetin, an anti-inflammatory compound which works synergistically with vitamin C to strengthen and heal gums.

• Green tea may promote periodontal health by reducing inflammation, preventing bone resorption and limiting the growth of certain bacteria associated with periodontal diseases.

It is high in natural (rather than synthetic) fluoride, and can inhibit caries as well as increasing acid resistance in teeth.

• Green leafy vegetables are high in vitamin C, which reduces inflammation. Leafy greens require more chewing, thanks to their high fibre content, which is great for gums because the chewing action creates more saliva. Saliva flushes out food particles, bacteria, and plaque that may be sticking near the gum line. Broccoli and kale are particularly rich in teethfriendly minerals such as calcium and magnesium.

• Crunchy carrots, celery and cashews are excellent at scraping away stuck-on food and plaque. Nuts also provide vitamins and minerals: such as vitamin E, which is very beneficial to the gums.

Make crunchy vegetables your go-to snack or end to a meal.

• Strawberries and bell peppers are rich in both vitamin C and bioflavonoids vital for gum health, and are less acidic than citrus fruits. Acid can be damaging to tooth enamel. Citrus fruits are excellent but be sure to swish and rinse your mouth with water or green tea to reduce acid build up.

• Drink plenty of water. It rinses the teeth and mouth of acid, and removes some bacteria. Water helps the body to rid itself of toxins which put additional strain on the immune system – and a healthy immune system is better at fighting against bacterial infection in the mouth, and in the rest of the body.

“… the condition of your mouth predicts and influences your general health.”

Go natural • Use a natural mouthwash that is free of damaging and drying ingredients such as alcohol, triclosan and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Alternatives can be made using Himalayan salt, cooled boiled water and therapeutic food-grade essential oils. You will find plenty of recipes to choose from online.

• Use a natural toothpaste: there are a host of toxic chemicals in regular toothpaste. Try SLS and paraben-free brands. Sprinkling baking soda on the top of your natural toothpaste can help

37

gently remove surface stains.

• Oil pulling can help reduce plaque. Sesame oil is the traditional Ayurvedic choice. You can also try coconut oil. Put one tablespoon of the oil in your mouth and pull and push it through your teeth and around your mouth, spitting it out after about 10 minutes. Oil pulling is recommended first thing in the morning, and before eating or drinking.

• Regular dental hygiene should include brushing twice a day and flossing nightly. Brushing your teeth prior to eating is better for your teeth, as some foods can weaken tooth enamel, which can become worn-down by brushing too soon after eating. Leave brushing for 30 minutes, or try brushing before your breakfast.

• Investigate a naturopathic dentist in your area for more holistic care of your oral and overall health.

Naturopath Gemma Hurditch lectures at CNM (College of Naturopathic Medicine).

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POSITIVE FOOD

chic chicory and

elegant endive PLANTS THAT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

by Hans Wieland One of my food heroes, Joy Larkcom, introduced oriental greens like Mizuna and Mustard Leaves to a wider audience in England and Ireland with her classic book The Salad Garden around the same time as we arrived in Ireland about 33 years ago. When she was asked at a recent GIY gathering if there was something left for her to promote, she said without hesitation: “I would like to think chicory and endive deserve much more popularity!” Needless to say, she had championed these salad leaves in that same book.

Having grown up in Germany, ‘Radicchio’ and ‘Endiviensalat’ were a stable in our household from about November onwards. A French friend calls a curly-leaved endive a chicorée. Confused by all the different names? Let me help you!

Chicories belong to the Dandelion Family Chicories (Cichorium intybus) are a diverse group of plants in the Dandelion family and are mostly grown for salad leaves. Italians call them Radicchio, which has now become synonymous with the red hearted varieties like Treviso, but there are also green-leaved chicories like the Sugar Loaf, forming tightly conical shaped heads.

There are also root chicories like the white Witloof or Belgian Chicory, which was allegedly discovered when a Belgian farmer threw some wild chicory into a warm, dark stable.

Endives (Chichorium Endivia) are plants in the chicory family and you could call them close cousins and there are broadleaved and curly-leaved varieties.

How to grow?

Chicory and Endive are an exciting crop and are easy to grow. They are cool season plants and grow best between 10 and 20 C making them an ideal crop for growing in polytunnels during the autumn and winter months. Experienced gardeners might try growing them outside with protection of cloches or a garden fleece. They are hardy plants and survive light frost, they are also robust and have few pests. Depending on

variety, space the plants 25 to 35cm apart.

Seeds can be sown early to mid-September, plants put in the polytunnel in October and crops harvested from November until May. Both lend themselves for cut-andcome-again (CCA) treatment, meaning harvesting leaves rather than heads.

Harvest from the outside in.

What is so good about Chicory and Endive?

I for one love their slightly bitter taste.

That is what sets them apart from many other salad crops. It may also be the reason why they are still not as popular in Ireland as say Italy, where they are treasured, or Germany. Incidentally, you will find a far superior choice of varieties from German, French and Italian seed companies.

Chicory is great for your digestive system and consequently your health as it contains inulin, which is a powerful prebiotic. We have spoken in these pages here already about Pre-biotics feeding Pro-biotics. Inulin is used to combat a number of intestinal and digestive concerns, including acid reflux disease, indigestion, and heartburn because it actively reduces the acidity of the body’s systems.

How to eat Here is one of my favourite ways to eat Chicory: Chicory Salad with walnuts and parmesan Shred or cut the chicory in thin stripes using a red and a green variety For the dressing use extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar (ratio of two to one), a few pinches of sea salt and freshly ground pepper (I love Timut pepper!), 1/2 tsp of Dijon mustard and a drizzle of Highbank organic orchard syrup. Mix with 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts and sprinkle Parmesan shavings on top.

Interesting fact Chicory roots and dandelion roots are often used in cereal or caffeine free drinks.

The roots are roasted, ground and brewed into a coffee-like drink.

Hans Wieland has worked and taught at The Organic Centre for over 20 years. He has now ‘retired’ to Neantog Kitchen Garden School in Cliffoney, joining his wife Gaby Wieland, herbalist and naturopath. The couple offer a range of courses and workshops in food growing, fermenting, foraging, cheesemaking, healthy cooking and baking.

neantog.com

“Chicory is great for your digestive system and consequently your health…a powerful prebiotic.”

39

POSITIVE FOOD

winter

delight

BANANA BLOSSOM ‘FISH’ CAKE WITH TARTAR SAUCE.

by Tony Keogh It has never been easier to follow a vegan diet, as new products constantly arrive on our shelves. New, innovative ways of using these products are also being developed. In the last few years, we have seen everything from aquafaba meringues and jackfruit pulled pork to very realistic plant-based cheeses. Banana blossoms are a staple in Southeast Asian and Indian cuisine, and frequently pop up in salads and curries. When canned and brined, banana blossoms have a strong resemblance in texture to white fish. They work quite well here in these fishless cakes.

Ingredients for the cakes 650g rooster potatoes One 510g tin of banana blossom (available from ethnic food stores) 10g wakame soaked in 50ml water Teaspoon of kelp Heaped teaspoon of Dijon mustard Zest of one large lemon Heaped tablespoon of dried chives Salt and black pepper to taste Panko bread crumbs to coat the cakes Rapeseed or sunflower oil for frying

Ingredients for tartar sauce 200g vegan mayonnaise Tsp of Dijon mustard Juice of one lemon Heaped teaspoon of fresh dill 40g gherkins 40g capers

“When canned and brined, banana blossoms have a strong resemblance in texture to white fish.”

40

METHOD 1 To make the cakes: Peel and chop the potatoes into bite size chunks. Bring them to the boil in a pot of salted water. When they are tender, strain them off. Tip them back into the pan and place them over a low heat – this is to ensure most of the moisture has evaporated away. Mash them roughly with a masher and set them aside to cool while you make the tartar sauce.

2 Tip the mayonnaise into a bowl.

Finely chop the gherkins and capers. Add these to the mayonnaise along with the dill, mustard and lemon. Set this aside in the fridge until the cakes are ready.

3 Open the banana blossom, strain

off the water and roughly chop them – not too finely though, as they are going to lend the main texture to the finished cakes.

When the potatoes have cooled, tip in the chopped banana flowers, the soaked wakame, the kelp, mustard, lemon zest and chives. Season the mixture to taste.

4 Take two large dinner plates and

coat the first one in panko bread crumbs.

Take about 1/8th of the potato mixture and shape it into a patty. If the mixture is a little sticky, wet your hands first. When the patty is shaped, press it into the panko bread crumbs, flip it over and repeat on the other side. Then roll the patty in the crumbs to smoothen out and coat the edges. Place the patty on the second dinner plate. Repeat this with the remaining mixture, and you should get about 8 patties altogether.

5 Place them in the fridge for about half an hour to chill before frying.

in a large frying pan and let it come to a simmer. When it is sizzling hot, place four of the cakes into it – you do not want to overcrowd the pan. Cook them for about 3 minutes, turn them over carefully, and fry them for about the same amount of time on the second side. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cakes and place them on a kitchen roll lined plate to absorb excess oil. Repeat the process with the remaining cakes. Serve them immediately with tartar sauce. These cakes also go really well with a nice crisp salad, or some peas and green beans with a little fresh dill, lemon and olive oil mixed through. cornucopia.ie

PHOTO: CHIARA GIANELLI

6 Heat about 1 cm of rapeseed oil

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short & sweet 43

Love…

A KALEIDOSCOPIC SNAPSHOT.

by April Danann Love begins with me, it begins with you – perhaps it’s just a fleeting tingle of nervous energy creeping through our veins.

On a good day.

It starts with the words I tell myself – taking the time to focus and fill my internal imagery with kind, compassionate verbiage, thereby extending the depth of happy by a few millimetres.

Can this be only an intense projection of my heart’s desires – after all, only love endures all things.

When these lofty thoughts shape and create the reality that becomes my world, the landscape that surrounds me softens, becomes rustic, colourful, ancient and wild.

16:20

Just like me.

Out of nowhere a wave of nothingness can seek to dampen our song and appear to push out the love that has grown. Even in darkness, it clings and holds to the roots of the pieces of the soul.

Yet love also has its season…..

It flourishes in the warmth of gentle company, high spirits and quiet solitude.

Hot sunny days or cold fireside evenings conjure the images and feed deepening contentment.

Inside of us is a memory of a lifetime when we knew love, connecting us to the circle of life. Love is a piece of harmony that our cells sing; it has always been the earth’s song.

It beckons us onwards, up that steep path, through pain, torment – endless time and shadow strip away the hardened shell.

Love gets real, when life aligns itself to passion – it has grown in me, it has grown in you.

aprildanann.com

“Inside of us is a memory of a lifetime when we knew love, connecting us to the circle of life.”

SHORT AND SWEE T

Bringing it Home THE CELTIC SCHOOL OF YOGA.

by Alison McEvoy

44 Discover Functional Gut Health GIVING THE GUT A VOICE.

by Alison McEvoy in conversation with Frances Flannery

“Ireland’s functional gut health guru” At just twenty-five years of age Frances Flannery was plagued by a plethora of symptoms such as back ache, low mood, insomnia and sagging energy levels. When she became unwell and took a series of antibiotics, her body almost gave up due to its sheer level of toxicity; “I didn’t know what to do. I had to leave my job. I felt I was on the scrapheap. I didn’t even realise I was highly constipated and that it might have something to do with what was going on.”

The last thing she envisaged was to explore her gut health. Instead, she tried yoga to relive stress, expensive face creams to manage toxic skin outbreaks and began a plant-based diet. It wasn’t until she discovered colonics and functional gut health however, that her health began to restore itself.

In her new book Let’s talk about Happiness; the ultimate guide to gut health, Frances details the link between the gut and our health and happiness. Our gut should produce 95% of our serotonin (aka the feel-good hormone). A healthy gut will generate this internal feel-good factor, while an unhealthy gut – often at the root of many mood, skin and bowel disorders - is one struggling to perform its crucial task.

Her ultimate guide also details the gut health protocol Frances has honed over the last decade and which has earned her the title of ‘Ireland’s functional gut health guru’. Each protocol is holistically and individually customised and generally consists of cleansing regimes, restoration of gut flora, identification of personal triggers and lifestyle changes needed.

Frances’ book is a homage to a healthy gut – our happiness depends on it!

Let’s talk about Happiness- available on Amazon from October 31st dublinvitalitycenter.com

I first met Jack Harrison in 2016 at a yoga teacher training course.

In the most unexpected of ways, his music and the myths he spoke about added a depth, a sense of ancient mystery to our experience - my creative imagination was heightened, I felt a sense of timelessness and my breath deepened perceptibly.

This year, 2018, Jack and Benita Wolfe (BJ Galvan), both certified Anusara teachers, have launched the first Celtic School of Yoga Teacher Training. Rooted in Jack’s three passions - Yoga, Music and Mythology - and Benita’s thousands of hours leading alignment-based teacher trainings globally, the course brings together over fifty years of experience of teaching a yoga wisdom that inspires transformation, healing and a recognition of the interconnections between all things.

As a folklorist and archaeologist, Jack has unearthed an astounding number of parallels between Indian and Celtic traditions. He writes: “(in Ireland) we have an enduring…essence of yoga in the Celtic world.”

The Celtic School of Yoga’s first new teachers will be graduating at the end of this year. New students are invited to join the adventure for the 2019 programme. What awaits is

“we have an enduring…essence of yoga in the Celtic world.” a year in which, through a series of 6 modules, you will delve into yoga, breath, story, song, Indian and Celtic comparative philosophy, myth, alignment, anatomy, meditation and visits to some of the great sacred sites of Ireland.

If you want to deepen your yoga practice, become a yoga teacher, or refine your yoga teaching skills, Jack and Benita invite you to join them on this wheel of change and emerge an inspired, skilled and self-assured yoga teacher.

TheCelticSchoolofYoga.com

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46

The Time is Now CULTURAL CREATIVES STEP FORWARD.

by Monica Haughey “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. The world needs people who have come alive.” – Howard Thurman

Heard of Hemp Juice?

FULL SPECTRUM CBD.

by Alison McEvoy in conversation with Kate Mullaney “We are the only organic Hemp juice manufacturers in the world,” says Kate, from her farm in the wilds of Co. Monaghan.

She and her partner Marcus are well into harvesting season, a gruelling ten-week period in which they harvest and juice their summer crop.

There are loyal customers waiting for them to cross the finish line and Kate is ever aware of the fact that many local people have come to rely on their hemp juice to help with aches, pains, digestive and other complaints.

Kate and Marcus have been growing hemp since 2006, making them the longest standing hemp farmers in the country.

“In 2013 all the information about the benefits of CBD started to come out,” Kate recalls, and it was then that they began manufacturing and drinking hemp juice from their crop.

“the only organic Hemp juice manufacturers in the world.”

Hemp juice is a “full spectrum CBD product,” meaning the juice contains all of the native nutritional content of hemp (from your vitamin Bs, to omega 3s, to calcium, magnesium and even iron) as well as the widely celebrated CBD compound. In contrast to CBD oil, in hemp juice only the fibre has been removed.

Kate speaks passionately about hemp from the first to the last of our conversation; “It’s a food first and foremost. It is a compact food, highly dense in nutritional content and it nourishes the neurons in the brain. It’s a perfect, specified food for the human being. We should all add it to our diet.”

Kamahemp.com

There are so many exciting initiatives happening in Ireland right now. As we continue to evolve as a society, I am continually enthralled by the number of people I meet professionally and personally who are involved in creative and innovative projects.

Never before has there been such a proliferation of entrepreneurs and cultural creatives beavering away, following their passion, contributing to making the world a better place and trying to earn a living at the same time.

These cultural creatives are creating work which is aligned to their gifts and talents and are clear in their intent to make a positive contribution to society. This path of carving out a new way can be isolating as we are still outside the mainstream. We need others to help identify and hold to our vision as we continue to develop our initiatives.

“Never before has there been such a proliferation of cultural creatives following their passion.”

Monthly forums are now happening in Dublin where small groups of women in the field of health and healing are meeting to support each other and grow their businesses. These are great opportunities to meet like-minded people and get the support you need. Possibilities are also offered for interested men as we learn to integrate our masculine and feminine aspects.

Monica Haughey is a psychotherapist and consultant. She is starting a new group in January that will meet on Friday mornings. monicahaughey.ie

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AMATSU JAPANESE NATURAL THERAPY

Shamanic Practitioners Medicine Wheel Galway: Open your heart to the healing journey through one of the oldest traditions on Earth. Allow yourself to heal the wounds of the past as you connect with nature and the learn tools and techniques to help you with every day life. Galway Wheel starts February 2018. Bookings open now.

Awakening the Shaman within introductory event: November 22nd Galway! All welcome! (20Euro).

House, land and premises healing, One to one sessions and fire ceremonies also held. For Rahanni Celestial Healing and Moon mother work with Melanie please see the website.

White Feathers Woman & Grey Elk (Melanie and Paul)

Contact us on: info@pathwayteaching.com www.pathwayteaching.com

“If you have back pain or any structural issues or find yourself prone to injuries, i highly recommend this therapy, it simply works, and ive tried them all...take one session and i promise you, you wont look back, excuse the pun. Amatsu has changed my life and Tomas is a true gent and brilliant at what he does.”

Paul Congdon, Publisher , Positive Life

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SHORT AND SWEE T

Living in Global Harmony CULTIVATE YOUR HUMAN NATURE.

by Udo Erasmus I was born during the second world war.

Two years old, I was one of six refugee children under six with an exhausted single mother fleeing from communist tanks and trucks while allies were shooting at us from planes. Terror, hunger, fear, abandonment, anxiety and rejection: All were part of our desperate journey to safety.

“Peace and cooperation, like conflict and war, are both embedded in human nature.”

Six years old, witnessing yet another heated conflict between angry adults, it struck me like a bolt that there MUST be a

way we can all live together harmoniously.

I became obsessed, and committed to finding out how.

69 years ago, it became my driving force. Turns out it’s easy when you know how.

Easy compared to moon landings, space stations, satellites and weapons guidance systems that accurately hit targets. Easier than creating Google and Facebook. Easier than inventing apps that work.

Harmonious living does ask us to take a closer look at ourselves.

Peace and cooperation, like conflict and war, are both embedded in human nature.

Choose which one to grow.

How? Take time every day for self-knowledge.

Look, listen and feel inward.

Discover and deepen your direct,

personal connection to the rich, ecstatic tapestry of your internal being.

Make full presence in all of your being a daily practice.

Present, you feel cared for by life, which has cared for you perfectly all your life, through all your dramas and traumas.

Feeling cared for, it is your nature to give a hand.

I can help.

Udoschoice.com

A Therapy of NOW

49

THE SOUL OF SHAMANISM.

by White Feathers Woman (Melanie O’Halloran-Gomes) and Grey Elk (Paul O’Halloran) If you could find a therapy that gave you the insights to see the deepest hurts and traumas of a person’s soul and allowed healing to occur around that original hurt, so they would no longer express these injuries in their being – would you want to give it a go?

“Shamanism is a way – a calling from the heart, from deep within…”

If you could find a therapy that would remind you of why you are here and gently bring you back when you wander off the path, with only the gentleness and encouragement of Great Spirit – would you want to give it a go?

What is that therapy? To us, is it not really a therapy. It is a way – a calling from the heart, from deep within – it is a listening to our Ancestors who have drum beats in their blood and dance in their Spirit.

This is shamanism, a therapy like no other. It brings together God or Source from all the directions (not just one as in many religions), with the power of nature thrown in there for good measure. Can it

be mixed with religion? Of course, if you wish! It can aid many other therapies and increase their effectiveness by clearing, grounding and healing the person to their core.

How do you know if it is for you?

Only your heart will tell you. Follow your heart, connect with your Spirit, and the answers will come. pathwayteaching.com

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SHORT AND SWEE T

An Inward Journey HEALING THROUGH PSYCHEDELICS

by Aisling Cronin

Looking for a retreat experience with a difference? Check out InwardBound: a brand-new company who will soon be offering psychedelic retreat experiences.

These retreats aim to reconnect people to themselves, to each other and to nature.

The people behind InwardBound hope to usher in a more positive human experience and contribute to the current exploration of the safe use of psychedelics through contained, comprehensive, legal retreats.

Their first retreat will be taking place in the Netherlands during March.

I spoke to David McNamara, operations manager for InwardBound, to learn more.

“We work with psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms,” David explains. “It has been shown to be very helpful in addressing a range of things, like making people calmer and happier, lifting

anxiety and depression, and helping people to break free from addictions to cigarettes or alcohol.”

It is important to everyone at InwardBound that their work is grounded in solid scientific research. David mentions that the effects of psilocybin have been backed up by institutions such as the Imperial College London. “The reason we chose to work with psilocybin over other psychedelics is because to date, it has the widest base of research demonstrating its ability to positively impact people’s health,” David tells me. “It also comes with the lowest risk of addictions or other side effects. As the stigma around psychedelics falls away, we want to help by offering a therapy that can really make a difference to people.” inwardbound.ie

“As the stigma around psychedelics falls away, we want to help by offering a therapy that can really make a difference.”

51 Vegan Foodies Rejoice AMAZING COMPANY RETURNS TO DUBLIN.

by Aisling Cronin Towards the end of autumn, a ripple of excitement spread through Dublin’s vegan community, prompted by a Facebook post bearing sudden, joyful news. Could it be?

Were Take a Veg really back in Dublin?

In 2016, I loved ordering meals from this innovative vegan food company, run by husband-and-wife team Frayank Nuñez and Loly Amador. This great love for Take a Veg was felt by many other vegans in Dublin: we were all familiar with the sight of Frayank traveling around the city on his bicycle, delivering meals.

“Our connection with Dublin was so strong, we just had to come back.”

At the end of 2016, Loly and Frayank moved to Barcelona to try their hand at expanding the business there, but in the hearts of Dublin’s vegan community, Take a Veg was never forgotten. When I caught up with Loly and Frayank, they explained: “Our connection with Dublin was so strong, we just had to come back.”

They are very excited about relaunching the business from their new venue in the quirky underground Moore Street Mall.

If you’re looking for a truly amazing food experience, check them out – you

definitely won’t be disappointed.

“Social media has been an amazing tool for us,” Loly shares. “We are so grateful to everyone who has supported us so far.”

Frayank adds, “Being a 100% vegan company in Dublin has always been important for us. We hope to build up our business from our new venue and open up a full restaurant, eventually!” facebook.com/takeaveg

SHORT AND SWEE T

Herbal Grace OUR NATURAL APPROACH TO HEALTH.

by Bernard Harris Herbs of Grace has been created with the aim of gathering a community of qualified, certified and insured herbalists and naturopaths together to not only treat people with acute and/or chronic conditions, but also to educate both clients and the general public about what natural living is and what it has to offer.

Through our consultations, public talks and workshops, we will endeavour to re-establish how we can live in balance (homeostasis), as well as exploring how our bodies communicate with us and how we can interpret and treat it.

In our ‘wholistic’ approach, we do not treat the condition: instead, we treat the person. The reason for this is that we are all individuals and will always experience/express a condition differently. Therefore, standardising or stereotyping an approach is not our way.

“In our ‘wholistic’ approach, we do not treat the condition: instead, we treat the person.”

All of our treatment plans are tailored and individualised.

In our treatment plans and protocols, we suggest lifestyle changes and awareness, dietary measures/changes to support our treatment plans, herbal

formulas (these may be a range of herbal extractions, capsules, creams, teas, etc.) and also the use of fungi (mushrooms). If you are serious about your health and want to make progressive changes – either from a preventative perspective, or from the treatment of a condition – please contact us. herbsofgrace.ie +353 (0)1 5461146

The Calm Rooms YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD WELLNESS HUB.

by Alison McEvoy in conversation with Sinead Brady It’s twenty four hours since I walked out of The Calm Rooms. Smiling, my cells sparkling, I felt like an early Christmas light on a dreary November day. I can still feel the soothing reverberations of Tom Toher’s Tibetan singing bowls and Conor Kelly’s subtle, healing touch from the Craniosacral therapy I received.

Sinead, proud owner, met me at the door and ushered me into a beautifully decorated room where she filled me in on the vision at the heart of The Calm Rooms.

“I wanted to create a space where as soon as you enter you leave your worries at the door and feel an instant sense of calm.

We ask clients to take their shoes off on arrival, getting grounded before you start your treatment...it’s simple little things that make a difference. We’ve enhanced the natural light by using the tranquil colour

of sage green with soft furnishings...all this adds up to The Calm Rooms feeling cosy, homely and a trustful environment.”

“...feel an instant sense of calm.”

The Calm Rooms is home to a community of 20 top-of-their-game holistic and complimentary therapists.

Under this one, tranquil roof is housed a whole variety of tools to help people of all ages lead healthier, calmer lives, and to regain and sustain well-being. Among this powerful tribe of therapists are also reiki practitioners, yoga and meditation teachers, life coaches and kinesiologists.

Like me, you can even make a day of it. In the three minutes it took to get from

the Monkstown dart station to The Calm Rooms I noticed the pier walk and the Avoca Café where I would spend the rest of the afternoon strolling and relishing a hot chocolate, as my mind-body-spirit revelled in the afterglow of my visit. thecalmrooms.com @thecalmrooms (Instagram)

Experience Your Zen BEAUTIFUL ITALIAN RETREAT ANNOUNCED.

53

by Aisling Cronin

“Zen Wellness retreat is set to be a nourishing experience that will help guests to experience deep soul growth.”

Jen Corcoran is a Reiki Master and Teacher whose holistic health business, Zen Wellness, has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Zen Wellness offers a wide range of services, including: monthly one day wellness retreats, twice yearly five day wellness retreats in the South of Italy, bespoke corporate wellness programmes, happiness coaching, Feng Shui consultations, holistic treatments and much more.

When I spoke with Jen about her plans to run a five-day retreat in the South of Italy in May 2019, I was struck by her dedication to ensuring that all retreat

attendees experience a sense of deep relaxation and soul growth.

She explained to me: “I originally got into spiritual development work because of challenges in my own life.

When I’m running retreats, I come alive, because I love seeing people grow and transform over the course of the retreat.

When I notice people experience their ‘aha’ moments, I feel so happy.”

Zen Wellness’ Italian retreat will take place in the beautiful Hotel Kennedy in Roccella, Calabria. It is set to be a deeply nourishing experience that will help guests to cleanse their souls and get their

minds back into shape. A retreat day will start with Group Meditation on the beach with Jen, followed by Kundalini Yoga with Celine and Self-Love Workshops in the afternoon. Pamper Treatments available over the course of the retreat will include Heated Thai Massages, Relaxation or Deep Tissue Massages, Life Coaching, Reflexology, Bio Energy, Reiki Healings and much more. facebook.com/Jenreiki jenzenwellness@gmail.com 087 3956477

Recover Your Health Wellness Retreat Join like minded people as we explore healthy options and different ways of thinking and looking at illness. Give yourself the opportunity to start over again, lift depression, leave illness behind, release stress and anxiety, understand physical pain, get back to being you.

Tantra Yoga Retreat Explore Yoga Asanas, Deep Meditations, Breath-work and Movement to help you explore the possibility of opening your Mind, Body and Heart.

Dates : June 1st - 7th 2019, Tantra Yoga Retreat.

June 23rd - 29th 2019 Wellness Retreat. www.markcleary.net markcleary.net Mark Cleary

Develop your own practice

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A comprehensive set of 108 specially illustrated yoga sequencing cards.

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Committed to Self-Mastery THE NATURAL HEALER BLAZING A TRAIL.

by Aisling Cronin

Mark Cleary is a natural health practitioner from Dublin whose specialities span many different healing modalities’ including Amatsu, craniosacral techniques, massage and meditation, to name just a few. He initially became interested in the holistic field after studying Japanese Martial Arts in 1984, under the guidance of Grandmaster Soke Masaaki Hatsumi.

When I spoke to him to learn more, it was clear that he possessed a huge passion for teaching and guiding people through many areas of self-development.

“I run one course where I teach people to do energy work,” he explained to me, “and I guide them to go into their heart and release any emotions that might be blocking them. During my Tantra yoga sessions, I aim to really delve into that aspect of it and ask people to consider

what intimacy means for them. To me, Tantra is about building the Feminine energy within individuals, and teaching them how to hold that energy in a very powerful way.”

As part of his dedication to helping people to develop their innate healing abilities, he holds monthly workshops and retreats, each focusing on a specific theme or core idea. From January 26-27, he is holding a Heart Space Weekend Workshop in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Dublin, while February 23-24 will see him facilitate a No Mind (Mushin) Workshop in the same venue. Mark’s full schedule for the year ahead is available on his website.

PRACTICAL GUIDANCE FOR HOME-PRACTICE.

by Alison McEvoy

Yogaru is the dream-child of Ruth Delahunty. Ruth has been a devoted yoga practitioner for the past twenty years. At an earlier crossroads, Ruth chose to settle down into her graphic design career and have her family of three beautiful children.

However, her dream of going deeper into her yoga practice remained with her and at the next available opportunity, Ruth leapt at the chance to do a Yoga Teacher Training with The Yoga Room, in Dublin.

As with many a yoga teacher-intraining, Ruth noticed the challenge in finding ways to represent yoga poses aka asana (in Sanskrit); “I found it very hard to find visual aids for sequencing my home practice and class plans. I remember thinking yoga really needs more of a design presence to help make it more accessible. During my training I started sketching the classic stick-men on the back of blank business cards to help with my sequencing

55

markcleary.net

Bringing Yoga Home

“Mark possesses a huge passion for guiding people through many areas of selfdevelopment.”

“Yogaru cards [help] students bridge the gap between studio classes and home practice.”

homework. Soon after I finished my training I took up the challenge of designing a tool to make sequencing more available for students of any level of experience curious to try out home practice.”

This ‘passion project’, the 108 ASANA cards, took Ruth two years to bring into actuality but the vision was clear all along; “Yogaru cards are about helping students bridge the gap between studio classes and home practice. They are designed to tailor to individual needs, and levels of experience, to help students get the most out of their time on the mat.”

You can check out this wonderful home-practice tool in Brown Thomas or online at Yogaru.ie You’ll also find Ruth on Instagram @yogaru_ireland for 12 days of Christmas yoga merriment!

POSITIVELY ME TAPHYSICAL

the winters

of life

CULTIVATE CLOSENESS THIS SEASON.

by Alison Canavan

The most important antidote to winter’s isolation is connection. We come into the world wired to make connections with one another. The very foundation of our sense of self is built upon human interactions, human presence and in-person exchanges.

We live in a culture where people living in some of the biggest cities are among the loneliest in the world. We are all so busy we barely have time for those we live with, never mind our friends, family and neighbours. This is yet another huge warning sign that if we don’t slow down and connect as a species, we are in trouble. We rarely make time for what really matters, like connecting with others from a heart-centred space. When we live from the heart and not the mind, we have a power untouched by fear or hatred.

The winter months, for me, are a

metaphor representing other difficult times in our lives, also known as our ‘winters of life’. Very often during these times, we struggle and find it hard to be positive and to show up for ourselves.

During the winter months, people struggle with loneliness, isolation and a sadness that is simply not always there when the sun is shining.

We are meant to move with the seasons, not fight against them. When they change, we should change too. If we do that, life will flow. We can’t keep up our summer pace in winter and we are not meant to. We need to change our sleep habits, the food we eat and our exercise habits. We need to ensure we get some daylight every day too.

“Embrace this gestation period, getting ready for your rebirth next spring.”

Under the ground, nature is busy during winter. It’s her gestation period before she rebirths her beauty, ready to show off to the world again. Our true nature is also ready and waiting to come up for air and light. We all need space, but that doesn’t mean we need to be alone.

In Robert Schuller’s book, ‘Tough Times Never Last But Tough People Do’, he tells a story about his Dad needing firewood. So, he went outside and saw a dead tree and cut it down. In the spring, to his dismay, new shoots sprouted around the trunk. His Dad said: “I thought for sure it was dead.” The leaves had all dropped and twigs snapped but now he saw life in the taproot. He looked at his son and said, “Bob, don’t forget this important lesson.

Never cut a tree down in wintertime.”

Never make a negative decision in low times: know that the spring always comes around again. It reminds me of the saying, “This too shall pass.” It always does.

So instead of dreading the next few months, embrace them. Embrace the company of friends and family, the warmth of a fire and a nice cup of tea. Embrace chatting to friends for hours on end.

Embrace this gestation period, getting ready for your rebirth next spring. The true miracles in life don’t happen when we are rushing around, but rather, when we slow down, connect and just be. alisoncanavan.com

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59

a tiny light

comes through HARMONISE AND HEAL.

by Alison McEvoy

At just twenty one years old, the newly married Dr. Alweena Awan found herself in continuous and agonising pain after a car accident. Once an avid PE Major, she was now lying stationary as she recovered from a broken back and neck.

Having undergone surgery to her spine, at one point Alweena found herself floating above her body, gazing down on her earthly existence. She hesitated and then, remembering her parents’ grief at her brother’s recent death by a car accident, kinesiology to test out a theory she had found herself returned to her body. of emotional resistance being at the root In conversation with Alweena, she of Alweena’s pain. That day, after mining now says that the accident “was the best to the core of her need to forgive certain experience of my life”, and that “out of wrongs, she walked out with her pain every bad experience, a tiny light comes reduced by over 70%. The remainder of the through.” journey involved forgiving, not others, but Alweena received many gifts throughout her immobile months. The gift herself for the guilt she carried over her brother’s death. of presence – as her only activity during This new discovery of the those hundreds of slow-passing hours relationship between emotional resistance was reading through a book resting on a and pain, or the body’s inability to heal, glass pane suspended above her head. The led Alweena down a path of intense study gift of awareness of choice – as it dawned of different methods of kinesiology, a PhD on her that just as she had experienced in helping children using holistic methods, the profoundest choice of all, to live or which led t0 the development of the Child leave, there is choice in every moment Centre Method and a profound resonance which needs to be brought to light in order with the traditional Hawaiian method of for us to know how powerful we really ‘setting things right’, Ho’oponopono. are. And the gift of knowing the value of Ho’oponopono teaches that to physical literacy, of movement. For years, heal anything in your environment, you even after leaving hospital, regular visits must heal yourself. Dr Alweena leads to the chiropractor were her only way of Ho’oponopono Harmonising Circles managing the pain of movement.

(HHC) all over the world, giving people One day, her chiropractor used

“...experience the life-changing powers of presence, connection, congruence and authenticity.”

an understanding of the theory and philosophy behind Ho’oponopono and sharing an experience of Ho’oponopono in practice; “I always like people to go away experiencing it because now they hold the vibration of it...it’s there. They can start using it the moment they leave the workshop.”

Sitting in circle, Alweena finds the most amazing revelations happen for people. The circle amplifies the experience of each person, she explains, allowing people to cut through the stories we tell ourselves which get in the way of us leading the life we truly want to live: “Sometimes we don’t know what we want...so the biggest clarity from the workshop can be getting clarity, becoming authentic about what you really want....

Then you hold a vibration from that point and the universe will give you like for like.”

Dr Alweena has become a guide and magnet for people all over the world to sit in circle and experience the lifechanging powers of presence, connection, congruence and authenticity.

Dr Alweena Awan will be speaking in Dublin on Saturday 23rd February 2019. For more information see www.seminars.ie Alweena.com Childcentremethod.com

60

perfect prana DISCOVER REVOLUTIONARY HEALING.

Les Flitcroft

by Paul Congdon The word ‘prana’ means ‘life’, ‘energy’ or ‘breath’ in Sanskrit, and is generally used to denote the inherent life force that sustains us all. Pranic Healing® is a simple yet powerful non-touching complementary treatment which can heal a wide range of physical and psychological ailments. This healing modality can enhance any area of your life, as it is highly systematic and scientific in its approach: a feature that distinguishes it from other complementary therapies. Pranic Healing® works on the principle that the body is a self-healing organism.

I’ve been dabbling with Pranic Healing® for a number of years. It’s a fascinating practice, with some simple practical tips and beautiful meditations – most notably the Twin Hearts meditation, which is a really lovely way to help your love energy to flow. The modality caught my eye again recently when I heard that the self-development leader Tony Robbins has become a huge fan. It has helped him in his own life to such an extent that Pranic Healing® expert, Master Stephen Co, now accompanies Tony on his tours and appears at his events.

Master Co trained with the originator of the practice: GrandMaster Choa Kok Sui. My interest in Pranic Healing® led me to contact Les Flitcroft in the UK,

whom Tony first approached for help. Les was first introduced to Pranic Healing® by a friend. He soon found that this amazing energy modality could be used to facilitate complete healing. He became fascinated by the amazing work of Master Choa Kok Sui. As a former aerospace engineer, Les saw the priceless value of the Pranic Healing® process, which is very specific, repeatable and easily taught to anyone.

“As a former aerospace engineer, Les saw the priceless value of the Pranic Healing® process.”

Through Pranic Healing Ireland, I arranged two sessions with Les: the first via Skype, and the second in person.

During our first session, Les asked me what was going on for me, healthwise. As we chatted, he said he was beginning to connect with my energy field, and one of my main issues – TMJ, jaw tension – would be our main focus. He said the problem was mainly on my left side, which was bang-on, as that was where I’d had some

dental work done earlier this year. I have to say that after the session, I felt pretty amazing and my day flowed beautifully. I made an appointment to see Les the next day, as he was due to arrive in Dublin.

We then began our second session, with Les working energetically on my jaw area. As I write, I can feel a big reduction in my TMJ symptoms. It has not cleared completely yet, but I do notice my sleep becoming more restful, so I’m hoping that as Les indicated, the Pranic energy will keep working away over the next few days, so that the issue eventually lifts.

On a practical level, he also recommended some homework for me.

He believes that in our daily lives, we are constantly sharing energy – both wanted and unwanted – with other people. Just as we brush our teeth every night, we should also cut these cords before sleeping, to start each day afresh. He also mentioned the benefits of salt baths twice a week for keeping energy clear, as well as the lovely Twin Hearts meditation I mentioned earlier, which is available on YouTube.

Pranic Healing® is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Try it – it just might work for you.

pranichealingireland.ie

India's Embrace



Join us for an extraordinary and empowering trip of a life time to Northern India March 10th-24th 2019

______________________

Enjoy 14 Nights All Inclusive

2 Nights Amritsar Golden Temple 5 Nights Organic Farm stay at the edge of Rajaji Jungle 7 Nights Rishikesh luxury hotel

________________________________

Highlights…

• • • • • • • • •

Golden Temple and Devi Temple Visits Overnight Train Journey from Amritsar Jungle Jeep Safari Rajaji National Wildlife Reserve Sunrise trip over the Himalayas Kunjapuri Temple Excursion Ganga River Rafting Holi Festival Celebrations Explore the Ancient, Mystical and Spiritual City Optional Daily Yoga and much more …

Where the Great Divine Mother soothes your soul

Goddess Rising Retreat For more information www.archealing.ie - 0879126366

POSITI V E A STROLOGY

62

role of the

planets A MAP OF YOUR HUMAN EXPERIENCE.

by Calodagh McCumiskey

Known as the eyes of the Vedas because of the powerful insights it gives into your past, present and future, Vedic Astrology is the study of the influence of the celestial bodies.

The sun represents your heart and shows you where and how to shine in life.

It illuminates and describes your journey from ego to enlightenment. It is the most important heavenly body and is the source of light and life in the world and your character. It clarifies your strengths, purpose and gives willpower. A wellplaced sun will make you a king (or queen) in your own world. It can bring fame and power in all areas, including politically.

A poor placement can make a person arrogant.

The moon represents your mind and influences fertility, relationships and your overall emotional outlook. A well-placed moon brings joy, enthusiasm and peace of mind, while an afflicted moon brings tension, depression and a pessimistic attitude.

In the planetary cabinet, Mars is the commander-in-chief. Mars rules energy, force, destruction, disputes and war. A strong Mars will make you powerful, independent-minded and driven.

Mercury represents wisdom. We learn knowledge from books and others but convert it to wisdom when we bring

our own reflection and learn from life. A strong Mercury will make you wealthy and wise.

“Vedic Astrology is the study of the influence of the celestial bodies.�

Jupiter represents your logic.

Jupiter gives the ability to reason and make balanced and fair decisions. A strong Jupiter will give you a powerful intellect, the ability to see what is really important, discernment and respect from others. It also brings wealth. Jupiter is the main influencer of children in our lives.

Venus gives power and sexual satisfaction. A strong Venus will give an aura of success and enjoyment of worldly pleasures. She is feminine and the brightest planet in the sky. Known as the goddess of love, marriage, beauty, music and dance and the Morning Star, she is easily recognised in the north early in the morning.

Saturn represents ethics and delivers our karma. Saturn is the slowest moving of the heavenly bodies used in Vedic Astrology, spending 2.5 years

in a sign but always bringing decisive action and results. A well-placed Saturn influences the fortunate events in our lives and makes a person faithful, honest and sincere. A malefic Saturn brings grief and pain. It is the greatest teacher and gives us what will ultimately move us to the next stage. Saturn has a powerful wisdom and delivers cosmic justice. A strong Saturn will make you a powerful public servant with a very systematic approach to life and living.

Although they do not own any zodiac signs, Rahu and Ketu, the north and south nodes of the moon, also have a profound influence on our spiritual and worldly journey. They are shadows and are responsible for the many unexpected twists and turns in our lives, a bit like the game of snakes and ladders.

In short, your astrological chart is a map of your purpose and potential!

Calodagh McCumiskey is the director of Spiritual Earth in Rocklands Co. Wexford.

Spiritualearth.ie calodaghmccumiskey@gmail.com

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